Oliver Peck is the sort of guy who seems to be everywhere at once. Just try keeping up with him by googling his name. It’s not all that easy. He always seems to be mentioned in some capacity or another, from having a mustache that is seemingly inspired by the little man on the Pringles potato chip canister, to being the ex-husband of Kat Von D, to (briefly) holding the world record for the number of tattoos done in a 24 hour period. He has some sort of footwear deal with Vans skateboard shoe company, he’s repeatedly tattooed on the Van’s Warped Tour and his personal website hasn’t been updated since 2007.
Yet aside from all that, Peck, also lovingly known as “Ducky” and “Fuck Face” (according to the Elm Street Tattoo site) as well as my personal favourite: “Oliver Pecker”, has built a strong reputation for doing what he does best, which is of course, tattoo. By his own estimate, Peck has been tattooing for 18 years and counting. He’s permanently set up at Dallas Texas’ Elm Street Tattoo, where every Friday the 13th, he does nothing but 13 tattoos.
All in all, Oliver strikes people as a very relaxed, funny loving guy. I think it’s because he’s so skilled and his tattoo work does such an excellent job of precise old school style, that he can have fun with people and with life in general. In my opinion, the best art comes from being comfortable with yourself and your abilities. Judging by the busy and frantic life of Oliver Peck, he has problem with any of that.
Now that I know that Oliver shares three of my own greatest passions: Slurpees, The Big Lebowski and tattooing, I’ll be sure to bring him a cola Slurpee and chat about the adventures of The Dude, should I ever be lucky enough to get some tattoo time with him.