Josh Scogan (’68 / ex-Norma Jean) Wears His Heart on His Fingers
’68 / ex-Norma Jean frontman Josh Scogin joined us at the 2018 Inkcarceration Festival to talk tattoos.
This clip was shot on-site at the 2018 Inkcarceration Festival, which was held at the Ohio State Reformatory. The Mansfield, Ohio prison is most famous as the shooting location for The Shawshank Redemption.
Scogin actually got his first tattoo at age 17 on his first ever tour with Norma Jean. He graduated high school two days prior and paid for the ink with his parents’ credit card… which they were actually cool with. Josh’s inaugural tattoo says “Eternal” in knife-edged font, which Scogin may actually change someday.
Some of Scogin’s most important ink resides on his fingers. On his right hand, the singer has “Grace,” “Mercy” and “Love” — three characteristics Scogin feels like he can always improve upon — on the inside of his digits. On his left hand, Josh sports a tally of the number of albums he’s put out (not counting every demo or EP). Right now, Scogin’s got 12 catalogued on his fingers.
As for fans getting tattoos inspired by his work, Scogin calls the experience “equally humbling and stressful.” At a time when ’68 had only released one 7” vinyl record, a fan got the artwork tattooed on his arm, leading Scogin to wonder how he’d feel if the band ended up sucking.
Check out Josh's tattoos in the video above and get ready for the 2019 Inkcarceration Festival on July 12-14. Tickets go on sale soon and the 2019 lineup will be revealed in January.
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