Most of y'all know that I have no tattoos. Hmmmm - twenty years in the Army, ridin' bikes since 1971 and no tattoos. "How come, Monk?" "I dunno, y'all - it just ain't ever happened." But...
One of my best buds,Willie, owns Tropical Tattoo, Inc. in Daytona Beach - well really in Ormond Beach because Daytona doesn't allow tattoo shops. Hmmmm... and Daytona is "Biker Friendly?" Another reason to believe that statement's a lie.
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A Bike Week Day at Willie's Tropical Tattoo
Anyhow, Dixie Biker Illustrated recommends Tropical Tattoo if you're thinkin' of gettin' a piece of art that will last forever. Though I don't have a tattoo, my boss, Boots, my daughter Machelle, my son Phillip and my best bud Bobby(see below) do. They get 'em at Tropical. No sense in goin' somewhere that doesn't know what they're doin' - a tattoo is forever. Willie and Company have been here for over a decade - they ain't goin' anywhere and they're all professionals, artists and they ride. Anyhow - on to the day...
Tuesday, March 6, 2003, was actually a nice day. The only one during Bike Week 2003 without rain for a significant amount of time. Good thing,
too- we had a photo shoot with adult film star Jade DeLuxxxor at Tropical Tattoo scheduled for that day. Wow - Jade and Mike were awesome, a joy to work with and super friendly. Just another biker as far as we're concerned. And, after the photo shoot, my best bud Bobby got an awesome tattoo from Tomas. A great day.
>>Charlie, a friend and longtime artist, piercer, Licensed Nurse, Biker at Tropical Tattoo died in December. Bike Week wasn't the same without his wit, his insight, his con- versations on ecletic subjects. We miss you, Charlie!
<< Jade with Willie and Mean Jean
Right -Clay hard at work.
Below - In the looking-glass. Pete inks his art.
Right -Two lovely
ladies - Jade with
my boss - Boots.
Left -The readin' and
watchin' TV in the waitin'
room. As soon as Jade,
right with my boss & my wife, Boots, came out of the back room for the photo shoot. Below - Me,
in the middle, with Shay, a visiting artist from Atlanta and Jade. That's Shay's Ol' Skool Triumph which he rode down for Bike Week.
Left -Jade gettin' ready for the next shot. Yepper - it's definitly hard work! Talk about Ol' Skool Choppers and New Age Phat Choppers. By the way - you can see more of Jade att JadeDeLuxxxor.com
Right -Full house.
Left - "Well, Jade left, the photo shoot's over. Reckon it's time for us to hit the road, too?"
Below - from the left - Mean Jean, Bill, Tomas, Kay and Willie before we headed home after Bobby got his tattoo - see below.
Left - Virgin skin. Right - Tomas starts his work.
Below - Finished with the black.
Left - After the color was added, Bobby checks it out in the mirror. Below right - Color added. Finished. Blood seepin' out. Three hours. Yes, it hurt. No, not much. Below left - Two weeks later. The blood's gone, the colors are vibrant. What a professional can do.
Most of y'all know that I have no tattoos. Hmmmm - twenty years in the Army, ridin' bikes since 1971 and no tattoos. "How come, Monk?" "I dunno, y'all - it just ain't ever happened." But...
