Fabulous tatts and pushy twinks
Hello beautiful people. I hate to be so cliché and even mention the weather, but have y’all noticed it is hot? This shit is bananas! I’ve been in Texas my whole life, and every year I bitch about the heat like it’s the first time I’ve ever been victimized by the sun. Like, surprise! It’s hot in Texas in August!
This heat is disrespectful, homophobic and unrelenting. I walked from the parking lot to the club last night, and you’d think that with a light breeze it would be okay at 9 p.m. Bullshit! It felt like someone was holding a blow dryer on high heat, zapping every bit of moisture from my pores.
I hate it so much. I say it every year; I am a pussy when it comes to the heat.
This year our electricity bill doubled because of the heat. But, dammit, I’d rather pay out the wazoo than be hot at home.
How the hell did we survive when I was a kid? We had fans in the windows and sat in front of them eating ice. My grandma had one of those old-school swamp coolers, and she would have me go outside and spray them with the water hose. I still remember that beautiful smell of cool water as that big, loud-ass window unit cooled off her living room and kitchen. The greatest invention man has ever created — fuck the wheel — has to be central air conditioning.
The scariest thing about the apocalypse has got to be losing air conditioning. Sure, death and destruction are awful and all. But can you imagine the horrors of never being able to sit in a dark living room, at noon, in the summer, with a blanket over your legs as you watch some mind-numbing bullshit on television. I can’t! It is too horrible to think about!
Sorry, that got dark — even for me.
A few weeks ago, at 51 years old, I got my very first tattoo. I have always wanted a tattoo, but I had the biggest fear of getting something I would hate after a year. I could never commit to an idea or a subject for a tattoo. Finally, a young and fabulous artist created something for me that I love, and he just so happens to be a tattoo artist — so win/win.
His name is Cooper, and he approached me one Monday night at my Freakshow and said he wanted to design something and tattoo me. He gave me the biggest compliment about how I have been a constant in his life since he first started coming out to the clubs. It was very sweet and made me realize the best impact you can have on another person is by just being yourself and living your authentic life.
He asked me what I wanted or if I had an idea for the tattoo. I told him that I am so wishy-washy when it comes to committing to an idea, but I’d love something that represents my drag career and the fact that this Thanksgiving night will be my 30-year anniversary working in the Rose Room. I figured that something rose or drag related would be perfect.
I’ve worked in the Rose Room more than half of my life, so something that represents that would mean something to me and would commemorate what has been one of the great loves of my life: drag.
We made the appointment and showed up to his shop (shout out to Dallas Tattoo & Arts Company in Deep Elum). The vibe was very chill and laid back. Then he showed me the design that he had been working on, and I instantly fell in love with it. It is a rose with a painted drag eye, but more abstract and original. It is colorful and beautiful, and I am so proud of it.
Cooper did an amazing job, but now I see I want more. Everyone always says once you get one tattoo, it becomes like an addiction, and you want to get more. And dammit! They were right! I won’t be running out and getting just anything tattooed on me. But I have a few more ideas of meaningful things I would like to get.
I got this first one on my inner arm, which is apparently one of the least painful places to get a tattoo.
I felt absolutely no pain. As a matter of fact, I found it calming. I kinda liked the way it felt.
Since my husband, Jamie, went with me, Cooper gave us matching tattoos. We have always said that we wanted to get our ring fingers tattooed — like a ring that we can never take off — because like I tell Jamie all the time, “There is no divorce — only death!” Since his name is Jamison Hart, and mine is James Love, we got matching “J/heart” tattoos. It’s a little corny but very meaningful to the two of us.
Unfortunately, I have already fucked up my J/heart and will definitely need it to be touched up or even redone completely as soon as it heals all the way. We got the tattoos on a Wednesday, and I should have kept it covered better, but it’s hard to do that when it is on your finger. The next Sunday night, I bitch slapped some asshole in the mouth and, of course, he had braces.
This drunk twink saw me walking in the back parking lot on my way into the club. I left my phone in the car and had to go get it. As I was coming back, said drunk twink, yells, “Oh my God! Cassie Nova! Where are you going? Who cares; I’m coming with you!” And he puts his arm through my arm like we are Dorothy and the Scarecrow on our way to see the Wizard.
I pulled away from him, because I am not big on people I don’t know touching me, but also because fuck off kid! I don’t know you.
I pulled out my keys to open the back door and told him he needed to go around to the front door if he wanted to go into the club. He informs me that it’s fine, and he can do what he wants. I say, “No Hun. You need ta go around to the front.” And I started to pull the door closed.
Then this mutherfucker grabbed the door and yanked it open, ready to bum-rush me. I shoved his ass back, but as I was doing that, I basically backhanded him in the mouth.
He yelled, “Fucking bitch!” as he walked away.
When I got upstairs, I looked at my tattooed finger and realized that the slightly scabbed blue part of my J and the red center of my heart are literally hanging off my finger. It has healed over the past few weeks, and it is not completely ruined. You can still see it and make out what it is, but it’s not as vibrant and as cool as Jamie’s J/heart.
My next tattoo will probably be something dog related. I miss my Pomeranians, Dax, Evee and Sunny so much. So maybe an adorable pom face on a colorful abstract work of art. Originally, I wanted Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the gates to Hades in Greek mythology but with my three pups’ heads on him. I still love the idea, but I don’t see it looking anything but goofy in reality.
Stay tuned.
Thank you again Cooper Glenn for your time and artistry. You are a brilliant artist. Y’all should check him out in Instagram @groovy__hippie. He does awesome pin-up boy artwork that makes for a cool af tattoo if you are brave. I think we all need more pin-up boy art in our lives. Don’t you?
Remember to always love more, bitch less and be fabulous! XOXO, Cassie Nova
