ASBURY PARK, N.J. — Entry to a hardcore show at a popular venue came to a standstill after the doorman announced he would be refusing entry to anyone who did not have on them a minimum of 14 tattoos, angry showgoers have confirmed.
“Nobody bats an eye when clubs only let in hot women, but I’m the asshole for wanting to cultivate an aesthetic? Fourteen tattoos is perfectly reasonable for a tape release show and I don’t want to see any of that tiny, fine line minimalistic bullshit. I don’t care if it’s the dumbest shit I’ve ever seen, you just have to have 30% of your body tatted up,” said Greg Tripowski. “If I let in people with like two tattoos the bands are going to assume the audience is going to be full of pussies. Anyone who wants to complain is more than welcome to check out some strip mall bar somewhere in the ‘burbs instead.”
Many of those attempting to gain entry to the venue thought Tripowski was going too far.
“It’s a $15 cover, why the hell do I need over $2,000 worth of tattoos to get in? I have eight and a back piece and that still wasn’t enough to get in. But I’m not about to fuck with him, the guy ahead of me tried to get in with a bunch of temporary tats, and Greg went on a 10-minute rant about being a scene traitor before tossing him into the the street,” said Ryan Timms. “I was really looking forward to this show! I heard someone set up a stick and poke station in the alley, hopefully they can bang out a few quick shitty designs on my legs before the opener.”
The venue’s owner wasn’t at all phased by Tripowski’s gatekeeping style.
“I completely agree he’s a massive asshole, but I’m not about to fire the only guy in town who can hold his own at hardcore shows. And if that means he changes up the rules for entry every week, so be it,” said Danny Veruchi. “I mean if the punks around here aren’t prepared to list off every Jello Biafra spoken word album or submit a three-page essay on the connection between capitalism and policing, that’s their problem. It’s not like I can afford real security anyway.”
As of press time, Tripowski amended his rule to allow automatic entry to anyone with a Black Flag tattoo.
