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Rock 'n Roll (and Tattoos) Never Forget

Posted Wed Oct 29, 2008 6:01am PDT by Shawn Amos in GetBack

There’s this Matt Groening Life In Hell cartoon from way back that shows two old dudes who look like prunes and are covered in tattoos. One says to the other (I'm paraphrasing), "Oh, I see you were an idiot in the '90s too."


Andre 3000 is a long way from the old folks’ home, but he told the press last week that, "I had six silly tattoos done when I was young, and I bitterly regret them."  He's thinking about having them removed but is wondering if the scars would look even sillier.

 

 

 

 

We're probably the most tattooed generation ever. More than 40 million people in America have at least one tattoo. Musicians rarely stop at one. That's too bad, because a whole bunch of those guys are eventually going to look really dumb playing bingo with their fellow senior citizens. The only thing worse than an old rocker is an old, tattooed rocker.


Here's my cautionary list of musicians who’ve made the biggest tattoo mistakes. Keep this blog post with you when you're drunk some Saturday night and headed for the studio to get inked.


JON BON JOVI - THE CORPORATE TATTOO
Jon reminds me of the Office Space-type dude who hides his Superman tattoo underneath his suit to remind him he's a rebel deep down inside. You know that guy. He listens to Bon Jovi records.

 

 

 

 

 


JOHN MAYER - PREP SCHOOL GUY TATTOO
One day John Mayer will wake up and remember that he's a middle class white guy from Connecticut whose mom was a teacher and dad was a high school principal. He'll look at his full-sleeve body art and wonder what made him pretend he was Henry Rollins’ half-brother.

 

 

 

 

 

OZZY OSBOURNE - SENILE OLD GUY TATTOO
No one wants to see their grandpa muttering to himself in the back yard, turning up his hearing aid, trying to rub the "O-Z-Z-Y" off his knuckles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOMMY LEE - "I USED TO BE RIPPED" TATTOO
"Mayhem" looks cool on your stomach when you’re in your '30s and cut. When 60 hits and you've got a big-ol’ beer belly? That just says, "Sad Old Man."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DAVE NAVARRO - "WHY DOES THAT WOMAN HAVE TATTOOS?" TATTOO
Here's the problem with Jane's Addiction's Dave Navarro: He looks more like his ex Carmen Electra each year, which makes the body art seem even more out of place. Ten years from now, he'll look like one of the Gucci-wearing, Rodeo Drive trophy wives with ink all over. It won't go down well at the country club.


See our picks for the most outrageous celebrity tattoos in our FlipBook.

 

Drop by GetBack.com for your daily dose of pop culture pleasure -- music, movies, games, and more.

3163 Comments

101. __A_YAHOO_USER__ -
theres nothing wrong with a tatt that has meaning so that when your old you can say i got this one during this time in my life to remind me of... and so on, but be sure, the last thing you need is matching wedding band tatts... Love you Tommy, but damn....

102. Yahoo! Music User -
Tatoos are for low class morons.

103. artemis -
As a plastic surgeon, I think it is great that you point out how poorly these tattoos will age. There is, at this time, no good technique for removing tattoos without significant scars. Lasers leave "ghost tattoos". No technique will erase tattoos so be sure you want to look at them and have others look at them, for the rest of your life.............before you go under the needle

104. Sal -
Yea, tats... I'm a former Army Ranger and a biker, not the motorcycle enthusiast kind, and I have NO tattoos. Why? Three little words... NO DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS!!!

105. NDC87 -
there is nothing wrong with tattoos and whoever wrote this needs to shut the hell up, at least they are liked by people for who they are, you will always be an a$$hole looking at other people wishing you were as cool as them. All the people on mentioned here rock!

106. Clint -
lisa p. you know nothing about tattoos!!!I am 38 and have several that are 20 years old now and they look like they were done yesterday! Its about good ink and taking care of them like anything else...your either 10 years old or one of those girls who will make an ignorant statement like that and then will tan your self to a nice leatery brown in the tanning bed!!!!

107. Elizabeth -
I have tats and they were not apart of a "bad decision" they show my individuality, and artistic preferences. This list was a waist of time, can you be any more small minded come on.

108. wesley -
hmmmmm ,when i see a tatoo i think a$$hole i hate them

109. NicoleB -
Mike Tyson has the worst tattoo. On the FACE.

110. DerekS -
I think being an "old rocker" as mentioned would be cool and yeah, this article was dumb.

111. Jennifer Ross -
I am a very educated individule who makes more money than the person who wrote this stupid article, and you might have guessed it " I'm inked" and have been for better than ten years and it all started when my home was broke into and my mothers ring was stolen. Since then I have had my childrens birthstone colors tatooed on my hand and guess what I don't, and nobody I associate with ,thinks it's a bad idea so live and let live. Keep your opinion to yourself.

112. J R -
TATOO'S ARE WAY COOL!!!!

113. Mark Jones -
Yeah, never shoulda touched Ozzy. He may be completely brain-fried NOW, but he's still true blue. If anyone deserves to wear a tatt, it's him.

114. paul s -
don't disrespect Ozzy!

115. JoJo -
tattoos can be cool if they're tasteful, not tacky. i have one with meaning in a hidden place & it always shocks people because they'd never expect it. always makes me laugh.

116. Dawn Vandenburgh -
7. richard.mcarthur - 23 minutes ago
Only Idiots have tatoos.... Look at the guys here.. Nuff said...-------------
And some idiots can't even spell tattoos...honey before you badmouth an entire culture, make sure you can spell the words correctly. I am 26, I have 18 Tats, some on my hands I do regret and am in the process of having removed, but the rest I do respect, they all have a story behind them.

117. Amanda -
Omg... are you serious with this artical? Are you people who are saying tattoos are stupid serious? Jezz tattoos are something special to people. They represent special moments and times in peoples lives. I have 10 and i remember where,when and why i got them. Ok so they fade? There is a such thing as a touch up. Whats more is getting a tattoo is not unintelligent and honestly the people who get them dont care what others think. Tattoos tell a story of ones life. Dont knock it till ya try it!

118. Athene -
Wow.... what a judgmental piece of crap article. Who cares if old people have tattoos. I was always taught not to judge a book by it's cover. Maybe you should try.

119. Jessica -
To who ever said "they all fade to 'teal-blue' in a few years" you're full of it. I've had mine for 3 years and my mom has had her (very tasteful) tattoo for nearly 12 years and both still look great. It's all about who does the inking, and the originality/personality of the design.


These guys are all rock stars (well maybe not rock and roll, but you know what I mean); it's a part of the lifestyle.

120. LindaC -
I'm 40ish and my tat is a memorial to one I loved.
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