Scab Vendor – Movie Review
Director: Lucas de Barros, Maria Thome
Plot: Born with a silver spoon, Jonathan Shaw chose, at the height of his career as a tattoo artist, to give up on his celebrity lifestyle in order to escape from his own vicious cycle.
Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict on Scab Vendor
Scab Vendor is a documentary exploring the life of tattoo artist Jonathan Shaw. It follows his journey as an artist before moving into the tattoo world. this led to him rubbing shoulders with some of the biggest celebrities in the world and becoming one of the most famous artists.
However, his journey wasn’t always easy, he enjoyed a lot of drug and drink abuse that started playing tricks on his mind. It follows his battle with addiction and personal problems. Even if it touches on a controversial friendship with Charles Manson.
This documentary explores the troubled life of someone who became a big name in his field. However, his life caught up with him due to troubles and always seemed to get away with things. He doesn’t seem like an inspiration in the right way, while his artistic ability could be respected. His life choices leave too many questions about how he got away with things and his unusual connections with controversial people. There is a lot that doesn’t get explored and sadly that is more because it is less interesting than the wild times he was living.
Final Thoughts – Scab Vendor is an interesting look at a troubled man.