Coming home from shopping this morning there was a queue outside one of the (several) tattoo parlours we have in town. I assume tattooists are not early risers but I may be doing them a disservice, perhaps someone had lost the keys. Even so – half a dozen people. Upstairs they appear to have a tattoo removal parlour. I wonder who was queuing for what? There’s a whole world/economy/social phenomenon that is opaque to me – anyone think its worth investigating?
PS several of them seemed to be “vaping” too!
It’s the enthusiasts I feel sorry for. All these newcomers! They must fell like I did when Radio 2 started playing The Smiths.
Radio 2. For years they used to play soul destroying easy listening MOR stuff like the Mike Sammes Singers (@minibreakfast) or worse.
Then one day I tuned in for the first time in decades and they were playing something by Nick Drake.
Imagine my surprise when it dawned on me that all the good stuff had migrated from the now unlistenable Radio 1 to the once unlistenable Radio 2
How is this soul destroying? 😀
I was taking more of a general view of the original Radio 2. Before your time, I suspect.
Not before mine – never mind Mike Sammes I can still remember Sing Something Simple which used to come on after the charts on Sunday evening. (resisting the temptation for the obvious YT clip).
Anyway, off topic slightly but I agree with Poppy. I don’t know where people used to go to get tattoos (part from joining the navy) but now it’s dead easy. On a possibly related point – is it easier for people to grow beards these days? Not that I’ve tried but even a week of holiday non-shaving only produces a bit of designer stubble whereas these days teenage h*******s with a full growth are not uncommon. Maybe its the coffee….
Or ‘Sing Something Simply Awful’ as I once heard it referred to.
Sing Something Senile. . .
I suspect it’s much like how the wall-to-wall S/A/W stuff made me feel in the late 80s, although I find I can tolerate it quite well these days. In fact some of I really enjoy, albeit in small doses.
Take a look at Nigel’s organ collection. The Organist Entertains used to keep me awake on my journey home from the Glossop Record Club. One of the shows featured the music of the Hammond organ and it was a joy to hear. It was then followed by a show of championship brass band music. Champion. Nowadays I have to put up with 2 hours of drivel from Jonathan Ross.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006wr9w
I’ve long admired Nigel’s impressive organ.
Did I leave that webcam switched on again?
😀
At least it’s not the onanist entertains.
Talk to my agent!
Once tattoos went mainstream, the hardcore found new ways to be uncompromising – neck tattoos, full sleeves etc.
Get yourself a Secret Seven/Famous Five group. I’m sure your right. There must be a mystery to be solved. Make sure Aunt Fanny bakes you some buns first though.
I think I’ve still got the badge somewhere.
Password please!
I think you owe it to yourself – and us – to join the queue and find out what indeed is going on in terms of the tattooing/removal ratio.
Childhood indoctrination to strong (same for piercing). I’m sure the AW must have some tat enthusiasts?
I have one at the top of each shoulder, and one on my hip.
Oh. You’ve had the one in that “other place” removed then?
Another count of three over here. I believe @jackthebiscuit is the AW tatt ambassador.
stands to reason after a life on the azure main. ditto earring + full set. wooden leg & parrot optional.
You forgot his three-cornered hat and the eyepatch. He’s sulking.
I have twelve tattoos (20 if you include cover ups). I remember my Mother saying that I would regret getting them when I had my first Tat at the age of 16, I had my most recent ones (winking eyes on my arse if you are wondering) at the age of 56. I am 60 next week & haven’t discounted having more.
Fucking love tatts me.
Might as well face it i’m addicted to ink.
Tis true, they are addictive. The automatic thought on completion of the last one, is to consider what comes next.
And yes, the great defensive lie for those that don’t understand – “you’ll wish you hadn’t”. Then why are there so few people with single tatts and so many more who keep going back for more?
The other tedious comment is that they look bad, especially with age. I didn’t get my tatts for anyone else’s benefit; I couldn’t give a monkeys what anyone else thinks of them.
Amen to all you say tcc, I could not give a rats behind if someone doesn’t like my tatts. TBPH, I did not get them for you.
It really is simple. Dont like tatts? – then dont fucking get any.
Hmm. Sounds like there’s some kind of Sneetches scenario playing out.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sneetches_and_Other_Stories#.22The_Sneetches.22
I’m not acquainted with you, but I suggest a powerful mantra, and perhaps a weapon in reserve.
Kali Yuga dude.
Frozen Lidl Baguettes can stun a person.
I know…. 75p overdue, when it’s Miles Davis ?
Exactly.
Vaping ? Give me a Souk, not a Harvester full of gender undecided wankers.
I had the opposite situation this morning. I finally gained the answer to a hitherto unsolved mystery.
I had very strong suspicions that my former neighbour was either a dealer or running a brothel but never had concrete proof. He was always very helpful about taking in parcels while we were at work though.
An illuminating conversation with the window cleaner today revealed that it had definitely been a brothel.
This explains the reaction of a number of blokes (of a fair age range but mainly twenties/thirties) when I opened the door and they immediately realised they actually wanted next door 🙂
This makes me think of that one time when a conceptual artist in the States “offered herself” on a stage in the name of art to about 200 different men over a 24 hour period. The queues were huge with lots of men turned away.
Now. I don’t know about you, but I find the idea of this repulsive. The successful applicants were in the queue for hours waiting for their turn. Who the hell are these people?
O M G
I googled that, Black. Her name was Annabel Chong and you’ll be pleased to hear it was all done in a very orderly fashion with proper tea breaks and lunch breaks!
Seriously. What would motivate anyone to be involved in something like that (other than the film-makers who made money from it) is completely beyond me.
Back to Scarlet’s window cleaner. How did he know so much? A brothel without curtains or blinds? The things our neighbours get up to, eh?
Is there a YouTube link you could post?
On second thoughts, don’t!
I think MrK is in Scandinavia where they have a slightly different attitude to such things? (or so i’m told)
Maybe they just all wanted to be on TV. People seem to really love being on TV.
I can’t think of anything worse.
The window cleaner was very knowledgeable about it all because he was also the painter and decorator when the exterior doors and window frames needed repainting.
While he was doing next door’s front door, which he had to keep open while he was working on it and while it was drying, he saw a great number of blokes arriving, and then leaving a short while later.
One client went through the open door without knocking, went straight upstairs and came back down about 15 minutes later, grumpily informing the window cleaner/painter/decorator that “She was alright but she weren’t worth what I paid.”
He also told me that the downstairs of the house was unfurnished and our neighbour (the pimp) would sit on the floor in the lounge.
There was an eviction notice on the door a few weeks ago, but it was a little while after he appeared to have left.
All very odd and a bit gross.
I probably won’t inform the sweet young couple who have just moved in precisely in what manner their bedroom has previously been used.