The Tattoosday Book Review: 7 Tattoos
First and foremost, let me clear something up: 7 Tattoos by Peter Trachtenberg is a memoir and is not a book about tattoos. Oh, there are tattoos within, and stories about them and how they were obtained. But tattoos help form the context of the story within, and the ink is often secondary to the action at hand.
7 Tattoos is a riveting narrative, "a memoir in the flesh," about the author's inner struggles with his identity and the world around him. His tattoos form the structure of the book, serving as chapters around which Trachtenberg's life revolves.
Imagine a first tattoo: assuming that it wasn't inked on the fly, everyone's first tattoo comes with context. On Tattoosday, I try and tell the story behind the tattoo. But even I know that I am only scratching the surface of the narrative skin.
Each of the author's seven tattoos serves as a focal point out of which a life chapter spins.
From a tribal piece that is inspired by the ink of Southeast Asia (and subsequent trips there) to tattoos that mark chapters in a life punctuated by drug addiction and strained parental relationships, we are given a warts-and-all tour of Trachtenberg's life. As important as the tattoos may seem, they are really just sign-posts with memories in the ink.
Ultimately, 7 Tattoos is about relationships - Trachtenberg's relationships with women, his father, his mother and, ultimately, himself.
He is a writer and his skills show throughout as he describes tattoos with admirable simplicity:
"The tattoo Slam had given me was a drawing of a wrench placed diagonally between two gears. She'd rendered the spinner with punctilious thoroughness, down to the highlights on the chrome-plated shaft, while leaving the gears black silhouettes, and she'd unified the composition by framing wrench and gears with a red triangle that sat athwart my deltoid."This passage describes the tattoo with political undertones, in a chapter entitled "I Keep the Red Flag Flying". He does a remarkable job taking a 1992 tattoo and narrating back twenty years earlier to 1972. Again, the tattoo anchors the chapter and is the glue that holds it together.
Trachtenberg has skillfully built a personal history around seven works of art. It doesn't matter where they were inked or if any of them are "good" or not. Each piece is a jumping-off point that elevates the memoir above the standard personal history.
7 Tattoos was recommended to me last Spring when I was interviewing poets and writers for my Tattooed Poets Project. I wish I could remember who suggested I read it, because I would love to thank them.
The tattoos in the book are not at center stage, yet they manage to grab a hold of the imagination throughout as we are carried along by the story of Trachtenberg's life. It's an experience I would heartily recommend to anyone interested in good writing, with a penchant for ink.
Cody's Eagle Braves the Storm
On the day after Thanksgiving, I was passing through Penn Station and I spotted this tattoo:
This depiction of an eagle flying through a storm belongs to Cody, who was in town visiting from Key West, Florida.
This symbol of strength and courage enduring the dangers of a powerful storm is fitting, as Cody began work on the piece as a tribute to his father, serving in the Armed Forces in Afghanistan.
Cody has already had three sittings for this wonderful tattoo, and is close to finishing it with "Tattoo" Mike Haugh at Key West Tattoo Company.
Thanks to Cody for sharing this great tattoo! We look forward to seeing the final product!
This depiction of an eagle flying through a storm belongs to Cody, who was in town visiting from Key West, Florida.
This symbol of strength and courage enduring the dangers of a powerful storm is fitting, as Cody began work on the piece as a tribute to his father, serving in the Armed Forces in Afghanistan.
Cody has already had three sittings for this wonderful tattoo, and is close to finishing it with "Tattoo" Mike Haugh at Key West Tattoo Company.
Thanks to Cody for sharing this great tattoo! We look forward to seeing the final product!
Stitch Presents
It's been a minute since Stitch has formally presented her favorite tattoo of the week. Well, I'm sure you guys have been anxiosly anticipating this one. This gem by Scott Harrison was voted "Best Tattoo of the Day" on the Saturday night of the Convention by celebrity judges Mike Rubendall, Grez and Myself.
When we walked over to give the trophy to Scott he was shocked and declared, " I never expected that anyone I tattooed would ever enter a contest!" For the rest of the weekend Rubendall would periodically take out his Iphone and look at this picture and just start laughing to himself, awesome.
KMEL...jams!
Here are some photos from Taki and I's morning at KMEL...
I tattooed Dame the Intern and Chuey Gomez's sidekick Lady Ray, while Taki and Chris Guido chopped it up with Chuey about the convention. Thanks to everyone, it was a blast!
Tay's Angel Reminds Him of a Battle Won
There are many things to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. I know that may clich� , but at its core, there is the kernel of truth. All it takes to remember this is to cross paths with someone who has overcome the odds to prevail in life.
Yesterday I met Tay in the Borders on Penn Plaza, and he shared this tattoo:
Here's the complete piece:
Inked on his inner left forearm, this angelic image is a product of an idea of a spirit watching over him, He gathered a couple of photos for reference and presented them, along with a short written paragraph about the concept, to a tattoo artist at Fat Ram's Pumpkin Tattoo in Jamaica Plains, Massachusetts. It was the tattooer who gave Tay the writing assignment. I am impressed that the artist would incorporate that into his creative process, and it makes perfect sense.
Although Tay is not religious, per se, he wanted something spiritual to remind him of his guardian angel that helped him overcome the mortal challenge of cancer.
As it turns out, Tay is a survivor, who has been cancer-free for ten years after a victory over acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Tay notes that, all it takes is a look down at his arm to remind him that he has come a long way from the lows of facing one's mortality at such an early age.
I want to thank Tay for sharing his tattoo with us here. And I wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all the Tattoosday readers!
Yesterday I met Tay in the Borders on Penn Plaza, and he shared this tattoo:
Here's the complete piece:
Inked on his inner left forearm, this angelic image is a product of an idea of a spirit watching over him, He gathered a couple of photos for reference and presented them, along with a short written paragraph about the concept, to a tattoo artist at Fat Ram's Pumpkin Tattoo in Jamaica Plains, Massachusetts. It was the tattooer who gave Tay the writing assignment. I am impressed that the artist would incorporate that into his creative process, and it makes perfect sense.
Although Tay is not religious, per se, he wanted something spiritual to remind him of his guardian angel that helped him overcome the mortal challenge of cancer.
As it turns out, Tay is a survivor, who has been cancer-free for ten years after a victory over acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Tay notes that, all it takes is a look down at his arm to remind him that he has come a long way from the lows of facing one's mortality at such an early age.
I want to thank Tay for sharing his tattoo with us here. And I wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all the Tattoosday readers!
Happy Thanksgiving? part II
"Long before the European and English colonists arrived, native Amerindians celebrated the harvest with festivals & ceremonial dances, out of thanks and appreciation. The Wampanoag tribe shared this day with the Plymouth pilgrims, knowing the white man knew not how to grow corn for himself. Despite the fact that their survival had depended upon Indian benevolence, the Pilgrims went on in the years that followed to wage genocidal wars against the NATIVE nations around them. The first "thanksgiving celebration" to be proclaimed in the colony was in honor of their great victory in 1637 that virtually exterminated the Pequot Nation. Out of remembrance for the fallen peoples of native blood, first of this country, born of this land, red skinned, they are the people we should thank, not a white mans god, who allows the careless hands of his followers to take without thanks and curse the land without decency for the next generation. Teach compassion for this land, for it's beauty, the earth was first, even the scripture of the Hebrews says that.
May we walk with grace and mercy in our steps today."
-Eric Jones
*images from top to bottom: Eric Jones, Heath Preheim, Eric Jones, Grez, Zeke Owen
Happy Thanksgiving?
So, I rarely use this blog as a personal diary but in this instance I am feeling it is necessary. Early this morning I woke up screaming from a terrible nightmare. Sweating, grinding my teeth and anxiety levels soaring I sat up in bed and grabbed in the dark for my dog Stitch. I dreamt I was in some sort of cooking class and we had an assignment, my dreams are nonlinear and hazy so bear with me many of the details were left out, but we were cooking bats in the class, I kept repeating the word "bat guano" over and over, I don't think that's a very important part of it I just remember it, but I decided they didn't need to waste bat or guano on what I was making and decided to cook Stitch instead. There was no image of death or the process of cooking, I just knew what I had done. At that moment of realization I screamed and moaned and cried. I knew I couldn't take it back or undo it! I felt I chose to cook her out of convenience and the regret weighed heavy on my heart. That is when I fought the dream and woke up disgusted with myself. Laying in bed I sorted out the details of my dream. It is Thanksgiving and I have volunteered to roast a turkey for a homeless teen center in the Tenderloin, I offered my services to help others have a "Happy Thanksgiving" but haven't eaten any animal flesh in over a year. I think the guilt overcame me, equating the turkey I will be roasting with the love and companionship of my best bud, Stitch. Man, that vegetarian guilt is a b****!
Thank you Urban Paul
At my lowest moment of ignoring my blogging responsibilities like a shining beacon, a lighthouse in the storming tempest of my procrastination, my number one follower sent me this photo as if to nudge me back into a flurry of blogging. Thank you paul,
Not since Star-face girl have we seen tattooing with such reckless abandon; such selfish disdain for the wearer. Literally redefining the word "effacing." It reminds me of a very enthusiastic client who once came to me wanting to tattoo the word "PUSSY" inside his lower lip with arrows pointing inward. He was so cocksure that the plan he had devised would guarantee a permanent unending stream of sexual adventures; declaring to the women of the world his love of oral sex. Unfortunately, I had to burst his bubble and explain that if he had the word "PUSSY" with arrows pointing at himself it might evoke a response unlike the one he sought.
Not since Star-face girl have we seen tattooing with such reckless abandon; such selfish disdain for the wearer. Literally redefining the word "effacing." It reminds me of a very enthusiastic client who once came to me wanting to tattoo the word "PUSSY" inside his lower lip with arrows pointing inward. He was so cocksure that the plan he had devised would guarantee a permanent unending stream of sexual adventures; declaring to the women of the world his love of oral sex. Unfortunately, I had to burst his bubble and explain that if he had the word "PUSSY" with arrows pointing at himself it might evoke a response unlike the one he sought.
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