MTV Tattoos

On August 1, 1981 at 12:01 am American cultural history was forever changed when MTV went on the air for the very first time. Over the next 35 years MTV would have an enormous impact on every aspect of our lives, most importantly on what was considered cool. Even if it was a weird as hell cartoon about two imbeciles sitting on a couch watching music videos (how meta!), the simple fact that it was on MTV was a stamp of approval. Naturally, people have chosen to show their adoration for MTV and all of the programs that it brought to us through tattoos. In this gallery of MTV tattoos you will see tributes to animated programs, a seminal hip-hop show and, of course, Riff Raff’s prominent tribute to the station. While we couldn’t find a photorealistic portrait tattoo of Jimmy the Cab Driver we still think this gallery of MTV tattoos is pretty awesome. Enjoy.

As if this day couldn’t get any better: In honor of MTV’s birthday and the launch of MTV Classic, Leathernecks in Brooklyn and The Honorable Society Tattoo Parlour and Lounge, West Hollywood are giving out FREE MTV logo tattoos on Monday, August 1 from 7-9p EST + PST.