I want a tattoo because it seems like something very sacred, very artistic… a form of metaphorical and symbolic expression that has been done for hundreds of years. It is tribal, it is ancient, and it is urban, and it is a form of zeitgeist. Like all forms of art, it can be tacky, and it can be beautiful, it can be done well or terribly. So what I want the most would be a deep, vibrant blue tattoo of a diving swallow, or perhaps a different bird, on my shoulder. I’d first thought of this when I saw a similar tattoo on the shoulders of a girl from school, and then again when I heard the song “A Swallow On My Neck” by Morrissey (apparently an, ahem, “live-in personal assistant/driver/companion/sketchy best friend” of his, rockabilly skinhead boxer Jake Walters, had a habit of drawing swallows everywhere..) It would be stylized but NOT cartoonish. I’ve been looking for photos but the best I can come up with to convey the idea is this tattoo of a phoenix from tattooartists.org .. and also
a picture which contains Jake Walters and a swallow from the back of Vauxhall & I by Moz.
