WIN AN EPIPHONE LES PAUL VINTAGE SUNBURST!

I can’t believe its been a year since my mental reconciliation of the French tattoo artist carving a sugar skull tattoo on my daughter’s forearm.  And for those of you who’ve never been to the, now’s your chance!  Plus, this year you can register to win a Les Paul Vintage Sunburst guitar!  If that’s not reason enough, let me tempt you with my other Top Ten Reasons for Attending :

 10.  Live Music.  Bands who came up with names, on purpose, like DragStrip Riot , Viva Hate and Witchburn absolutely must be seen.  In person.

9. Low-key.  I’ve went for several years, and it’s not like there are hoards of people trouncing over each other.  Especially if you go on Friday. 

8.  A trip through  Fun Forest or the Seattle Center afterwards.  If you’ve been keeping up with politics in Seattle, they may end up closing this historic attraction after Labor Day in 2009.  When was the last time you rode Windstorm or took the kids on the carousel?  Got your toes wet in in the fountains or watched the seniors dance in the pavillion? 

7.Kat Von D.  Liar Liar Pants On Fire.  Okay, she isn’t really going to be there.  But it’d be cool.

6.  One of the main organizers loves Jesus and contributed content to one of Pastor Mark’s books.  And if you’re still wrestling with the whole “Christians:  To Tattoo or Not to Tattoo” issue, check out the VoxPop article, p. 7.

5.  You could enter to win the Les Paul Vintage Sunburst and give it to your favorite Mars Hill band member. 

4.  Contests.  Best Leg, Best Sleeve, Best Religious, Worst Tattoo.  Speaking of which, in my honky-tonk era of youthful folly, I brazenly allowed  Porky (the name says it all) to tattoo a cowboy boot & hat on my shoulder.  Turns out prison isn’t exactly the best place to learn the this trade, because over time his work bled and melded into what looked like a fat, er, mouse?  Thank you Jesus for laser removal technology.  P.S.  Lasers hurt WAY MORE than tattoo needles.  P.P.S.  A 2003 study revealed 17% of Americans with tattoos regretted getting them, per a recent program I watched on the History Channel.

3. If you’re over 18 and seriously thinking about getting a tattoo, this is a good place to get educated, even if you don’t actually go through with it.  Browse the books for a good look at the artist’s work.  (And if it’s full of pictures only, move on).  This is sort of like a wine tasting event ~ you really start getting the different flavors of the art and artists and what they excel at.  Especially if you don’t really know what you want, you’ll come away with a lot of new ideas.  If, however, you’re serious about going under the needle, go early.  The best artists are booked fairly quickly for the entire weekend.

2. People who attend.  Wow.  Seriously cool folks to pray for.  People are what matter.

And my Number One reason for attending is,

1.  The Tattoo Artists.  Evidence the variety of God’s amazing creativity first-hand.  These body artists fascinate me, and they travel from as near as Pike’s Market to as far as Jacksonville and London.  Eclectic bunch.  Hard core.  Traditional.  Chatty.  Quiet.  Funny.  Thoughtful.  Crazy.  Endearing.  I’ve seen them wearing everything from self-portraits to the Mona Lisa.  I’ve read shoulders with poems by e.e. cummings, and Latin Bible verses around one guys throat.  These are incredibly talented, professional artists who do things with a needle and skin that most of us could never imagine, and it’s fabulous to watch them work.  Did I mention people are what matter in life?  Yeah baby, and these artists rock.