the title says it all: "modern primitives". published back in 1989 it was - as far as i know - one of the first publications looking into now trendy things such as tattooing and piercing. but don't let this mislead you; it goes beyond those topics!

there are so many great, fantastic, unbelievable, excellent interviews with countless interesting personalities included. i was overwhelmed! still am! i've had this book for a few years now, but i keep re-reading lots of interviews again and again.

here are some of the people that have had the opportunity to speak out in this book: don ed hardy, captain don, anton lavey, leo zulueta, bill salmon, lyle tuttle, vyvyn lazonga, monte cazazza, dan thome, hanky panky, goodtime charlie cartwright, jim ward and genesis & paula p. orridge (of throbbing gristle / psychic tv fame).

also, there are lots and lots of great photographs; (some by the fantastic charles gatewood). though not all of them for the faint hearted...

this book is a must-have, imho, for anyone interested in stuff like tattooing and/or piercing.


Kicks a**!! Get it!!!   January 26, 1999
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

A must for all tattoo/scarification afficionados. Interviews are top notch. Chosen artists truly are the best at what they do. Found this to be a great resource for Masters Thesis at UC Berkeley on Contemporary tattoo. Did not put it down for hours once I got me wee hands on it...


Encyclopedic reference to tatoos, piercings, scarifications   December 24, 1998
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

A top notch reference book that features some of the most important names in the scene. If you are interested at all in tatoos, piercings, scarifications, body mods, surgical and non-surgical and a whole lot of other related stuff, this book is a great read and a must have reference.


The seminal fetish/tattoo/corset/body-modification guide.   April 10, 1999
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

This is the book that really turned me on to the body as art - to body modification, scarification, corseting, piercing, and all of the other -ifications that have become so wildly popular. Good for the voyeur, and basic reading for the neo-fetishist. Just plain cool. Maybe (nowadays, with Marilyn Manson, et al) a tad out of date.


Not for your grandmother   March 16, 2003
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Modern Primitives is a book often described as a must have for those in the modification community. However, the illuminating interviews will be interesting to anybody, and the variation in topics discussed means that all niches of the body modification culture are covered. As far as I know, there is simply no other book like it.