Congratulations everybody, we’ve all made it through Tattoo Week here at Billy Cleans His Plate. In closing, I would like to explain why it is I got tattoos to begin with, and why I continued to get more.
1) Fucking with Permanence – There is something radical and powerful about doing something to your body that is permanent. I remember when I got my ear pierced in high school, my mom absolutely flipped (and frankly, she was not the one I thought was going to have a problem with it). She yelled, “Do you know that’s permanent?” Ummm, yeah. But there’s something about being able to take that earring out that makes it seem not so permanent, you know? Sure, the hole is still there, but you really have to look. Tattoos do not fuck around, they’re out, they’re loud, and they’re proud. I’m heavy into having to live the rest of my life with a decision I made when I was young and impetuous. It is somehow like taking the idea of permanence, which is large and scary in an utterly abstract way, and spitting in its face.
2) Facing Primal Fears – Getting a tattoo forces you to face some heavy primal fears face on; fears like needles, pain, blood and ex-convicts. Again, there’s just something incredibly powerful and fulfilling about willingly going into a situation that your instincts scream out against, it’s like some sort of rite of passage. You know it’s going to hurt. You know there’s going to blood. You know there is a SHARP ass needle going to be puncturing your flesh over and over and over. You know the possibly drug addled bastard doing the work could seriously fuck up and put a picture of Suzanne Somers on your lower back. There’s also that weird social fear of the people that typically get tattoos (at least before they became super popular): people like truck drivers, prisoners, lowlifes and sailors. Getting a tattoo as well doesn’t necessarily make you closer to these people, or make you want to be them, but it might just bring you a step closer to realizing that we’re ALL just people when you have something in common – maybe not. But after facing your fears you do feel stronger, you feel more powerful, and you have this totem, this personal emblem of decision and commemoration forever.
3) You Cannot Get Just One – I had heard it said and didn’t believe it, but it’s true; tattoos are addictive. As soon as you get that first one, you’re thinking of what the next one will be. They make you feel powerful. They’re chosen marks that show you have been through something. But more than that, they produce an endorphin rush that won’t quit. I told myself that the Quan tattoo would be my last, and yet the little endorphin receptors in my head are calling out in small, tinkly voices, “Go ahead, get another one.” Maybe something small to commemorate starting all over again in Seattle…
Thank you all for sticking through Tattoo Week here, you’re all superstars!
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6 comments:
I know it's ridiculous in this day and age, but I have no digital camera to do that.
I might check with a friend this weekend, a more technically savvy friend, to get pictures...
And what do you say to the people that still don't like tattoos?
I say, losers! No I'm kidding of course.
It's all a question of taste, and I wouldn't judge someone for not having an affinity for tattoos. I mean I myself can't stand Ron Howard movies, I don't feel I should be castigated for that.
Of course I would feel differently if someone came up to me, pointing and wailing, "oooh gross! Tatoo!"
I think you forgot point #4... the commemoration factor (well you kind of touched on it, but I think it is worthy of it's own bullet point):
As illustrated here at Tattoo Week(tm), people remember the time, place, people, events, and emotions tied to their tattoos. It is almost as if you are not just poking ink into your skin, but embedding a time capsule of your life. And often these times are large changes/challenges that we go through. Breakups, big moves, loss/suffering, or massive life changes.
Therefore, that skull and cross bones on the back of your kneecap is more than just a pirate fantasy, but it helps you remember who you are, or who you were, or who you thought you were going to be.
Oh and Bill, you totally need a Ron Howard tattoo!
i would like bea arthur. bea arthur wrestling a giant squid.
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