Spilled Ink: Brooklyn Bartenders Talk About Their Tattoos
Bridgette
Camp, Carroll Gardens
(Also works at Bootleg in Bushwick and Von in NoHo )
So let’s hear the story behind the “I Dig You” tattoo on your bicep.
I got this one around 2003 when this guy I used to always hang out with passed away. He used to always say, “Bridgette Bulger, I dig you.” So this is a tribute. We were like the Odd Couple. He used to collect custom cars. He looked like a motorcycle Santa Claus, about 6’2” with a big all-white beard, and then there was me, just hanging out.
How did you guys first start becoming friends?
He was in Brooklyn when I met him. There used to be this car show called the Rumblers — it was under the BQE, near Union Pool — and he won that show, like, three years in a row.
That’s such a great story. Do any of your other tattoos carry significant meaning?
This one [points to her shoulder where there’s one of a woman sitting on a horseshoe with the words “Mama Tried” underneath], you know, I guess everyone’s mom wants them to be something they’re not, and I’m like, well, she tried. There’s a song by Merle Haggard called “Mama Tried,” and I just thought, “All right, well, that’ll be her tattoo.” My Mom was jealous of this tattoo [points to a fading heart with the word “Daddy” across it]. Now you probably can’t even see it, but my Dad passed away, and so I got “Daddy” written here. Then my Mom got jealous of it. It was the weirdest thing.
That is pretty much the opposite reaction you expect from a parent, ha. They’re supposed to be mad.
Well, she was mad too. Mad and jealous. She’s like, “Where’s mine?!” [laughs]