Milo "Mr Lucky" Marcer

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'm not playing it safe any more. I'm gonna take it right to the edge. And do pirouettes. - What are you talking about? Pirouettes, you dumb fuck. And if I fall, well, so be it. You know. Who gives a shit? "Oliver Platt in Funny Bones" and so I have, pirouettes baby, I woke from a dream, and I was shaved clean, my face that is, and there were tattoos creeping up onto my face from my neck. This is the first dream I remember in I don't know when, I never remember anything while awake let alone while asleep, a little gift left from too many hard knocks against my head. So after 25 years in this industry I got completely immersed, I have had visible tattoos for quite some time now, but my face, well I always thought I would never go that far, and you know, I just felt it was time, and the dream, though it had no real direction, had an impact. The problem was I just couldn't remember what the shapes were that crept up on my face... and while doing some...

Hello again, and once again it's been a while so I will apologies right away... TIME.... well it's fleeting alright, and before you know it the day is done and the next, then the week, and month and pretty soon years, it waits for no one. Written about, sung about, "time takes a cigarette, puts it in your mouth" whatever David meant who knows... and as for "Tiiiiiiiiimme is on my side" well Mick it certainly ain't, but formaldehyde and surgery might be, but time, I'm not so sure, and it brings me to my issue. I love my periodontist, she is awesome, friendly, explained everything that has to happen, how it's going to happen and so on. She has even helped me out on the costing of my implant, oh I hadn't told you yet. I tooth got broken many years ago in an accident, it was repaired but after 18 years.... it was done, and I need an implant. As I usually do I have digressed my point was, I have an appointment for 16H30, I'm there 15 minut...

It's the 30th, I have worked my ass off this December, and I'm really super grateful to all my awesome clients, no friends, because if you spend as much time with them as I do they do they become friends. This year however has caught up with me, I feel like I have kinda been through the ringer and though I live in the moment, I am looking forward to the new year. I do have to say that I'm a little annoyed at the insensitive twats out there, that feel like they have some kind of ownership of my time because they want a booking when they want it. I would never turn anyone away who wanted a piece from me, I am still old fashioned enough to be honoured by the patronage I receive, and don't play the "tattoo rock star discovery channel" wannabe, I was at this before them and will be at it long after they are no longer the flavor of the month. So for the one or two I have disappointed, I'm truly sorry, and hope that you can forgive me, I will however say "C...

Ok so you haven't seen a blog for some time, and that's cause I haven't had anything to vent about, that just changed. I have this odd growth on my arm, thought it was a wart or something, so i tried freezing the thing off with nitrogen.... Nothing. So now I'm worried about this, and while chatting to a friend he says, dude get that seen to, I had something similar and it was malignant, so don't piss about. Damn I better get my shit together. Today I call Milnerton Mediclinic, and they give me the number for the practise in the clinic, 2 dermatologists, so I call them, and after waiting 8.32 minutes for the phone to be answered, I ask the receptionist if anyone can see me as I'm really concerned about this thing. She says "sorry, we can only see you next year." So my response is, but what if this shits malignant? She in a rude tone is " well I'm sorry, but we can't help you" so I say to her well ok, but can you perhaps refer me to s...

At the urging of a friend I am going to get my shit together and blog more often. I don't write about stuff if there really isn't much to talk about, it's always the empty vessels that make the most noise, just take a look around you. Things have been a little weird of late, and I find myself out of sorts, so much so that even the wind tonight has me anxious, and it's keeping both Little Laika awake. Actually just me, as she has fallen asleep on my foot. A couple of rude awakenings have taken place in my life recently, one being finding out I'm diabetic, rather a great shock, but not unexpected, as I have lived my life to excess and I guess there has to be some cost. The other has been the realisation that in 5 years of living in this city, I have made very few friends, as beautiful as this city is, it also breeds a type of arrogance and self serving that I haven't seen in many places before. People who professed to be your friends but in truth really were o...

I been back 4 day from Johannesburg, and it's so awesome to be home with little Laika, home is where the little tyke is, and after parlor gave her a good brush, and a wash and dry she is so fluffy and spritely. I do however miss my friends in Johannesburg, there are those long standing friends that you have a great bond with, and some good people I have met there that makes me feel a little lonely. I don't miss the city at all, and it seems strange that being born and raised there, buried my parents there, and still have family there, that I have absolutely no feeling for the place, and the thought of living there leaves me cold, but I miss my friends. Make no mistake I love Cape Town, but Cape Town is a city that only loves herself, so it doesn't reciprocate at all, and through choice, character or just plain laziness, I find myself feeling isolated and apart, and once again I miss my friends. I know it takes years and in some of my friends in Jhb, we have been friends fo...