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. 
