Tattoo

A few months ago Xavi had the idea that he and I get a tattoo of a star with the word "Partigiano" under it. (The star was a symbol of the Partigiani, as well as communist symbol in general.) After a good bit of deliberation, Xavi chose to not have the text done. I, on the other hand, decided to get a pretty large and elaborate tattoo with "Partigiano" written in script and a star on either side.

The contrast in the styles of our tattoos speaks to the obvious differences in our personalities. Xavi's tattoo is understated, geometric, and aligned. Mine is large and somewhat ridiculous.

Why?

The Partigiani were the underground resistance fighters in Italy before and during WWII. The song "Bella Ciao" is a song about the Partigiani and speaks of their commitment and allegiance to each other and their fight against the fascist government in Italy at the time.

In some ways this resonates because of certain political parallels between then and now. It also symbolizes a sort of brotherhood between Xavi and I. Finally, Sirius B is a star, so the tattoo stands in part for what we're doing musically.

For Some history on "Bella Ciao" and the partisans, check out:

Bella Ciao
Italian Resistance