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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

121. kory -
Just because you don't like tattoos dose not give you the right to say everyone who has them is stupid. nobody's asking you to get one. it's on them so why do you even care? plus, by the time they're 60 do you really think they will care what it looks like, or even care about your view on the subject? save your rants for something that actually has to do with you & mind your buisness.

122. Turner Gurl -
who cares? aint nobody gon be lookin at a 60 year old like dat anyways

123. Yahoo! Music User -
Oh sure. A guy gets an awesome superman tat and all of a sudden the're a major offender. You are so weird to put the best rocker ever on a bad list.

124. Yahoo! Music User -
Nope...still love tatoos

125. Slammy S -
Man this guys an *@$$^%#@^@$&@$^ how dare he diss the prince of darkness OZZY FAN 4 LIFE

126. Yahoo! Music User -
It's a trend. Like mullets. Or jackets with the sleeves pulled up. Getting one won't make you cool if you aren't already cool/hip/whatever. It screams, "Hey, look at me!" The only reason to get one is if it means something to you and you don't mind looking at it forever. A word to the wise...unless you're in an industry that accepts this as creative versus one that considers it tacky, better put it where you can hide it.

127. kuri -
people who have tattoos are not idiots. idiots are the people who don't put any thought into what tattoo they choose and regret it later. then an article like this is written. i have a tattoo and plan on getting another because it means something to me and not just because it "looks cool".

128. Joel C -
"dude, john mayer's tattoos are legit. theyre traditional japanese, he lived in japan for a year. you can only get the tattoos if you are respected by that culture, and you can't decide what they ink you with. so he's not trying to be some punk rocker douchebag"

for the guy that posted this....

are you can come back to the states and tell them "I want this tattooed on my arm" because no one respects Jon Mayer.... and that sleeve is a fine example of his douchebag status.


20. sexi lexi - 22 minutes ago
TATS r awesome i have 69 on my wrist and luv it!!! It's a part of me!!!

and for you ^.... shut up. yeah, its awesome you got a tat that makes you look like a total slut. everyone laughs at you. and hates you.

129. Michelle -
I am in my 40's and I have 5 of them. I don't really see anything wrong with them. If these people want them and as much as they have, it is their choice and decision and we have no right to say anything to them.

130. Suz -
Just for the record Tatoo's don't "always fade to a nasty teal color" and many intelligent people have tatoo's...

131. LEONIDESF -
!!!WHO THE HELL CARES!!!!
THATS THERE PROBLEM.NOT URS..
LET UM LIVE!!!!!

132. Jeannie -
I still think Angelina's "Billy Bob" and the huge "X" on her midriff win the what-were-they-thinking-when-they-were-inking award. She may have erased her former-Beau with a poetic cover up...but that just proves my point.

133. Yahoo! Music User -
haha i was listening to "Living on a Prayer" as I read this. Go Bon Jovi!

134. AJ -
This was a horrible article and did nothing to progress anything relevant. Give me the two minutes I spent reading it back. now.

135. dawn w -
Tattoos are so cool. Andre 3000 is not rock 'n roll.

136. Brian -
Tats are fine i have 9 all over my body and i dont regreat any of them.

137. brendon k -
ageism is wrong, leave old people, and people who like tats alone

138. Brian -
Amos you have proven once again that you are a douche bag. Having a tattoo isn't about oh look at me I am so cool. It is an expression of yourself you obviously can't understand. Anyone here thinking you are so much better or smarter than someone with a tattoo just for o that reason alone automatically puts you into the same category. So what if tattoos fade. So what if they don't "look as cool" after 60. If you get your work done by a reputable artist they will redo your ink if it goes bad. Amos clearly these guys are beyond your understanding, clearly.

139. Laura -
My 17yr old son got one and we warned him to wait so we can lead him in the right direction when he turned 18. Wel he paid the price now. It started to fade a month after he got it done and its a big Asian writing tatoo.

140. Yahoo! Music User -
To the author - you obviously know NOTHING about having tattoos. It's our choice whether or not to display body art. It's OUR business and not your's. Keep your stupid comments to yourself. I have a two half sleeves and my entire back is tattooed in Japanese art. I love my tattoos and will still like them when I am 70 years old. I could F*&$ing care less what people think about my tattoos. Write about something with substance.

WRITE IN RON PAUL !!!!!
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