And what is it, thought I, after all! It’s only his outside; a man can be honest in any sort of skin. – Herman Melville, Moby-Dick

There is no “underground” community, no dark den of drunken sailors initiating themselves into manhood via cheap, ill-conceived exercises in bodily perforation; it’s just a group of people who delight in using their bodies as billboards. – Joanne McCubrey, “Walking Art: Tattoos,” Mountain Democrat Weekend magazine, 199

Tattoo parties: just like a regular party – but with a permanent hangover. – Rob Ruckus, Bad Ink, “Tat’s Ink-redible!” original airdate 2014 February 2