First published 20 years ago, Modern Primitives is still called "the bible of the tattooing-piercing underground." Here is a celebratory reprinting, complete with a new introduction by original editor/publisher V. Vale.
Interviews with 15 tattoo and body modification artists. Modern
Primitives examines a vivid contemporary enigma: the growing revival of
highly visual (and sometimes shocking) "primitive" body modification
practices - tattooing, multiple piercing, and scarification.
Fakir Musafar: By the time he was twelve, Fakir had begun a systematic, personal exploration of virtually every body modification and ritual practice known to man--all done clandestinely until the '80s.
Since the release of the 1985 film Dances Sacred and Profane (in which he did the primitive rituals of a Sun Dance and a Kavandi
Bearing), Fakir has given numerous lectures accompanied by slide shows, "live" demonstrations of rituals and practices, and showings of Dances Sacred and Profane for which he is the booking agent. He has published a series of
publications titled Body Play, and has been featured in several videos by Charles Gatewood and others. Fakir is now world-renowned for his workshops, performances and publishing. What follows is a condensation of conversations
conducted 1982 to 1986, and is representative of his philosophy and thought to that date.
Ed Hardy: One of the foremost practitioners of the ancient art of tattoo is Don Ed Hardy, a philosopher, historian, painter and innovator who, on a global scale, has greatly advanced the cultural credibility of his profession. As editor of
Tattootime he chronicled and disseminated little-known mythology, anthropology, history, and photo documentation about tattoos. He also spotlights current innovative trends both in technique and content. His goal: to raise artistic standards and extend the range and complexity of symbolism depicted, while reinvestigating and preserving past traditions.
Monte Cazazza: A founding theoretician of the Industrial Culture movement, Monte Cazazza has continued producing videos (having recently completed a successor to
True Gore); music (with his band the Atom
Smashers); media studies (Marshall McLuhan being a perennial favorite); film screenplays; and other project/collaborations with Psychic Television (PTV) and artist Deborah Valentine.
Genesis and Paula P-Orridge were known for their music and video projects under the names Psychic Television (PTV) and The
Temple of Psychic Youth (TOPY). Previously, Genesis had been a prime innovator in the Industrial Culture Movement, producing dozens of albums as part of the groundbreaking quartet, Throbbing Gristle, as well as releasing
recordings by SPK and others on the Industrial Records label. In the following interview Genesis and Paula reveal motivations and philosophical imperatives for their tattooing, piercing and scarification explorations.
