Steven Hawking: in bronze and in tattoo ink

The Great Beyond blog notes two interesting ways in which physicist Stephen Hawking is being honored as of late: A ten foot bronze statue outside his office at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. And a large tattoo on the right leg of Brighton tattoo artist Jack Newton. From The Argus:

The text below the grinning image of Professor Hawking reads “He’s not the messiah, he’s a very naughty boy”.

The quote is taken from Monty Python’s cult film Life Of Brian and is a nod to Professor Hawking’s discoveries, which have given a scientific explanation for the beginning of the universe...

It has already caused a stir in the tattoo world, winning two trophies at conventions.

Jack, 23, said Professor Hawking, who suffers from a type of motor neurone disease, was one of his heroes. He has read the professor’s best-selling book A Brief History Of Time but said he did not understand it all.

He said: “I respect him in quite a few different ways.

“He has worked on some groundbreaking scientific research and is an amazing example of how illness does not necessarily stop a man.

“He’s an inspirational man.”

Brighton tattoo artist has Hawking ink (The Argus), New bronze to honour Prof Hawking (Cambridge News)

[#1 posted by Brainspore, October 15, 2008 9:56 AM]

Is it just the lighting in the photo, or is that the palest calf since Mahpiya Ska?

[#2 posted by Biscuit4, October 15, 2008 10:29 AM]

It's an awful pale calf that's for sure.

Without the chair and the creepy voice though it just looks like mr. rogers with a busted lip. Remind me to take some of my money out of gold and invest in tattoo laser removal businesses.

[#3 posted by cycle23, October 15, 2008 10:32 AM]

ALS. And I'm glad to see him alive.

[#4 posted by Brainspore, October 15, 2008 2:47 PM]

ALS. And I'm glad to see him alive.

Yeah, I thought it odd the reporter didn't bother looking up which "type of motor neurone disease" Hawking had. Great guy, great tat. Just really pale canvas.

[#5 posted by The Lizardman, October 15, 2008 3:05 PM]

While not a horrible tattoo, it is sadly the least of the Hawkings tattoos I have seen. He is, perhaps oddly perhaps not, not an uncommon tattoo as random portraits of people unrelated to the wearer go. At various conventions I have seen several renditions of Hawkings in the flesh as it were.

[#6 posted by Biscuit4, October 16, 2008 2:21 AM]

I'm getting Capt. James Kirk tattooed on my calf tomorrow.

[#7 posted by Anonymous, October 16, 2008 6:07 AM]

Let's see. Kate Moss gets a life size solid gold statue, the father of modern physics gets a bronze statue and some sweaty bikers arm pit? Pretty much sums up the state of the world!

[#8 posted by chef, October 17, 2008 1:39 AM]

#7 You really don't need that much gold for that.