Page 122 - Demo

122 || FASHION MAGAZINE || MAY / JUNE 2015US Marine Corps corporal turned Chief Piercing officer, Brian Keith Thompson, owner of Body Electric Tattoo on Melrose in Hollywood, is the face of the company that is modernizing the tattoo and piercing parlor experience. Thompson seems to come to his work with the same methodical fearlessness that one would expect from a previous member of the U.S. Military. At first glance, Thompson does not look like a military man; with gauged earlobes and a full body of ink, MOST inquired what his USMC Commander would say to him now. %u201cFirst he%u2019d probably call me an %u2018idiot,%u2019 but then he%u2019d tell me how proud he is of my successful business and how I%u2019ve been able to maintain it over the years based on the leadership skills that the Marine Corps taught me.%u201d Though initially the business seemed like an investment and his desire to be a piercer was minimal, he now equates it to having a child and watching it grow up and mature. %u201cGood or bad, it%u2019s up to me. And no one gets to tell me what to do [laughs].%u201d In reflection of the first piercing he ever gave, he told MOST, %u201cBody Electric%u2019s previous owner convinced me to pierce my own nose.%u201d That was the hook, he recalls, %u201cI realized I was good at it and kept going with it. The more I did it the more I loved it; the more I loved it, the more I did it.%u201d Though Thompson has now lost count of his piercings and tattoos, he doesn%u2019t re-gret a single one. He considers his ink to be one large connected piece, his favorite part being the goddess Kali. %u201cVisually, I like it the best. And symbolically, she%u2019s a bad motherfucker who kicks ass and takes names, which is the way I run my business. No prisoners.%u201d He now sees himself as, %u201ca craftsman and a decorator.%u201d Thompson was named after the actor Brian Keith, his mom%u2019s crush (a fact that was dis-closed to him much later in life). Growing up, he was called BKT, standing for %u201cBratty Kid Thompson,%u201d a nickname given by his father. His theme song is %u201cWelcome to the Jungle%u201d by Guns N%u2019 Roses. So where can we find Thompson when he%u2019s not in the shop? Usually in the sky. %u201cI am forty hours into getting my helicopter license,%u201d he says. %u201cFlying is my favorite thing to do besides Body Electric.%u201d Worried about getting judged for that heart that you%u2019ve always wanted on your hip to match Rachel Green from Friends? Don%u2019t be. Thompson says, %u201cIf someone really wants some-thing, who am I to judge what they want?%u201d Just don%u2019t complain during the process. %u201cWhen peo-ple ask if it%u2019s going to hurt, of course it%u2019s going to hurt. Both tattoos and piercings hurt. Life hurts %u2013 but you gotta live it.%u201d What do MOST readers have to look forward from BET? Thompson tells us that in five years he hopes to see the studio double in size allowing him to %u201ctake a much-needed break.%u201d In that free time, we have been assured, some of the more outrageous stories Thompson amassed from his years in the shop will be divulged. He tells us, %u201cYou%u2019ll just have to wait for my memoir for that. I%u2019m going to call it %u2018The Hollywood Years.%u2019%u201d We can%u2019t wait!For more information on Brian and Body Electric Tattoo, please visit:www.briankeiththompson.comand www.bodyelectrictattoo.com.By: Sabina Bloom