Devil City Press

My Michael Jackson Tattoo Story

Written by Michelle

Friday, 26 June 2009

Years ago, early 90's, I was visiting my friend Laura in LA. She had to work one of the days I was there so I decided to borrow her bicycle and head over to Tattoo Mania to get tattooed from Mark Mahoney. This was before he opened his own shop Shamrock Social Club. It was like a million degrees outside so I was in shorts and a t-shirt. Laura lived off of Sunset Boulevard so I only needed to head straight down Sunset to get home. I decided to stop into a used bookstore on the way that specialized in old Hollywood titles.

While in the bookstore this guy walks past me with a black scarf over his head, wearing a black mask and sunglasses, carrying a kid. I look at him and think, "Who is that freak?".....(read more)

Then I see his bodyguard. "Oh my gosh, it's THE freak!!!" He had another, older kid with him too (this was beofore he had his own kids).

As a New Yorker, at home I probably would have let him pass, but I was in Hollywood in tourist mode, camera in hand. Even though it was Michael Jackson, who's had millions of pictures taken, I still felt it would be rude to take his picture without asking. So when I left the bookstore I waited outside for him to come out.

The bodyguard rushed out first holding the younger kid and Michael came strolling out after him with the older kid. He looked at me so I said, "I know you get this all the time, but would you mind if I took your picture?" He comes up to me real close and says, "Can I ask you a question?"

What I could see of his skin didn't look good, he wasn't wearing makeup, it definitely looked like he had vitilago. I thought he was going to ask me how I would like to have my picture taken by strangers, (I felt guilty bothering him). Instead, he reached out and touched my arm and asked, "Did all of those hurt" the most common tattoo question on the planet. I said it hurt some, but not so bad. Then he asked, "What did your mom say?" I said she wasn't too happy but she's gotten used to them. He told the kid to go to the car, stepped back and said, "As long as it's fast" and let me take a picture. He held up his hand with a peace sign and strolled off.

I didn't even think to try and get a picture with him. On the news everyone talks about their impressions of him. They say that he seemed very gentle, frail and humble. That was my impression too. I always said I'd have to meet Elvis to beat meeting Michael Jackson. Sad shame, he was supposed to last longer.

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