I had skin like leather and the diamond-hard look of a cobra

My first tattoo was a feather on my wrist. I didn’t have any reason or underlying idea behind that tattoo. I just wanted a cute tattoo and that is what I chose.

I wanted my second tattoo to be something simple, yet meaningful to me.  I also wanted it placed on a part of my body I could hide or reveal as I saw fit.  Therefore, I had a bumblebee placed on my left hip bone. For me the bumble bee symbolises that anything is possible [there’s an often repeated “fact” (which obviously is a myth) that the bumblebee defies all known laws of physics every time it flaps its tiny little wings and ascends to the sky]

As time passed and I started considering my next tattoo, I had started a family and wanted to have something that was a celebration of my son at the same time as I wanted to cover up/expand my first tattoo (the feather). The solution was that the tattoo artist designed a dream catcher with my son’s name in the centre.

Since the music of Bruce Springsteen has been an important part of my life, my next tattoo had to be a Springsteen related one and I wanted it to be visible both to myself and to others.  The Thunder Road quote on my forearm in Springsteen’s handwriting, that I got in the summer of 2016 is a quote that means a lot to me.

I’ve been thinking of getting a new tattoo for quite a while now. I knew I wanted another Springsteen related one but I’ve been uncertain about what to get.

Yesterday afternoon something very exciting happened. The tattoo artist who I’ve been in contact with regarding the possible future tattoo, suddenly contacted me. He said that, due to a cancellation, he could meet me today (!)

Getting a tattoo is not something one should take lightly and you can imagine with what frenzy I started to go through the options I had been considering. My first idea (my own photo taken with a mobile phone from a show in Ullevi) had been rejected early on. Apparently the quality was too poor.

After texting and sending pictures back and forth the tattoo artist and I finally decided on a black and white Barry Schneier photo of a young Bruce Springsteen. This was going to become my biggest tattoo so far and I had decided to place it on my left upper arm.

Naturally I was quite nervous when I arrived at the tattoo parlour (Unikum Tattoo, Gothenburg) midday today. However, the tattooist Dimitri Steiger immediately made me feel comfortable and started to make his magic. I had been told that the session was going to take about five hours, so I had brought both something to drink and a couple of energy bars to keep focused.

As the tattooing began, I quickly remembered what it felt like. I can’t believe I had forgotten that it actually is quite painful, especially the closer to my armpit he got and on the back of the arm. Yet, it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.

After about five hours Dimitri drew his finishing touches of white and he was done. The tattoo was done and as I inspected it closely in the mirror I felt very happy and content with the result. Of course it’ll take a couple of weeks before it has healed and only then are you able to see the final outcome.

This was my Springsteen tattoo story. To be continued? (once you’ve cuaght the tattoo bug it’s hard to get rid of). 

Feel free to share your (Springsteen) tattoo story in the comment section below or on social media where this blogpost will be shared.