Brian Keith Thompson
Body Art: A Trendier Treatment for Anxiety and Depression
Brian Keith Thompson is the proprietor and Chief Piercing Officer of the world-famous Body Electric Tattoo, a Hollywood landmark situated on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. In 2008, before the stock market crash of 2008 and against the emphatic advice of his accountant, Thompson cashed out his 401k and bought the treasured staple of the city. In an industry rife with not-so-personable practitioners and seedy establishments, Thompson and his Marine Corps mentality forged and fostered a brand-new experience for his patrons with a clean, modern, non-threatening environment. Thompson provides service to a long list of Hollywood A-listers including Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Kendall Jenner, Cardi B, Adele, Christina Aguilera, Lizzo, Doja Cat, Shawn Mendes, Chrissy Teigen, Emma Stone, Megan Thee Stallion, Jennifer Lawrence, and Cynthia Erivo — to name a few.
What inspired you to start working in this field?
I was a client of the shop and it came up for sale. I wasn’t into my career any longer, working at Nortel in telecommunications, and I wanted an out. And this was my out. When I bought Body Electric, I didn’t even want to be a piercer. But the former owner dared me to pierce myself one day and I did. It showed me I could do it. So, I started piercing others. Once I started doing it, I realized that I was getting good at it. I just had a knack for it. And I really enjoyed it and really liked working with the people. I found the more I pierced, the more I liked it. And the more I liked it, the more I did it. That’s how it started.
What are some of the steps you took to get to where you are now?
Consistency. Showing up every day. There’s a saying I live by: “Only bad things happen quickly. Good things take time.” If it goes up fast, it’s going to come down just as fast. You have to build a business like the pyramid of Giza. Block by block. If you really love it and spend your time building it, it’ll last. Of course, there will always be circumstances in life that you can’t predict, like a pandemic. But those difficult circumstances can also make you better. Every adversity that I’ve ever come up against has always made me a little bit better. Some other steps are that you have to make sure you have a good product and be trustworthy to your clients. Trust is the foundation of any relationship—a financial relationship, a business relationship, a romantic relationship. And if you can establish that and your clients trust you, they’ll come in again and again. The last thing I did that really helped me in business was publicity. I got on with MWPR, a publicity firm. It really launched me to another level. It was like strapping booster rockets to me. It helped me get out of the stratosphere. It’s what I needed. It was a scary decision because it’s not cheap to have a publicity firm represent you. And when I did it, I didn’t have a lot of money. But I stuck with it and it was it worth it! It really put my name everywhere and the money I invested ended up coming back to me. It’s a decision I still stand by. I really believe that publicity can only help you.
What are some of your proudest career accomplishments?
Lately, becoming a father and learning that there’s more to life than just me. It’s really changed me. It’s changed the fiber of my being. It’s changed the way I see everything. I love being a father. I have two kids and I cannot imagine my life without them. I didn’t even understand what love was until I had children. Now I know what love is. It’s a beautiful thing. In terms of accomplishments in business, I feel like I’m still trying to make them every day. I never fully feel like I’ve accomplished as much as I should or can. I feel like I can always do better. I’m always learning. I’m always trying to get better as a piercer, as a person, as a business owner. I’m always trying to excel and be better than I was yesterday.
How has your career as a piercer changed your life for the better?
It’s made me a more confident person. I didn’t used to have a lot of confidence. I was picked on heavily as a kid. And when I got to be an adult, I ended up going to prison. I was always looking for something but didn’t know what it was. Piercing made me realize that I could be in a room full of people and be who I truly am without trying to be someone else. When you hone in on a craft and people are in love with that craft and seek you out from all over the world, it’s a really humbling experience. It truly makes you feel good about yourself. It’s such a positive thing to have people come in and say that they’ve been waiting to meet you and work with you and that they look up to you. I will never forget how that feels.
How are you using your talents as a piercer to help others?
I feel like piercing can help people feel better about themselves. I know getting pierced made me feel better about myself. I never liked my nose until I pierced it. Once I did, I stopped being so self-conscious about it. Sometimes people are down on their luck or don’t like what they see in the mirror or just need to feel something different. I have a lot of clients tell me they just need to feel a “positive” pain. I think there are definite health benefits to making yourself look like the person you feel inside. To see what you feel when you look at the mirror and to express yourself the way you want to express yourself. A lot of people can’t express themselves and be who they truly want to be because it can be dangerous. It’s shunned. It could be your family, your work, your religion. There are also so many areas of the world where it’s forbidden to be who you truly want to be. I’ve been told by clients that it can help them to accept themselves a little more. That they’ve always wanted a piercing and, after getting it, they look in the mirror and just light up.
Can you tell us a bit more about the relationship between tattoos and piercings and mental health?
It can make you feel different about the body you’re in. It’s the same with tattoos as it is with piercings. I started getting tattooed in 1992 because I didn’t like myself. It took me until my forties to truly accept who I was in this world and get over this feeling that I wasn’t good enough. Tattoos helped me do that. It may not be the right approach for everybody, but tattooing or piercing yourself to help make yourself feel more like yourself is a positive thing. Decorating myself, stretching my ears, piercing my nostrils, being covered in tattoos, these things have always made me feel a little more confident about myself. It’s something I’ve always loved.
Are there any common misconceptions about piercings and tattoos that you want to weigh in on?
When I was growing up tattoos were basically for marines, sailors, bikers, and convicts. But a tattoo doesn’t mean you’re harder. And if you’re heavily pierced doesn’t mean you’re tougher or you don’t care. It just means that you want to decorate yourself and you’re into it. You’re into writing on your skin or piercing your flesh and making yourself look a little different. It’s called body modification. You’re modifying your body. It’s the same as getting a nose job or a breast augmentation or a Brazilian butt lift. It’s changing your appearance. A person getting a breast augmentation makes them feel more confident. It’s the same thing as a person getting their chest or arm tattooed. It can make them feel more confident. It can definitely have positive mental effects on you. If that’s what you’re looking for and the only thing holding you back is the fear of how people are going to perceive you, it really doesn’t matter because it’s accepted everywhere nowadays. I would also say there’s this misconception that tattoos have to have meaning behind them. Something deep and personal. But I don’t think tattoos have to mean something. It could just be something that you want.
Any other misconceptions?
I don’t think so. You can pretty much do whatever you want. I just pierced a district attorney for Los Angeles. I pierced her nose. Someone else was telling me yesterday that a big corporation they were working for accepted stretched ears and tattoos now. Like, open tattoos. It was surprising to her. I think the misconceptions are that the world isn’t going change, yet it is changing. Body modification is becoming more acceptable. Yes, it of course needs to be the right type of modification and to be appropriate. You can’t have hate inspired or gang related tattoos and think you’re going to go into a professional environment and not have an issue with it. We don’t even do that kind of stuff here at my studio. If any of your stuff is racist or hate or gang related, we’re not going to apply those tattoos. We’re not going to do that for you.
What do you think makes you different and unique from other piercers?
I actually really enjoy talking to people. I really enjoy the time I spend with my clients. I genuinely love what I do and I care about them. And I love decorating. I love to be able to do whatever I want on someone’s ear. I think what makes me different is that I give people an experience. You’re not just going to come in here and have it be “bing, bang, boom” and you’re out the door. I really like to give people an experience, something that they can talk about, something that they will remember.
