I asked Rockstar Jeff, an old source of envy, if I could take a few portraits of him.
Jeff’s very photogenic, but he doesn’t agree. I’m 75% prep and 25% bad-ass, whereas he’s 75% bad-ass and 25% prep. Sometimes we joke about trading styles because there’s a mix in each of us, and we always like where the other ones goes with it. The truth of the matter is that I could never pull off his style. Anyone can do prep, but he’s got the right face, the right clothes, the right attitude for hardcore.
This was his hit single.
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He’s the guitarist and screamer. The band broke up, but he’s currently exploring other musical opportunities. It’s interesting to hear his other projects; he’s always the frontman, but he adjusts his singing style to the band while adding his own edge.
Tattoos:
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Stars on wrist
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This was a mutual tattoo done with a friend (his “right hand” person), which is why there are two of them. His friend has the same tattoos on her wrist.
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Crows on right arm
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As the crow is the universal symbol of bad luck, Jeff got each crow to remind him of a hard time in his life. Each one of them signify a moment. There’s one red one with a nail going through it, as a symbol that his bad luck is hopefully behind him (but he says it isn’t yet).
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Daisy on right arm
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The daisy is his mom’s flower. It’s not really wilted or broken (which is what I thought at first), it’s simply missing petals. He got this at a time when he was really angry at her, which is why it’s red. He had drawn two years earlier, but only decided to get it inked when she kicked him out of the house, to remind him of the hard love of family.
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Stars on elbows
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There’s actually one larger star on each elbow, with the initials of people coming out of them. They’re the first tattoos he ever got, to remind him of the tough lessons that he’s gone through with or from these people.
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Heart on chest
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This one was inspired by his mom. He was making making some foolish decisions around 18, and his mom reminded him that he should be happy with himself when he looks in the mirror, that there should be no hiding from the truth, and he should always be true to himself.
The word “truth” is surrounded by periods to emphasize that it’s a strong fact in itself. The word “self” doesn’t start with a period because the heart is a part of the sentence.
The only change he would make is to have it drawn backwards, so he could read it when he looks in the mirror.
I like the last picture the best, portrait wise. It’s great to have interesting people with interesting styles that are willing to pose for you. I’m way too goofy to successfully take anyone’s pictures, :) These are awesome though.
I like the song.
Business wise, it’s too similar to Linkin park. A more hardcore crowd might be able to tell a difference, but for the initiates like me, it’s hard to differentiate and justify the reason.
I think the first portrait is Liebowitz quality. Love it.
I know the tune would be big with my Japanese friends.
I’m glad to see his tatoos are for deeply affecting events instead of the usual junk I see tatoo’d everywhere in wonkily written chinese and such…
@Quelyn — That one is Jeff’s favourite too. I’m always on the lookout for people with unique looks now, and I’ve learned not to be afraid to ask them if I can take their picture.
@Causalien — I think the song is really catchy. It doesn’t sound anything like Linkin Park though. It’s much heavier, and without a DJ or MC, there’s no scratching or rhyming. With more experience in this genre, you’d easily be able to recognize the difference.
@xibee — Thanks! The first portrait is my favourite too. It’s funny that you mention your Japanese friends liking the tune. They have such a different view of metal over there, and it’s much more energetic and fun than a lot of the darker metal here. I totally agree about the tattoos having a meaning too, instead of just being a phase when tattoos are popular.
Yeah I need to learn how to ask people if I can take their pictures. Man, it would be cool if we could go on a photo adventure. I need photo adventure buddies.
Agreed. There can never be too many photo adventures, or photo adventure buddies.