I was 20 when I got my first tattoo. I had wanted one since I was 15. I thought, “If I wanted to be ROCK, I had to get ink.” My mother told me if I ever came home with a motorcycle or a tattoo, don’t even bother coming in the house. I think that made it even cooler. I finally made my way down to Buddy’s in Newport and got a dragon spinning a record on my back, done by Buddy himself. He was a big fat geezer with a faded battleship on his chest that was partially obscured by white hair. He also had what looked like a mermaid or a can of soup on his arm. It was so faded I couldn’t tell. He wore a skipper hat and had a voice only filter- less cigarettes could create. When I sat in the chair he held the needle over my back and said, “Are we sure we want this?” Not wanting to sound as scared as i really was, I shot out a “Hell Yeah” and he immediately bore down. Whoever tells you getting a tattoo doesn’t hurt is a liar. After about an hour Buddy finished and held a mirror up so I could see it. It was a bloody mess. He told me to keep my crummy finger
nails off of it and sleep on my stomach. It felt like someone held an iron against my back, but after a few days it mellowed out. I was officially ROCK. My friends laughed, my Mother cried, my girlfriend all of a sudden was willing to do things I had begged her to do in bed. I later realized it wasn’t about being ROCK, it was about expressing love, hate, remorse, joy, and anything else you thought was worthy of the experience. I now have 10 on various parts of my body. My most recent is a Japanese style wave with the Chinese character for Father in the center on the inside of my bicep. I got that for my late Father who’s ashes I scattered off the coast of Falmouth. I have a Carp on my left calf that I got a week after I got married. The Carp is a symbol of strength and perseverance which are two of the many things you need to keep a marriage going. I have a classic Coop style Devil Head on my right forearm I got as a reaction to one of my best friends giving his life to Jesus Christ. I have a skull with a candle sticking through it’s temples burning at both ends with the words, “It’s Gonna Be The Death Of Me” above it. That is a reminder to never do Cocaine again. I mean c’mon..I’m have a degree in English and I have “Gonna” tattooed on my shoulder. Damn you Cocaine! All my tattoos are notes from certain times in my life. Reminders of great times and bad patches. Everyone gets them for different reasons. It seems like in the 90’s, they became trendy and everyone was getting the barbed-wire around the arm or the jagged tribal mess.(I’ve got one of those too) One of the best tattoos I’ve ever seen was on a haggard redneck dude who was in the chair before me in a Richmond, VA shop. It was a Mickey Mouse standing by a lovely stream with flowers. Mickey had a huge penis protruding from his pants and was peeing in the stream. I had to ask why and the bleary eyed gentleman replied, “Even Mickey Mouse can be an asshole.” True words of wisdom. I bet he works for Disney’s executive branch now.
Some are addicted to the experience. Enduring the pain and having something to show for it. Having a needle move in and out of your skin at a thousand miles an hour will make you a little less inhibited in your conversation too. You find yourself saying things to the artist you still haven’t told your family. Or you pass out. Either way it’s a full experience and a way for some people to express themselves.
This weekend(10/2-4) The 8th Annual Boston Tattoo Convention hits the Boston Center For The Arts. Over 100 artists from around the country will be displaying their work for you to consider having on your body for life. If you are thinking about getting some work this is the best place to do research. I spoke with the Convention’s founder and producer, Natan Alexander from Witch City Ink about how it started, what you should look for in an artist, and why you should check with your Girlfriend before you get her name tattooed on your arm forever.
Reason for starting the Boston Tattoo Convention:
- Natan Alexander talks about starting the Boston Tattoo Convention
listen
- Why you should never take a phone call from your girlfriend while getting a tattoo
listen
- Where, who, and what Natan won’t tattoo
listen
- Why it’s a bad idea to get a tattoo while you’re drunk
listen
- Things you should look for when checking out a tattoo shop
listen
And remember, Keep your crumby fingernails off of it.