Add Page Six on Google MGK’s quest to completely transform his appearance left him seriously ill.
The “Everything Tatted” rocker (who previously went by Machine Gun Kelly) opened up about the grueling process behind his massive blackout tattoo in a new cover story for Billboard Canada. He revealed that he became sick after pushing his body to the limit to complete the extensive body art in just two months.
“The same way I was reinventing my sound, I wanted to reinvent my body,” MGK, 36, explained.
The musician (real name: Colson Baker) said celebrity tattoo artist ROXX designed a massive “dark mode” tattoo that covers most of his arms, chest and stomach.
While the project was originally expected to take two years to complete, MGK insisted on finishing it in a fraction of the time.
“She warned me that it was going to be near impossible, even from a pain tolerance standpoint,” he recalled. “I said, ‘Yeah, we got two months.'”
Instead of taking breaks to allow his body to heal, MGK spent weeks undergoing daily tattoo sessions at ROXX’s Los Angeles studio.
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“After the first week, we hit my lymph nodes around my armpits and shoulders, and I got really sick,” he said. “My skin was turning yellow. I wasn’t able to sleep. I stopped being able to move certain parts of my upper body.”
Despite the alarming side effects, the rocker pushed forward, viewing the physically demanding process as a challenge he needed to overcome.
“I came out the other side extremely inspired,” he said. “Not just because of what I had done, but because of what I had to overcome.”
In March, “The Dirt” actor added another tattoo to his collection — which may be the sweetest one of all.
MGK tattooed his daughter’s name, “Saga,” in all capital letters on the back of his right hand. Saga is the name of his youngest child, whom he shares with ex Megan Fox. He’s also dad to teenage daughter Casie from his previous relationship with ex Emma Cannon.
Berlin-based tattoo artist Zopfi’s shared pics of MGK’s newest tat — which was inked beneath the singer’s wild blackout art — to his Instagram.
“Got some awesome pictures from the SAGA Tattoo I did on @machinegunkelly on stage,” he wrote. “Love the vibe and they look so fire!!”
