George Synetos

I had my first tattoo done when I was seventeen, twenty-six years ago, when tattoos were not in fashion. I did it inside my lips. I went to Fat's studio and saw it in a photo. I thought it was different from everything else and of course I wanted to provoke; that's why tattoo was after all back in the day.

The next year I left to study in Los Angeles and after a year and a half I moved to London where I stayed for ten years. There, of course, all the "bad" happened. Influenced by the life and faces I was seeing in London, I started looking for a tattoo artist. It was harder then, as there was no Internet.

Next to a studio I used to photograph in Farringdon, there was a tattoo studio, rather new at that time. I was passing by it all the time and I was taking a glimpse. One day I walked in with a friend and I told them I wanted to pierce my tongue. The dude said OK and that he could do it at that moment. "Oh," I say, I had not thought it well, but you do not say no and sound afraid, especially when you are with company, so my tongue became super swollen!

This tattoo studio was none other than the legendary "Into You". After three months I went back there. I headed to the reception and explained that I wanted a tattoo. I described what I wanted and they suggested to get it by Mr X. Mr X, now known as Duncan X, was then the newest tattooist in "Into You" compare to the others who were already big names, like Xed Le Head. I remember when he tattooed my back, and also some of my ribs, he had made a custom 24 needle and we spent seventeen hours straight of tattooing, while drinking vodka. It was extremely painful.

I spent the next ten years with them. In the meantime, I was coming to Greece and for my good luck I met with Antonis Avgeris (Inky Tattoo). The dude was awesome and we enjoyed our time. It is important to like your tattoo artist. Nowadays, I still get tattooed by Antonis.

When I was coming to Greece, I noticed a huge gap in the nightlife. There was nothing "loose", with an industrial look, which represents the London nightlife. So, I was given the opportunity to open Hoxton, which was one of my favourite bars in London. But there was another bar I also distinguished, Intrepid Fox. I missed London more and more, so with these two bars I brought it as close as I could... I was starting to make my own neighbourhood here in Gazi. There was of course a tattoo studio missing, which I opened between 2011 and 2013, under the name Intrepid Fox Tattoo & Piercing.

My tattoos are like a diary. It is a form of psychotherapy for me when a relationship ends or when I face a loss. Then I like to make my body "look good" by marking this memory. No cover ups - No regrets.