Oh, I almost forgot.

[apocalypsos]

Because no family gathering would be complete without somebody saying something stupid about my tattoos ...

(My 14-year-old cousin says something about wanting a Breaking Benjamin tattoo.)
Me: NO. No boyfriend's name, no stupid cartoons, and NO BAND TATTOOS. If you're going to get anything, for God's sake, don't get something from a band. (Unless it's someone MUCH better than Breaking Benjamin, but I didn't tell her that.)
Her dad: Oh, come on, you have a movie tattoo! *points to my LotR tat*
Me: That's a book tattoo. I didn't get it because it was in the films. I got it because I wanted something from fantasy or horror literature.
Her dad: Yeah, but they made it into a movie, didn't they?
Me: *headdesk*

This, by the way, is the same man who got Elmer Fudd as a devil on his arm.

Oh, and somebody just called to cancel my overtime for tomorrow night at 10:30 at night. I mean, I know I work night shift, but come ON.

Comments

[runcible.livejournal.com]

What would you think about a Zeppelin tattoo? :-?


I might want to get one.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

See, THAT'S okay. Zeppelin, Elvis, the Beatles, Hendrix ... something with some history. Breaking Benjamin? Oh, hell, no. Not unless they turn out to be Wyld Stallyns or something. (Not that I don't like them, but honestly.)

[runcible.livejournal.com]

See, I tell my mother it's okay. She's like, "Meghan, what if you don't like them in a few years?" Well, that's well and good ... if in ten years I don't like Zeppelin anymore, at least I'll remember I ONCE had good taste!

[mike-smith.livejournal.com]

I'm a tattoo cherry, here, but why is a book-themed tattoo better than a movie tattoo? Unless you mean that the Lord of the Rings books will still be part of pop culture long after the movies are forgotten. Even so, I'm betting an Indiana Jones tattoo would stay relevant long after something from Left Behind.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Well, more like it's better to go with something classic, like in the example you gave. I mean, in twenty years, something from Breaking Benjamin might look pretty ridiculous as opposed to something from the Indiana Jones movies. (One of the best tattoos I've ever seen was one of my managers at Suncoast one year, who loved horror movies and got Pinhead from the Hellraiser movies on his forearm. Not the tat I would have picked, but the detail was amazing.)

I was more annoyed with the "Yeah, but they made it into a movie, didn't they?" because that wasn't why I got it.

[paddle-slut.livejournal.com]

*laughs* what is wrong with people....don't they realize that they have to live with tattoos for the rest of their life...seriously, get something that you're still going to like in 20 years for godsake...
oh btw, i wanna see your lotr tat...it sounds really cool

[riskygamble.livejournal.com]

Like your dad can really talk what with Elmer, there.

[riskygamble.livejournal.com]

Also, a Wyld Stallyns tattoo in a really obnoxious place would kick ass. You could see how cool a person is just by their reaction. If they laugh and like it, they can live in the new future utopia.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Her dad, not mine. If my dad ever got a tat, it'd probably be Jonny Quest or something. He wouldn't, though, but he's a classic TV geek, so. :)

[katbcoll.livejournal.com]

Her dad: Yeah, but they made it into a movie, didn't they?
Dude! Please tell me he married into the family!

Elmer Fudd as a devil!? *shakes head*

Umm, and you'll laugh; who is Breaking Benjamin?

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

*snickers* Nope, that's my gene pool right there. (Which I said repeatedly to my parents for every short joke they've made to me lately. Dudes, if I'm short, it's YOUR fault, not mine.)

Breaking Benjamin's a local hard rock band from Wilkes-Barre that's been getting a lot of play on the radio around here lately. I'm not sure how big they are anywhere else -- I don't watch any of the music channels other than VH-1, and that's for their cheesy Celebreality stuff and the World Series of Pop Culture -- but everybody under the age of thirty around here knows who they are and/or has seen them in concert at one of the clubs.

[katbcoll.livejournal.com]

Breaking Benjamin's a local hard rock band
Ohhhhhhhh, okay. I feel better now.

Man, sorry he's from your side of the family. Unfortunately I got a couple of those as well.

[astaria51.livejournal.com]

Um. *ducks* Breaking Benjamin's actually fairly big. At least, I'm from Louisville and I know who they are, and I've seen their videos on MTV from time to time. I like their first single.

[etymological.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I don't listen to the radio or watch TV or even know anyone who likes Breaking Benjamin and I still know who they are.

[kurukami.livejournal.com]

See, that kind of thing is why I thought long and hard before getting my tats, particularly the new one. Which still isn't done. *sigh*

And you're so right about your cousin's idea. Getting a tattoo based on the latest flash in the pan of music culture is incredibly shortsighted.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I told her to come to me so we could talk about what she should get if she does want one, but to wait until she's out of the house before she goes. My uncle almost yelled at that, but he backed down really fast when I pointed out that if you told her no, she'd probably go get a bad one tomorrow or something without asking either one of us for advice.

[kurukami.livejournal.com]

Excellent idea. At the very least, you can sway her away from something as fad-based as a band tat. Hopefully you'll be able to counsel her as to good, presumably concealable-by-work-clothes, placement as well.

Does your state allow under-18s to get tattoos without parental approval, then?

[elfiepike.livejournal.com]

i gotta admit, i'm hesitant to pass judgements on any tattoo. i think i love them too much. possibly i say this because i have both band tattoos, cartoons, comics, words in japanese, sailor tattoos--okay, that might make it seem like i have more tattoos than i really do, but still. really it comes down to how committed you are to enjoying it forever, right? being able to stand with that mark and have it mean something to you.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I think a lot of it is, you know, she's fourteen and next week she'll decide she wants something else. Plus, the name of a local band is just bad. You're right, it should mean something when you get a tattoo, and unless you were IN the band, that's not right.

[elfiepike.livejournal.com]

oh! somehow i missed the bit about her being 14. hm. still!

[astaria51.livejournal.com]

On the other hand, at least it's a LOCAL band; if she does decide to get it when she can get a tat, at least it'll have more meaning than "I like some music".

[astaria51.livejournal.com]

She's 14. She can't GET a tattoo for four years. If she still wants it in four years, KICK ASS.

I tend to agree about band tattoos, at least inasfar as logos are concerned. However, I have lyrics from my favorite band down my spine. The lyrics are "this year will be better than the last" (it's from Jet Black New Year - Thursday; and also, funnily, from Long December - Counting Crows, which is another favorite, though I didn't realize it at the time).

It'll always remind me of a band that basically kept me sane through high school and has continued to rise in my estimation every time I've seen them live....but more importantly, it has meaning beyond love of the band. My other bands of the moment (AFI, My Chemical Romance, Panic!At The Disco) probably wouldn't have lyrics that fit every situation so well.

[hemlock-martini.livejournal.com]

About the only "band tattoo" I would ever seriously consider is the VNV Nation "torch" logo; which circumvents the troublesomeness of having a band tattoo--it's a cool-looking symbol that doesn't necessarily have the band name in it. It does have the letters "VNV" in it, but that stands for "Victory, Not Vengeance" and I can identify the tat with the philosophy behind that statement, if not the band itself. Like if they were ever to break up or start doing futurepop covers of Breaking Benjamin songs or something.

Yeah. None of that made sense, I think. Sorry.