At A Glance Author Steve-O Contact [email protected] IAM SuperCell When N/A Artist Various Artists Studio Various Studios Location Various Locations My tattoo journey began many years ago. While I knew that one day I would get a tattoo, it wasn't something I thought about when I was a kid. The thought came much later, when I was well past my teenage years and was nearly half way through my 20's. I was living in Maryland at the time and my brother-in-law had gotten a skin tear tattoo on his upper arm. I loved it. I had seen plenty of tattoos on other people, but this was the first tattoo I saw on someone I knew well...he was family. He had to go to the tattoo shop up in Waynesboro, PA to get some touch-up work done on the tattoo and invited me along. I had gone on the computer and seen a lizard that I thought would make a great tattoo. I printed it out and took it along with me. I talked with a tattoo artist at the studio and he said the tattoo would have to be a lot bigger. Since I planned on getting the tattoo on my chest, I decided not to go through with it. I didn't want a huge piece as my first tattoo. When I think back to that day, I'm r eally glad I backed out - it would have been an improper decision.
I moved back to Massachusetts a year later. It was late 1998. The idea of getting a tattoo was still only a thought. Tattoo studios were not even legal at that time. My friends and I would always talk about getting a tattoo and we'd share our ideas, describing in great detail what we thought about getting. Of course at the time it was just that - talk.
Then I met a tattoo artist. His name was Keith and he was a hell of a nice guy too - though his looks were a bit sinister. He was a pretty big guy with a long goatee. He had another job as a bouncer for one of the local bars. He never had a boring night, as the bar he bounced was known for it's seedy and often rough reputation. He'd stop in to where I worked and after he came in a few times, I struck up a conversation with him. I told him that I really wanted to get a tattoo. I'm sure he really wanted nothing more than for me to shut my trap so he could get his coffee and go home. He told me that I should get one. It was decided that right then, right there - I was going to do just that.
Designing my first piece was an enormous challenge. It would need to have some sort of meaning and it couldn't be a huge piece. I wanted to start out small. I knew that among other things, I liked reptiles. I liked snakes and lizards and as a young tike, I'd go searching for garter snakes down by the river and search for salamanders up at Berry Pond - which for a bit of useless info is one of the highest bodies of water in Massachusetts.
Using my computer, I found a font that used animals. I'm not sure which key it was, but there before me was a gecko. Perfect. I made it a bit larger and then printed it out. As for where to get was another challenge. I didn't want it to be visible all the time. I decided on getting it on my chest. I chose my chest partly for the fact that I was a bit self conscious about my appearance and thought that by having it on my chest, it would give me a reason to take off my shirt and grow more comfortable. Plus, people would see the tattoo and not the chest it was inked into. That's how I perceived it would work anyway. In actuality, it worked to a fair degree. It helped me a lot back then and even now - many years later - I'm very comfortable with the way my body looks...even if I'm a skinny guy.
A few weeks later when Keith came in to my work, I told him that I would be making an appointment soon. He told me to call later in the week and we'd talk more about it.
When I got home from work, I immediately looked for the design I had made weeks earlier. It was under a bunch of other paper that littered my cheap Wal-Mart computer desk. I found it though...and I still liked it. That was important to me. Sometimes, when an idea comes to mind and it's drawn on paper - it loses something and it no longer matches the image in my mind. This design however still gave me a good vibe. I remember getting wicked excited. I remember taking my shirt off and sticking the thing on my chest to get a sense of what it would look like. This getting a tattoo thing was really going to happen!
I think another week passed before I grabbed the phone book and found the number to the studio. It was over in New York State, in a small town called New Lebanon. I was pretty nervous and hearing that ring noise and waiting for someone to answer seemed to take forever. Finally, someone answers. I asked for Keith and it was him on the phone. I told him my name - which wasn't ringing any bells - and told him that he stopped in to where I worked. He vaguely remembered but asked what he could do for me. I told him I wanted to make an appointment. I couldn't believe those words were coming out of my mouth! We talked briefly and he told me my appointment was all set. March 25, 1999 would be the day. I had one week to wait.
The day arrived and I remember being a little anxious. I ate something before I went. When I showed up at the studio, he saw me and that's when he remembered who I was. From that point on, I felt a lot more at ease. We talked about the design and the placement. He seemed surprised when I told him I wanted it on my chest. I guess not too many people chose that area for their first piece. We modified the design a bit and then it was time for the moment of truth. I was either going to run out of the shop or take it like a man. There was no way in hell I was going to leave. It was something I needed and dammit, I was going to do it even if the pain was enough to make me scream like a 6 year old school girl.
The tattoo took 45 minutes and all the thoughts my mind had conjured up about the pain were laid to rest. It didn't tickle, but it really didn't hurt that bad either. Looking at my chest and seeing the tattoo, I was happier than living hell. It was hard to describe exactly what I was feeling but it was a good feeling that enveloped me. This small tattoo was now the start of a new chapter in my life. I was now tattooed. I had taken a big step and crossed over that "line" from non-modified to tattooed. There on my chest, in black and gray was the proof.
I was pleased with the tattoo and told Keith that I probably wouldn't get any more. He knew I'd be back. I guess I just had that look. He was right. Not even a month later, I was back in the chair getting a leg piece. Then another month later, I had small piece done on my back. Each new piece was another chapter in my life. I loved getting tattooed and the feelings it provided - even if they were on the painful side. For me, tattooing was a release. Nothing was on my mind other than listening to good music, feeling the buzz and having a good time.
I didn't tell my parents until after I had it done. Hell, I was 27. I wondered what they would think but quickly realized that it really didn't matter. It wasn't about what they thought - it was about me and what I needed to do. All I knew is that I wanted a tattoo. I wouldn't be changing. I'd be the same ol' me - just with a mark that reflected my interests. I showed my Mom after I got it and she was really cool about it. She's really been the one who seems to appreciate my tattoos. She's even ventured into the studio while I'm getting work done. Now that's a cool Mom. My Dad, in typical father fashion, wasn't really interested. Days after getting it, I was still buzzed. I showed it to so many people and it really made me feel good.
When I got that tattoo, I became the first person in my entire family to get inked. My Dad came close while he was in the Army, but never got one. My younger sister followed suite a few years after I started. My older sister has just recently thought about getting a tattoo as well. Perhaps I've started something.
Me and my three tattoos attended Woodstock '99 and it was there that I saw quite the sportage of ink. Hell, my ticket even had "Inked, Pierced and Ready to Rock!" written on it. I was given several compliments on my tattoos and one cute girl even complimented me on the gecko. She was checkin' me out!
In 2000, I moved to Kansas for a year. During a vacation up in Mass., I made it a point to visit with Keith for the only tattoo I'd get that year. I moved back to Mass. in 2001 and got my fifth piece from Keith. He then semi-retired shortly after that. Of course, I needed to find a different artist so my journey could continue. Massachusetts had legalized tattoos in 2001, so I could get a tattoo in my hometown. I found another artist and got four additional pieces but soon found his demeanor less than acceptable. His portfolio was good and I liked his style. However, I got the impression that he really didn't even want to tattoo me. When he rushed through one tattoo session and cancelled another, that was when I moved on.
I was introduced to another artist who was very much like Keith - except in his tattooing. He worked at the first tattoo studio to open in town. He was decent at first but when I went to see him for some chest work, I about freaked when I saw the result. That tattoo was the first one that I actually didn't like and refused to show it to anyone.
Luckily, a friend of mine was apprenticing at the newly opened Peter Tat-2 right in downtown. Peter Tat-2 was the studio where Keith had been working back in the 90's over in New Lebanon. I was introduced to the artist, Rob, who had the firmest handshake I've ever experienced - even to this day. He fixed the chest piece, making it something I was happy to show. He also added a few more pieces on my stomach - an area that was not the most pleasant of places to get tattooed. He also outlined the rocket ship tattoo on my leg. However, he was at the shop one day and gone the next. No clue as to where he went or why he left.
After Rob's sudden departure, I spoke with another artist at Peter Tat-2. His name was Adam. He was a pretty cool guy and we got to talking. The rocket ship needed color and I wanted to know if the quote I had been given would still be honored. He didn't honor the quote but I still agreed to have him do it. I really liked his style of tattooing as well. When he added color to the rocket ship, he told me that he was going to color the tattoo the way it needed to be...so basically I gave him full control and I was completely floored with the result. It was amazing.
While Adam was still tattooing me, I got a really pleasant surprise. Keith had once again returned to this particular studio. It was really great to see him, since it was him that started me out on this crazy tattoo journey of mine. However, I have a rule not to change tattoo artists, so while I saw Keith many times, he didn't do any work on me...until later down the road. Adam inked an additional 13 pieces on me - the most for any of my artists.
In late 2004, actually more like the start of 2005, I was on my way to see Adam for some touch-up work. Adam had gone Splitsville sometime during the weekend. I wasn't too happy about it. Keith stepped right up and offered to do my touch-up free of charge. I told you he was a really cool guy.
From that point until now, Keith is once again my tattoo artist. I reflect on that sometimes and I'm amazed on how things have come around full circle. Keith and I are really good friends. Besides the five tattoos he did before he sort-of retired, he's inked an additional six pieces...with more to come.
In the seven years since I've been getting tattooed, I now have a collection of 33 pieces. They all have meaning and reflect on what makes me - me. I'm a fan of color, so the majority have a lot of color in them. Many are of good size, but a few are pretty big in scope. The cobras' on my back are each 8 inches in height. The clown on my leg is 10 inches in height. Both my lower forearms are almost completely covered. I'm guessing I've received well over 50 hours of tattooing. The money spent has been, for the most part, well worth the pain...yeah, some of these suckers were killer.
I made a very important decision seven years ago and that decision has lead to quite an adventure. Sure there's been some bumps but I'm extremely comfortable in a tattoo studio and it feels like a second home. I've acquired some really nice tattoos, made some cool, genuine friends and have found that sometimes in order to get through life, you have to go through a little pain. I feel a lot better about myself and I really couldn't ask for more. Let the journey continue!