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Episode 134 - ADHD & Tattoos: Why We Can’t Stop (or Won’t Start)
63 Plays10 days ago
Pull up a chair at the King’s Agitated Head, because the co-mayors are back and we’ve got ink on the brain.
This week, Martin and Pablo are tackling a very visible question: What is it about the ADHD brain and tattoos?
Martin is a blank canvas (who almost gets a hyperfixation on tattoos every two years, designs a whole folder, and then… forgets). Pablo has 28 tattoos, a mate who does them for free (dangerous), and a painful eight-hour Koi fish story that involves trying not to cry in front of a hardcore Japanese artist.
We’re asking the big questions:
- Are tattoos just “vibes” or deep emotional regulation?
- Is getting a tattoo the ultimate anti-masking move?
- And why does Martin think it’s funny to tattoo fake “cut here” surgical scars all over his body? (Just for the off-chance a surgeon laughs one day.)
Plus, the Bloody Quiz returns with ancient monks, Winston Churchill’s alleged anchor, and a very tattooed caveman.
If you’ve got zero tattoos, 28, or somewhere in between—this one’s for you.
Hit play and let’s get inked (metaphorically).
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ADHDville, the podcast where hosts Paul and Martin bring 40 years of friendship to your ears. As late-diagnosed adults, they explore the ADHD world with fun, games, and the occasional guest—no boring lectures, just a comfortable and hilarious conversation you’d have with old friends. A new episode drops every Tuesday to make your week brighter!
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Theme music was written by Freddie Philips and played by Martin West. All other music by Martin West.
Please remember: This is an entertainment podcast about ADHD and does not substitute for individualized advice from qualified health professionals.
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Transcript
Welcome to ADHDville
00:00:00
Speaker
Back in the room. Here we Here we go. Back in that room again. Jesus Christ, we are. and Okay. Well, without without further ramblings, let's go to the place where the where the distractions, the landmarks, and the detours on the main roads. Welcome to ADHDville.
00:00:23
Speaker
Why can't I hear the music? Oh, there it is. There it is. Finally. Finally. It's all come back. It's over. Gun tattoos and shit.
Meet the Co-Mayors
00:00:42
Speaker
Hello, I'm Tom Stonow's diagnosed with the combined ADH and the D again, dragging towards three years ago, Martin. Wow, and I'm Martin Westonow's diagnosed with the combined ADHD, poopy, bladder and self-diagnosed autistic in 2013.
00:01:00
Speaker
ah Actually, that was all in the wrong order. But hey, ah we are the mayors of ADHDville, and we are hanging out at the ah King's Agitated Head in ADHDville, where Paul and I, the co-mayors of ADHDville, take care of business.
00:01:16
Speaker
And this week, the business is ADHD slash ah autism, or ADHD, and tattoos. Tattoos.
00:01:27
Speaker
Right. So you proposed this. I did. Theme last week. I did. And I didn't ask you why. why oh but So why, Marty?
Tattoos: Symbols of Self-Expression
00:01:38
Speaker
Why? Why did you propose ADHD and tattoos?
00:01:42
Speaker
Well, there's two things. One is like almost, not everyone, but almost all of the people that have ADHD and or autism seem to have tat tattoos.
00:01:57
Speaker
Like... like it's just a thing right ahha um and i thought that was very interesting and also ah we we are the polar opposites in that uh if you're watching on youtube you can see that paul is covered uh in in ink and i have a blank canvas right so also it seems So we have is exactly. To be fair, Martin, we've never had a new naked version of ADHD, Bill.
00:02:33
Speaker
No one needs and a naked version of ADHD, Bill. ah But yes, I thought that that was quite an in interesting...
00:02:44
Speaker
Okay. two Two different points of view. Okay. I'll tell you what, though.
Tales from Early Morning Deliveries
00:02:51
Speaker
Just on ah on ah on a slightly side note, I am absolutely shattered because um i've ah i've i've I've started doing this um food the delivery. Oh, right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You did one last week.
00:03:10
Speaker
um Yes. And this week I've been doing more of them. I've been building up my my like my my career confidence. Right. and And I was up at 3 a.m.
00:03:27
Speaker
this morning. What? I was out on the road at 3.30 a.m. m And then I was busy to delivering right for about five hours from 3.30 to three thirty two like something.
00:03:46
Speaker
Yeah. That's say madness. Zipping around. make more money at that hour. You know what? The thing is is that I'm i'm testing it out.
00:03:56
Speaker
so So this week I'm having a go at the mornings and then i'm I'm going to try and see what lunchtime is like. Evenings is is is when it's really popular, but I'm just kind of seeing if I can make mornings work.
00:04:13
Speaker
Do you not get like doing at that time of the of the day or night? Do you not get like mostly clients that are kind of like doing a lot of drugs and they need some Scooby snacks last minute?
00:04:27
Speaker
Maybe. And therefore potentially dangerous. You know what? A lot of people at 3.30 a.m. seem to want ice cream. Right, there you go One person was so desperate, right? So I got this order in and they wanted Dolce, they wanted Hagen-Dazs, Dolce de Leche ice cream, right?
00:04:50
Speaker
Yeah. So they sent me off to this one store at 3.30 in the morning. There was nothing there. I said, oh, sorry, mate. So I got some other bits, but that, no, it wasn't there. And then I dropped it off their front door. And then about five minutes after I got back
The Role of Personal Trainers for ADHD
00:05:11
Speaker
in the car, there was another order from the same guy who'd managed to find, he'd managed to track down some Dolce de Leche ice cream in some other part town. So I had to go and drive off.
00:05:23
Speaker
No. And pick up these hiss his, his, his, his Argen darts and then go, Oh, we're back. um Jesus. Was he like hot spooning or something?
00:05:34
Speaker
Like they're going together, like hot spoon ice cream. Right. he was deaded He was desperate for it. Yes. so i So I did that for like five hours, and then I went to the gym at 9 a.m. m with my with my personal trainer, Dave. All right, Dave. Blimey.
00:05:52
Speaker
I know. I've had a right old morning. Christ. Okay. Okay. If I'm a little bit like frayed around the 80s, that is why. All right. Well, ah let's get back to- Yeah, but now wait, wait, wait. Take us through what did you do with Dave?
00:06:12
Speaker
Oh, good Lord. what What didn't I do with Dave? ah We did a lot of um see things. is that is i do like He'll go, right, okay, here's a here's a a a balance thing. that that'll I'll do that for a couple of reps. Then we'll go onto the mat and we'll do this other thing.
00:06:33
Speaker
yeah And then we'll go up to this thing and then we'll do some some weights for about 10 or you know two reps of 10. Then we'll go on to something else. It is like an hour of like going around the gym doing kinds of things.
00:06:50
Speaker
That helps if you've got a a um paid a personal trainer, right? Especially if you're ADHD. Right. Yeah. That really helps. Yeah.
00:07:01
Speaker
Yeah, because ah otherwise a while we all I would do is get on the running machine or the elliptical and, you know. eat ice cream. And eat ice cream when when I get home. And that that would be it. but But this guy, but having a personal trainer forces me to learn.
00:07:20
Speaker
I said, look, I want to learn all of these, what all these machines do. I want to know what. want to know. Also avoid potential injury as well, especially at our age.
00:07:30
Speaker
Oh, yes. I mean, like you could really, if you overdid it, you could you could do some damage. Oh, absolutely. If you don't do it properly.
00:07:41
Speaker
Yeah. Cool. Yeah, where are we? Okay, so let's jump in the tractor. Where are we where where are we going for? I think we're going to the coffee shop, Martin.
Exploring Tattoo Meanings and Perspectives
00:07:55
Speaker
I think we are. Coffee shop, yeah, we're to the coffee shop. what this That's a fucking really good idea because... um Because it's linked to the tattoo shop.
00:08:08
Speaker
Well, you know, like, if you ever want to see people with tattoos, they all hang out in... Coffee shops, yeah. Coffee shops.
00:08:19
Speaker
I've got bits bits on my face and it's irritating me. All right, Tattoo, let's just us get into it. You have loads, I have none. um And I am definitely in the minority pool.
00:08:34
Speaker
so Are you? Yeah, 30% to 40% of... no, I am still in the de in the me in the majority. 30% to 40% of adults in the US have at least one tattoo.
00:08:50
Speaker
So it's still a sizable chunk. But I suspect if ADHD or ADHD adults, it would be higher. ah There is a, um yes, I couldn't find any so any studies that said die directly, like like there's no universal stat, but multiple studies do suggest that there are higher rates of tattoos among people with ADHD traits, autism traits, anxiety, and depression.
00:09:22
Speaker
um So, we're and it's kind of quite in into interesting as to why people have the have have them. ah Yeah, I find okay for um people, um a lot of people ask me questions about my tattoos. I've got about 28. Wow.
00:09:46
Speaker
Altogether. And um they say, oh, um what does this one mean? What does that one mean? And and basically... It's like this like ah a dozen of them actually mean something, but most of them don't.
00:10:02
Speaker
So now I say it's just decorative. But it's not just decorative. I think it's me saying it's anti-masking. It's like saying, look at me!
00:10:13
Speaker
who I am. It's completely opposite of masking. Right. which we Which actually, so do you think then that as you have tattoos, you're becoming more you?
00:10:29
Speaker
Totally. in it In a sense, like like it's almost like you to being more you. Also because them they're a real mixture of styles, which i I was conscious of doing. It's a real mix of I don't like to stick to one style. So I've got a Japanese koi carb. I've got like an etching kind of drawing.
00:10:51
Speaker
I've got a um couple of drawings that are done by my son when he was like nine years old. Yeah, a little mishmash, which says a lot about me.
00:11:05
Speaker
Right. Well, I think that there is, from what I can work out, there is something which is like um ah um tattoos that mean something versus like vibes.
00:11:25
Speaker
Yeah. If you like. um totally and i Totally. Did I have a stat around that? I don't know if I did or not. um If I did, I can't see it.
00:11:39
Speaker
But yeah, it's it's like um
00:11:43
Speaker
it's like you know if if you're ADHD, LDHD, Well, actually, if you are ADHD, it feels like, from what I could why can work out, that that your tattoos can be more vibey. Like, there is some stuff that is deeply personal, and then there's a whole bunch that are just like, I just really like this thing.
00:12:08
Speaker
Yeah, um and And I think as you go to more the more autism side, then you get very, very specific tattoos about very, very specific niche things. Right, yeah.
00:12:25
Speaker
I don't know. It also depends on how many you have because the first one that you do usually means something.
00:12:36
Speaker
You know, it's symbolic. Rudy, stop it. It's the dog. It's the dog, Rudy. It's those bells. But the more you go, you kind of, the more that you do, the less it's more about really just, like, aesthetics and the kind of, like, the the kind of what you said. Yeah. a like it What I said...
00:13:00
Speaker
what you sit, you know, in terms of just like the effect, the kind of overall effect. Right, yeah. As it says here, no one tries tattoos. You either have zero or you're building a collection. um Right, yeah. this is says here but about to of people with tattoos have more than one.
00:13:30
Speaker
Yeah, and i've I've had some people say, well, some tattoo artists say, you don't find a tattoo, the tattoo finds you. And took me a long time before i got my first serious.
00:13:45
Speaker
I had like a couple of little silly things that I did. And my first serious one was like this flying stag beetle on my right forearm. Right. And when I saw that, I thought, I've got to have that tattooed.
00:14:00
Speaker
right And there's currently one that I want to put on my chest. o my friend That's the problem. My mate, Stefano, who's ADHD, by the way, he's he's just what he's starting to realise that he's ADHD.
00:14:18
Speaker
So he might be getting a diagnosis. um He's a tattoo artist. So the last tattoo that he did for me was on my hand. And it's dangerous because he like he won't let me pay.
00:14:32
Speaker
So, yeah, he won't let me He's just too nice. He's just nice. Jesus Christ, dude. He's just nice guy. So actually, the ones he did on my hand.
00:14:45
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. The latest ones he did for free. Jesus, dude. Yeah. So yeah, that's dangerous having a mate who's a tattoo artist that does it for free.
00:14:57
Speaker
Right. It's dangerous. Because you like, especially if you're ADHD, you think you see something and you're just like, oh, fuck. And I sent a photograph to him. I want this tattoo. said, yeah, no props. No props. Come on in to the studio.
00:15:12
Speaker
I'll do it for you. Right. Yeah. I think, you know... Have you never been tempted then? You see, this is a thing. About... Once every couple of years, I'll go, yeah i'm goingnna I'm going to start getting some ta tat tattoos and and I kind of go into my tattoo folder and then I start going online and I start building up a little, ah a ha collection of interesting interesting things.
00:15:43
Speaker
Okay. and i and then i And then after a while, that the whole the whole hyper fixation on it just dies away.
00:15:55
Speaker
Right. then, and so I just have to kind of go through that whole process of going, yeah, I'm going to have one. And then working out what it's going be and then not committing to anything. Right.
00:16:09
Speaker
yeah and then it And then that's it. That's the the last i'll I'll think of it for like for about two years. Right. and then have again two um I'm like that. I've got a tattoos folder like you.
00:16:23
Speaker
But there's certain things that come into my world like images and things. I think I have got to have that. Like this, for instance, is a Quentin Blake drawing.
00:16:34
Speaker
Right. It's a drawing that he did of a bed bug. Right. And Quentin Blake for me was something I grew up on. Yeah, illustrated. It was like my first, I think, Quentin Blake, for example, was the first visual thing i was inspired by.
00:16:56
Speaker
that will that wasn't from history books or something. It was like, for me, Quentin Blake was the first artist that came into my world, you know, and blew my mind away, you know, in terms of like how... And like, so he was an influence, I suppose, on my life. So in that way, it's significant, you know. So in that in that sense, you know, I can have things that I want to have tattooed, like you,
00:17:25
Speaker
And then if it dies away, if the idea like drifts away, it means I don't want to have it. Yeah. Does that make sense? Yeah. Well, yeah, because everything that I think of drifts away.
00:17:39
Speaker
So i don't I don't have it. So far. So far, i mean, I did have this... don't know. I must have discussed this with you at some point. I did have a and an idea for a series of tattoos, right?
00:17:54
Speaker
but So the thought was... You know, like, okay, so if you go and have an operation, you know, like they they they, I mean, you know, I had had a little bit of my my kidney taken out, right? So there'll be some, some some ah so the surgeon will cut you here and there, right? If you have open heart surgery, the surgeon will cut you. If you have your appendix out, the surgeon will cut you. And I thought, oh, let's do cut lines, right?
00:18:27
Speaker
Let's do little cut lines with ah with a pair of scissors at the end and then a little sort of dis this this description of of that of that particular surgery, right? And I would have like quite a few all over me. Okay.
00:18:46
Speaker
I did see there was a guy last week. Hang on, hang on, hang on. In the hope, right, see, the the payoff is is that I do have one of these operations, right, and then I'm out, and then yeah I get wheeled into surgery, and the and the and and and the doctor looks at me, and there's already cut lines there.
00:19:07
Speaker
and he will laugh he will laugh and tell his friends and then when I wake up after the surgery he he will come round and we will have a chat about it and we will laugh right and that will be the payoff is it like you know you know some surgeons they when they they need we need you need to operate on some someone they put dots around the area that they're going to cut right is it like that Well, I was thinking about... Or the little scar.
00:19:38
Speaker
no No, well, yeah, the the actual cut line that he would do. Maybe we could cut hair with an arrow. Yes, yeah, yeah, with a pair scissors. Oh, got it okay. Oh, there we go. Paul's locked in. at the The penny dropped.
00:19:57
Speaker
Yeah. Okay, yeah. Oh, okay. It'd be funny, you see. Right. Like the scissors from Zaftingbats. Yes, a Zaftingbats pair of scissors.
00:20:09
Speaker
there' a cut line. Well, it's right. Okay. And it'd be like, that was fucking hilarious, mate. That is so you. That is so you. You would do that just on the vague, the vaguest of chance that one day the future that would be funny. Yes. And I get to think about the guy, the surgeon, will be talking about that on and off for the rest of his life.
00:20:37
Speaker
yeah And that makes me happy that he has a story. And you could. for me for For me, for example, I've still got my appendix.
00:20:50
Speaker
Yeah. So for me, for example, I could put ah a cut mark with the zafting bat scissors yeah for where my appendix is because that's the most likely, if you're going to place a bet, it would be that I have my appendix out.
00:21:06
Speaker
Maybe. Yeah. Yeah.
Pain and Regrets of Tattoos
00:21:09
Speaker
I mean, like, you you could pick the top five. what I'm saying. You could pick one and just work your way down the list.
00:21:16
Speaker
Right. likely Of likely surgeries. Exactly. That makes me laugh every time I think think about it.
00:21:29
Speaker
but i did Anything else? And, Paul, I just realised it would be cheap. It's just a fucking dotted line. Right, you could do it yourself.
00:21:40
Speaker
You could do yourself. remember when the skinheads used to do that in the 70s?
00:21:47
Speaker
What? Who did? Skinheads. Skinheads. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. In the 70s. They used to cut themselves and put biro ink into their skin. Right. Yeah, no, I think no there is still a very thriving market of people who ink themselves, for sure.
00:22:05
Speaker
Blimey. Yeah, yeah, yeah. what about or What about pain? Where are you on the pain? are you ah you Have you got a low pain threshold? you know what i i think i i i probably do see that that's right that that that's the other thing right which i mean how is it for you for it depends the most painful was the the koi cup which i'm showing here the head he started at the head
00:22:37
Speaker
Right. and So those those people not watching on YouTube got quite card that's 10, 11 inches long on my forearm. It was eight hours in total.
00:22:48
Speaker
Okay. Nonstop. Right. He started on the head, okay, and then went all the way back to the tail, okay, and then the last three hours, he went back looked over what he'd already been tattooing, and I was crying with pain. Oof.
00:23:10
Speaker
But trying to hold it back because he was Japanese. i assume he still is Japanese. Okay. So in my stupid little mind, was thinking, don't cry, Paul, he's Japanese. They're fucking hardcore.
00:23:26
Speaker
they don i They don't They don't show emotion. I was i was like trying to prove to him, like, you know, I'm British. we We're like hard, you know. We're as hard as you're Japanese. but but They were stupid.
00:23:44
Speaker
it was that was painful Because it was basically tattooing over something that was raw. because he'd already been over it once. that was That was not nice.
00:23:57
Speaker
That's fucking brutal, mate. I mean, was all right so but all right, so if you think about dental surgery and and just having a kind of like like a normal basic tattoo, not anything that's got that massive block colouring in, I mean, is a tattoo worse than dental you know, having having a... In terms of position, where it's hey where it's where it's bad, ah here, um um up on the um my wrist here. anywhere Anywhere that's near the bone, anywhere in your body that's near the bone, it's really sensitive. but
00:24:37
Speaker
But it was painful on my wrist as well. Right. I mean, but pain not the pain-wise. just It was just like it was... um um It was, um made me anxious, shall we say. Right. well what i'm What I'm getting at is like, going to the dentist and having dental surgery, is is is that easier or worse than having a tattoo?
00:25:04
Speaker
I don't know. I haven't been to the dentist for 40 years. 40 man and boy. okay I was 18 the last time I was the dentist. Jesus Christ, man. I am going... ah i I went, I don't know, couple of week weeks ago. I've got a couple of fillings lined lined up.
00:25:28
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, really? Yeah. Have you thought, like, Bob Mortimer, the comedian, British comedian, he he worked out that he could do his own fillings. Yeah.
00:25:38
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I know. Crazy man.
00:25:45
Speaker
but How difficult can it be? How difficult it be? You know what? I went in and they had this this a machine that they moved around my mouth and it created machine.
00:26:00
Speaker
image of my teeth and my gums that the that they could rotate around on on on the screen so they did this scan this 3D scan I bet it was beautiful no mate they were like Jesus Christ dude you need some some work i yeah I know ah but yeah it was it it was ah it was an it was an interesting piece of tech I will tell you that i if I was watching by pure coincidence last night a guy in America who who used to be um a far right Nazi kind of guy with swastikas tattled on him and stuff. and various symbols and also on his face okay and he had um 10 or 11 or 12 laser tattoo removal treatments right right very painful he had even tattoos on the inside of his lips oh yeah yeah yeah so if if you had something written on the inside of your lips martin this niche question what would you what would you write oh uh in insert food here right yeah okay food and then so just arrow going right well this this way up air you know like like like like like yeah like air and food right okay well better in than out mm-hmm
00:27:43
Speaker
Okay, better out than in. I mean, okay, so ah
00:27:51
Speaker
I think, you know, like, this this doesn't affect me, and and and then it obviously it doesn't affect you either, but there's that notion. Oh, yeah, there's that notion of...
00:28:04
Speaker
um having a regret like, oh, know like I don't like, you know, like putting something on you that you kind of go, oh, yeah, no, I don't have partners' names or initials.
00:28:22
Speaker
Right. Yeah. Yeah. That's a big mistake. The only thing you can do is is you have you know initials of your your son or daughter. you know You're pretty safe that way.
00:28:33
Speaker
Pretty safe. but but but do But you don't have any on you that... that that I regret it. Yeah. No, no, no, no. and now we might Hang on. No, not at all.
00:28:47
Speaker
No. just Just checking. it picks up oh Well, because there's the other thing. Because, you know, like um ah if you have ADHD, you can be a bit, you you you can become blind to ADHD.
00:29:05
Speaker
stuff right and there's this thing where people kind of forget that they have tattoos because it's become such a part of themselves ah massively yeah that that it kind of like um you end up like it just kind of like just becomes part of you and and i'm um And I'm just wondering why that, you know, is is that why you would get something else done?
00:29:36
Speaker
is it Yeah. It's always because you've kind of i forgotten. Yeah. You just can't see it. I've got favorites, definitely, especially on my legs. I've got some favorites on my legs.
00:29:53
Speaker
All right. um There is one that um is on my groin. Oh, blimey. Okay, it's quite big. It's a beetle.
00:30:05
Speaker
ah Okay. Not as in the car, the insect. Right. it was the The guy that did it was not very accomplished. Okay. So, you know, it's kind of a practical thing, really, make sure that the person is good at what they do.
00:30:23
Speaker
Oh, right. Yeah. It's okay, but um it could have been fucking amazing in that position, you know. it could have been amazing. It's okay, you know. Okay.
00:30:36
Speaker
That's crazy just to think that down down there somewhere in your groin area, there is a... Yeah. I've got a good thing with Beatles. See, there you go. There are some things that we feel an affinity with. Like for me...
00:30:53
Speaker
Insects and beetles and things like that, I've always have had a thing with, right? Goats. I've got a big tattoo on my left thigh of a half man, half goat kind of itching kind of thing.
00:31:09
Speaker
Oh, yeah. And that I really love, really like it. I remember you showing me the the original etching for that. Right, yeah. Years ago. That that was a long that a long time ago, that was. I'll tell you how long ago it was. I had just moved to Palermo, so it was 2020, six years ago. Oh, wow.
00:31:32
Speaker
Ah, but you'd actually shown me the original drawing of that a lot. for A lot earlier than that. so Potentially two years before then. So potentially yeah um eight years ago was the first time I saw. first up That was an example I thought, I have to have that tattooed.
00:31:52
Speaker
Right.
00:31:55
Speaker
And yeah the guy that did it is really, really good. um and What was I going to say? were really excited. remember what was going to say, but yeah.
00:32:09
Speaker
um But i I mean, that's the vice advice I give give you give anyone who's thinking of getting a tattoo. Go to someone that's good. Right. You know, even if you pay a little bit more and you'll never regret it because it's pretty permanent.
00:32:26
Speaker
Right. that's the thing people say oh that's i mean this is a really interesting part of basic element of getting a tattoo or not people say i could never get a tattoo done because it's it's too permanent but that's the point h you know right you're not just like drawing yourself with a big, it's permanence, you know, is something if that's really important somehow, you know. Right. is' it It's a real commitment.
00:33:00
Speaker
yeah because Yeah, because I think, I mean, it just makes me think, you know, like how we, you know this almost goes goes back to the earlier point. Actually, is there's two things like I can think of. One is that um that ah it goes back to that,
00:33:16
Speaker
earlier thing of like you become more who you are with tattoos is because it's actually all that stuff that you've been hiding away comes out onto the onto the surface right so it's much more oh massively um uh know your identity yeah well i've got ah one of my tattoos for example one of the most symbolic ones is is me on my bicycle And for me, my bicycle was something that gave me freedom when I was a kid.
00:33:53
Speaker
You know, would just go anywhere a bicycle. So when I see that, it reminds me, it takes me to a happy place, you know. it's, yeah. Yeah, yeah, No, it's it's ah i I did have a second thing, but I've completely forgotten what it what it was. um But it was interesting.
00:34:14
Speaker
um I'm pretty damn sure it was. no Oh, yeah. You know what? ah Yeah. ah You know what we were kind saying that that that's that some things are vibes and some tattoos are special things. Yeah.
00:34:30
Speaker
ah um It does seem to me from all my research, so it's especially for ADHD and aut autistic people, that that quite a look quite a lot of them seem to be, of of the deep tattoos, where they're they're quite they're quiet sort of grounding things. They are things that you find comfort in or around your special interest. Totally.
00:34:58
Speaker
you know, or sayings or, you know, like words that that that you can, you know, that make you feel sort of, sort so that can actually sort of sort of emotionally sort of regulate you.
00:35:16
Speaker
Yeah, totally. I mean, I've got one tattoo is of a flying stag beetle, which is here. Right. There. And that to me symbolized one of the first serious tattoos I got. To me, I heard i once heard a quote that said that the mother of anxiety is freedom.
00:35:36
Speaker
So could the flying stag beater represents freedom. Right. And there's a question question mark against it. So so to me to me, it always provokes me. It's like, okay, Paul, what you going to do with your freedom? Right. Right.
00:35:52
Speaker
you know so it's like it's a reminder martin and martin that this is the one other thing right there are some people that are really anti-tattoes my mum right okay my dad my dad I know. Right.
00:36:13
Speaker
My partner's father is really against him. He said, oh, it it said to it's like you've got dirty arms, Paul. the Dirty arms?
00:36:26
Speaker
Dirty arms. There are women on Tinder that they specify when they're looking for a ah looking for a partner on Tinder, they specify no men with tattoos.
00:36:40
Speaker
I mean... No tattoos. like, what? You're in. Yeah, you're in. It's like, wow, that's really extreme. But it's it's helpful to me.
00:36:51
Speaker
Like, oh, okay. Okay, that makes it easier. Some people are really against it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a shame that my mum died and i didn't and she didn't see me have a ta tattoo. You know, that I couldn't get a tattoo and then go around to my mum's and hey, look, mum, I've got myself a tattoo. And she'd be like, oh, that's terrible. What have you done? Oh, you've got dirty arms now. Dirty arms. What are you going to think? I'm like, I'm fucking 62.
00:37:26
Speaker
o Fuck off. Well, my father hates my tattoos. Right. But he knows it's not a subject he can approach. Right.
00:37:38
Speaker
So has to stay quiet about it. But I know he hates them. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. All right. Okay, on that, I think it is time that we should we we should rate
00:37:54
Speaker
um ah tattoos. Now, because, of course, it's interesting because you have have them. So i think, um yeah, let's get to the...
00:38:14
Speaker
Okay, banjo. Yeah, go on. Well, I we i mean, mine's easy. Mine's a 10 for dopamine hit. Easy.
00:38:27
Speaker
Burnout, zero, literally. Right. so I even like a bit of the pain. i actually quite like the pain. I quite like a bit of pain, me. It becomes quite pleasurable in the end.
00:38:39
Speaker
Right. um All right, so you're a 10 and a zero. 10-0. i can I can only rate this in terms of not having any tattoos. How how how how much dopamine do I get when I look down at my ah my white bare arms and go...
00:38:58
Speaker
yeah Look at those white bear arms. What but about your missus? If you surprised your missus with the tattoo, would she how would she rate it?
00:39:15
Speaker
Nah, she's not that not that interested. She doesn't care. Right. Okay. In a good way. Yeah. I mean, she doesn't hate them. She doesn't particularly like them. She's like dead in the middle. Like, okay, yeah. Okay. Indifferent.
00:39:33
Speaker
Right. Yeah. if If you've got like surgery cut marks all over you, fine, whatever. i Okay. um Yeah, so I am going to have to go ah zero dopamine because I don't have any burnout score zero because they don't, I mean, i'm I'm just, I'm just, I'm just. Unscorable. Unscorable.
00:40:00
Speaker
Unscorable. Yeah. Okay. All
Listener Feedback and Interactive Quiz
00:40:03
Speaker
right. You know what we're going to do? We're going to jump in the tractor and we're going to go to the post office.
00:40:12
Speaker
which we haven't been to in quite a while yeah oh jesus okay so this is a bit where i say well welcome to first of welcome to the post office you know and um i also say um your feedback is really important to us come on give us some feedback good bad indifferent well i'd rather was bad Or good.
00:40:40
Speaker
Yes. Not so much indifferent. Yeah. any Any of the extremities would be fine. Indifferent or somehow more offensive. But give us your feedback. Come on. Bring it on. And we do have one comment from Carol, who is our Minister of Snacks. um She wrote a nice long ah comment on tick TikTok, which I won't read ah it it all out, but I will just say at the end it says, awesome awesome episode. So that that was last week. We talked about retirement.
00:41:13
Speaker
Paul. Awesome episode. As always, i I took you lads along out into my garden to do some rosebush chaos trimming.
00:41:26
Speaker
Nice, I like that idea. I like the idea that someone was doing that. where Where is Carol in Canada? or Yeah. Oh, okay. can Actually, Carol, can you give me some advice, right? Oh, wow, yeah. i then coming out Yesterday yesterday i started a diet, cutting out carbs.
00:41:48
Speaker
Well, not completely, 100%, because i would have ah I would have a bit of a... um um it would be too difficult to cut it out completely. would become really grouchy. So any advice from our Minister of Snacks of how I can snack without carbs, without sugar? All right.
00:42:10
Speaker
Okay. There we go. Questions out out there. Out there for Carol. All right. now Yeah, we've got a Minister of minister of Snacks, you know.
00:42:22
Speaker
Yeah. And where's where does we'll make the most of it. Absolutely. All right. Next up
00:42:38
Speaker
It's a bloody quiz. Now. Rudy's licking my ankles. Rudy, can you not lick my ankles, please? Get a rum. Rudy, buster. Buster.
00:42:50
Speaker
Okay. Enough. Okay. Bastard. Bastard. um yeah All right, so ah it was your turn to ah ask the questions.
00:43:04
Speaker
And yet. But yet that didn't happen. So ah I will be ah i'll be doing the questions this week, and then you can do two in a row. and So just to remind us of the scores currently, it's um ah you're you're up for it's four. It's currently.
00:43:21
Speaker
currently Blimey, streaking ahead. Yeah, which is how many how many goals England are going to win the World Cup with this year. Anyway, um so I've got a quiz.
00:43:36
Speaker
It's three questions and a lie. You have to spot the lie. ah The theme is about, um is tattoo themed. Tattoos.
00:43:48
Speaker
Are you ready, Mr. Paul? Okay. Yes, I am. Which of these is a lie? A. um i think his name... How do you pronounce it? um Oatsy the Iceman.
00:44:03
Speaker
Now, do you know Oatsy the Iceman? he He was like a sort of a Stone Age Neanderthal... um Maybe he was homo sapien, actually. An old kind of like Stone Age guy. He was dug up.
00:44:19
Speaker
some other Was it in France, Italy? And he was he was like... Oh, I know who you mean. Yes, yes. and And he was like killed while while he was wandering in the snow. Yes.
00:44:34
Speaker
Many thousands of years ago. Anyway, that guy... That guy had over 60 tattoos. More than you, Paul. More than you. 60? That's a...
00:44:47
Speaker
um that's I'm already blown. Mine is already blown. Never mind the quiz. Right. 60 tattoos. Mostly simple lines and dots, believed to be early forms of pain relief therapy.
00:45:02
Speaker
Is that a line? Or is it B, ancient Romans sometimes tattooed criminals on on the face with the word tax evader, so everyone knew their vibe instantly.
00:45:17
Speaker
Okay. Or his number is C.L.I. In ancient Egypt, tattoos were mainly used on and or honor women and may have been connected to first fertility protection or religious rituals.
00:45:35
Speaker
Oh, blimey, that's not easy. i Did your husband have 60 tattoos? Was it ancient Romans with tattooing your crime on their on on your face?
00:45:48
Speaker
was it were women, mostly our tattoos? Instinct is is is the the the odd one out, the the false one yeah is B. And you'd be right.
00:46:00
Speaker
Yes. Yeah, ancient Romans. Yeah, Romans did tattt tattoo criminals and slaves, but not with specifically like Yelp reviews.
00:46:12
Speaker
So, yeah. I'll tell you why I went for number two. It's because in Italy, the general culture is, even going back to ancient Roman times, yeah there there is no shame in Italy with doing crime. The crime is getting caught doing it.
00:46:29
Speaker
Oh, right. Right. So, yeah, there's not much. There's almost a pride in Italy with trying to evade taxes. Right. It's like a national sport.
00:46:40
Speaker
Oh, Jesus. um All right. Question number number two. Which of these is a lie? King George V got a dragon tattoo while visiting Japan in the eighteen hundreds Or B, Winston Churchill. the Yeah, eighteen hundreds Visiting Japan.
00:47:02
Speaker
um Winston Churchill had a secret anchor tattoo on his forearm.
00:47:09
Speaker
oh Or Tsar Nicholas II also got tattooed during his trip to Japan. Seems to be a thing. Controversial.
00:47:25
Speaker
It's a thing. it's It's what you do.
00:47:31
Speaker
Back in the day. Go to Japan. Sounds like we need a piece of music for it. It's a thing. It's a thing. It's the quiz.
00:47:42
Speaker
It's a thing. It is a thing. That's a bit cheeky though, isn't it? think...
00:47:51
Speaker
Churchill did have an anchor on his forearm. So that means I've got to decide between whether the king of... King George He was quite straight, a very conservative man.
00:48:12
Speaker
going for A, he's being false. And you'd be wrong. ah it' it's It's actually B. wait Winston to Churchill. So Churchill's mother reportedly had a snake tattoo, ah but Winston himself no confirmed ink.
00:48:32
Speaker
But yeah ah yeah, King George V and Tsar Nicholas II. Dragon tattoos, very interesting. Wowzers. All right, so it all comes down on onto the last one, Paul.
00:48:45
Speaker
All right. We're done down to question three. Which of these is a lie? A. In the 1800s, some circus performers were fully tattooed and made a living by simply standing there and being looked at.
00:49:01
Speaker
which is which is what, you know, if you just carried on doing ink, that's basically how you could get some cash, just like just the just standard. there I guess the for for it to be a crowd pleaser, it would have to be like full body tattoos.
00:49:22
Speaker
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. It would be full on. Okay, all right. Mm-hmm. Or B, during the early 1900s, people could buy DIY tattoo kits from catalogs and just and just go for it at home.
00:49:42
Speaker
blimey. Okay. Where's this? It just says during the 1900s, you could buy a DIY tattoo kit.
00:49:53
Speaker
Oh, okay. this It's a very expertly done quiz because, they're they' yeah, it's a hard one. at all all alright Or is it C, medieval monks used tattoos as a form of punishment, forcing sinners to get tiny tattoos of bees as a symbol of shame?
00:50:16
Speaker
It sounds very un-monkey.
00:50:22
Speaker
That sounds very unmonkey. All right. So what do we think? It sounds very unmonkey. So are you are you going to be like a circus performer? The circus. Well, if that was true, all of three would be would be the second option. So I'm not going to go for the second option. I'm going say a you're going to go for that in the some circus performers were fully tattooed and made a living. Yeah. I'd say that's false.
00:50:58
Speaker
Oh, that's true, mate. That's true. That's true. You know, you know, like, you know, those of fake freak shows? Oh, totally. Come and see that the tattoo lady.
00:51:12
Speaker
I don't pay to see anything, but you'd have to be a bit of freak. You know, if you went to see if you had if there was a queue, you know, there were two attractions side by side, and one was the Elephant Man, and another one was, you know, someone covered in tattoos.
00:51:29
Speaker
Right. I'm not sure I'd pay, but I'm not Victorian, Steve Martin. Right. I'm not Victorian. You might have noticed. Right, but which are you going to choose? Because you' because you've now set this thing up where where we're all kind of like, you know, which which are you going to see? You've got two tents. One is the elephant man. Two tents. One is a fully tattooed guy.
00:51:54
Speaker
Well, I think the elephant man would be two tents for me, Martin. See what I did there. I'll see what you did there.
00:52:04
Speaker
wait is Way too tense. Fair enough. I think I would prefer to go see The Elephant Man. He was a nice man. He was a very nice man.
00:52:17
Speaker
john Merrick. John Merrick. Sorry, nice man. Right. So the... what So that was the wrong answer. Right. the The wrong answer was the medieval monks did not force sinners to get tiny tattoos. No.
00:52:36
Speaker
Very un-monkey. But it was... Yeah, they they had to... Okay. Oh, yeah. all right. But, yeah. Monks, they gave...
00:52:48
Speaker
tattoos of of bees to people that were sinners that that that was a lie that that was a lie oh that was a right so i should have trusted my my instinct shouldn't i yeah says one to me hooray i'm one to you for one i'm off off the blocks ah You know what? Okay.
00:53:15
Speaker
All right. Well, let's get exhaust it now skip people excited. and And now this is a bit where we um
00:53:27
Speaker
decide what we're going to talk about next week. And it's your choice. It's your choice. So tell us, Paul. We are Martin. Next week's episode. Wait for it. Okay.
00:53:41
Speaker
Drum roll. next episode Next week's episode is ADHD and misophonia. What that? So this is sounds that might trigger you.
00:53:53
Speaker
Ooh. ADHDs ADHDs, sounds that trigger you. Wow. All right. i I can think of a few off the top of my head.
00:54:04
Speaker
Yeah. so And it's very the're very personal things I would suggest. very personal things. See, this is what's going to happen.
00:54:17
Speaker
Because you can't, there is there is only limited amount that i can read that I can actually research this. This is going to involve me going around all week going, do I like this sound? air That's an irritating sound. I'm going to put out there a provocation, okay?
00:54:35
Speaker
And I'm not sure whether it falls into this category or not, but There's certain things that people say that really trigger me. So someone says bits and bobs, right? Every year annoys me.
00:54:52
Speaker
Bits and bobs. Are we going to in include words? Well, I think it's because i'm so this is why I'm saying, is it because of how it sounds or what it signifies?
00:55:08
Speaker
or what I'm related to. i think it's how it sounds. So then it falls into misophonia. Okay. All right. Well, we're going to get in into that ah and de de next week. It it sounds like... Sounds the trick of you. Sounds the trick of you.
00:55:29
Speaker
All right. Awesome. Okay, well that just leaves with me to say ADHDville is delivered fresh every Tuesday to all prefers a fine podcast. Please subscribe to the pod and rate us most inked.
00:55:42
Speaker
Well, you can rate Paul as most inked and me as... Uninked. Uninked. Fair. And feel free to... Oh yeah, no, mate, you know, like as as I'm getting larger, as I get older, there is just more canvas. this this's There's more canvas as older.
00:56:03
Speaker
Right, touch the canvas. I mean, you know, that is why I'm going to the gym, because I so i can actually get less canvas. Right. Pick more ripped canvas.
00:56:15
Speaker
Yes. Oh, you see, that's what i need to do. need to get ripped, right? Right. I look like some sort of Greek statue. And then I go, all right, now let's get those surgeon cap lines on me.
00:56:34
Speaker
Where am I now? There. Oh, yeah. Feel free to correspond at Will in the comments. But wait, there's more if you wish to see our beautiful, beautiful faces. oh Sally forth to the YouTubes and the TikToks. and You can also pick up a call and email us. Oh, the music's run out and now feel naked. I feel naked out out in the ancient house.
00:56:54
Speaker
Yes. Help. It's exposed. I'm in space. Help. um where are we uh yeah uh yeah if you want to see our faces they'd get with the youtube to the tiktoks and i tell you mate without the music under me i feel like i'm dying um anyway that's very that's very autistic <unk>t It is, isn't it?
00:57:20
Speaker
It is. i like that. You know what? I'm just going to hit the button again. Oh, there you go. Bring it back in. Bring it back in.
00:57:32
Speaker
okay Oh, there we go. That feels better. That's very autistic. Jesus Christ, man. That was crazy.
00:57:46
Speaker
Yeah, here we go. Right, so if you want to see our beautiful, beautiful faces for the fifth time, send it forth to the YouTubes and the TikToks, and you can also pick up a quill and email us at adhdva.gmail.com. But in the meantime, be fucking kind to yourself.
00:57:59
Speaker
And beseech you, fellow ADHDers, and all ADHDers, fare thee well with gladness of heart. Oh, yes. There we go.
00:58:10
Speaker
There, says the mayor. That's that. Wait, wait, wait.
00:58:19
Speaker
Yeah. And we're gone.