 "Photo: Jef Otte / UCD Advocate")
The air horn sounded at exactly noon and a flurry of activity ensued. “Alright, get her in the chair,” somebody shouted. “Let’s fucking go,” shouted another. Some ten bodies milled around, some helpers, some press, some gawkers. For the first 15 seconds or so, everybody got in everybody’s way.
Scottie Savell flipped on the gun and got to work; for the first 40 minutes his expression never changed: grim, slack-jawed concentration. While others rushed around, getting a leg, a torso, a bicep in and out of the chair, Savell just sat, rolling from one chair to another, tattooing, occasionally snapping an admonishment: “Swap out a cap of fucking green, then. There’s no time to ask questions.”
On Oct. 23, Savell made an attempt at a world record: most tattoos ever done in a 24-hour period. He’d have to beat the previous record of 801. And those tattoos were smaller—the Guinness book of world records has since changed its guidelines.
But the record attempt is more than ego for Savell: “I’ve had people in my family that have had cancer,” he said, citing his motivation for the design: a 3.75 by 3.75-inch breast cancer awareness ribbon.
Freaky’s—the East Colfax location of the tattoo and “garden” chain—offered the tattoo for $30 to anyone who would come in and get it from noon Oct. 23 to noon Oct. 24 (dudes who were “too manly” could get crossbones in the same size instead). Between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m., the price was $20. All the money made during the endeavor was donated to cancer awareness and education.
“It’s just my way of giving back,” said Savell.
Cindy Smith was first in line. The pink ribbon she got on her shoulder was her first tattoo.
“My mom had breast cancer twice,” she said, “and my cousin died of brain and lung cancer.”
She added that the tattoo gun didn’t really hurt: “It just feels like it scratches.” Smith was in and out of the chair in about 45 seconds.
Patrick Strangel, sporting several tattoos on his arms and chest, said he had an aunt who had breast cancer, and he figured it was for a good cause. Getting his ribbon on the left side of his rib cage, arm cocked above his head, he said it hurt quite a bit.
“I have plans for other tattoos other places, and that’s the one place I didn’t have a plan for yet,” he said.
In the span of the first 40 minutes, Savell managed to tattoo about 13 people, going non-stop, before the line died and everyone got a moment to relax. The last to get tattooed in that span was Savell’s wife, Heather.
“I’ve helped him with everything I could help him with—team Savell,” she joked.
In the end, Savell didn’t break the record. He didn’t even come close. Though he wasn’t sure of the exact count, it was somewhere around 300, he said.
Nevertheless, he said he’s proud of the work he did; he managed to raise a lot of money for the cause—and 300 tattoos in 24 hours is still a lot of tattoos.
Either way, he wasn’t going to let the setback get him down: “I guess we’ll go for it again next year,” he said.
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