December 30, 2006

Thirty years ago, Gary walked into Capt. Jack’s and got inked. Seven years ago, I walked into Capt. Jack’s and got inked. Recently, Gar, Nick and myself walked into Capt. Jack’s and walked out eight hours later, each with fresh ink. It was a family affair. Nick’s girlfriend came along as well to provide additional support to the young lad, as he was getting his first tattoo.

Capt. Jack’s is and has been located in northern NJ for the past 39 years. The original owner, the Captain, passed away many moons ago, but the artistry lives on through John Bradley, proprietor. Nick dubbed John the “Doctor of Ink.” Very appropriate as, not only are you going to get an original piece of body art, you’ll also get a lesson in philosophy and in music appreciation.

As Nick was feeling slightly cowardish, I went first. I knew what I had wanted, and had spent a great deal of time looking for a small, simple dragonfly. I found the flash online, and brought it along. Good thing. Despite the thousands of designs John had, this one he didn’t. John took the design, and redrew it, modifying it slightly. The amount of time it took him to redraw and prep my arm was longer than the time to actually do the tattoo itself - which was under three minutes. Not gonna lie - it hurt - the tattoo’s on the inner forearm by the crook of the elbow.

With my arm lubed and wrapped, I moved over to the bench, and Nick was up next. He was nervous and anxious. His tattoo was going on his upper back by his shoulder. For Nick’s tattoo, John customized the tribal sun and inserted an ace of spades - which Nick had really wanted. Nick bravely sat there for the whole 10-15 minutes it took, and survived it, even. Of course, John was ready to shoot him because he wasn’t exactly the most cooperative ‘patient,’ but Nick being only 16, can’t fault him too terribly. His girlfriend can vouch that he didn’t shed a tear, although he did grimace occasionally.

Before we even left the studio, Nick was already talking about the additional work he wants to have done in a couple of months. As well, he proclaimed he’s no longer afraid of needles, so something good came out of his experience.

Next up was Gar. He had a great design for a tattoo based on Gov’t Mule’s logo, but found out that, due to the size and shape, it would end up looking distorted. So, in the end, after combing through hundreds of designs, he decided to get some additional work done on an existing tattoo (he had gotten in Thailand a few years prior).

It took about 35 minutes for John to ink Gary. The design was drawn freehand by John, who’s known far and wide for his tribal artwork. John kept us all entertained with a great selection of music, as well as guess that song and other music trivia.
The finished product.

I would like to thank John for 1) putting up with us for an entire afternoon; 2) the lesson in philosophy and music gained; and last, but not least 3) the fabulous tattoos we walked away wearing. Nick and Gar are already planning their next visit. Me, I’ll only be a spectator - two’s enough for me, although some color may be in order for the dragonfly.

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