I’m not being funny but… who decided tattoos needed to stop at a certain age? We all remember when we were kids and first noticed someone on our block or our cousin’s tattoo for the first time. That curiosity around them that gets a lot of us wondering if we should get one. Once that curiosity begins, we start hearing the “no’s”. “What if you’ll regret it later? What will you look like when you get older?”. I know that there are countless people out there who’ve regretted some of their tattoos but I feel like that in itself is part of the journey right? A memory, a love, a fun moment. The idea that you can’t age with tattoos is bollocks. You get wrinkles regardless, what does it matter if you have ink on your skin or not?
I actually got my first tattoo quite late in life. It was 2001 so I was already in my 30s. I went tattoo-mad for a bit, making my body a canvas of emotional projections. There’s a grenade on my arm to remind me I could blow up at any moment. I have arrogant and hypocrite on each of my hands — for obvious reasons. Nowadays the tattoos I just mentioned are more of reminder of where I was and that there’s never the need to go back to being the type of person I was.
Don’t get me wrong, I still have my moments, but you’ve gotta remember I was in the pits of my addiction when I began my tattoo journey — and I was in the darkest place of my life. I have since channelled these memories into more positive avenues, such as my streetwear label.
After a few years of constantly adding to my body, I stopped. And for quite a long time — the pain of covering myself in ink was a big part of it. I didn’t set foot near a parlour for maybe 15 years. Then I met Stavvy, my fiancé. We’ve both been fans of tattoos since we can remember and we really connected over them. Being in the happiest place I’ve ever been in, all of a sudden I wanted to create more memories and with fine-line needles, it’s a piece of piss pain-wise. My fear of the pain no longer exists. I’ve had more than 20 new tattoos in these past two years. I have created a menagerie of birds and animals, I’ve immortalised my pet’s names. I went to South Africa and never felt more connected to nature in my life — I wanted a reminder of how majestic our planet is.
I see some of my newest tattoos as postcards — a reminder of my experiences that I get to see every day
I see some of my newest tattoos as modern-day postcards. In a world where we’re so wrapped up in our phones, I have a literal reminder of my experiences that I get to see every single day. Others have true sentimental value, they’re a reminder of the trauma I went through, or my butterflies signal rebirth.
I have Fast Love tattooed on my knuckles after George Michael’s iconic song. I got it for so many reasons: the way he influenced me as a friend, enemy, artist, songwriter, gay man, philanthropist. He was the most selfless person imaginable, and on the song… a lot of people don’t understand the impact of Fast Love on the gay community.
I only have one go to spot in London — The London Social in Soho. Certified Letter Boy and Georgina who have done most of my latest ink are just incredible. The whole team are masters in the art of fine-line tattoos and I honestly can’t recommend them enough. You ask for an idea and they translate the vision perfectly. Every time.
London Social co-owner Alex was fascinated with the world of graffiti from a young age and with time that love evolved towards tattooing where he looked up to ink icons Mister Cartoon and Jacky Rudy. He tells me that right now the UK scene is leaning towards minimalism with tiny tattoos taking centre stage whereas across the pond they’re more into microrealism.
As with most things in life, trends in this industry are also cyclical. Alex also shared that tattoo art transcends age and he’s even painted a woman in her late 80s — which just encapsulates my view that age is truly just a number we should all take less seriously.
Kim Kardashian once said: “You don’t put bumper stickers on a Bentley”. Well, even she’s got a tattoo. We live in a time where everyone’s doing all sorts of things to their bodies — the difference is tattoos have stories, they convey emotion. I’ve gotta say, this is one addiction that I’m happy to have. See you next Wednesday.
Track of the week: Fast Love — George Michael
