Last week, I brought you guys a segment on Matt Burke, a Florida based photographer who recently opened a studio in Tallahassee. We ended up talking about his opinion and experiences with tattoos. This week, I got a little more personal.
Matt's now famous Sidekick tattoo!
Matt is covered in tattoos, ranging from the meaningful tattoos, to those brought onto him by bets.A whole bunch of years ago I had the great idea to get a T-Mobile Sidekick tattooed on me. It was intended to be a tiny little tattoo as a joke, but my tattoo artist thought it would be hysterical to blow it up and put it on the back of my neck. That tattoo went viral on the internet and I still get messages from people when it shows up as ‘worst tattoo ever’.
My personal favorite of Matt's tattoos
I also got a Rick Roll tattoo on my leg. That one is pretty much self explanatory. This is probably the greatest tattoo you kids will ever see in your entire lifetime. I’ve got Tony the Tiger tattooed on my upper thigh pointing upward saying ‘They’re GRRREAT’… that one is pretty self explanatory too, I believe. Matt probably has some of the greatest and fun tattoos.
As for a serious tattoo and probably my favorite (aside from my Bailey tattoos)
I quit drinking last year and it was a huge life changing event for me in so many ways. Not to get too in depth with it, but when I was drinking I was an extremely negative, hateful person and as soon as I quit drinking that all stopped. I am one of the happiest, most positive dudes ever now, so I went out and got ‘Chin Up, Kid’ tattooed on my jawline/chin as a constant reminder to remain positive. It hurt like hell, but at the end of the day, it’s probably the coolest tattoo I have.
When I asked him what Bailey’s tattoo was, he explained. My most meaningful tattoo is my daughter Bailey’s name tattooed across my lower knuckles. I got them done soon after I moved away from her to always have her as a constant reminder of why I was gone. I don’t think I’ll ever have a more meaningful tattoo.
It’s been a while since Matt’s first tattoo, but he remembered the 14 year old memory as clearly as possibly. My first tattoo was a shamrock… on fire… on my back. Yes, I am serious, and yes I wish I wouldn’t have gotten it, but I was 15 and I felt like a badass. Since then I have had it changed into a little skateboarding stick figure, which is pretty rad. I knew from the time I was about 13 that I was going to be heavily tattooed. I don’t think I ever really thought I’d go so far as getting my neck and hands done, but here I am am, 14 years after my first tattoo still getting worked on.
Finally, I asked if he felt as though tattoos and the music industry now go hand-in-hand because of their acceptance within that crowd. Tattoos have always had an acceptance in the music world, I feel. It seems like it’s become more acceptable just based on how many people are now getting them. They have turned into more of a fashion accessory than a lifestyle which is kind of annoying.
Matt recently opened his own photo studio in Tallahassee! Like him on Facebook to get to know his work, follow him on Twitter to stalk his life, or follow his blog on Tumblr to get a glimpse into his mind. Become his BFF! And don’t forget to check out his incredible work on his site, his photos are amazing!
Cathy is our residential Canadian writer at MusicSkins. Currently enrolled at Concordia University, she’s underway to getting her degree in Communications Studies. A huge pop punk fan, Cathy revolves her work around music. Check out her interviews and photos, and find her on Twitter… if you can.
