Virginia Marching Band Director Reacts to His Viral Metallica Tattoo Moment

Metallica recently called out a Virginia college's marching band director for paying up on a bet he made with his squad.

Now, he is revealing what the whole experience meant to him and the marching band and why on earth he decided to get a Metallica tattoo.

READ MORE: College Marching Band Director Follows Through on Metallica Tattoo Bet

Barry Flowe is the director of the Screamin' Eagles Marching Band from Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Virginia. The band recently placed second in Metallica's For Whom The Band Tolls marching band competition.

Bridgewater College For Whom The Band Tolls Contest Submission

Participating schools were asked to submit videos of their marching bands performing Metallica songs during halftime shows. Winners received up to $50,000 in prizes for having the most popular performance as voted on by fans.

When Metallica announced the winning schools in February, bassist Robert Trujillo said it was time for Flowe to "step up" and get his first tattoo to reward his band for their performance in the contest. Metallica later shared an update showing Flowe at Acme Tattoo in Staunton, Virginia, where he got inked by artist Scout Wiles.

Loudwire recently spoke with Flowe about the experience and what the marching band thought about getting a large Metallica logo tattooed on his leg.

What was the bet or deal you made to get the tattoo?

It was less a bet and more a promise to do something crazy to commemorate the moment if we had success in the competition. I told my students that designing, teaching and watching them perform our Metallica music halftime show was such an incredible experience that getting a tattoo to commemorate it felt like an easy decision. For years to come, I’ll enjoy sharing the story behind this tattoo—our success in the competition and how meaningful it was for the entire band to discover or rediscover the music of Metallica together.

Was this your first tattoo? 

It was my first tattoo, but if I am honest, I have wanted one for a long time, but could never decide on what I wanted. My wife and my two adult kids have tattoos, so I was the last to get on board. My favorite compliment was from my son, who said he thought it was funny that his DAD had the coolest tattoo in the family!

How did the band members react to the competition finish?

The marching band students were very excited by our success in the competition. We had our pep band performing at a home basketball game the night it was announced, so we were able to get the majority of the group together to celebrate. Our college president made a big announcement at halftime and the crowd was very supportive. That made it really fun for the students; the timing couldn't have worked out better.

How did the band react to your tattoo?

My students were very excited and a little surprised that I went big on this. A few said that they thought I was going to get something very small to fulfill the promise and they were shocked when they saw how big the tattoo was.

They have been very supportive and complimentary. I have told them for the past five years that marching band is supposed to be fun and that we are going to always look for opportunities to spice it up. This year was the Metallica show and this tattoo. Next year, we are going to perform in Rome (Italy) at their New Year's Day parade. I feel like I might be addicted to tattooing, maybe I will get a tattoo when in Rome!

Flowe joins a prestigious group of musicians who have tattoos dedicated to other bands. Here are 20 rock and metal acts who have their music heroes permanently inked on their skin.