Henk Schiffmacher appears to lead an ordinary middle-class life

Rough rock music, images of Hells Angels, world-famous stars and a barrage of superlatives: Henk is the godfather, the pope, the king, a living legend, that’s what it sounds like. Schiffmacher’s legacya real-life soap about Amsterdam’s most famous tattoo artist, gets off to a flying start, but then turns out to be excruciatingly stupid.

The approach of the series is already somewhat sought after: Schiffmacher is over 70 and is going to transfer his famous Hanky ​​Panky Tattoo studio to his daughters. That could be exciting, but it is not, because everything runs smoothly, except for the moment when Henk threatens to fart while his daughter is tattooing him.

It’s the kind of silly home-and-garden humor that we know from De Bauers, the Frogers, the Meilandjes, the Roelvinkjes, actually from all other celebrities who allow a camera crew into their lives. Unfortunately, Schiffmacher, who is surrounded by a mystical hint of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, also appears to lead an ordinary and rather boring middle-class life. We see Henk’s hair being braided by his wife Louise, who encourages him to take up sports, Henk playing a game of backgammon and having some staged conversations with celebrities who happen to drop by his studio. In the background you hear that typically clumsy music that was once fun Man with dogbut has now become a hackneyed television trick.

All this could still work if a sharp contrast was created – tough macho turns out to be a sweet family man – but the series also falls short in that regard. Tattoos are no longer reserved for sailors, artists and eccentrics; nowadays you can get a tattoo at the Huishoudbeurs. In short, tattooing has become very normal, just like Schiffmacher’s own life. Why BNNVara thought it would be interesting to broadcast something like this is a mystery.

Henk Schiffmacher is undoubtedly a barrel full of anecdotes and undeniably an intriguing figure and a special artist, about whom a beautiful Hour of the wolf-like documentary can be made. But watching six episodes of kitchen table chatter between Henk and his wife and daughters does him, and the viewer, a serious disservice.

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