The Things I Came Here With
Chris MacDonald
“Does it hurt?” When you’re a tattoo artist, that’s the most universal question. For Chris MacDonald, the answer is simple: hurts less than a broken heart. Those words are painted above the entrance to his shop, Under My Thumb Tattoos, as a reminder.
Chris and his brothers were as wild as the wind, in their house among the fields of Alliston, Ontario, when their parents divorced. Shell-shocked, they were uprooted and brought to Toronto by their dad. Their mother’s mental illness worsened in the aftermath, and she disappeared. As a teenager, Chris left home and found himself immersed in the city’s underbelly, a world where drugs, skateboarding, and punk rock reigned. Between the youth shelters, suicidal thoughts, and haunted apartments, a light shined: and it was art.
He eventually found himself following the path of his brother, Rob, and pursuing life as a tattooist. Then, at the height of a destructive summer, everything changed: he met Megan, the girl who would become his rock of ages.
This remarkable memoir examines what tattooing means to MacDonald and traces the connection his artistic motives have to both his family and childhood. The Things I Came Here With is about how crucial our past is to understanding our future, but it’s also a love letter to his daughter about the importance of expression, life’s uncertainty, and beauty.
Author - Chris MacDonald.
Narrator - Max Lloyd-Jones.
Published Date - Thursday, 19 January 2023.
Location:
United States
Description:
“Does it hurt?” When you’re a tattoo artist, that’s the most universal question. For Chris MacDonald, the answer is simple: hurts less than a broken heart. Those words are painted above the entrance to his shop, Under My Thumb Tattoos, as a reminder. Chris and his brothers were as wild as the wind, in their house among the fields of Alliston, Ontario, when their parents divorced. Shell-shocked, they were uprooted and brought to Toronto by their dad. Their mother’s mental illness worsened in the aftermath, and she disappeared. As a teenager, Chris left home and found himself immersed in the city’s underbelly, a world where drugs, skateboarding, and punk rock reigned. Between the youth shelters, suicidal thoughts, and haunted apartments, a light shined: and it was art. He eventually found himself following the path of his brother, Rob, and pursuing life as a tattooist. Then, at the height of a destructive summer, everything changed: he met Megan, the girl who would become his rock of ages. This remarkable memoir examines what tattooing means to MacDonald and traces the connection his artistic motives have to both his family and childhood. The Things I Came Here With is about how crucial our past is to understanding our future, but it’s also a love letter to his daughter about the importance of expression, life’s uncertainty, and beauty. Author - Chris MacDonald. Narrator - Max Lloyd-Jones. Published Date - Thursday, 19 January 2023.
Language:
English
Chapter 1
Duration:00:00:11
Chapter 2
Duration:00:00:04
Chapter 3
Duration:00:05:12
Chapter 4
Duration:00:00:04
Chapter 5
Duration:00:03:50
Chapter 6
Duration:00:11:42
Chapter 7
Duration:00:01:24
Chapter 8
Duration:00:01:06
Chapter 9
Duration:00:06:20
Chapter 10
Duration:00:02:52
Chapter 11
Duration:00:02:35
Chapter 12
Duration:00:02:15
Chapter 13
Duration:00:02:56
Chapter 14
Duration:00:04:15
Chapter 15
Duration:00:03:41
Chapter 16
Duration:00:01:55
Chapter 17
Duration:00:01:19
Chapter 18
Duration:00:03:51
Chapter 19
Duration:00:01:45
Chapter 20
Duration:00:03:55
Chapter 21
Duration:00:04:15
Chapter 22
Duration:00:01:34
Chapter 23
Duration:00:07:45
Chapter 24
Duration:00:03:37
Chapter 25
Duration:00:03:52
Chapter 26
Duration:00:02:11
Chapter 27
Duration:00:06:15
Chapter 28
Duration:00:04:01
Chapter 29
Duration:00:04:46
Chapter 30
Duration:00:13:07
Chapter 31
Duration:00:00:04
Chapter 32
Duration:00:06:19
Chapter 33
Duration:00:02:54
Chapter 34
Duration:00:13:21
Chapter 35
Duration:00:09:35
Chapter 36
Duration:00:08:32
Chapter 37
Duration:00:06:21
Chapter 38
Duration:00:03:38
Chapter 39
Duration:00:05:35
Chapter 40
Duration:00:07:52
Chapter 41
Duration:00:10:50
Chapter 42
Duration:00:03:39
Chapter 43
Duration:00:05:00
Chapter 44
Duration:00:09:12
Chapter 45
Duration:00:06:45
Chapter 46
Duration:00:13:12
Chapter 47
Duration:00:04:03
Chapter 48
Duration:00:08:19
Chapter 49
Duration:00:09:33
Chapter 50
Duration:00:04:25
Chapter 51
Duration:00:00:05
Chapter 52
Duration:00:06:42
Chapter 53
Duration:00:03:31
Chapter 54
Duration:00:03:45
Chapter 55
Duration:00:09:09
Chapter 56
Duration:00:04:44
Chapter 57
Duration:00:05:51
Chapter 58
Duration:00:05:52
Chapter 59
Duration:00:05:34
Chapter 60
Duration:00:10:00
Chapter 61
Duration:00:07:54
Chapter 62
Duration:00:05:57
Chapter 63
Duration:00:17:33
Chapter 64
Duration:00:04:23
Chapter 65
Duration:00:18:18
Chapter 66
Duration:00:05:55
Chapter 67
Duration:00:07:09
Chapter 68
Duration:00:04:15
Chapter 69
Duration:00:05:34
Chapter 70
Duration:00:11:14
Chapter 71
Duration:00:03:48
Chapter 72
Duration:00:05:06
Chapter 73
Duration:00:03:20
Chapter 74
Duration:00:03:05
Chapter 75
Duration:00:04:35
Chapter 76
Duration:00:09:36
Chapter 77
Duration:00:01:54
Chapter 78
Duration:00:06:10
Chapter 79
Duration:00:03:04
Chapter 80
Duration:00:04:58
Chapter 81
Duration:00:07:16
Chapter 82
Duration:00:04:11
Chapter 83
Duration:00:04:02
Chapter 84
Duration:00:05:13
Chapter 85
Duration:00:08:39
Chapter 86
Duration:00:01:26
Chapter 87
Duration:00:00:41