Tattoo artist is more than meets eye

Dirk Vermin, musician and owner of Pussykat Tattoo Parlor, 4972 S. Maryland Parkway, Suite 12, helps his 4-year-old daughter Tiger Lily work on a drawing of a pirate.Marlene Karas/View Advertisement

The afternoon sun throbbed incessantly, spewing waves of sticky heat down upon the greater Las Vegas area.

Dirk Vermin flashes a boyish, gap-toothed grin as he opens the door to the Pussykat Tattoo Parlor, 4972 S. Maryland Parkway, Suite 12, a business that, like its owner, has reached an iconic status over the past 11 years.

"I grew up in Vegas, and I'm still not used to the heat," Vermin admits, absent-mindedly fingering the lettering fixed to the reflective glass. "But there are worse places."

Vermin, an artist by trade, has been a fixture in the Las Vegas underground art and music scene for years. His skills with a tattoo gun have become almost legendary, as people sign up for a two-month-long waiting list, eager for the chance to be inked by the master.

Vermin's shop, with its gothic, neo-punk ambience, is littered with evidence of its hardcore heritage. The sepia-toned walls are plastered with original artwork in the form of zombie pin-up girls, punk band posters and renderings of classic movie monsters drawn to appear more menacing than the character's original portrayal.

The full custom shop is one of only a handful in town. Vermin is an elitist of sorts, never compromising on what he believes to be an artistic principle.

"We only do custom art here," Vermin said. "You can't come in and pick something off of the wall and have us stick it on you. We do original renderings. You can bring in ideas and talk it over with your artist, but in the end, it's a collaborative, creative effort. If you come in here with a stupid idea for a tattoo and can't be talked out of it, we'll tell you to leave. Ya know? No, I'm not tattooing your kid's name on your calf. Be original. Go big or don't do it."

Pussykat was featured on the reality television series "Miami Ink" in an episode that aired on July 28 on TLC. That experience failed to shake Vermin's covertly apathetic posture.

"They sure as hell don't need me to boost their publicity or get them more ratings," Vermin said. "Actually, a lot of the guys I know, in L.A. especially, felt like I was selling out by doing the show. I just felt like, ya know what, I'm not buying into corporate America, or selling out to 'The Man.' I'm allowing people to see what a real tattoo shop in Vegas is like. All of the other shows about Vegas shops have depicted them as something that they're not, and I saw this as an opportunity to change that. I've been in this scene for years, and I don't care what people think. But, it was a good time, a good experience. The crew working on that show is stellar."

With his foul-mouthed persona and bulldozer mentality, Vermin is known for pushing the boundaries of conventionality and erasing them -- not just with the shop, but with his band, The Vermin.

"The band has been around for a lot of years," said friend and owner of the Double Down Saloon, P Moss. "I know a lot of people take them too seriously and get mad about comments that have been made or things that have been done. But, they're great. Dirk is an original."

Vermin isn't shy about the band's antics.

"The Vermin has been kicked out of most of the venues we have played," he said. "Ironically, for the things we say on stage and the bass player's desire to play punk rock naked. The majority of the actual events shouldn't be reprinted in a family paper. Too much whiskey is usually involved."

With his trademark slightly abrasive and unapologetic swagger, Vermin makes no pretense about who he is, what he represents or where he's going.

"I've always been realistic about my place in this world," Vermin said. "My band has never been marketable on a mass level. So 'getting signed' has never appealed to me. I write, design, produce and market everything I do. Tattoos, music, art, books, etc. And I still get excited about every new project. I play music with two of the best friends a guy could ask for -- Ruckus and Turbo. I'm treated very well in this town. I haven't paid for a drink in a decade."