Scott C. Greene
WARWICK, R.I.
Like the artistic tattoos he lovingly created as gifts for his wife, Scott Greene was an original, a man who drew inspiration from Sanskrit passages and Star Wars alike.
At Doors of Perception Tattoo, the West Warwick parlor he and his wife, Sandi, opened together in 2001, Greene was known as ''Skott,'' a true believer in Black Sabbath's rock and all things science fiction. To his mother-in-law, Norma Mullin, he was ''Scott with a C,'' a gentle spirit who was quick with a smile and slow to anger.
When she first met Greene, Mullin didn't quite know what to make of all his tattoos. But before long, she saw past his rebellious appearance. "After you know him, you forget about what's on the outside," she said. "He was such a wonderful man, and he made my daughter so happy."
On the day of the fire, Greene gave Great White lead singer Jack Russell a tattoo. In thanks, Russell gave him four free passes to the show. Greene jumped at the chance for a night of heavy metal. His wife opted for a night in.
Greene's two abiding passions were his artwork and rock 'n' roll. His drawing pencils and his 500-disc CD changer rarely paused, Sandi said.
On Feb. 22, two days after the fire, Greene would have turned 36. He was looking forward to a birthday tradition -- his favorite meal at Outback Steakhouse. Steak and shrimp, mushrooms on the side, with Captain Morgan's and Coke. Sandi Greene, surrounded by friends and family, had the same meal in his stead. Her husband would have wanted it that way, she said.
This Valentine's Day, Greene's gift to his wife was an inscription tattooed on her wrist that read, in Sanskrit, "I honor the divine within."
Like the tattoo, his memory will not soon fade, Sandi Greene said. "He loved everything about his life," she said. "And that rubbed off on everyone he met."
"To him art was everything, and he had such a love for music," she said.
PETER SCHWORM
