In 1967 the Beatles wrote these lyrics…
“It was 20 years ago todaySgt. Pepper taught the band to playThey’ve been going in and out of styleBut they’re guaranteed to raise a smileSo may I introduce to youThe act you’ve known for all these yearsSgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”.
And it was 32 years ago that this tattoo artist, Gerald Devenny, inked my first ever tattoo on the back of my shoulder.
Gerald and I had met while we were doing a charity event and we got chatting about tattoos and life in general.
I was 40 and had just got divorced, so I was keen to do ‘something’ to mark the occasion. After 14 years of marriage, I wanted to make a statement or at least immortalise the event.
The first thing I did was get my ear pierced which I thought was quite radical for me back in 1993.
So when Gerald suggested a tattoo, I said yes without too much thought.
But what would the tattoo be?
I did not want the usual anchor or heart entwined in barbed wire, but it needed to be meaningful.
I am a Gary Larson Far Side cartoon fan so I thought immortalizing one of his works would be appropriate as it incorporated both a cartoon and my love of all things country.
This particular cartoon was chosen with help from my child but I did not want the entire landscape across my shoulders.
The wording for the cartoon was “I’m a cowboy, howdy, howdy, howdy”. And that sealed the decision.
It was this part of the cartoon that Gerald focussed on and although it was not much bigger than a South African R5.00 coin, he put a lot of detail into it.
And I was very proud of it! Strutting out of his tattoo shop in Sandton like I had had my entire back tattooed…and with an earring to boot.
FYI: Tattooing is one of the oldest arts, dating back to the 6th century BC
However, the past 32 years have been unkind to Gerald’s work and this is what that tattoo looked like when I saw it for the final time.
Since this first tattoo, I have had many done in places on my body where I can see them daily, the most recent being completed in 2024.
But the vulture on my shoulder was almost forgotten. Over the past several years it had been on my mind to get it covered up, but with what was always the question
I have learned in the intervening years that when it comes to tattoos, bigger is better as the larger ones allow for more detail and will not smudge over time.
FYI: In 2018, the oldest figurative tattoos in the world were discovered on two mummies from Egypt which are dated between 3351 and 3017 BCE. Ancient tattooing was widely practised among the Austronesian people.
I had spoken to several tattoo artists and I had suggested what might be appropriate, but nothing came of any of those interactions.
And then I discovered that Gerald, whom I had not seen since 2004, had opened a tattoo shop in the Cresta Shopping Centre.
I saw it as a sign and I decided to visit and chat with him about the possibility of covering up his work with something that I deemed to be suitable. But what was the question.
Did you know?
In 1999, Mattel’s Butterfly Art Barbie became the first commercial toy to feature a tattoo. The toy was criticized by parents who argued that it was a poor influence on children.
And then it dawned on me! I would close the circle from first to (possibly) my final tattoo by utilizing the same artist.
For 50 years this nameless poster boy was used by my late father-in-law, Dov Fedler, in all the cartoons for The Star newspaper.
What could be more appropriate and a tribute to his legacy as one of South Africa’s most prolific and iconic cartoonists?
I discussed this with my wife and got her approval BEFORE going ahead with it.
This is how I would be for the 2 hours + that the work took.
I have to say that it got done sooner than I expected as when I went to visit Gerald he immediately said to me “Do you have time now”? and the next thing I knew I was on the table and I could hear the wasp-like sound of the tattoo gun starting up.
It amazed me that Gerald’s original work fitted exactly in the t-shirt of the new tattoo!
Once it had been placed correctly the work could begin.
As I write it is less than a week since I have had the work done.
I am ecstatic with the new work and happy about what it represents.
Because of where it is positioned it is not a tattoo that will be seen daily, however, those that I have chosen to show it to, know of its significance and its importance to me.
To paraphrase our UFC champ. “Those who know, know”.
And I do not need to explain to those who do not.
My thanks to Gerald for being both the beginning and the end (?) of my tattoo journey. Without him, I might never have gotten any ink!
If you are looking to add to your ink or are considering getting your first piece done, call Tattoo Styles.
They have several branches in major shopping centres in and around Johannesburg and can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TattooStylesZA
This is the link to their website: https://www.tattoostyles.co.za/
And by the way, they do a range of body piercings as well…
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