What’s music without tattoos? Not much if you ask me. While Celine Dion fans might not exactly be rushing out to get their full-back portrait of the French-Canadian chanteuse, there are endless amounts of people out there who have gone and immortalised their love for their favourite band with a tattoo (or two). It’s a risky bit of tattooing, if you ask me, mostly because music changes so quickly and people’s opinions of that music can sometimes change even faster.
Not that I myself haven’t felt the urge at one point to get a favourite band tattoo. I can recall in my early twenties being a devoted disciple of the legendary stoner rock duo Ween. So dedicated to the boys who gave us such memorable classics as I Gots A Weasel, Big Jilm and of course Buenos Tardes Amigo (to name but a few), that I was on the verge of getting a tattoo of the band’s mascot, The Boognish. Well, time and sobriety eventually gave my head a shake and in the end I didn’t go with a Boognish tattoo. Today of course, I’m quite thankful that I didn’t get that tattoo even though I still love Ween’s music very much. As far as tattoos go, it just didn’t really have any relevance to my life other than the good times I had while listening to Ween’s music with friends.
Sometimes though, having a good time with friends while listening to a specific band’s music is more than enough reasons for some to get a band tattoo. And while everyone has their own favourite musicians and bands, some band tattoos always end up being more prevalent amongst the tattooed than others. Perhaps it’s part of rock n roll’s legacy or perhaps it’s just fun. Whatever the case, Westworld’s Backbeat music blog has just put together this list of the 20 bands that inspire tattoos like no other. See if any of your favourites (or tattoos) made the cut.