Stoney Knows How

Stoney Knows How

1981 · 29 min · ★ 7.0 · Documentary

A visit with a master of the Oldest Art In The World: tattooing. Disabled by arthritis since the age of four, confined to a wheelchair, his growth stunted, Stoney St. Clair joined the circus at 15 as a sword swallower. A year later he took up tattooing, and traveled with circuses and carnivals for fifty years practicing his craft. As we watch him at work, we see the determination which led Stoney to use his crippled hands in an art where mistakes are permanent, and we realize Stoney has overcome his handicap to heal himself and others with the magic of symbols. The film ends with a visit by New Age tattoo master Don Ed Hardy, who receives a permanent souvenir by Old School tattoo master Stoney.

Directed by Pacho Lane

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Cast

Leonard 'Stoney' St. Clair Himself
Don Ed Hardy Himself

Make it a double feature

2h 6m together

Stoney Knows How

Burden of Dreams

Both from Pacho Lane.

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