Idol Ink
I think that anyone who has tattoos or plans on getting tattoos can easily identify with the desire to have something from one of your idols tattooed on your body. That something can be anything from a portrait of your favourite historical figure, to the lyrics to one of your favourite songs, to the logo of of your favourite band – it can really be anything.
Right now I’m sitting here listening to the debut album from Them Crooked Vultures, the rock supergroup put together by Dave Grohl (Nirvana, The Foo Fighters), Josh Homme (Kyuss, Queen’s of the Stone Age and a whole bunch of other side projects), and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin). Anyone who is familiar with Dave Grohl knows that he has plenty of tattoos, but what you might not know is that it was Grohl’s own personal obsession with late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, that spurned him on to get some of his first tattoos.
Grohl’s first tattoo was an attempt at the iconic Black Flag bars on his forearm when he was 12 or 13. He did the “tattoo” himself with a needle and pen ink, but quit after gouging three bars into his left forearm rather than the required four, because according to Grohl: “It hurt.”
Grohl didn’t exactly come away from that episode learning a lesson. Instead, he discovered Led Zeppelin and the man that he still considers to this day to be the greatest rock n’ roll drummer ever, John Bonham. At the age of 16, Grohl decided that he wanted to be set up with Bonham’s three circle Led Zeppelin IV logo. Once again, Grohl was plunged into the world of self tattoo. This time however, he got his hands on three different colours of ink in order to make the tattoo look “pro”. The end result? ”…now it looks like someone put a fucking cigarette out on my arm,” says Grohl.
Still not deterred by his previous attempts at getting tattooed, Grohl went for a second attempt at the John Bonham logo while in Amsterdam. This time, he had the work done by a Dutch scratcher/squatter who rigged up a tattoo gun out of an old doorbell machine.
It wasn’t until he was making a little bit of money while playing with Nirvana, at the age of 21, that Grohl finally got his Led Zeppelin tattoo properly and professionally done. He used part of his first check from the band for 0, buying a Nintendo and BB gun and the tattoo.
Hell, that’s some determination. Of course all the scratching was bad news and Grohl no doubt regrets it now, but it just goes to show that when you’re determined to honor your idols with a tattoo, sometimes people go to great lengths. For Dave Grohl, it was a third time’s the charm scenario. Me personally, I’m waiting for the day that I meet either Woody Allen or Larry David, getting them to autograph my arm and having it immediately tattooed over.
Not very rock n’ roll, but heroes of mine that I want to preserve, none the less.
Tags: Amsterdam, Black Flag, Celebrity, dave grohl, Inspired, john bonham, john paul jones, josh homme, kyuss, larry david, led zeppelin, nintendo, nirvana, queen’s of the stone age, scratcher, Scratchers, Stories, the foo fighters, them crooked vultures, woody allen
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Does it Hurt?
Pain sucks. Nothing new in that statement I guess, but a couple of days ago I had my wisdom teeth pulled and the whole thing really got me thinking about pain. I think that one of, if not the biggest concerns that people who have never been tattooed before have prior to getting their first tattoo is: How much is this going to hurt? It’s a valid concern, as none of us (okay, there are a few people here and there who don’t mind pain or those who dare I say, like it. For now though, I’m just going to stick with the general public that doesn’t like pain – myself included).
I can remember the first time that I ever went to get a tattoo. I was pretty nervous and quite concerned about the pain factor. The tattoo was on the side and back of my calve and I wasn’t the least bit sure of what to expect and so I just expected the worst. Well, to my surprise it didn’t really hurt at all. Sure, there were a few brief moments where I clenched my teeth a little, but the tattoo artist was friendly, had mellow music playing and carried on a conversation with me as he worked. All of those things really helped to make the experience a reasonably pleasant one. Not only that, but the tattoo studio itself was widely recommended, professionally run and very clean. That’s the sort of peace of mind that anyone who is contemplating a tattoo really needs. For a procedure that requires no anesthetic whatsoever, I would have to say that tattoos can be pretty painless.
The wisdom teeth on the other hand, well…sure, it’s not all that fair of a pain comparison to pit wisdom teeth against a tattoo. But know this: if you’ve ever undergone the experience of having your wisdom teeth pulled, then you’ll know that it’s not the extraction of the teeth themselves that is painful (okay, the needles suck), but rather the aftermath – that is, the days following the procedure that are unpleasant. So if you’re reading this and considering getting your first tattoo at some point but are worried about the potential pain, I will tell you this: getting your wisdom teeth pulled is more painful than any tattoo I’ve ever had done. If you’ve had your wisdom teeth out and survived, a tattoo is no problem.
Naturally, everyone’s pain threshold is different and there are places on the body that are more sensitive to being tattooed, but in general, my advice is not to worry about it. And if that still doesn’t help, then I suggest reading up on some of the information out there:
Complete Guide to Getting a Tattoo for Beginners
Which Hurts More: Outlining or Shading?
Tattoos: How Much Do They Really Hurt?
Cope With and Minimize Tattoo Pain
Tags: coping with tattoo pain, how much will a tattoo hurt, Stories, tattoo pain, Tips, wisdom teeth vs tattoo pain, Workforce
