It’s strange how I’ll blog about something only to discover something similar but far more intense a week or two later. After recently blogging about getting tattoos that honor various celebrities in my Idol Ink post, I discovered Steve Porter. Steve lives in Strelley, Nottingham, England and his hobby is – you guessed it, tattooing images and autographs of celebrities on his body.
At present time, Porter has 12 tattoos of his favourite celebrities and their autographs on his body. Among these tattoos are Ozzy Osbourne, the entire Iron Maiden lineup, Suzi Quatro and most recently, Alice Cooper. Porter’s next tattoo/autograph combo is going to be Lemmy from legendary metal band Motorhead.
Porter, who is 41-years-old, started his celebrity tattoo obsession because:
Originally I had them done because I was into female faces and I liked their beauty. But rather than just go for faces off the wall, I decided to go for celebrities.
The routine involves getting his celebrity of choice – one who has influenced him in some way – to autograph his body. Porter then heads over to his favourite tattoo shop and gets the signature inked over, plus a portrait of the celebrity. At present time, Porter wants to contact the Guinness people to see if his tattoos qualify for a world record.
Some attempts at getting the signature and likeness of his idols have been more successful than others, however. Actor Anthony Head turned down Porter, saying that the idea made him feel “creepy”. I don’t really think Porter’s hobby is creepy, but I can see how some people might be a little wary about the idea of having their likeness and signature permanently inked on to a stranger’s body. After all, it isn’t your every day, typical request. Then again, Steve Porter isn’t exactly your every day, typical kind of guy.