a magical day

Today Hank and I "played" a couple in love in a music video, for one of Alexa Woodward's beautiful songs. I hadn't heard of Alexa until we were asked to be in the video, but once I started listening to her I couldn't stop. She is AMAZING. Really. I urge each and every one of you to visit her website and check out her music, which is considered "Indie Folk" from what I've read. The song we shot for is called "Weary." If you'd like to hear the song, it's on her Facebook page (just click on the "My Band" tab), and be sure to listen to the other songs too- one of my favorites is "Secrets." So good and I feel honored to be in her video.

On a related note, I haven't blogged about the fabulous Christina Heaston yet, but while she was in town from South Carolina with her boyfriend Bobby, she took family photos for us. These two are a creative, dynamic duo and let me tell you- this girl is TALENTED. We got a peek of our photos tonight and I'm absolutely dying over how amazing they are. I can't wait to share them later this week. Anyway, Bobby is videographer, and asked us to be in the video, and tell the song's story in between Alexa's live footage. We shot the video this afternoon and this evening, and I think it's going to be really, really neat. We had a great time with Christina and Bobby- they're the sweetest- and hope they come back to Prescott soon!

Here are some photos from the day:

Two for Tattuesday Saturday: Wanderful Love Under the Cherry Blossoms

In honor of the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1) , we're sharing this tattoo, which I spotted back in September:

This belongs to Rich, a musician and rap artist. He's a big Harry Potter fan, as exemplified by the magic wand. The snake at the base of the wand not only symbolizes infinity, it is a nod to Severus Snape, a character associated with the House of Slytherin, of which the serpent is the mascot.

The concept of the tattoo is exemplified by the music coming out of the wand, illustrating that sounds can be magical and that Rich is under music's spell.

The piece was inked by Chris at Lady Luck Tattoo Studio in Montville, Connecticut.

When I met Rich, he was sitting with his girlfriend in Penn Station. She introduced herself as Kytti, and asked if I wanted to see her tattoo.

But of course!

She actually has two tattoos, but lifted up her shirt to show me this beautiful design:

Kytti explained that this represents her and Rich together in Japan. They've been together for over a year and they'd both love to go there together and experience the culture. The tree is filled with cherry blossoms, a flower often associated with Japan.

Chris at Lady Luck also was the artist behind this tattoo.

Thanks to Rich and Kytti for sharing their magical and romantic tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Songs and memories

This Monday I thought I would share a VERY random playlist of some songs that have wonderful memories attached to them (you can check out a past, similar post by clicking here). Under the playlist I've jotted down a quick little blurb about each song and what it reminds me of or means to me. Some of these songs are a little different than what I listen to now, but hey, we were all teenagers once right? haha. Anyway, this was really fun and if you're inspired to the do the same, be sure to link back here so I can check out your memory playlist too.

Take a trip down memory lane with me...

1) I grew up in a small town in NJ, but went back to visit almost every summer after moving to Arizona when I was 13ish. This song reminds me of driving along the shore with a couple of my friends, the Atlantic ocean's breeze coming through the windows and the taste of freedom so new to us at 16. One boy in particular introduced me to this wonderful musician so this song also reminds me of being young, having crushes on every cute boy I met, and not having a care in the world.

2) This song falls under the more embarrassing songs on this list, but there are SO many funny and happy memories attached to it. Before we all started having babies and getting "tied down" to our various wedding planning, kids, etc. my college girlfriends and I used to take big, annual girls' trips. We still hope to take one soon, but for now memories will have to suffice. A few years ago we all went to Florida together to visit Amy and had the best time. Everywhere we went this song was playing, and it kind of became our silly theme song of the trip. We'd find ourselves singing and dancing whenever it came on and it reminds me of cab rides, dancing until 4am in the FL coast clubs, and so, so many fun nights with some of my favorite girls.

3) Oh gosh. This song is SO college to me. It reminds me of being 18 years old in the dorms, everyone knew this song and would sing along every time is came on. It takes me back to Sechrist, running up to the boys' floors, laughing my head off with Alyssa and Susan and Sarah, and driving around Flagstaff in Alyssa's blue Tacoma. Amazing times and amazing memories.

4) Another college song but this is definitely a bar song. In college I definitely "lived it up" and my sorority sisters and I would be downtown at the bars a couple of times a week. My how things have changed, right?! haha. Anyway, after living in Mountain View (sorority dorm) there were 7 of us girls who lived in a huge house and would always go out together, taking taxis downtown and usually ending the night at Maloney's, our favorite bar at the time. Every single weekend night without fail this song would come on and in perfect college-bar cliche fashion, every drunk person in the place would sing along. This song reminds me of Alana and Autumn and Shirley and all of my darling girlfriends, all of our ridiculous nights and college days.

5) This song is one of the many songs that remind me of one of my dearest friends Sarah (Suki as I often refer to her here). We've had some of the most amazing times together, and have been friends forever. The main song that reminds me of her is "Heaven" by the Fire Theft- we used to sit in her car and just belt out the lyrics, we both always loved that song- but this song is another one of the many that remind me of some of my favorite times with her. We've been through so much from boys to mistakes to happy times and sad times that there is a plethora of music that reminds me of Sarah, but even though this song is a little sad it takes me back to the early 2000s and her apartment, our many adventures, and really just figuring out who we were.

6) A bit of a departure from the rest of the songs on this playlist so far, but memories are funny like that and the next song that popped into my head was this one. This song reminds me of so many shows, a period of my life that was really interesting to me, and pretty transformative. I searched playlist.com for some of the Bane, With Honor, and Champion songs that also remind me of this time but they didn't have them. Regardless, this song is a good representation of college, a lot of fun, a lot of amazing shows and bands, and so many good times.

7) This next memory is all Hank. Before Hour of the Wolf he sang for a band called Life in Pictures, which I'm sure a few of you know. It was the members of his current band minus HOTW's singer Lance, and our friend Caleb played guitar. When I met him I had heard of the band before from friends, but I'd actually never seen them. The song that I included on the playlist is an older song of theirs, I think Hank was 16 or 17 when it was recorded. So crazy to me. When I met him, then heard this music it was so funny to me at the time to know that the kind, more quiet-than-loud guy that I was falling for had THAT voice come out of his body. And then to see him perform was such a trip. Here's an old, old video of one of their smaller shows. It's so funny to me to see all the guys. I wish there was more video from all the younger years too. And yes, that's Hank with the mic running around like crazy. At 3 minutes or so when he gets shirtless his skinny self kills me every time. hah. And Pat's long hair is too good too. SO many great memories from all of their shows, meeting them in different places while they were out on tour, and all the fun we've had. Adie and Erin, I'm looking at you!



8) "Crocodile Rock" reminds me of my little sister Lauren, and one particular memory that stands out so vividly in my mind. When I was probably 6 and she was 3, we ran into my parents' bedroom, turned on my Mom's Elton John tape really loud, and danced and jumped on their bed as we repeated the song over and over. We had turned off the lights and I remember that we had flashlights, creating our own makeshift dance club. The whole memory makes me smile and every time I head the song I am transported back to being a little girl, dancing around, holding hands with my sister and giggling until our stomachs hurt.

9) I went to my first "show" with my friend Rochelle when we were maybe 15. Her Mom took us to see Goldfinger and this song was one of my favorite songs in the whole world at the time. I remember thinking I was so cool going to see them in concert, and R. and I had the best time in all of our teenage naivety and wonder while there. It's funny to think back to being so young and thinking you know everything- 15 is such an interesting age and I have a lot of pretty specific memories from this time period. Rochelle was one of those friends that left such an impression on me, and when she moved away the next year it was hard. Luckily we're back in touch now (in fact I just wrote her back on FB), and it's neat to see how much we've grown up. Regardless, this song reminds me of a wonderful time with a wonderful, old friend.

10) Johnny Cash will always, always take me back to getting tattooed by my old friend Jason who tattooed the majority of my first tattoos including the Vonnegut piece on my back, my chest piece, my wrist, my upper rib pieces, my Hank tattoo, and my sleeve. Unfortunately things happen and people change, and we aren't in touch anymore but we've had some fun times hanging out and also great times while he tattooed me. He did my very first tattoo too, and each session we would listen to a number of J. Cash albums in a row. Even though it hurt horribly it was SO exciting to start my whole journey into the world of tattoos and this music takes me right back there.

11) Throughout high school I hung out with many different groups of people, but the main guys I hung out with were my close guy friends. There are a MILLION songs that remind me of my crazy skateboarding boys (especially the entire Dr. Dre 2001 album) but Wu-Tang especially reminds me of them, and mostly driving around in my best friend Ryan's car. We all hung out everyday at school and afterward, they would have their silly "ruckus" nights where they'd go around causing trouble and being stupid, and in between we'd listen to our favorite albums. This song was a favorite and reminds me of all of the guys. Happy memories for sure.

Whew! That was a lot but really fun to create. It's funny how once you start thinking back to different times in your life how easy it is for memories to come spilling in. As I starting listing out songs a million more came to me and I definitely could have kept going. Fortunately I have a BLT calling my name so lunch time it is! I hope you enjoyed this incredibly random look back, and again, let me know if you decide to do the same!

Music Monday

I love Mondays and I love music. And fall, too. How about we combine all of it into one wonderful post? So, happy Music Monday, fall edition #2. I hope you have a great week, and enjoy a song or two off of this little mish-mash of happy songs that seem to put me into the Autumn spirit. Which song is your favorite?

Soundtrack to happy

We all have those songs in our lives, the songs that when we hear them, they take us back to a really wonderful, happy time. Music is powerful. Some of my most vivid memories are attached to different songs, and different times of my life can be recollected when I hear certain albums. Recently I was driving in the car, listening to my ipod on shuffle, when a particular song came on that I hadn't heard in some time, "Everything Must Go" by the Weakerthans. Immediately I was brought back to 2004, and waking up at Hank's house, that song being the alarm tone on his phone every morning. Hearing it made me feel like I was right there, waiting for the leaves to turn orange and red and yellow up in Prescott, laying together for hours, being young, and getting to know everything about one another in a time that really was the very beginning of us. This song reminds me of Hank, it reminds me of the fall, and it reminds me of the two or three days I would spend with him at a time, as we ventured into long-distance relationship territory during that autumn. When I hear it I feel inspired, I feel so very alive, and it truly makes my heart skip a small beat to think about what a wonderful, naive, and blissful time that was. Young love.



Almost exactly a year later we moved in together to our first place, and August fell away on the calendar as September arrived with an autumn chill. We celebrated our first anniversary, one year together during that month. Unfortunately I was incredibly sick, to point of not being able to leave the house and go on the romantic date Hank had planned for us to celebrate the occasion. I was stuffy, my stomach hurt, and I was experiencing the tail-end of a bad flu. I remember feeling beyond disappointed and let down. This wonderful man, who I'd spent the last year of my life falling in love with, had tried to plan this beautiful evening, and all I could do was sit on the couch in my pajamas and try to muster up the strength to do just about anything. I was so sad, and as the night progressed I only became sadder. It must have been 11 o'clock pm when Hank suddenly got up from our little nest and plugged in his ipod. All of a sudden Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender" came on the speakers, and Hank reached for my hand. There, in our 1905 shoebox of an apartment, the streetlight illuminating us through the window while the wood floors creaked beneath our feet, we had our first dance to that beautiful song, to celebrate a most wonderful year. Three years later I'd hear that song again, when we shared our next "first" dance at our wedding. To this day, no matter how many time I hear it played, I still get the chills thinking back to all of the memories tied to it.



Do you have any "special" songs that remind you of a wonderful time? If you're inspired, post about it on your blog, and share the link here, or just add a comment telling us what song strikes a chord in your heart. I'd love to know!

Love,
Danielle

Music Monday

I don't usually participate in this wonderful weekly blog feature that a lot of my pals partake in, but this week I thought I would give it a go. Music is a huge part of my life, and I don't think there's many instances where there isn't some form of music being played or created in our home. Recently, I've been listening to the same bands and the same albums over and over, so I thought I would recommend some of my old favorites, just in case any of them are new to you.

The first band I'm sharing is one of my all-time favorite bands (musicians) from my younger years, Pedro the Lion. SO GOOD. I'm going to recommend his first (and in my opinion, the best) album, originally released in 1998 and then re-recorded and re-released in 2001 by Jade Tree. The album is called "It's Hard to Find a Friend" and has a million of my favorite songs on it. To me, this music is incredibly contemplative. It makes me want to lay in bed and just stare at the ceiling, think about life, and daydream. I hope you enjoy it too.

Here are a couple songs from that album. Every song is amazing, so if you like it, I suggest downloading the whole thing! If you're viewing this post via Google Reader you'll need to actually click on my blog to see the playlist.

Another band I've been non-stop listening to lately is one of my normal favorites, Lucero. Oh, Ben Nichols. His voice is so amazing and their songs are just so wonderful. Listening to them makes me want to go sit and swing on a front porch, in the middle of the summer somewhere in the South, and have an ice cold beer. Or whiskey. A few things wrong with this picture. One, we don't have a proper front porch or a swing, I live in Arizona, I don't drink beer or whiskey (pregnant or not)...and we're heading into fall. Oh well, a girl can dream. I bet that if you don't already LOVE this band you will soon.

a few of my favorite songs from one of my favorite albums from this band (Tennessee):





And last but not least I've been listening to St. Vincent an awful lot. My friend Elisa originally introduced me to this wonderful woman a long while back, and I really, really love her and her multiple instrument playing, beautiful singing self. My favorite album of hers is probably "Marry Me," released in 2007. Here are a couple of my favorite songs from that album.





I hope all of you enjoyed this little music post, and I hope you have a fabulous Monday!

Penny's Metal Collage

Penny made me feel old.

And I mean no disrespect to her. She was more than cooperative when I stopped and asked her about the unique and colorful tattoo that graces her upper left arm.

However, I was working at a technical disadvantage (borrowed camera) and like many who have met me have observed, I don't necessarily ooze hipness.

Nonetheless, Penny indulged my photographic fumblings and I was able to capture this image, which is a fairly decent photo of her ink:

This piece is based on a collage of pictures Penny took at a handful of metal shows.

"Which bands?" I asked, hoping to find a common ground with this younger person. I cut my teeth on early American metal (I still cherish my vinyl pressing of Metallica's Kill 'Em All on Megaforce records), but then again, that was the '80s. Penny uttered names I had heard (yay me!) but alas, couldn't put in their necessary classifications.

Deathklok. Children of Bodom. Amon Amarth.

What can I say? I'm an ancient 43.

Alas, Penny was a good sport and her tattoo post has just as much to do with my feeling older as it does with her ink. Sorry, Penny.

The work she credited to an artist named Adal, who transformed her pictures into this collage on flesh in two sessions and about five hours, all told.

Thanks to Penny for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Music recommendation

Hi everyone! I wanted to make a quick post about one of my most favorite hip hop artists, Fashawn. Hank actually turned me onto this guy, as he is a friend of his friend Chris in Fresno. The first time I heard his mixtapes I fell in love with him, and every single song on his album, Boy Meets World, is just so good. I'm not sure if many of you are into this type of music, but if you are (and even if you aren't), you should give him a listen! And really check out that whole album outside of the video I posted below, the songs are phenomenal.

Download Fashawn's album at Itunes.

One of my favorite songs on Boy Meets World:

I'm loving...

Right now I'm loving these things, and I wanted to share them with you!

Frances England's album Fascinating Creatures (click here to view on Amazon)



Here's a mini-playlist of two of her songs if you'd like to get a quick listen. I love her music- super sweet and exactly what I like in summertime music. I imagine listening to this on a lazy day when I have all the windows open in the house, a cool breeze coming in, daydreaming of all the good to come! It's funny because this album is actually billed as children's music, but when I had my first listen I had no idea. I knew it was whimsical and fun, but once I checked her out online and via Itunes I realized that she was a singer-songwriter aimed toward a child audience. It makes me happy to know that I already love something so much that I will definitely be sharing with our future kiddo.

I've read a few great books recently too, that I'd like to share!

Swallow the Ocean: a Memoir, by Laura M. Flynn (click here to view on Amazon)



I'm a huge memoir fan in general, but I'm quite particular about both writing style and the way they tell their story. This novel was great- it was an incredibly interesting story and the writer's voice was refreshing. It details growing up with her paranoid schizophrenic mother, and at times it was painful to imagine the author and her sister going through some of the horrible things she detailed. However, it was a good read and if you like memoirs, I definitely recommend this one to you!

Another book I read in the past couple of weeks was The Carrie Diaries, by Candace Bushnell (click here to view on Amazon).



I'd been waiting for this book to come out for quite sometime, and I began reading it via my Kindle DX the day it was released. It's all about Carrie Bradshaw (a la Sex and the City), but before she became the Carrie we all know now! It detailed her senior year in high school, and how she ended up in NYC. The ended was so great, and I definitely enjoyed it. It was a fun read! One caveat though: if you're going to read it you have to keep in mind that it's a "chick-lit" book, so it's more of a magazine type read than a novel that will pose questions, get into your head, or make you think. It was a great summertime read though, and the only issue I had with it was that at times I didn't really make the connection with this old Carrie and the Carrie Bradshaw we got to know on SATC. I do feel that the author should have made a few changes to the younger character, but that's my opinion and overall it didn't hinder the book in my mind whatsoever. If you like the television series or even the movie, I definitely recommend you check this book out!

I've watched what feels like a million movies in the past few weeks and I wanted to share one of my favorite films of ALL TIME. I've seen this movie many, many times before and every time I watch it I love it even more. Mia Farrow's clothing, the dark and creepy ambiance, the music....I can't get enough. If you haven't actually seen Rosemary's Baby you should definitely take a night and enjoy it, beginning to end. In my mind, it's truly a masterpiece!



I also recently went to the theater and saw Babies with my Mom and sister for Mother's Day.



I knew the movie was a documentary but didn't have any commentary or much dialogue at all, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The movie ran about an hour and a half, and I didn't even notice the lack of words throughout. It highlighted the first year in the lives of four babies all over the world: Bayanchandmani, Mongolia; Opuwo, Namibia; San Francisco, USA; and Tokyo, Japan. It was fascinating to see the huge differences in how the babies were both born and raised. After the film was over, I thought for awhile about what the filmmaker was trying to convey. I definitely got an overarching message that no matter the means or the way, all of these milestones we viewed in the film, smiling, talking, walking, etc...are all achieved. It doesn't matter if the baby is raised in a small yurt in the middle of nowhere, or a high tech flat in a bustling city. I also got a feeling that the filmmaker was trying to make a point about simplication. It was so interesting to see the way the babies were stimulated by so many different types of toys: a few had nothing more than a stick and a stone, where as another had the blinking sound machines with a million different colors and pictures to look at. Which is better? The simple way of raising a child? Or through constant stimulation and entertainment? The film gave me a lot to think about, and I definitely recommend to everyone.

Well, I am still under the weather this morning and I'm going to try and get some more rest. This is either a bad, bad cold or the beginning of the flu. Yuck! Send me healthy thoughts ;). Oh, and while I'm sick in bed, I'm pretty fast at responding to my Formspring questions via my phone, so click here to ask away!

Have a beautiful Saturday!

Spring music

I love this video so much, and it's really the perfect springtime song. It makes me want to spend a day with Hank, riding bikes and sipping lemonade into the late afternoon...barefoot in the grass, twirling around under the sun, laying on a blanket and watching the clouds go by.

Do you have any songs in mind that really just epitomize spring? I'd love to hear your choices, and I'll collaborate the mother of all spring playlists based on your input!

Coeur de Pirate || Comme des enfants from Dare To Care Records on Vimeo.

eL's Musical tattoo

Last month, much to my surprise, our old friend Paul (see his most recent work here) told me there was a tattoo shop nearby.

I was surprised, to say the least. "New?" I asked him. "Been open over a year," he replied.

I was puzzled. How had I missed a tattoo shop within walking distance of work? Was I blind?

Not quite. I was just too busy looking around me, and not looking up.


Because Fort Apache Tattoo Studio is just a stone's throw away from my regular inkspotting stomping ground, at West 31st Street near the corner of 8th Avenue.

How I missed it was the fact that it peers out over the southwest corner of Madison Square Garden from the 4th floor. Four flights of old-style New York City stairs.

But once I made it up there, I was pleasantly surprised by the layout of the shop. Four artists have separate work areas separated by low walls.

While there, I met Freak, who specializes in custom designs with a comics influence.

Do check out the website to see everyone's work.

But another question arose, how had I gone for over a year with this shop in my backyard and never met anyone who had been tattooed there? Of the hundreds of people I have met, no one had shared any work from Fort Apache!

Until the next day.

Which brings me to the point of this post.

The following day I stopped to talk to a guy sitting on a bench at the corner of 7th Avenue and 33rd Street.

He had this cool tattoo on his upper right arm:


"And where did you have this done?" I asked.

Yup, Fort Apache.

(And thank you for sharing your post with my story about finally finding the shop, by the way.)

The owner of this tattoo is named eL. He is an artist and a guitarist.

The tattoo represents a scar from a bad break-up. Because of the central role of music in eL's life, it only made sense to represent the heartbreak with symbolism near and dear to eL's heart.

I asked if the notes actually made up a tune, but they do not. For aesthetic reasons, they are musical symbols inked in flesh, nothing more, nothing less.

This tattoo was done by Hexx.

Thanks to eL for sharing this tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Also a thank you to Freak for welcoming us with open arms as we checked out the shop!

Here's hoping we'll see more work from Fort Apache in the future!

Hang the DJ

I met Rohan on a Brooklyn-bound A train.

He has "thirteen or fourteen" tattoos, and he offered up this one from his right arm:


The phrase "Hang the DJ" refers to lyrics sung by Morrissey when he was with The Smiths.

I was only on the train with him for two stops, so I didn't get a full explanation of the tattoo until later, when Rohan e-mailed me:

I got this tattoo for several reasons - first and foremost I love The Smiths and their music changed the way I viewed myself against the social and cultural backdrop that we're all in. I thought a jukebox with the lyrics "Hang the DJ", the refrain from the song "Panic", was ironic.


The jukebox is what allows all of us to be the DJ and in "Panic", Morrissey is singing about how the music the DJ is playing means nothing to him and his life, and I share that sentiment with most of what I hear. The tattoo is sort of an encapsulation of how I feel about rock and roll and how certain bands and certain songs can, when they're really good and really honest, mean a lot more than just entertainment value.

The tattoo was inked by Dusty Neal in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is currently working at Donny Manco's New Republic Tattoo.

UPDATE: I exchange a few e-mails with the artist Dusty Neal after this posted and he remembered doing this tattoo very early on in his career as an artist. He wanted me to clarify this point, and to communicate that he feels that his art has developed to the point that this piece does not best represent his work as a tattooer. A look at photos of his work on MySpace here certainly showcases some amazing tattoos. Dusty encourages people to check out his current endeavors and, with all due respect to Rohan and the tattoo in this post, judge his talents based on what he has done more recently, and not early on in his career.

Thanks again to Rohan for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

As a little bonus, here is the video from "Panic" by the Smiths:

The Swim

Last night was a fun night! We headed down to The Drunken Lass to watch our dear friend Caleb's band, The Swim, play. Hank spent most of his teens and earliest 20s playing in Life in Pictures with Caleb, and The Swim was the band Caleb formed upon the breakup of LIP. It's a totally different sound, and quite enjoyable if you ask me! You can click here to visit their Myspace.

Here are some of the photos I took -

lovers' legs


Pat and Dustin, looking so good!


Tyler


The Swim


cute Caleb




Tyler and Addy


fall coat + long hair = happy me :)

The Return of Victor's Ink

One of my favorite posts last year was my encounter with Victor, whose tattoos were numerous and wonderfully eclectic. The post was one of the first "tatalogs," as I call them, when a subject shares a multitude of their ink.

So, when I had just finished speaking with Austin about his sleeve, and saw a familiar face (and ink) hanging out in front of Fuse at the corner of 32nd and 7th, I ambled on over to say hi to Victor.

He had new tattoos, of course, and I soon had my camera out, adding to the tatalog.

I contacted him later to get the scoop on the work. Although he told me about it on the street, I didn't write any of it down, as I was too busy taking pictures. We've added five more pieces to the record here, and I'll let Victor narrate the rest:

The Divine Tattoo [just above his left wrist] was done by my cousin Ed Bonacore in the poconos. He is the only tattoo artist I really go to know. I trust him, he does good work. He works at this amazing shop in the Poconos called FUNHOUSE TATTOOING. The vibe there is cool from the colorful horror movie atmosphere, to all the artists and the friendly shop girl.

Anyway, I got the JOHN WATERS signature tattooed on [on my outer left forearm] last summer the day after I had met him with my best friend RUBY LAROCCA.


She got the same thing. She got him to sign his name to her arm as well! We make films and John Waters is one of our biggest influences so to have his mark on us for life is a reminder to keep making dangerous art.

I got the John Waters done at RED ROCKET TATTOO in NYC, I had to get it quick and fast so the autograph didn't fade. The artist's name slips my mind, but he was making a guest spot at that shop and he was originally from Texas. Red Rocket is one of the best shops in Manhattan.

So anyway, I got the autograph super big on my forearm, because in his movie Cecil B. Demented, all the characters get the favorite director tattooed on their arm. I though it would be pretty cool, to do that in real life, from the director that created that idea.

Back to Divine. Then I got the Divine tattoo because, how can't you love Divine. One of the greatest actors ever. I saw Pink Flamingos as a youngster, and I remember my parents talking about how this tranny was eating poop at the end of the film, and how they were all gagging watching the film! That got me really interested to say the least. And after Female Trouble, I know I would love anything these people collaborated on. I unfortunately cannot dig up Divine and get him to sign my arm, so [I] did a little portrait of him. He was a true artist, actor, performer, comedian, and I respect that.

Mink Stole, is also from the original DreamLand gang, and is in almost every John Waters film. She is amazing in Desperate Living, and when I met her, she was so sweet, so I figured with John Waters already inked into my arm, I would start the John Waters tribute arm. I met her at a horror convention in Baltimore, and one of the vendors was a tattoo artist, so I got the autograph, then got it tattooed and was able to show Mink by the next day. She was in shock.


The Taxi Driver tattoo [on my inner left wrist] was again done by my cousin Ed Bonacore...I have loved that movie forever, and think Travis Bickle [Robert De Niro's character] is the ultimate Anti-Hero. Its like an oil painting version of the shot at the end after he has killed all the pimps and scumbags in the brothel.

The quote on [the left side of] my ribs was also done by my cousin Eddie, but this is before he was in a shop.


It was done at this house after I had smoked a fat blunt and [was] high as a kite. It hurt a lot, my most painful tattoo. The side of the ribs hurts a lot because there no skin there, and every time the needle hits your skin, your ribs vibrate. It took 3 different sessions to do that tattoo. The quote is from a band called HUNCHBACK, that just split up. And it's from a song called "RED IS THE COLOR OF MY TRUE LOVES HAIR." When I saw the song live for the first time, I was convinced this would be my new favorite band. And I can honestly say, this is the best song ever performed live. It blew me away. And the lettering that was used is the font from THE WARRIORS. Another one of my favorite films!

So, there you have it, folks. Another block of Victor's tattoos! I can't wait to run into him again to see what's new!

Thanks once again to Victor for his generosity and sharing his ink with us here on Tattoosday!