Erika Helps Us Remember Michael Jackson

Five years ago today, Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, passed away.

That being said, it seemed fortuitous that yesterday, across from the New York Stock Exchange,  I met Erika, who has a bunch of tattoos, but whose left arm is just plain "Bad":

This iconic image is from this cover:

Erika explains:

"I got the Bad album cover because that's my favorite Michael Jackson album ... I think this was, like, right before he started to fall off the wagon, kinda, but this is the last good Michael as far as his face and his appearance ... and I'm an '80s baby, so that was my favorite album of the Eighties."

She credited this great work to Chris Mensah at Pinz-N-Needlez Tattoo in Washington D.C. I last spotted Mensah's work in 2009 here.

We also commemorated Michael's zombie self two years ago here.

Thanks to Erika for helping us commemorate the passing of one of the greatest musicians of our time!

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Tehila's Amazing Tattoos Rest Deep in Her Faith

After my wife got her "13" tattoo (story here), we had some time to kill before our dinner reservations at 7:00 pm. So, we headed to Chelsea, then walked down 23rd Street to the Housing Works Thrift Shop.

It was there, while browsing, that I met Tehila, who was visiting from Washington, D.C. It was this tattoo that jumped out at me:


Quite an elaborate neck tattoo, which was in part designed by her mother, from her birth announcement. The quote, "Do justly, walk humbly, love mercy," is from the book of Micah (Chapter 6, Verse 8) in the Old Testament.

The complete passage from the King James Version is

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Tehila, however, had another tattoo to show me. She took off her jacket and rolled up her right sleeve.

On her inner forearm was this amazing hamsa tattoo:


Unfortunately, the photo doesn't do the piece justice, as the prayers, in Hebrew, circle the arm completely. One of the prayers is from the Amidah. I generally shy away from taking pictures of pieces that wrap around the arms, for fear of not being able to capture the full spirit of the tattoo. But in this case, the work was so lovely, I couldn't resist.



Tattoos with Hebrew writing have appeared previously on Tattoosday here. I have featured a hamsa tattoo previously here.

The pieces are credited to Imaani K. Brown and Chris Menhah at Pinz-N-Needlez in D.C. Chris inked the Hamsah and Imaani is responsible for the neck piece and the Hebrew text the wraps around the forearm.


Wondrous thanks to Tehila for sharing these beautiful tattoos here on Tattoosday!