James Lileks: Some Tattoos Shout About You

The Minneapolis/St Paul Star Tribune ^ | September 9, 2004 | James Lileks

[quidnunc]

You there: hey! You're a mother of three, a Bush voter, you sing in the church choir, you have a master's degree in pre-Renaissance art, and you have a gigantic flaming skull tattoo on your neck. Right? I know you're out there. Because every time I write about tattoos, and how I find some of the modern examples of Skin Adornment a bit excessive, I get a letter from someone who insists that she's all of the above, and there's nothing peculiar about her at all. True. EXCEPT THE GIGANTIC FLAMING SKULL TATTOO.

Let me be clear: I do not favor banning tattoo parlors. I do not favor stoning people with inky flesh, or herding them into pens, or encouraging anyone to shout FIE when they see someone who has decided to engrave his facial epidermis with a spider web for the rest of his mortal days. Whatever. Live and let live. It's your body. But after my last trip to the State Fair, I really wonder what people are thinking. …

I'm not talking about the classics — the anchor tattoo, an emblem of service, a heart with MOM, or any other small embellishments of your biceps' terrain. I mean the florid decorations at the base of the spine, the spiky tribal symbols around the neck, the elaborate tableaux on the back that look like you were horribly burned by an old YES album cover. … All I'm trying to say it this: I know you're trying to tell us something, but it's really not coming across too clearly. Perhaps if you wrote it down on a piece of paper and handed it out, we'd get it.

-snip-

[SeaDragon]

My tattoo's are not there for you to look at. I got them because I wanted them there. They say little to anyone not me and trying to explain the meanings they do have to someone not me is pointless.

and an excellent 2 cents it is.........

[BossLady]

Re: Post 59....How long did that take...and is it in color or B&W?

I have a tattoo on my right shoulder blade...luckily I have never seen it on anyone else... ;)

[dbwz]

OK, that did it - I need one of those.

[Semaphore Heathcliffe]

... that look like you were horribly burned by an old YES album cover.

LOL!!!

[SeaDragon]

Well damn CJ, nobody ever told you to move to the hinter lands of Montana...............

[Phantom Lord]

Unadorned is fine. But inked is more fun. I need to get some more. Mrs. Phantom Lord says its OK but I have to get my current one touched up first. 13 years will put a beating on a tattoo.

I just with I still had full hair, could grow it long and dye it funny colors again.

Is there a plans for a FReep get together on or shortly after election day? If not, there should be. But probably after. I know I will be home hitting it hard and reading DU if everything is going as planned.

[CholeraJoe]

If the women around here with tats were as classy as you, I wouldn't be struggling.

[SeaDragon]

SeaDragon<------blushing

Thanks sweetie....

[Phantom Lord]

Yes. Tattoos, purple Mohawks and chunks of metal stuck through the face DO shout something about people. And I am glad they have them. It makes it easier to figure out who to avoid when competence, trust and stability matter.

I have resembled that remark in the past and could still probably fail your trustability test. I am in a small minority that you would be wrong. But your test will serve you well and I follow it myself.

[RIGHT IN LAS VEGAS]

A broken pen that has released ink ON TOP OF MY SKIN is disgusting.

The place for ink is on paper........ I prefer black, it presents a better fax!

[Phantom Lord]

And I don't get the tattoos that girls have on the small of their back

I like it. But further, a lot of todays idiot girls do understand the consequences of pregnancy on their breasts and, stomach, and bikini area and what it will do to their tats. So the small of the back is the perfect place for a tattoo on a women who wants to be able to dress over it when needed.

[Phantom Lord]

One day my daughter came home with her tongue pierced.

You do know why girls get those, right?

[Phantom Lord]

My wife wants me to get an armband but first she says I need bigger guns.

[Ditter]

My husband has a tattoo on each arm, they are 40+ years old. They are unrecognizable. They look more like bruises than pictures. Tattoos are a bad idea if you plan to live to an advanced age.

[radiohead]

You're going to be at Tower Records until the day you die.

I love looking at tattoos. I like 'em on the neck, the arms, not so much on women's legs, but a nice tattooed guy, yowsa.

But... I have been in the position to hire people and there's no way I'd hire a person w/a lot of obvious tattoos for an office or responsible position w/the public. Yes, I'm probably being hypocritical, but when some of these folks get to middle aged, maybe they'll wonder if the huge tribal art tattoos crawling up their arms was why they never got that good job.

There are some people in the grad programs at my school w/great tattoos, but I just can't see them as 'Professor' So and So one day and if I were on the hiring committee, I'd think twice about hiring them.

I like to think I'm still cool and all that, but sometimes you just gotta give in to the man. You wanna be a potter or be in a rock band, have all the tattoos you want. Otherwise, you have to be a bit careful of how many and where they are. IMHO

[Phantom Lord]

The ink is a lot different than from 40 years ago too. They arent going to look perfect after that amount of time though.

[Melas]

You're a mother of three, a Bush voter, you sing in the church choir, you have a master's degree in pre-Renaissance art, and you have a gigantic flaming skull tattoo on your neck. Right?

I'm married right now, but could you get me her number just in case something happens?

[Dead Corpse]

The SKANKS always seem to go for the guys with neck tattoos.

I'm in luck. I'd need to have a neck before I could get a neck tattoo...