Tattoo Talk

Some inject heroin, I inject ink. Both have the same effect; but tattoos are more expensive and just as addictive. Everyone has scars, I just pay for mine. Some call it mutilation, I call it therapy. I have been getting tattoos for over 20 years. I do not consider myself an expert on this topic, but I am very knowledgeable about tattoos and the entire process. For one thing, tattoos have become more commonplace in the last five to 10 years. You would be hard pressed to find a girl who does not have some kind of tattoo on her ankle, shoulder, near her crotch or the standard “tramp stamp” on her lower back. If I had a nickel for every tribal armband tattoo on guys trying to look hardcore, I would be a rich man!

Almost every single town in this country with a population of over 5,000 people has a tattoo shop. When I started getting tattooed, the only places to go around this area were motorcycle club tattoo shops. They were not the nicest places, to say the least. There are underground shops in people’s basements and garages which I would not recommend at all. Currently, the tattoo industry has changed significantly for the better. A lot of the tattoo shops have artists with degrees from art schools or colleges.

Nonetheless, I have been in the tattoo culture for a long time and the shop is not the only factor you should consider. There are many shops where there is fantastic work being done and some work that looks like a five year old drew it. My tattoos have been featured in several different magazines and I give all the credit to the artist. The artist is the most important factor if you are considering a tattoo. In 2000, I was fortunate enough to visit Rainbow Tattoos in Munich, Germany. At that time, Rainbow was known as the best tattoo studio in the world. It was a pleasure to meet the artists there and have an opportunity to see their work. The artists in that studio had a two to three year waiting list for all their clients. I was in Germany only for a month and I wanted to be tattooed in this shop. I left my number in the outside chance that they would call me with news of a cancellation. It never happened.

In this day and age, you need to be very careful of all the hazards that can occur from getting tattooed. If you are thinking of getting a tattoo, my recommendation is to check out the studio to make sure it is clean and has a current certification from the Board of Health. Ask the artists if they use sterilized needles and fresh ink for every tattoo. Not only can diseases be contracted from the reusing of needles, but also from “recycled” ink.

Out of my 64 tattoos, I picked only one off the wall at a tattoo shop. It is a 1950s style pin-up girl and it ended up in a tattoo magazine. The other 63 tattoos are original designs, U.S. Army tattoos, or commendations I earned during my time in the military. I also have special tattoos dedicated to all three of my children. When my daughter, Hunter (a.k.a. Baby Girl), was four years old I asked her what she wanted for Christmas. She said, “I want Baby Girl tattooed on your arm in hot pink.” I now have that tattoo on my arm in hot pink. As you can see, she calls the shots!

If you look at all of my tattoos, they tell the story of my life. There is a story behind every one of them. My advice if you are thinking of getting some ink is to get something meaningful to you that you will not regret. I would not recommend getting a person’s name tattooed on your body if you have only been dating a month. I have seen it many times before and sure enough, the couple is not together a month later. This is my conclusion after being around the tattoo world for more than twenty years. Whether you get an elegant dragon or a Tweety Bird tattoo, both are equally impressive if they have a special meaning to you. Think long and hard before getting a tattoo, because it is going to hurt and it is going to be there forever. I do not regret any of my tattoos. I think Johnny Depp said it best, “My body is my journal, and my tattoos are my story.”

By
David Toland
L4L