Gavin Trilogy — Getting Under His Skin
Tattoo timeline. ‘Godfather of hipsters’, madman and cult-leader. The co-founder that VICE wants to forget.
Writing about Gavin McInnes is something I’ve dreaded for awhile. Unlike Shane, who only has 20 hours of video and a handful of articles to dissect; Gavin has authored ten comic zines, ~120 issues of Vice Magazine and since leaving at least 1 real book (published by Simon & Schuster), a thousand articles and thousand videos.
Often imprecise, seemingly unpredictable and subversive. Gavin has a long history of lying to the press. His mom has told him a million times that he always exaggerates meanwhile his dad says he lies with facility. In a quest for meaning in all the nonsense, best start with something finite: the stories worthy of pain.
If you don’t know Gavin: stop reading (it will be a waste of time). If you want to understand him: this is the place to start.
A CHRONOLOGY OF INK
SKULL (~1988) by Unknown biker
That skull in the middle is the first tattoo I ever got. I was 18 and got nauseous and the biker guy who was doing it said, “Oh, I love the breed of man that’s getting a tattoo these days.” That made me sad. The skull was carved from a bone that came from a sati fire but I didn’t like the way it looked so I covered it up later with steer horns. (MissBehave 2009)
WIKI: “Sati or suttee is an obsolete Hindu funeral custom where a widow immolates herself on her husband’s pyre or commits suicide in another fashion shortly after her husband’s death.”
“It was ‘the guy in blue’(?). It was all bikers that got tattooed […] I’ll never forget this line ever — 1988 — screams up to his wife ‘I love the breed of a man that is getting a tattoo these days’” Everyone laughs, and Gavin starts laughing. (Tattoo Hero 2014)
FIVE SYMBOLS (COVERED UP LATER) (Date Unknown) by Rock Machine (?)
The cover up is the only tattoo I regret.” (MissBehave 2009)
“Then I got this stupid shit…”
- Bull horns (vegetarianism) NOTE: Never heard of this
- Woman’s symbol with ‘E’ in it for equality especially for women NOTE: Typically an “=” symbol in the middle
- Crass — the band
- Peace “I don’t like war —unlike a lot of people…”
- Anarchy
(Tattoo Hero 2014)
權力 AUTHORITY (~1988) by Rock Machine
“I think [the circle] says ‘power’” (Tattoo Hero 2014)
According a Chinese friend, the left word 權 means power. The right word 力 means strength, force. The two words 權力 together combined means “authority”.
NOTE: Rock Machine is a bike gang in Montreal formed in 1986.
الذراع رغباتك [ARM YOUR DESIRES] (~1988) by Rock Machine
Most of my tattoos say “Arm Your Desires” in various languages. We were all pretty serious about anarchy back then and I pretty much still am. I hate George Bush and Barack Obama equally, for example. (MissBehave 2009)
NOTE: PT3 looks into this further
“Written in arabic, “Arm Your Desires” big anarchist slogan. […]This is before terrorism really caught wind. So…” Gavin assumes a lisp “de-arm your desires guys” Gavin resuming normal voice “This is before palestinians thought of doing anything to anyone. I regret empowering them so much. They really went to town on this ‘arm your desires’ shit,” camera crew laughs “I have a fucking terrorist tattoo!” crew laughs even more. (Tattoo Hero 2014)
DESIRES? (Date Unknown) by Unknown
NOTE: Devanagari?Marathi? Hindi? Nepali? Sanskrit? Jibberish?
ЖЕЛАНИЕ [DESIRES] (Date Unknown) by Unknown
TRIBAL SUN — PEACE PUNK (1991) by Andreas Tattoos NYC
The tribal sun was almost impossible to not get in the 90s. [The SoBe iced tea looking guy is] on some “eco-environmentalist peace punk” shit. Apparently there’s some tribe in the rain forest that worships a dancing tree frog and they dance when it dances and they mate when it mates etc. When I told my dad that he went completely nuts with rage. (MissBehave 2009)
NOTE: Cannot find frog story.
LOVE AND HATE (1991 ?) by Unknown
…love and hate in Chinese on “flammable” logos. I guess I was saying “Don’t fuck with me” and also, “I like Massive Attack.” It’s pretty queer but, as some guy I can’t remember who does tattoos once said, “They show time.” (MissBehave 2009)
“Don’t make fun of my Massive Attack tattoos again [Link to Massive Attack Music Video]” (Twitter 2010)
DESTRUCTION CREATES (1989–1999?) started in Montreal, finished by Civ from Lotus Tattoo
Chiang Kai Shek and Fidel Castro. Those were two immigrants that came into a country, wiped out the previous cultures and started new, prosperous ones. I also have a machine gun on my arm that says ‘arm your desires’ in Arabic. The days of the West are numbered and I will be the impetus that destroys it. I am turning America inside out from the outside in. Soon George Bush will be in the tentacles hands and a new creed will take over. DESTRUCTION CREATES! (Gawker 2003) (Momus 2004 / Pork 2011) (RunningMule 2005)
NOTE: What the fuck? I ask Gavin about this in Part 2.
This is a cyber jellyfish with a skull head eating Chiang Kai-Shek and Fidel Castro below the words Destruction Creates (”Creates” is in Chinese). I originally wanted the jellyfish to look like the cover for “I Sing the Body Electro” but things got way out of hand. I started it in Montreal but Civ from Lotus Tattoo did most of the work and saved it. It must have taken 50 hours total. I chose Fidel Castro and Chiang Kai-Shek because Castro took over an island, destroyed its past, and made it communist and Chiang did the the same thing but capitalist. I guess it’s just a very convoluted Yin Yang symbol. (MissBehave 2009)
If I had to change one tattoo It would probably be […] one is the hero of capitalism and one is the hero of socialism and [the jellyfish] is devouring them […] 36 hours […] 50 sessions […] sometimes I was drunk, sometimes I was on pain killers (Fox News Red Eye 2014?)
NOTE: Chiang Kai-Shek being hero of Capitalism is debatable, Castro is hero Socialism
TOFU (after 1999 date unknown) by Unknown
“…was a vegetarian for 15 years but gave it up after reading the article discussed here. I think if veggies were totally honest with themselves they’d admit a lot of their belief system is based on, “I’m special.” It’s not gayness. It’s snobbery. And there’s plenty of ethical ways to eat your animal friends if you can calm down enough to look into it.” (MissBehave 2009)
BLOBS (September 2005 ?) by Unknown
“I call my wife Blobs because she loves sleeping so much.” (MissBehave 2009)(How To Piss In Public 2012)
WHAT? (ON INNER LIP) (date unknown) by Unknown
Lesley Arfin: tattooed on your inner lip? Gavin McInnes: So I could bust it out after hearing a particularly juicy piece of gossip — but I had to stop because it would inevitably change the topic of conversation to “Did that hurt?” (MissBehave 2009)
GRUMBLING HIVE (2008 [after VICE]) by Scott Campbell
The Mandeville poem on my arm is about how things we assume are bad are actually good for all of us. “Luxury employed a million of the poor and odious pride a million more”
SUMMARY: “Mandeville states his thesis that vice is the foundation of national prosperity and happiness” It influenced economist Adam Smith and indirectly influenced Darwin (RC Rutledge 2006)
SCOTTISH ANTHEM (2008 [after VICE]) by Scott Campbell
“The other side is a Scottish anthem about the battle of Sherrif Muir. There was no battle that day. The Scots AND the English pushed out but the Scottish history books are defensive and try to say it happened.” (Gavin Trilogy Part II 2017)
There’s some say that we wan and some say that they wan;
And some say that nane wan at a’ man;
But one thing is sure that at Sheriff Muir;
A battle was fought on that day man;
Scott Campbell from Saved did them and had to stop halfway after he heard Heath Ledger had just died. Apparently they were bro’s. Then he insisted on starting again even though he was all fucked up which I wasn’t thrilled about but it turned out pretty good. (MissBehave 2009)
NOTE: Gavin linked to me “MySongBook.de” but the Scottish battle hymn, as inked is written as found in one of Gavin’s favourite books: How the Scots Invented the Modern World. The last inked was instead“A battle there was which I saw, man.”
AREN’T THOU BORED (March 2010) by Scott Campbell
Scott Campbell: It’s your deal but I still think it’s ‘Art’
Gavin: It’s not ‘Art’ its ‘Aren’t’ cause its like a call to arms ‘Aren’t Thou Bored?’”
SC: I don’t think Shakespeare had contractions.
GM: He did.
[Title card: NEXT MORNING]
GM: Shit, it is ‘ART THOU BORED’ (HOW TO GET A TATTOO 2010)Did you ever get any shitty tattoos that you regret during your partying days?
Gavin: […]I don’t know if you ever saw that Slim Jim commercial with Randy “Macho Man” Savage when he interrupts a Shakespeare play by kicking down the door and goes, “ARE Y’ALL BORED?” and gives them a Slim Jim? I got that as a tattoo. (Main Montreal 2012)
AIN’T NO NICE GUY — SPADE (2010 / IG) by Scott Campbell
ION: You’re a fairly infamous character. Is there anything you want to set straight about yourself here?
Gavin: The rumours are true, I’m a bad guy. I just got a tattoo, it says “Ain’t no nice guy.” It’s a popular song…Overheard in the background, a small child’s voice followed by… Hi Buzz! It’s Buzz Lightyear to the rescue! Go fly Buzz! Go fly!
ION: Was that your kid?
GM: Yeah. Dressed up as Buzz Lightyear.ION: That’s adorable.
GM:[Laughs]
When I was young I was the nicest guy I knew;
I thought I was the chosen one;
But time went by and I found out a thing or two;
My shine wore off as time wore on — Motorhead
EAGLE HOLDING A SNAKE AND RIFLE (July 2014) by Bailey Robinson
“Eagle holding a 30 aut 6.” (TGMS E2 2015)
NOTE: Eagle holding a snake is similar to Mexican coat of arms
BUTT OF A BUTT ON MY BUTT (June 2015) by Bailey Robinson
Tattooed live on TGMS E2 (Idea ‘subconsciously stolen’ from a Bevis and Butthead sketch.)
3rd DEGREE PROUD BOY (July 24 2016) by Unknown
Gavin founded a boozy cult called the Proud Boys. Named in contempt of a song added to the musical version of Disney’s “Aladdin”.
Proud of your boy;
I’ll make you proud of your boy;
Believe me, bad as I’ve been, Ma;
You’re in for a pleasant surprise.I’ve wasted time;
I’ve wasted me;
So say I’m slow for my age;
A late bloomer, Okay, I agree.
1st degree: Claim the West is the best; “make your Western chauvinism public and you don’t care who knows it […] if that gets you fired, so be it.” (Taki’s Mag 2016)
2nd degree: “You must get the crap beaten out of you by at least five guys until you can name five breakfast cereals […] The bonding and camaraderie this violence produces is inspiring.” (Taki’s Mag 2016)
NOTE: Similar to a humorous game his friends used to play and MS13’s thirteen-second violent initiation.
3rd degree: Either a tattoo or branding.
This page will be updated as Gavin gets updated.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DANIEL VOSHART is a former cinematographer, budding forensic consultant who works in architecture and VR.
ABOUT NOT VICE
not vice started in 2015 as a book about Vice Media and later morphed into a blog.
Gavin Trilogy — The DNA of Vice
- PART I: Getting Under His Skin. Godfather of hipsters, madman, cult-leader. The co-founder that VICE wants to forget.
- NEXT — PART II: Probing an Asshole. Interview with a self-proclaimed asshole.
Gavin promises to eat a $100 bill; tells me about a neo-nazi conspiracy theory and tries to convince me Ann Coulter is a great researcher. SPOILER: We resolve almost nothing and get on each other’s nerves.
- PART III: White Noise. Is Gavin McInnes really a White Supremacist?
