Master Class Dave Navarro on Tattoos, the Occult, His Health Struggles and His Ongoing Feud with John Frusciante INTERVIEW By Gabe Spatz Dave Navarro’s career now spans three decades and shows no signs of slowing. He’s a rocker, an actor, and the world’s foremost expert on tattoos. He’s been called the “Dave Navarro of fill- in Red Hot Chili Peppers guitar players.” He’s probably won a Grammy, or at least some of the bands he’s played with have probably won Grammys. He knows his way around a six-string and has plied his trade in groups as diverse as Alice in Chains, Jaynes Addiction, Temple of the Dog and Audioslave. But if you’re not a fan of hard rock music, you might be familiar with him as the heavily tank-topped host and head judge of the critically acclaimed reality competition show, Ink Master, on Spike TV. The man is such a giant in both music and tattoo circles that I have to admit I was a bit intimidated when I was invited to his Malibu home for an interview last week, but he quickly made me feel right at home. Despite his menacing looks (black eyeliner, razor sharp magician’s goatee, many many rings and necklaces, most of which bearing some variation of the ankh symbol) he was warm, friendly and extremely engaging. Right away he invited me to remove my shoes and slide with him ice-skater-style in my socks across the hardwood, past his collection of scimitars and into his living room, which was decorated like Hot Topic’s idea of a Greek triclinium (lots of velvet, satin and leather. Black and Purple. Too many pillows. Metal studs. Some fringe. A few tassels). He offered me a steaming cup of Lapsang Souchong and insisted that I recline in the traditional fashion on the Klinai (basically a chaise lounge) opposite him. We talked about love, life, tats, and his new album Darkness is the Angel of the Daylight, out this December on Capitol/EMI. Tell me about the new album, it seems like a new direction for you, a bit more subdued and subtle. Was that by design, or just part of your natural progression as an artist? I don’t really see a distinction between the two honestly. Everything is by design and everything is natural. Know what I mean? When I pick up my guitar to write a song, I become a conduit, or like an open circuit, and whatever passes through, you have to just let it in. Does that make sense? I know a lot of musicians say similar shit to that, but I’m not saying that I’m channeling the muses, or receiving transmissions from god or something. What speaks through me, is me. It’s my higher self. If the album is more subdued or whatever, I guess it’s because my higher self is feeling more mellow or something. I don’t know. Does that just have to do with getting older? I mean I’m more comfortable now than I ever was. I also slowed down on the drugs and what- not. Plus, I had this medical issue for years that sorta kept me on edge, but I’ve found a way to manage it. That was huge for me. I’m sorry to hear that. I mean it’s not a big deal. I used to be embarrassed about it, but it’s like whatever now. So yeah I had what’s called Stress- Induced-Priapism. Basically they’re erections that wouldn’t go away. It sounds funny or whatever, but it was no joke. I used to get them when I was stressed out or anxious. Like back in the day before a big show, like when the Chili Peps played on Carson, I got this absolute rager, man. And Keeds was up there all ‘Lammy- Dammy-Flammy-Flammy-Flip-Flop’—a song I wrote BTW—and Flea is over there just like pushing the boundries of Post- Alternative-Funkpunk, and whoever the drummer is is doing his thing, and meanwhile I’m just worried about trying to keep this total battering ram from bursting through my lace-up fly and ruining my fave pair of pleather bell-bottoms, I mean, you know. Navarro's Health Struggles Nearly Plus, all the while I’m trying to keep my donger hidden behind my Derailed His Musical Career ax, which, not to brag, wasn’t always that easy. Wow. Yeah man, wow. I know. It’s like both a blessing to have this massive surpluss of raw sexual energy, but then it became a curse. But it’s all good now. For a while I was going to mad doctors who all gave me different pills and exercises to do. None of them worked for shit. But then one day I was talking to my personal fedora stylist, Ichiro, and he was like, “it’s all about finding your center,” and like, “the answer is within you,” and stuff. You know, he’s Japanese. But he suggested finding a mantra and using that to combat my monolithic petrified sequoias. So I picked out some song lyrics that I like and kinda made that my mantra. Do you mind? Oh yeah not at all. It’s, uh: Mackin' to this phat beat Bass pushin' through my back seat You know I got that gangsta lean Ho's they all adore me I stop and they all swarm me To check out all my fly gold rings It’s a Kid Rock lyric from a song he did for a motion picture called Osmosis Jones. Pretty cool flick. I just repeat that like 10-15 times and it usually goes away, no problem. Total lifesaver. The stiffies used to interfere with everything, my music career, my love life, everything. Thank god for Ichiro. Orray-Gato, big time. “It’s all about finding your center” So your love life has improved? I remember your relationships being very public back in the nineties. Yeah, I mean, things change. I’m seeing someone now, but I’d rather not broadcast it so much. But the nineties though. Yeah. I plowed through the nineties dick-first, man. No joke. I had sex with Mira Sorvino. ‘Lotta people don’t know that. Also Alanis Morrisette. Alanis Morrissette is actually a pretty cool lil chica. Beautiful voice, strong heart and she’s a super talented writer. Pussy like a warm tub of creamed corn. And I like creamed corn a lot, both for eating and, you know, fucking. But Carmen [Electra] was the one. She’s probably who you had in mind right? You guys were a pretty memorable nineties couple. I don’t know, I thought things were gonna work out between me and Carmen. I always imagined that we’d settle down in a nice little place on the Vegas Strip and raise a couple human canvasses of our own. I don’t know. Say-law-vee, right? "Till Death Do Us Part" Navarro and Electra Pose for Their Wedding Invitations Speaking of human canvasses, let’s talk Ink Master for a bit shall we? Fuck yeah. How’d you get involved with the world of tattooing? Ever since I was a tiny blank canvass, I knew I wanted to get into that world. It started when I was maybe 7 or 8. I was at this pinball arcade in Redondo Beach and this guy walked in with the sickest armbands made to look like pieces of barbed wire wrapped all the way around his biceps. It blew my mind. Right then and there I knew all I wanted to do is get fucking inked. Then I started to study up on it. I wanted to learn everything there was to know about tats and tat culture. Like I found out that tat artists call it ‘Blasting,’ and like, you know tattooing is an ancient tradition that started with like, some Africans or like Hawaiians or people over there. And back then tribal tattoos were just called regular tattoos, you know? That tripped me out. Because they were worn as tribal markings. I’m sorry? No I’m talking about tribal tattoos. It’s a style of tattooing. It’s like cool shapes that are all black and pointy. Pretty sick. How would you describe your own tattoos? Sick as fuck, dude! No but seriously, as you probably know, I’m attracted to the occult and things of a darker nature, which is why you see so many ankhs and bats and stuff tatted on my own personal body. This one here is pretty new, it’s called the Leviathan’s Cross. It’s the symbol for the alchemical element sulfur. People think it’s a Satan thing but it isn’t. It represents the masculine aspect of the human soul. Which is actually beautiful and somewhat romantic. I’m just a sulfur searching for my mercury, you know what I mean? Navarro Sporting His Leviathan's Cross Throat Tat Would you describe yourself as a Pagan? Oh most definitely. I officiated my first pagan wedding backstage at Lollapalooza ’91, and attained the High Priesthood the following year. Which is faster than normal. People think there’s something sinister to it, but it’s all about getting in touch with like nature and your body and shit. But to be an HP [High Priest] you have to know more than just the basics of folk-magic and how to cast a circle, you know? You’ve got to have management skills and be able to make really tough decisions within your coven, which is why I really think the priesthood helped prepare me for my roll on Ink Master more than anything else.