Thursday, March 19, 2009

tattoed love boy: Gary gets the TAT

Getting ink is easier than you think (HAR!) Pictures and post below may not be for for everyone---I am shown getting a tattoo.
Everybody else, read on.




(me and my new anarcho-punk buddy Scott)


(Stiehl's Body Modification, Dawn Stiehl and her cool dog)
SO, way back in 1994, 15 stinking years AGO, me and the missus, married just over a year, drive by Dastardly Dan's tattoo parlor in New Hampshire and I am like 'ooh! I'd get a tattoo!' and the missus is like 'what would it be???' and I tell her, because it had just popped into my head, fully formed brilliant idea, ' a red star with a blue M (her initial) in the middle, because you're the star in my world!' and she was like 'ixnay' for 15 years.
Last summer a dude we know, a painter and sculptor in his 60s, was wearing a sort sleeve shirt and he was covered in tats, and she was surprised. I said 'see, John is in his 60s and HE has tats'. Later it became 'I want this tat for my birthday in the spring' which after I designed the tat and had it on paper became 'see, this is how it will look'. And the missus came around and we got my appt. and went down to Stiehl's after work Wednesday.
I was super nervous, all week, (check my dreams!) but I get nervous about nearly everything.
Sitting in the waiting room was the silliest group of "14" year old girls you have ever seen. 2 had finished tats and were still screaming about the pain, the other two were waiting in line for the other tat artist. I had to listen to their baloney for several minutes---which was quite entertaining even if they were silly and complaining about pain---turns out they were 4 nurses, each with children, all getting their kids names tattoed on their a$$es. Or something like that. So I guess they were older than I thought, and luckily my new main man, the anarcho-punk Scott, came along and he is super nice.
Scott is about my age, tattoeing for 13 years, and we spent about an hour chatting about Iggy Pop as he did his work. I had my paper drawing and we talked about placement, and he runs it off on a machine to make a transfer. He places that on your arm and then there's the design---if it is what you want, he can get to work or change it. Naturally it was what I wanted, I made it, and wanted it for 15 years.
You see these needles and inks and rubber gloves and you're like 'is this gonna be like an old fashioned dentist visit, blood flying and pain galore?'.

No.
If you have ever run your fingernails down your arm, it is about like that, not painful at all. Removing the bandage after was more painful (I tore the tape, holy cats!) and my cat has scratched me more painfully before. That's the trouble--getting a tat is so easy and painfree, you start imagining a HULA GIRL on the left arm to balance the star on the right ;)
So other than when I tore the bandage off later, the hard part was sitting in a chair for an hour holding my right arm stiff, and as they say, in the aftermath it may feel a little like a sun burn.
Thanks to my my sweetie Maude for inspiring this TAT, thanks for your support, and thanks for this series of pics.

Here's Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders doing Tattoed Love Boys

30 comments:

Wep said...

totally jealous!!! I want a tat so bad. It looks awesome!!!

-Rob, Simple Circle Studios said...

Congrats on the ink! I got one before I got married and have been bugging my wife to let me get another one for years. Needless to say, I still only have one...

Fortune Cookies said...

WOOT!!! It looks awesome! Wifester and I keep saying we want to get tats but we're both big ole wusses! Maybe one day, 10 years from now, we'll finally do it... ;)
Thanks for the Chrissie Hynde this am...what a wonderful way to start my day!

Nancy L.K. Boyce said...

Hey cool Gary! I can see that with all kinds of stuff around it, its a good start, next year you will probably have a full sleeve!

Gordo said...

That's excellent, Gary! Welcome to the club. Now I want another again. I swear that there's something in the ink: once it gets into your system, you keep wanting more. :-D

Gary's third pottery blog said...

HULA GIRL on the left arm! Maybe Jessica Rabbit on my back????

Ron said...

Look at that Bad A$$ dude with the jeans, Yankees tee and cool tat!

Gary's third pottery blog said...

mmmm Hmmm.....BAD A$$=ces't moi

Jessica said...

How freaking awesome!!! :D It looks great! And for real about the pain???

Jerry said...

I agree with Nancy, that's definitely a good start for a sleeve. Congrats on the ink. Nice design and well done.

Lynda said...

Holy cats! (I stole that!)... you did it!! and it looks fantastic on you...wooohooo, Gary!

Anonymous said...

now you have a reason to show off those "potter's guns"

Gary's third pottery blog said...

Cheri, those cookies are darn good---
a SLEEVE? Not hard to imagine that star at the center of its own little world, maybe some unicorns, leaping dolphins, Jessica Rabbit too???????

Jerry said...

Jessica Rabbit can be riding the unicorn with the dolphins leading the way.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

btw, I meant what I said---the tat was painless. Tearing off the surgical tape on the bandage hurt more, you know how you do it, and all the little hairs come flying off....

Jerry said...

He's right, you know. I nearly fell asleep during a couple of my sessions. With that said, there were a couple of times that I was wincing in pain.

Miss Heather said...

Gary, that is SO awesome! I LOVE IT!! I'm glad M finally let you get one because it's hot!!!

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

How could Maude not agree to that? It's a lovely expression of love for your wife.

I think I'll stay pain-free. Because I don't like it when I have to remove band-aids.
Just call me a wimp. (No, don't... even though I am one)

Vivek S Patwardhan said...

interesting
vivek

Vivek S Patwardhan said...

interesting
vivek

Vivek S Patwardhan said...

interesting
vivek

Anonymous said...

dude, that's fantastic!!! i LOVE the simple but unique design and the bright colors. i want one too!

BSOB said...

wow GR, you seriously do rock... a tatoo! I've been meaning to get one for years. it's not an easy thing to do i think. or maybe it is. How much did that one run you?

And pretty decent triceps also

Hilary said...

So when does Maude get the "G"?

Gary's third pottery blog said...

She said something about playing with a marker.....
Ben, you could kick my a$$ across town, but although I am small, I am probably stronger than I look.

Anonymous said...

Very cool, Gary. Very cool.

Janet said...

Did you look away from the tat the whole time you were getting it? Glad you had a good experience. And that song? One of my all time FAVS!!!!

Jason, as himself said...

You are a bad, bad boy.

Tricia said...

WooHoo!! Congrats on the tattoo. It's beautiful, and so is the story that goes with it.

Just Me said...

Wow! Gary how exciting. I know you have talked about getting one for a while.

It looks good.

I missed checking in with you for a while and all sorts of things happen. I am still catching up.

Once again Congrats & it looks awesome!!