Some people have cool tattoos. Some people have stupid tattoos. Band tattoos are our favorite intersection of this particular Venn diagram. In today's Scarred for Life, we ask Connor Lovat-Fraser of newly revitalized post-hardcore veterans Boys Night Out why he (and some of his bandmates) ink-mortalized a Lifetime lyric

So, why this band? What about this band compelled you to get this tattoo?
It’s not really a band tattoo, I suppose, but I — along with BNO guitarist Jeff Davis (who has since had his covered) and our friend Chad Crews — have a tattoo of a mustachioed gentleman wearing a hat and wielding a shotgun, with a thought bubble that reads “made in the shade.” It’s a common phrase, but it’s also a lyric from the song “Haircuts and T-Shirts” by Lifetime. They were a huge influence of ours when Boys Night Out was starting out, and while the tattoo itself isn’t necessarily intended to be a band tattoo, there’s no denying the connection.

Where is it located? Why did you choose that spot?
This puppy is situated on my left Achilles tendon. The placement was fairly arbitrary, but I can’t picture it being anywhere else.

boys night out tattoo 1
Courtesy of Connor Lovat-Fraser
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How long did it take and how much did it cost?
It honestly couldn’t have taken more than 30 to 45 minutes, and cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $120 — but that was nine years ago, and details are hazy at best.

Why did you choose the image that you did? What about that image is personal to you?
The whole experience was very spur-of-the-moment. We were going out for breakfast and just decided that we should get tattooed. We just picked a piece of random flash and ran with it. I wish I could remember the name of the shop or artist — but I think he was a little bummed to be tattooing this weird little piece of flash on three dudes.

Have you shared it with the band via social media, or even in person?
You know what? I have not, but I should. I had actually forgotten that the tattoo was inspired by Lifetime until I started trying to figure out if I had any random band tattoos.

What do your friends think of this tattoo? Do your friends have similar band tattoos or even one of the same band?
As previously recounted, Jeff and Chad have/had the tattoo as well. We all had a good chuckle at it when it was done, but I don’t believe that anyone else has really shared an opinion on it with me, aside from saying, “Hey, what’s that tattoo? Oh … okay. Right on.”

Any regrets whatsoever?
None. Absolutely none. This little dude can live there on my Achilles until the day I die.

Does anyone you’ve met have a tattoo related to your band? What’s the craziest tattoo of your band that you’ve seen?
There have been a slew of BNO tattoo pictures sent our way since making the announcement that we had been writing together again. I was absolutely flabbergasted when they started showing up. There are 60 or so on our Instagram (search #bnotattoos) and Facebook accounts. The wildest one I’ve seen so far is based off of the album art for our self-titled album. If you aren’t familiar with the album, it’s just high-contrast pictures of our faces. I still can barely fathom that here exists a fellow with my face, along with Jeff, Dave [Costa], Ben [Arseneau] and Andy [Lewis], permanently marked on his flesh.

boys night out tattoo 2
Courtesy of Connor Lovat-Fraser
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Is it cool or lame to get a tattoo of your own band?
That’s an excellent question. I absolutely skew much more toward the “lame” side as a human in general — and I have a BNO tattoo. Jeff and Ben have our logo on them as well, and Dave will be getting his soon. Cool or lame, our little band has played a major role in my life and I’m happy to have had the very talented Tamara King tattoo it on me at Sinkin’ Ink Tattoos in Hamilton, Ontario (where we both work). Shameless plug, go!

What's your favorite band tattoo that isn't obviously a band tattoo?
Oh, man. I have absolutely no idea. None are coming to mind, aside from my own. So …well … I’ll just go with that. My very own, not-so-obvious, Lifetime tattoo — that’s my favorite.

Boys Night Out's Black Dogs EP is available on Good Fight Music.

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