Adventures in Journalism4

photos By Edward Russell II

There are numerous things that you could do with your well deserved lunch break which- face it- you have anticipated from the moment your dragged your sleep deprived reluctant body into the work place.

For one, you could go shopping for more shoes you probably do not need .Maybe you could meet up with carefree friends to finally try sushi at any of the expensive Japanese restaurants which have popped up all over Nassau like pimples on a teenager's face. Maybe you can drop in to the hairdresser to tighten up those three week old locks, braids, weaves or perms. However for the adventurous, supremely unconventional and positively unorthodox individual, another option is available. How about a tattoo or a piercing or both?

Piercings and tattoos- though recently resurrected as part of pop culture- have been around since ancient times. Tribes in Africa and India still indulge in piercings and scarring as well as tattooing as holy rituals or to indicate tribal affiliations.

Cut to the eighties and women and men in the west have begun making more than one piercing in the earlobes and piercing their nostrils as a fashion statement -something which was still taboo in the sixties.

Tatooing started making an appearance in the early nineties with the advent of “thug life chic” . Nowadays most entertainers have indulged in some sort of tattooing. It is not unusual to see facial, tongue, navel, eyebrows, nostrils and of course earlobes pierced.

For those of you who squirm at the sheer thought of a needle piercing any part of your anatomy, the good news is it's not as bad as it looks.








This sentiment is echoed by everyone who comes in to get either a piercing or tattoo the day my pal, photojournalist Edward Russell III and me decide to document the experience of getting pierced and “tatted” for the reading public just in case enquiring minds sought answers about these less than new, but still scary modern day art forms- a kind of adventure in journalism for the timid so to speak.

After a week of looking for the right spot to do the deed, our research leads us to Tattoo King on Marathon Road. We decide to take several calming breaths before heading into the parlor.


The parlor itself is a converted three bedroom flat replete with red walls hung with sketches and pictures of people with tattoos and piercings. The living room has been converted into a reception area. With a couple of couches strategically placed apparently more for space than style. The centre of the room is dominated by a desk on which sits a computer and accessories. This is the first stop in the process of getting hooked up with a “sick” tat. ( tatoo so good it inspires envy).

We are greeted by a friendly older guy, who we learn is the manager. Apparently the business is a family venture. Older guy tells us that his brother taught all the other brothers the art of piercing and tattooing and they are now in the process of expanding the business`. They now have another tattoo parlor.

We introduce ourselves to the manager as reporters and inform him of our mission. He is only too happy to oblige. I tell him I want a piercing in my lip a la Amy Winehouse- the latest singing phenom out of England. She sports a piercing at the top of her lip which looks like a beauty spot.. This is right up my alley since I am not trying to be too “Rock and Roll” on the job. It is discreet and less played out than a nose ring.

Shortly afterward, I am escorted into a back room with a massage table and told to climb up. Eddie tags along looking very scared for me which is very funny. I begin to laugh. Then older guy returns with a needle the size of a crochet hook. Needless to say all laughter ceases as I steel myself for the moment when this monstrous tool will penetrate my lip . However I am directed to the bathroom where I am instructed to put a mark on the area that I needed to be pierced thus keeping the pain at bay for now.

I am diverted back to the room after strategically marking the spot for the piercing. “Bring on the pain,” I think to myself. Seconds and not more than a pin prick later, I am sporting a tiny diamond studded ring in my lip. It's to die for. Eddie cattily tells me that it looks good except that all the jewelery I am currently wearing “kinda clashes”. I flash him a nasty look but have no comments.

The impact of the face ring at work is phenomenal and at home gets not even a raised eyebrow from hubby. What it does inspire however is a, “take it out” from the three year old who keeps poking it, and a “did it hurt mommy” from the considerate eight year old who wants to try it on... so much for that.


Three days later we are back at the salon. Eddie wants to dabble in piercings and I in tattoos. We are given the VIP treatment. I get to look through a catalogue of various types of tattoos online and finally decide on a tribal tattoo of a bear's claw. At this point I do not give any thought to meaning. I just like the look of the claw. After my final decision is clear the design is uploaded and printed on paper. I am then given this paper and shown into a different room where several people are. Three are tattoo artistes. They are all young looking and the guy assigned to me is only 18. He traces the design on what looks like wax paper then somehow gets the design on my arm (I miss this step because I am joking around).

The next step in this process is an hour and a half of scraping away skin and mixing flesh with ink. When the wound has dried this ink will become a permanent part of who I am. This is one of the most painful experiences I have had but it is worth it when I see the tattoo. It is well done and bold like me. I can't wait to show it off. I am bandaged and told to remove the tape in 4 hours and given ointment for the wound. With plenty of kind words we take our leave.


Lately it has become a rite of passage for young people who caught up in the hip hop cultures try to emulate their idols. For example a 16 year old whose aunt had driven him to the parlour. He got the name of an artist who he admired tattooed on his arm. His aunt commented that though some viewed tattoos wearily- she saw nothing wrong with it as there were other things that a boy could be doing aside from just getting a tattoo.

The general consensus is that a tatoo enhances sexuality if strategically placed on a woman. As for men it makes them appear tougher. For older people getting a tattoo is sometimes more about symbolism than anything else . Alexis who recently got a tattoo told me that she decided to do something spontaneous for her 36th birthday to remind her that she still had some spirit left in her.

However to the tattoo artist it is less about any of these things and more about the art itself. The act of creating artwork and placing it on a living canvas. Of course the financial gain from people who have become addicted to these ancient practices is an added bonus.