I’ve always been a little hesitant to submit a picture of my lovely tattoo for fear of reproduction, but its such a beauty I think its time the world saw it. It is a Ralph Steadman portrait of the bats that Raoul Duke sees while hallucinating in the beginning of the book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter S. Thompson, illustrations of course by Mr. Ralph Steadman (if you haven’t read the book then I’m sure you know the scene in the movie when he’s driving the car swatting at bats). It’s a tribute/cover up tattoo of a terrible set of hearts an old friend did in his basement as practice, now covered by the three big ink splotches. Hunter S. Thompson is my all time favorite writer, he was an amazing man and clearly a huge loss for humanity. His writings and philosophies are in sync with my personal beliefs, and I can never express how much I truly look up to this man; not to mention Ralph Steadman is my favorite artist and he is so talented. The decision to get the bat and cover my entire foot was my best friend Jackie’s idea that was decided upon literally minutes before getting inked, and I can never thank her enough for it! My amazing tattoo artist Josh of Royal Oak Tattoo in Royal Oak, Michigan helped bring this Steadman masterpiece to life! THANK YEW SO MUCH JOSH <3
