The celebrity tattooist who said no

Scott Campbell has tattooed Sting’s back and Helena Christen­sen’s ankle, said Jesse Ashlock in Details. But there’s one body part the celebrity tattooist refuses to ink. “There was this 19-year-old girl who came [to my studio] with her friend. I was like, ‘Okay, what are we doing?’” he says. The girl pulled out a piece of paper with a large W on it—the logo of rap group the Wu-Tang Clan. “I was like, ‘So where are we putting this?’” She pointed at her cheek. “I [said], ‘No, absolutely not.’ And she was like, ‘Such-and-such a tattoo shop will do it. My friend got it.’” Her friend then turned and showed Campbell the W on her face. “It just broke my heart. I immediately picked up the phone and started screaming at that other tattoo shop, ‘You just ruined a girl’s life for $80!’” Campbell realizes he sounds like a hypocrite. “I have tons of terrible tattoos on me. It’s just a mishmash of God knows how many drunken evenings. But facial tattoos are dangerous,” he says. “I can still button up [and] put on my normal-guy costume when I want. Once you have a tattoo on your face, people don’t remember your name. You’re just that guy with a tattoo on his face.”

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