Milo "Mr Lucky" Marcer

Thursday night at about 9pm we had just closed the shop, and I was making my way home on my Vespa. Crossing over the bridge and onto the circle on ramp to the highway I saw the moon, it was huge and hung low over the Durbanville hills, bright and gold, it felt like you could reach out and touch it. Swinging around on the on ramp Table Mountain came into view with the sun setting behind it, this huge beautiful black mountain with the most spectacular vignette from aquamarine to indigo to black, behind it as the darkness fell. I had just spent 10 solid hours tattooing and was really exhausted, but this beautiful vision could, no, would not be ignored and the message that came with it either, you really are your nickname Mr Lucky. Lucky to live in such a beautiful place, but that's just the tip of the iceberg, I have two brothers, a wonderful person with two amazing kids in my life, and my child little Laika,  but those are the obvious ones, I am lucky all the time, my shop is doing...

I feel depressed today, infact the malaise has followed me most of the week like a turd stuck to the bottom of my shoe, no matter how hard you get rid of it, you can always smell it there. Today we bury Nelson Mandela, I don't call him Tata, or any other term of endearment, I never met him, or had selfies done with him, or even got close to him, but if you live in South Africa, you sure have felt his presence. It's sad cause I don't mourn the man, as I know that as one, he had he's shortcoming as we all do, but the passing of a way of thinking and behaving, the passing of menchkite. I feel that people can be judged by the way they treat those unable to protect themselves, and if anyone stood for those most in need, he did, but that's not why I'm depressed, I'm depressed that after such a great example, we have learnt sweet fuck all. When last did you reach out to someone or something in need, done something selfless? When last did you not put yourself, or...

Well nothing really good comes from all the shit around you and this situation is no different. The morning of the 27th I got a call from the IStore manager, saying that he was really sorry, but they had found the issue, and it was gonna take 5 more working days to return my money. I had just got out the shower, was drying myself while taking the call, speaker phone dudes, and I just lost my mind, I am pretty sure I was close to bursting a blood vessel in my brain, bursting through my skin and like a party balloon that gets away from you my head would go flying wildly across the room, I'm grateful it didn't. Certain threats were issued, and I gave him 12 hours or I was going to the store. Yesterday after having been contacted by a young woman from the group, they had arranged and did, in all fairness drive to my home and give me my money in cash, and for my troubles a R500 gift voucher for the IStore, for those that don't know I was brought up in an Italian Catholic house...

On the 12th of the month, I made a purchase at the IStore in Canal Walk, went home wasn't happy with what I had done, without opening my purchase I went back the 13th and returned it for a refund. Pretty simple right????? well the R4599-00 leaves your account the very moment of purchase, that is a fact, but returning it, well....... that takes a little longer. You would be very wrong in assuming that it would be returned as quickly, but by a week later, I still had not been refunded. So off I go to the bank, get a statement which I am charge R11-00 for a cost that also leaves my account instantly I might add, and ask the simple question "Where is my money?". I am told that the bank has nothing to do with this, the IStore has to refund this money and if it's not in my account, it's still with them, well that makes perfect sense, so with all my documentation, I'm off to the IStore. Now the fun and games begin, the first thing I do is ask for the manager, who ...

So many months ago, a good friend requested 4 songs on her radio station, I can't remember the reason, and so I did, but my response was "Wow that's hard to narrow down, how about 4 bands beginning with the word Black?" Obviously this went down well, so I started sending her, every week for her show, 5 artist I liked beginning with each letter of the alphabet. What you have here is a slightly expanded version, these are 6 of my favourite artists  and songs per letter, I hope you will take the time to give each a listen, and enjoy them as much as I do. AC/DC - Jailbreak Aerosmith - Dude Looks Like A Lady Al Green - Lets Stay Together Alvin Lee & Ten Years After - The Stomp The Atomic Fireballs - Pango Pango The Animals - Story Of Bo Diddley The Band - When I Paint My Masterpiece Bo Diddley -  Hey! Bo Diddley The Black Angels - Sniper at the Gates Of Heaven The Black Keys - Phychotic Girl The Black Crowes - Remedy BB King - The Thrill Is...

It comes as no surprise that nothing, and I mean nothing at all, lasts forever, your health, friendships, relationships, your pets, your life, forever isn't really forever, not even this planet will last forever. So why is it that people still today expect to be together forever? in an existence where everything is transient, why is it we labour under the delusion that it all has to last forever? I met a beautiful young woman the other day, recently divorced, and in pretty bad shape as she struggled with the fact that her marriage had ended. I felt for her, I really did, you could see she was hurting at the fact that it was over, yet you knew it was going to end eventually, one way or another, so why is it we have this unrealistic expectation? I personally, and this is a personal opinion, take it leave it, it really doesn't matter, believe it's the fault of the church, this belief in everlasting life, and that we go to a better place, and that faith is what's needed to...

As a tattooer, I find that our industry has become exactly that, Industry, and that the craft and it's roots and traditions is falling by the way side. As more artists market themselves well and reality shows aggrandise many, I feel that where we come from, and who we are? is easily forgotten. I was tattooing a paratrooper, here we call them "Parabats" and what I was tattooing to his chest was the "Bats" insignia, something they in their day were not allowed to do, something not new in many armed services. As I'm sitting tattooing, the fact that I'm carrying on a very long tradition in tattooing, and Sailor Jerry Collins came to mind. Tattooing in Hawaii through the 2nd World War, Sailor Jerry and those men and women in uniform that frequented his studio before leaving for the Pacific Sector, created such iconic images. Though unaware at the time, this is a body of work that has become such a large part of the strong tradition in western tattooing. I fe...

I just spent 6 days working in Johannesburg, and had a blast, besides the odd niggle, and the pollution, a lot hasn't changed since I left 5 years ago. I arrived Tuesday, and after popping into Randburg Motorcycles, an experience that has left a bitter taste in my mouth, Rob and I went to his place and set up the studio, awesome place, in a beautiful garden, everything set up right, perfect and in the evening I did a cover/clean up of a piece. Wednesday saw us make a quick tour of some of the studios in the northern suburbs, and found one has moved into my old premises in Greenside.... rather funny, popped in to see Thys, and Jen at Fallen Hero's before Sek's arrival and we then started his forearm Then at 6 Pippa arrived for her session, but we stopped for a bite, the Veda and Deon arrived and My brother Sandy and his Girl and there daughter, so the house got crazy. My hostess Michelle whipped up a dinner for the ever increasing masses, and buy 9 I had to grab Pippa...