Aerosmith Rocks This Way with "Just Push Play" Tour

Part 2: Aerosmith Fan Tattoos

Tom Hamilton (Bass Guitar, Aerosmith) was once asked in an interview how he feels when he sees someone with an Aerosmith tattoo. His answer? "I'm amazed at their commitment." That being said, we met up with some of those committed fans while waiting for VWMC gates to open before the concert. As you can see here, the tattoos all have a different style from the others, but they are essentially the same design - the Aerosmith logo. There has been a lot of discussion in the body art community about the wisdom of declaring your loyalty to anyone with a tattoo. Wife, husband, boyfriend and girlfriend tattoos have been covered numerous times after a relationship went sour. What about a fan tattoo? Does our loyalty to music waver like our loyalty to people? Who was your favorite musical performer or band 5 years ago? 10 years ago? 20 years ago? Are you still a fan, or are you ashamed to admit you ever liked them? Some performers and celebrities have stood the test of time with many still having their likenesses tattooed on them long after their spotlight years.

Some examples of this are Marilyn Monroe, a popular icon for fan tattoos. The statuesque Bettie Page is another celebrity whose pin-up days live on in permanent ink on many legs and arms. Even Betty Boop, a cartoon character, has managed to stay alive indelibly on the bodies of fans. What makes a person so devoted to someone they've [maybe] never even met that they feel compelled to honor the celebrity with a permanent tattoo? I think it is because of the ways they affect and enhance our lives. Music has a profound effect on people, no matter what style you choose to listen to. Musical performers have a way of expressing our own emotions better than we can. They enhance our lives by giving us music to fall in love to, to be strengthened by and to cry along with. Many of us can probably agree that, at some point in our lives, music has touched us more deeply than our closest friendships.

So, when a person feels such a deep connection with the person or group that delivers them through good and bad times, what can they do to express that? Getting a tattoo is, many times, the ultimate choice. Now, I'm not telling everyone to run out and get a tattoo of their favorite band - this is a very high level of commitment. Your taste in music, no doubt, is going to change - it probably has already changed over the years. You really have to be devoted, and be willing to accept the fact that it might not be "cool" to be their fan in a few years. Will you still be committed when everyone else is calling them a "has been"? I think Aerosmith is a really good example of a group that has been around for a long time and they're here to stay much longer - if you love them now, you're probably going to love them until you die. I know I will.

Get Aerosmith's "Just Push Play" CD at Amazon.com.

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