"Yo Momma!"

Finding a subject in Upper Haight for the PROFILE midterm assignment was simple. I've met many interesting people in the area, and usually meet at least one new person every time I take the 35-minute trip over there from my house.
Barnaby Williams was one of the first people I introduced myself to on Haight St. He is the owner of Mom's Body Shop at 1408 Haight St, where he is also a tattoo artist.
Barnaby was extremely welcoming when I first walked into the shop, and all nerves of mine went away as soon as we sat in the front of the shop and he began to tell me all about opening up the shop in 1991 and how he feels about running a business in the area.
As soon as I called to let him know I was interested in writing on specifically him for our midterm assignment, he wasn't hesitant at all.
One of the aspects of his personality that stuck out the most to me when I first met him was his persona of a self-proclaimed "momma's boy." It was crazy to see this heavyset man, covered in tattoos from ankle to neck and picture him as a sensitive momma's boy, since I usually associate that title with a vision completely different.
Through more interview he told me more about his relationship with his mother, how they both have an interest in art, his parent's divorce, and his growing up in Palo Alto but being a punk-rock troublemaker with tattoos in high school.
I kept asking more and more about his mom, and realized this story would be nothing if I didn't have some quotes from the main character in his life: Mom.
This was when I ran into a problem with this assignment. I hadn't even finished asking if I could possibly speak to his mother before he was shaking his head no.
"She doesn't speak to the press," he said.
In response to this, I assured him that I am a student journalist, and this is a class assignment. He was hesitant, but said he'd call his mom. I got to the tattoo shop for a final interview a few days ago, and he finally called his mom, who allowed me to have her phone number for contact.
She had such a sweet voice, complete with an adorable British accent. I got some great quotes from her, and loved how highly she spoke of her soon and his artistic talents.
Overall, I am looking quite forward to turning in this assignment.

Have any of you had a problem with possible sources not really wanting to talk to you because they "don't speak to the press?" How did you handle it? What was the outcome?


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