So right now there is this Pitchfork Music Festival happening in Chicago. I went last year. I didn’t have a super great time so I don’t think I am going this year, although if someone gave me a pass it would be hard for me not to make an effort to see R Kelly. Anyway, not the point. The point is, my favorite client, Sailor Jerry Rum, is throwing after parties again. Cobrafest at the Cobra Lounge happened last year and it was a blast. Things kicked off last night and so far so good.

My girls Habibi were playing for the second year in a row and I love them. They all live in my neighborhood and they are all babes and they make awesome music. How can you not love them.

Sailor Jerry was giving out free tattoos again so Keith Underwood gave three of the four Habibis tattoos. He also hooked me up with one. I had him take a sweet drawing Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins did of a parrot and cut it’s head off and then tattoo that to my arm. I am pretty psyched about it.

The Bronx headlined and I was pretty psyched about that because I am friends with two of the dudes in that band but I have never seen them. I did see their Mariachi band once but never their proper punk band. They were fucking awesome and destroyed the place. There was crowd surfing and moshing and total madness for a full hour.

The People’s Temple and Thing also played and they were awesome but I didn’t really meet them or anything so I can’t tell you pointless stories about them. But yeah, rock and roll and stuff.

Here are a few photos for now, but I will post the full gallery when I get home next week.

Update: Day One photos here!

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I spent the last several days driving straight across the country from San Francisco to Chicago. I spent the night in Denver a couple nights ago and then in Newtown, Iowa last night. I was trying to get slightly farther but I ended up picking up a hitchhiker at a gas station in Nebraska and had to drive her all over the place when she couldn’t contact the people she was staying with. She was from Germany and pretty nice and didn’t murder me so overall it was a good experience.

Also on the drive I got pulled over by cops twice. That makes 5 times I have been pulled over for speeding. Three male cops pulled me over and gave me warnings. Two female cops pulled me over and both gave me tickets. That is sexist. The scariest part was when one of the cops made me get in his car with me. He just gave me a warning but it was mildly terrifying to sit in a Nebraska State Trooper car. I did get a ticket in Wyoming for only going 13 MPH over the speed limit which is way less dangerous than the 30 over I was going over in San Francisco when they let me go with a warning… None of this is important. Moving on.

Today I woke up only five hours from Chicago and got here right in the middle of rush hour which was a pleasure. I got some ribs with a photographer friend of mine and then met up with the Chicago band White Mystery who were shopping at some sort of giant Hot Topic for some reason but I got a text from tattoo artist Frank William who I met at Cobrafest last year. He had some free time to tattoo me.

Great Lakes Tattoo just opened and the space is fucking awesome. Everyone had left but Frank when I got there and he proceeded to tattoo The Bunyon Giant aka Tall Paul on me. Paul is my favorite Route 66 attraction. He is one of the three famous Route 66 Illinois Giants that include the Lauterbach Tire Man and the Gemini Giant. I got Sidney Scarlett naked in front of all of them. Pictures soon! Tall Paul happens to be holding a giant hot dog so he is extra awesome. He lives in Atlanta, IL now, but he used to live just outside of Chicago.

Long story short, I am in Chicago for the next few days shooting Cobrafest and now I have a really awesome tattoo to memorialize my Route 66 trip. I need to sleep, but thanks Frank!