Mo’s Awesome Blade Runner Tattoo

Mo has a wicked tribute tat to one of the best films ever made. They’re also a very talented photographer, and one of my many friends brave and tough enough to be doing the AIDS Lifecycle!

What’s your favorite sci-fi film? I’m partial to 2001 myself.

Artist credit for the fantastic ink goes to Marc Cano.

Big thanks to the folks at i09 for sharing this entry on their blog, where a few people noticed that the quote isn’t entirely accurate to the film. Mo wrote in with the full story behind the piece, and I decided to post it here by way of explanation –

As the owner of this tattoo, let me explain. I chose not to change the quote to more accurately match the movie because the tattoo isn’t about honoring the movie, it’s about honoring my dad.

My father was a solider in the US Army. He fought in Korea and Vietnam, and as part of the Corps of Engineers he built roads and infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Latin America. By the time he retired, he was decorated with the National Defense Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, Humanitarian Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Air Medal, and two Bronze Stars.

His life was incredible. He saw so much in his lifetime that I can’t even begin to imagine. He was often telling stories, and we were always pressuring him to write them down. He began to write some memories down about 4 years before he died, but didn’t get far. They’re mainly quick sketches that outline adventures. His memoirs are beautiful, but fragmented. I wish he had been able to finish them, or that he had told me the stories in person.

His pages of fragmented memories begin with this paragraph:

“At the end of the movie Blade Runner, the replicant as he is dying, makes this last commentary. It reminds me of the admonition not to go into that dark night gently. The creature from another planet at the very end observed that all these memories will be lost in time like tears in rain. My recollections are those separate from tales told by others easily accepted as true memories. Hopefully, I have been able to make that distinction.”

My dad died on February 2nd, 2009. I had this quote tattooed on my arm 4 days after he died. He had the same tattoo, on the same arm- He got it at age 70 at a small biker shop in Colorado. His artist did it freehand. Although I’ll never be able to hear all of his stories, this tattoo allows me to have him with me always, and to remember how fantastic his life was.