Ne'er-do-wells?

Making a statement without saying a word
By Justin Hooks for the Sun Herald

Ink, tats, art, carving, tac, back shield and armband. However you say
it, it all means the same thing - the irreversible, painful process of
making a statement without saying a word. Tattoos, by their very
nature, are polarizing. Their popularity and (cough, cough)
respectability have dramatically increased in popular culture in
recent years, and South Mississippi is no exception.

No longer reserved for sailors, soldiers, bikers and ne'er-do-wells,
the Coast music and nightlife scene is chock-full of tattoos. The
reasons for getting inked are as varied and sundry as the designs
themselves, but the one constant among all of them is a devotion,
however abstract, to a particular group, belief or mode of thinking.

"Your first one is always done out of rebellion," Gulfport resident
Jason Cummings said. "After that, it's like you're starting your new
life."

Cummings and friend Vic Meynier became enamored with the ink gun
several years ago during their stint in the Marine Corps. When the two
were reunited some time later, after several additional deployments
and tattoos, they realized they had had the same Marine Corps tattoo
placed on the exact same shoulder.

Joe Upshaw of Biloxi got his first tattoo more than a decade ago, at
the tender age of 16. Now a proud father of two, his arms and legs are
almost covered with ink.

"Everybody wants to be different, you know?" he said. "I've always
liked the artwork, and it dovetailed into my love of music. My wife,
though, hers are more sentimental."

Sentimental isn't the half of it. Danielle, Joe's wife, has the
handprints and footprints of their children, Elric and Atreyu
respectively, tattooed onto her back. If that's not love...

There are, however, those who see their skin as a blank artist's
canvas. Mikey Boucher of Woolmarket, bassist for former local band
Fall As Well, is committed to the art of tattoos, as evidenced by the
huge dragon tattoo creeping up his arm and halfway across his chest.
It begs the obvious question asked by many without tattoos: Why?

"Why not?" Boucher said. "I'm into art and to me, it's just an
extension of that. I can't picture myself not having them. Just don't
judge a book by its cover, you know? To each his own. My uncle was in
the Navy, and he had a tattoo all along his arm. As a kid, I thought
that was the coolest thing. He probably ruined me and didn't even know
it."

Boucher had just finished getting another tattoo on his arm at Jack
and Diane's on U.S. 49 in Gulfport when I talked to him. It won't be
his last.

"I'll keep getting them until I drop," he said. "(Tattoos) are more
respectable now. The artwork is better and it's not such a taboo
anymore."

Getting inked may not be that taboo, but I think there's a risk of
them becoming cliché. For guys today, it's the wraparound barbed wire,
chains or tribal slash on the biceps. For girls, it's the pretty
flowers, stars or butterflies on the lower back. And in between,
there's the Chinese lettering designs, the Native American totems and
the endless variations of tribal art.

But that's OK. Whatever your opinion of tattoos, they're here to stay,
pardon the pun. They're now seen by many as just another fashion
accessory, as vital to an outfit as matching socks. Next time you're
out on the town, take an extra look. You just might see a design that
interests you. /copy and paste from http://www.sunherald.com/102/story/42378.html

Hooks begins his article with "Ink, tats, art, carving, tac, back
shield and armband." He obviously didn't consult with anyone from
rec.arts.bodyart or, um, some kind of antlers might have been included
in his list of tattoo nicknames.

Never heard of carving or tac.

Some people say pop while others say soda or Coke (for all types of
colas). Likewise, I'm sure tattoo has its variations around the
globe.

--
Curt