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.

Brad Pitt Tattoos

Checkout the tattoos of international Hollywood super stud actor and husband to follow actress Angelina Jolie, Mr. Brad Pitt.

Brad Pitt has four tattoos which we know of, including an outline tattoo on his left forearm of Ötzi the Iceman, aka Frozen Fritz and Similaun Man.

Brad also has a very interesting tattoo on his back, which appears to be nothing more than various horizontal lines, but rumor has it that these lines represent the levees which broke in New Orleans, during hurricane Katrina (2005). Brad has been heavily involved in local rebuilding projects.

His most recent tattoo is on his stomach which is written in Khmer and reads 6/4/75, the birthday of his wife, Angelina Jolie.

Enjoy these pictures of Brad Pitt and his meaningful tattoos.

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!

50 Cent Tattoos

Lets have a look at the tattoos of gangster rap artist and founder of G Unit, 50 Cent.

50 Cent (Curtis James Jackson III) has several tattoos, in fact, probably enough to fill an entire tattoo art gallery.

50 has “Love & Hate" tattooed in bold underneath his belly button, to go along with Jesus and the devil on opposite sides.

On his right bicep is an axe with the name of his son "Marquise" and the word "Warrior". Plus on the same arm he has the name of his mother "Sabrina" and the words "Ghetto Angel".

He has an Angel on his left shoulder and just below that is a drawing, which includes a crown and "50" in the center. Plus on the lower portion of his left arm is a cross and the phrase "God Understands Me".

50 has a huge collage of tattoos on his back, including a giant number "50" in the middle, along with "South Side" on the upper portion, plus the words "Gangsta" and “Cold World” and “G-unit” included within.




50 Cent has had several tattoos removed, and has been quoted as saying "When I first got a tattoo, I was like 19 years old. Now I regret getting it every time I look at it. It is a constant reminder of the mind frame I had at that age and I definitely had no class.

Tay's Angel Reminds Him of a Battle Won

There are many things to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. I know that may cliché , 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!

A tinta não "pegou"

Olá Amigos!

Hoje tive um probleminha em um de meus trabalho com uma cliente.

Pela primeira vez neste período de 4 anos na área como tatuador, encontrei essa cliente que de certa forma me deu dor de cabeça, pois fiz uma tattoo de 7cm X 9cm (uma carpa), contornei o desenho sem problemas. Porém na hora de colorir o desenho nunca vi coisa igual, a pele da cliente não segurava a tinta de forma alguma. Eu usei uma haste com 12 agulhas soldadas flat alternada e tintas da Masters Ink e Electric Ink. Na hora do preenchimento e sombreado degradê, parecia até a eu estava trabalhando sem tinta alguma na biqueira. A tinta não penetrava na pele de jeito algum. Pela primeira vez fiquei até confuso e não entendia o que estava acontecendo. Foi a tattoo mais demorada de se conclui que eu já fiz. Uma tattoo que normalmente levo 01:30h nesta gastei quase 04:00h para consegui a pintura desejada. Eu gostaria de saber se já aconteceu algo semelhante com algum dos tatuadores e qual foi a melhor forma de se resolver uma situação como esta???

Desde já agradecemos a atenção!

Um Abraço!
Welton Ricardo
Equipe Bangalô Stúdio

Precisa de ajuda? Envie um e-mail.

Para ajudar, escreva um comentário.

Doug's Dragon

Back on July 13, I posted a photo of Doug's Geisha. Doug was waiting around the Penn Station area before heading down to see Horisei, at tattoo artist working out of Rising Dragon's Chelsea Tattoo Company.

Doug followed up his moment in the Tattoosday light by sending us photos of the work he had done that day. As would be expected from work by Horisei, the tattoo is beautifully done:






Work from Horisei has appeared previously on this site here.

Thanks again to Doug for sharing his new tattoo work with us here on Tattoosday!

Matheus Falcão, Dragão na Costela, 176

¨Bom me chamo matheus e estou enviando fotos da minha tattoo porque foi a primeira que fiz e a maior também.

Um dia estava vendo uma revista de tattoo e na hora em que eu bati o olho nessa eu me apaixonei. Juntei uma grana e resolvi fazer. Fiz em duas sessões, uma para contornar e outra para colorir.

Valeu muito a pena, espero que gostem.¨

Matheus Falcão

Victoria Beckham Tattoos

Lets have a look at the fabulous and very meaningful tattoos of English singer, dancer, model, designer and author, Victoria Beckham, perhaps best known for being Posh Spice, of the Spice Girls group.

Victoria has five bright shining stars on her lower back which represent her, David and their three sons, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz.

She has a Hebrew tattoo of a quote from the Song of Solomon 6:3 "I am my love’s and my love is mine, who browses among the lilies." which runs from the neck down her back.

Victoria also has the date (May 8th 1997) in roman numerals tattooed on her wrist, and is said to be the date her and husband David Beckham first made love with one another.

Just below that tattoo, appears to be the phrase "De Integra, De Enegra or De Intopa".

DB (David Beckham) is tattooed on the inner portion of her left wrist, to go along with another Hebrew script tattoo, which read "together forever, eternally".

Have a look at these photos of the beautiful tattoos of Victoria Beckham.

She has since added 2 more stars for the birth of her two children.

Mike Shares Some More Ink

Back in May, I met a guy named Mike outside of Penn Station and he shared this tattoo with us.

Occasionally, contributors who I have met on the street will send me a follow-up of additional tattoos that I didn't photograph the first time I met them. Mike was generous enough with his time and energy to do just that.

First is a piece that was done around the same time that the lion-skeleton tattoo, featured back in May, was completed, back in 1995:

This, like the previous work featured from Mike, was inked by Doug White at the Ink Spot in Linden, New Jersey.

Mike also sent along this snake:



I love the cross-hatch patterns on the back of the snake. The lines are so finely drawn, I am impressed by the amount of patience it must have taken to get these tiny details just right.

Mike also sent a photo of this gargoyle on his back:


These last two pieces were inked at Tattoo Lou's in Babylon, New York back in 2000. Work from Tattoo Lou's has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

Thanks again to Mike for sharing more of his ink with us here on Tattoosday!

Two Eclectic Tattoos from TG

I will pace subway platforms, while waiting for my train, so that I may exercise a bit, and, let's face it, spot the occasional tattoo.

After meeting TG on the 59th Street platform in Brooklyn, and talking tattoo with him all the way to 95th Street, he told me I was lucky he had removed his sweater back on 59th.

For it was there that I spotted his tattoos. First I noticed this one:


That is a brontosaurus, which is on his left arm. It was an impulse decision and serves solely as a decorative reminder of a moment in time. TG had just left work with a paycheck and wandered into Rising Dragon Tattoos in their (relatively) new 14th Street location.

The artist was Davide, who hails from Italy, and was most likely a guest tattooer at the time.

TG sings his praises as he took a relatively simple design and gave it his all, down to the shading of the dinosaur's eyes and toe nails.

An even more compelling tattoo is this line-drawn piece:


The caption under the robot and the bear reads "Go for the knees! Bears are known for weak knees!"

This refers to a brief snippet of dialogue in Season 1, Episode 3 ("Blind Date") of the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. The line is uttered by the character Frank, who is played by actor/comedian Judah Friedlander.

The absurdity of the line made it memorable to TG, who chose to immortalize it on his right forearm.

The tattoo was inked by Mike at Mad Pup's Tattooing in Plattsburgh, New York.

Thanks to TG for sharing his two eclectic tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Scarlett Johansson Tattoo

Here we have the stunningly beautiful and equally as talented celebrity actress, Scarlett Johansson.

Scarlett Johansson currently has only one tattoo, which is located on her left forearm. Its a tattoo of a lovely sunrise, over looking the ocean with clouds.

Scarlett has been quoted as saying "It's kind of personal. It's a sunrise, and it makes me happy when I look at it."

20 tatuagens deliciosas

Tem gente que ama tatuagem e também ama uma boa comida. Para marcar estes amores nada melhor que uma boa, colorida e suculenta tatugem em seus corpos. Wraps, tortas, doces, pizza, picolés, ovos, milho, sorvetes e pirulitos são pequenas amostras das guloseimas do quadro Crazy Tattoos.