Of all the amazing people I have met through this project to date, Joe C. serves as the poster boy for never judging a book by its cover. With 40 skulls, 6 dragons, and over 100 total tattoos covering his body, Joe’s accolades include three appearances in Outlaw Biker, acting in one movie, and serving 5 days in a county jail. He parks his Harley in his living room during the cold New England winters. Additionally, he collects National Geographic Magazine (a complete set since 1908), loves the outdoors, enjoys landscaping, frequents flea markets, and is one of the most well-spoken individuals with whom I have ever had contact. I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet him.
“It’s funny how the three things in my life that have brought me the most pleasure, have also brought me the most pain: tattoos, motorcycles, and women,” Joe starts.
“Tattoos, you know, no pain, no gain. You have to go under the needle to prove you’re worthy. After five or six hours of being worked on, it can be quite a bit of torment. Spider Webb did the eagle and serpent piece on my back. It took twenty-six hours and three sittings in his shop to complete.
We were good friends; we used to party together. In Jersey we’d have a whole line of motorcycles in front of my house until 5 in the morning. I’d find beer bottles in my pear trees three months later. Cops would come in at 5 in the morning and say Mr. Cacchio, would you please turn off that record player and slow down a little bit. It was all in fun. We didn’t hurt anybody.
Motorcycles, they’re a beautiful thing, a beautiful machine. I love the sound. I love the rumble. I love the thunder when you’re rolling down the highway with 50 or 60 other motorcycles. My first motorcycle was a 1947 knucklehead. When I bought that motorcycle back in the 1960’s, the father of one of my best friends told me ‘son, remember one thing. You’re never going to beat this motorcycle, don’t ever think you know it all.’ Two weeks later, I was passing 5 cars when the front car turned left. I managed to get around him but he hit my rear wheel. I hit the curb doing around 60 miles an hour. I flew ten feet in the air, past four trailers in the trailer park, and a ‘No Parking’ sign took me down. . I had last rights given to me. I had a fractured skull, fractured ear drum, three fractured ribs, both lungs collapsed and a rib went through my liver and sliced that in half. I spent my eighteenth birthday in the hospital. I was unconscious for three days.”
Women … Well, the pleasure and pain brought into Joe’s life by women is another book altogether.
“My first tattoo involved a dagger and a rose,” Joe explains. “I got it in New York City back when it was illegal to be a tattoo artist in the city. You used to have to go to a bar to find an artist. They’d take you downstairs into some back room where they’d close up all the windows and doors and flip open a cabinet or something showing their work. Twenty bucks and you were gone. Spider Webb did a lot to get that changed. He would tattoo people on one of the courthouse’s steps. They would come and arrest him which really brought things into the light.”
In addition to having been worked on by such famous artists as Spider Webb, Joe is a living exhibit of the works of others such as Sailor Moses, Juli Moon, Lyle Tuttle, Gil Monte, Suzanne Frazier, and Roy Boy. “I am proudest of the big cats done by Ian of Redding.,” Joe explains.
“I am really into big animals that are extinct or who are in danger of becoming extinct. The work on my body tells a story and carries a message. I am proud of that. The most fabulous piece of work I’ve seen is of a mountain gorilla. I think that my next tattoo will involve that subject.”
Of course, Joe’s body also serves as the home of work done by some lesser known artists. ”I did a little time in the Skowhegan County Jail. Some guys had smuggled in some needles and India ink and asked me if I wanted a tattoo. I told them, ‘I’m your guy.’”
One should not mistake Joe’s roll with the punches attitude toward life as lacking purpose or direction. Joe clearly holds strong convictions about tattooing and beyond as well as a well formed personal philosophy toward life. An ancient Sanskrit saying marks the center of Joe’s chest. Roughly translated, the words mean “Hail to the Lotus.” After sensing my confusion following a detailed explanation of the motto and its origins, Joe put things in layperson’s terms, “Kind of think of it as the opposite of born to lose.”
“Passion is the key to happiness. Whatever your path, whatever you choose to do, choose that which you are passionate about. Life without passion is meaningless.”
Moving from the universal to the more focused, our discussion turned to advice for those who are seeking out their first tattoo. “Most people don’t have a clue what they want. They go in and are overwhelmed by 500 pictures. I advise any young person or old person who is thinking about getting a tattoo to do research. Research what’s available, research the artist, not just by looking at what’s on his walls but what he actually has done. Watch him or her work if you can. Choose what you want carefully and place it carefully otherwise you end up with a conglomerate of ink that doesn’t blend and mesh synergistically. It has to look good from a distance but also when you get close up. Personally, I like to see the flash in a photograph or on a person and then you can see if the artist can do good work. Anyone can buy flash and then try to copy it. Any competent artist can do the outline, but the true art is in the shading.”
As for content, Joe holds firm beliefs about the need for ethical choices. “Tribalism is big right now. Certain individuals getting certain tribal tattoos is not proper. For instance, the Maui Indians heavily tattoo their faces. The tattooing is based in generations of culture and holds great meaning for that population. Some people are trying to make their own statement by covering their faces with similar artwork. Personally, I do not feel that is correct because they don’t belong to that tribe. To separate the artwork from the meaning in certain tribalism can be very disrespectful.”
What does the future hold for Joe? He is looking forward to retiring in a few years and hoping to travel across the continent including a dream of making it down to Mexico City on his Harley. It seems fated that he’ll make it. With great excitement, Joe explained the synchronicity of his upcoming retirement and developments in the biking world. “In 2008, they’re going to start building three wheelers again. They haven’t built them since the 70’s. Harley-Davidson is going in with Leeman Trike and they’re building them right in the Harley factories. They’re for the baby boomers – guys like me who are 63 years old, the knees are starting to go, the hips are going; you may not have the greatest balance. You’ve now got a three wheeler trike, that beautiful machine, and you can pack a lot more beer in it.”
With over 100 distinct pieces of artwork on Joe’s body, many wonder which is his favorite. Joe’s response is simple, “The next one.”
