Seattle Tattoo Expo's Damon Conklin on "Hairway to Steven," Z-Trip and God

In some ways, SuperGenius Tattoo owner and Seattle Tattoo Expo co-founder Damon Conklin listens to pretty much what you'd expect a tattoo artist to listen to: Van Halen, Metallica, Aerosmith and absolutely not ABBA. But there are always going to be a few surprises. Before being featured and teaching a seminar at the Seattle Tattoo Expo this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Seattle Center, Conklin took some time to share some of those surprises.

Reverb Questionnaire is a list of (mostly) static questions we pose to folks outside the music industry. The questions are all answered via e-mail.

What music have you been listening to today? Did you like it?
Paul Wall, Art Blakey, Van Halen, and Rancid and yes.

What's your preferred method for listening to music (iPod, car, home stereo, etc.)?
iPod in the car.

When was the last time you heard "Stairway to Heaven"? Did you turn it off?

Within the month, and turning off "Stairway to Heaven" is not cool, nor is it cool to turn off "Hairway to Steven."

Do you play an instrument?
I played sax for a long time. Haven't played in a while.

Do you still listen to anything you were listening to in high school?
I haven't listened to the Eddie and the Cruzers sound track in a while but I listened to Hall and Oates and Metallica yesterday and I plan on jamming some Oingo Boingo soon, so yes.

What was the first band/artist you saw in concert? Would you see them again?
David Bowie, and I've seen him two more times since I had no idea how amazing the show was until I saw 100 more shows.

What was the last band/artist you saw in concert? Worth your time?
Aerosmith and Sammy Hagar in Vegas at the MGM two weeks ago. It was awesome

When you sing karaoke, what's your go-to number?
Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash or Joan Jett.

How do you feel about ABBA?
They are dead to me...always have been... Sorry.

What is the last song you want to hear before you die?
Since I believe in heaven I'll have all eternity to sing and rock out so it doesn't matter. If I gave a specific song answer it could change every five minutes anyway and could include a list of over 500 songs easily.

Please share a favorite musical moment/story from your past.
First time I saw Z-Trip spin I expected nothing and was thoroughly blown away, danced like no one was watching, talking to people I don't know about how awesome it was.

Last Question: You've been noted to lead a Bible study in SuperGenius. How does your spirituality interact with your art and profession?
I believe God is a great creator to learn from. I love that he built in adaptable variables into people and animals for variety and optimization, I wish I could make a painting do that. I believe that my creativity is a gift from him and he chose to relate to me most powerfully with this aspect of his personality just like we might talk mostly about a certain topic while hanging out with some one who shared a specific passion with us. I believe God wants me to do as much as I can with these gifts so I can enjoy being in a relationship with him, and experience the pleasure seeing him credited for working through me.