Laughing Monkey with Shawn Ratches

Laughing Monkey with Shawn Ratches

Paul Booth: The Dark Art Visionary Who Redefined Tattooing, Horror, and Creative Expression

Jun 24, 2026 · 59 min · 12 segments

Paul Booth is an American tattoo artist and multidisciplinary dark surrealist from Boonton, New Jersey, whose career has spanned nearly four decades. After beginning his tattoo journey in the late…

Paul Booth is an American tattoo artist and multidisciplinary dark surrealist from Boonton, New Jersey, whose career has spanned nearly four decades. After beginning his tattoo journey in the late 1980s through an apprenticeship in New Jersey, he developed a signature black-and-gray style centered on macabre, psychological, and surreal imagery. Rather than follow standard flash trends, Booth built his name through large custom pieces that explored horror, religion, trauma, and the darker side of human nature. By the 1990s and 2000s, Booth had become one of the most influential names in tattooing, especially within metal and alternative culture. His work attracted high-profile musicians and performers, while his broader practice expanded into painting, sculpture, film, and music. He also earned recognition beyond tattoo culture, helping push tattooing toward wider acceptance as a serious art form. A major part of Booth’s legacy is the world he built around Last Rites in New York, an immersive tattoo and gallery space that became iconic in dark art culture. In 2000 he co-founded the Art Fusion Experiment, bringing tattooers and fine artists together in collaborative work. His fine art later reached international exhibitions, including a solo show at the H.R. Giger Museum in 2011 and a major museum exhibition in Paris in 2014–2015. Although Last Rites closed in 2020 during the pandemic, Booth remains a defining figure in the crossover between tattooing, outsider art, and dark contemporary art

Paul Booth is an American tattoo artist and multidisciplinary dark surrealist from Boonton, New Jersey, whose career has spanned nearly four decades. After beginning his tattoo journey in the late…

Speakers: Paul BoothGuestShawn RatchesHost

Pre-show Tech Troubles & Small Talk3:29 – 6:22

Shawn RatchesHost

3:29

Yep.

Paul BoothGuest

3:29

Hello.

Shawn RatchesHost

3:31

Hello.

Paul BoothGuest

3:32

I'm working on video.

Paul BoothGuest

3:33

Hold on.

Paul BoothGuest

3:33

[laughs]

Shawn RatchesHost

3:34

Oh, no rush.

Shawn RatchesHost

3:35

I knew, 7:00, I knew you were gonna be exactly on time.

Paul BoothGuest

3:37

Yeah, I'm pretty punctual.

Shawn RatchesHost

3:40

I figured you would be.

Paul BoothGuest

3:40

Um, let me see.

Paul BoothGuest

3:43

Uh, I gotta find the right camera here.

Paul BoothGuest

3:50

Nope, that ain't it.

Paul BoothGuest

3:52

I don't know why it's giving me grief all of a sudden here.

Shawn RatchesHost

3:58

What, do you have a couple different cameras?

Paul BoothGuest

4:00

I have a bunch for, uh...

Paul BoothGuest

4:02

I'm actually trying to get a podcast started for tattooing, but, um, it's not, uh, seeing my camera.

Paul BoothGuest

4:12

Hold on.

Paul BoothGuest

4:12

Bear with-

Shawn RatchesHost

4:12

Maybe unplug your camera and reset it.

Paul BoothGuest

4:14

Yeah, I may have to.

Shawn RatchesHost

4:17

Well, if you're looking for some tips on podcasting, you can ask me.

Shawn RatchesHost

4:21

I can teach you what I know.

Paul BoothGuest

4:23

Oh, I'm using vMix, um, 'cause it's a live stream.

Shawn RatchesHost

4:28

Mm-hmm.

Paul BoothGuest

4:28

And, uh, hold on, let me trace this cable.

Shawn RatchesHost

4:32

Yeah.

Paul BoothGuest

4:39

All right.

Shawn RatchesHost

4:41

[sneezes] Excuse me.

Paul BoothGuest

4:49

There we go.

Paul BoothGuest

5:03

Oh.

Shawn RatchesHost

5:04

Oh.

Paul BoothGuest

5:04

Had it.

Shawn RatchesHost

5:06

There's a loose cable.

Paul BoothGuest

5:08

Okay.

Shawn RatchesHost

5:10

There you go.

Paul BoothGuest

5:10

I guess we're good.

Paul BoothGuest

5:11

All right.

Shawn RatchesHost

5:12

Welcome.

Shawn RatchesHost

5:13

[laughs]

Paul BoothGuest

5:14

All right.

Paul BoothGuest

5:15

Sorry about-

Shawn RatchesHost

5:15

It, uh, it's recording, but I'll, I'll edit it anyhow because it's just-

Paul BoothGuest

5:18

Oh, okay

Shawn RatchesHost

5:18

...

Shawn RatchesHost

5:18

I always forget to record.

Shawn RatchesHost

5:19

You, uh, once you do a podcast, you forget to record once.

Paul BoothGuest

5:22

Right.

Shawn RatchesHost

5:23

You know, you, you, you go like, "Oh my God, this is it."

Paul BoothGuest

5:25

Yeah.

Paul BoothGuest

5:25

[laughs]

Shawn RatchesHost

5:25

"I just talked to someone for an hour."

Paul BoothGuest

5:27

Yeah, I could imagine.

Shawn RatchesHost

5:28

So now I gotta automatically go and, and edit it afterwards.

Paul BoothGuest

5:30

Yeah.

Shawn RatchesHost

5:30

So, um-

Paul BoothGuest

5:30

Smart

Shawn RatchesHost

5:31

... yeah.

Shawn RatchesHost

5:32

Is there anything we can, you wanna, um, highlight? I'm kind of all over the place when I do things.

Shawn RatchesHost

5:38

I don't know if you've checked out any of my stuff.

Paul BoothGuest

5:40

Um, I do a lot of different stuff besides tattooing.

Paul BoothGuest

5:43

Um-

Shawn RatchesHost

5:44

Yeah, I was gonna go there

Paul BoothGuest

5:45

...

Paul BoothGuest

5:45

I don't know, in particular.

Paul BoothGuest

5:46

I mean, I'm working on a couple, uh, applications, development.

Paul BoothGuest

5:51

I do some coding.

Paul BoothGuest

5:53

Uh, I paint, I make music.

Paul BoothGuest

5:55

I, uh, um-

Shawn RatchesHost

5:57

Yeah, I checked out your music.

Shawn RatchesHost

5:58

It's pretty fun.

Shawn RatchesHost

5:59

I like it.

Paul BoothGuest

5:59

Oh, thanks.

Paul BoothGuest

6:00

I, I, all kinds of stuff, really.

Paul BoothGuest

6:02

It depends on-

Shawn RatchesHost

6:02

All right.

Shawn RatchesHost

6:02

We can hop into...

Shawn RatchesHost

6:03

I didn't know if you had anything you wanted to, you know- ... promote at this time, you know?

Paul BoothGuest

6:07

Oh, yeah.

Paul BoothGuest

6:08

Not really.

Paul BoothGuest

6:09

Nothing I can think of.

Paul BoothGuest

6:10

[laughs]

Shawn RatchesHost

6:12

All right.

Shawn RatchesHost

6:12

All right.

Shawn RatchesHost

6:12

And like I said, if you ever have any questions or you're podcasting, if there's anything I can help you with, let me know.

Paul BoothGuest

6:16

Okay.

Paul BoothGuest

6:17

Sure.

Shawn RatchesHost

6:17

I'd love to help people, bundle stuff in.

Shawn RatchesHost

6:20

When it's done, I send it to you.

Shawn RatchesHost

6:22

Okay.

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