I saw a story of true devotion this week.
A fan of TV’s Scottish detective Taggart has had the face of the character tattooed across half of his back.
The Telegraph reported how 34-year-old John Cuthbert won first prize at the Scottish Tattoo Convention in Edinburgh for his tattoo of actor Mark McManus, which sits alongside a tattoo of the Glasgow skyline on his back.
It must be nice to be so sure of your convictions that you are happy to have them permanently etched on your body in this way. I don’t think I would ever be that devoted to anything or anyone, or brave enough to go through the many hours of pain it must have taken.
John, who is a father of one, told the Telegraph: “I’ve loved Taggart ever since it first came out. I own all the box-sets and it’s a great show.”
The thing that made me smile about this story was what John said about his wife’s reaction to the tattoo. He explained: “My wife’s fully supportive about my tattoos, but I think she got a bit of a shock at first when she rolled over in the night and saw Mark McManus’s face.”
Imagine waking up in the middle of the night and seeing Taggart starring at you through the darkness.
Actor Mark McManus died in 1994 at the age of 59. I am sure his family and friends would be very touched if they saw this heartfelt tribute to him.
The tattoo convention was a celebration of all things Scottish and other pieces of body art included pictures of Braveheart and a Tunnock’s caramel wafer.
I can’t help wondering if there was a deep fried Mars Bar tattoo or a haggis.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9968399/Giant-Taggart-tattoo-wins-Scottish-award.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21954779