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'Ink Master: Turf War' judge Dave Navarro's tattoos are journals, telling stories about his mom and life lessons

Two of Dave's favorite tattoos are the ones that are commemorative pieces for his mother who died when he was 15

'Ink Master: Turf War' judge and co-host Dave Navarro is not afraid of needles and we've all seen why. He's got a ton of inks and flaunts them very proudly. While some of them got made during drunken episodes, others were created to remember special people. 

The 52-year-old guitarist and reality show host doesn't hold back (he often performs shirtless at his concerts) when it comes to laying out his life for everyone to see. 

Many years ago, talking to Inkedmag, Dave explained two of his tattoos, both of which were about his mother, who passed when he was 15.

Getting the two tattoos done was a different experience for him because he functions on impulse when it comes to getting inked and for these, he had to get appointments booked. 

"Generally speaking, I’m not the artwork-planning type. I prefer spur-of-the-moment tattoos, like, 'Let's just roll over and get something done right away'. I like the instant gratification, hence I have a lot of smaller pieces," he recalled.

His favorite inks

Two of Dave's favorite tattoos are the ones that are commemorative pieces for his mother. One reads her name, Constance, while the other has her portrait. Both are beautiful in their own way. 

Dave is very clear in his head about why he gets inked. "Sometimes its for an aesthetic reason, sometimes its because you think an image is cool and you like it a lot. Sometimes there is meaning behind things, stories and personal experiences you’re trying to commemorate and capture," he had said.

What's best about his thought process with regard to tattoos is that no matter the slip-up, one should be able to carry it off. He even shared about times when the artist gave him a "f***ed up" piece of art and later defended it by saying it was an imperfect form of art. 

Dave has a "CE" inked right at the center of his chest — which stands for Carmen Electra, his ex-wife. Usually, celebrities or anyone for that matter get irrelevant tattoos lasered. But, not this guy. He thinks tattoos are like journals, it tells one's life story, which is what makes him keep all of the pieces.

"I feel that to cover up something would be to deny having gone through it. I had a great time being married to [Carmen]. That’s my life. And the fact of the matter is, all those elements are things that, as human beings — not to get too spiritual — are collective pieces of who you are today," the guitarist explained.

The other tattoos

Dave's upper arm has a tattoo of his band Jane's Addiction, which was done by LA-based artist Charlie McDonald, Ranker reported. He has two sparrows on each of his fist.

His left knuckles feature roman numerals —  X III X III, which indicates his father and grandfather's birthdates (of course, there's legit mathematics involved in it). He has a wedding and birth date inked too. 

The most intricate and interesting ones are the 2 Gustav Klimt paintings, and a dominatrix. He got the Gustav's "Hope I" piece (of a peaceful pregnant lady) to symbolize the gift of life his mother gave to him.

Most of his tattoos have stories to tell and so does the pig and snake one. Apparently, it speaks volumes about how Dave is as a person.  

Dave characterizes himself as a pig — an animal that's considered cute when young but vicious when old. The snake, on the other hand, represents his world view and how humans are continuously evolving. 

He also flaunts a pentacle, the words "Kanji Fuku" (fortune, luck, and wealth), bats, and a heart with thorns among many others.