Allen Falkner Interview Posted

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I’ve just posted a really engrossing interview with Allen Falkner about fifteen years at the forefront of suspension, reflections on selling his long-lived piercing and tattoo studio, and his new business doing tattoo removal. Also included is a repost of an audio interview from 2000. Click through to check out the interview, and please come back to comment.

84 thoughts on “Allen Falkner Interview Posted”

  1. Thank you for this!
    I thoroughly enjoyed reading this interview on all levels. And honestly, if it weren’t for both – the interviewer as well as the interviewee – I would not be here today.

  2. Thank you for this!
    I thoroughly enjoyed reading this interview on all levels. And honestly, if it weren’t for both – the interviewer as well as the interviewee – I would not be here today.

  13. Good read. Allen is a real nice guy as I’m sure anybody who has met him could attest.
    Hope Fade Fast is a success for him.
    If you haven’t met him yet, just walk up, say hello and ask if you can blow on his dice 😉

  14. Good read. Allen is a real nice guy as I’m sure anybody who has met him could attest.
    Hope Fade Fast is a success for him.
    If you haven’t met him yet, just walk up, say hello and ask if you can blow on his dice 😉

  17. Interesting interview.
    By the way, Shannon, I’ve found one missing letter in interview. It’s under question “BME: Can you give me a really quick history of Obscurities?”. word piecing begs you for ‘r’ (:

  18. Interesting interview.
    By the way, Shannon, I’ve found one missing letter in interview. It’s under question “BME: Can you give me a really quick history of Obscurities?”. word piecing begs you for ‘r’ (:

  19. Commodore Josh – I know you’re half joking, but no, I don’t believe that it would, because there’s no mechanism for your body to remove the broken down ink. The eye is set up to be able to “safely” store contaminants in that layer, but not to absorb them elsewhere.

    pawnboker – Thanks 😛

  20. Commodore Josh – I know you’re half joking, but no, I don’t believe that it would, because there’s no mechanism for your body to remove the broken down ink. The eye is set up to be able to “safely” store contaminants in that layer, but not to absorb them elsewhere.

    pawnboker – Thanks 😛

  27. If you go back on his IAM a bit, there’s a link to a video he did of him dropping onto the hooks. That shit looks ROUGH. No wonder he pulled a muscle doing it.

  28. If you go back on his IAM a bit, there’s a link to a video he did of him dropping onto the hooks. That shit looks ROUGH. No wonder he pulled a muscle doing it.

  31. that was intense.. thanx for the link!!
    I enjoyed the interview a lot.. and said a little personal thank you to myself for putting thought and love into my tattoo ideas before getting them..

  32. that was intense.. thanx for the link!!
    I enjoyed the interview a lot.. and said a little personal thank you to myself for putting thought and love into my tattoo ideas before getting them..

  35. it’s funny – i spent two hours in class today learning about Black Mountain College (which was the place of the very first Happenings, or performance art, in the 1950s). i wonder what those kids and teachers would think of Allen and his work 🙂

    also, i was wondering if people considered suspension to be body modification (the definition of which seems to be a continual source of debate on here). don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely hardcore, but it doesn’t really change anything permanently. i was just wondering people’s opinions.

    and i love that his focus with the removal company is mainly to alter and improve, rather than just erase. it was cool to hear his opinions on Freedom2 ink. it isn’t often that anyone into mods is in favor of an easily removed, not-so-permanent tattoo. anyone know if there are studies yet as to how the tattoo ink fades over time? last i saw that was the biggest issue. well, that and the only color was that henna looking brown.

  36. it’s funny – i spent two hours in class today learning about Black Mountain College (which was the place of the very first Happenings, or performance art, in the 1950s). i wonder what those kids and teachers would think of Allen and his work 🙂

    also, i was wondering if people considered suspension to be body modification (the definition of which seems to be a continual source of debate on here). don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely hardcore, but it doesn’t really change anything permanently. i was just wondering people’s opinions.

    and i love that his focus with the removal company is mainly to alter and improve, rather than just erase. it was cool to hear his opinions on Freedom2 ink. it isn’t often that anyone into mods is in favor of an easily removed, not-so-permanent tattoo. anyone know if there are studies yet as to how the tattoo ink fades over time? last i saw that was the biggest issue. well, that and the only color was that henna looking brown.

  37. nope – My feeling is that suspension is an element of body play/body ritual culture, which runs somewhat parallel to body modification culture.

  38. nope – My feeling is that suspension is an element of body play/body ritual culture, which runs somewhat parallel to body modification culture.

  39. I have met Allen before, at a Fetish Factory event in Ft.Lauderdale..He really is a super nice guy!…The performance was AMAZING…he did a knee hand and cut-away and he swung all over the place it was just great…there was blood everywhere!!!!!…I will never forget that!

  40. I have met Allen before, at a Fetish Factory event in Ft.Lauderdale..He really is a super nice guy!…The performance was AMAZING…he did a knee hand and cut-away and he swung all over the place it was just great…there was blood everywhere!!!!!…I will never forget that!

  41. I have met Allen before, at a Fetish Factory event in Ft.Lauderdale..He really is a super nice guy!…The performance was AMAZING…he did a knee hang and cut-away and he swung all over the place it was just great…there was blood everywhere!!!!!…I will never forget that!

  42. I have met Allen before, at a Fetish Factory event in Ft.Lauderdale..He really is a super nice guy!…The performance was AMAZING…he did a knee hang and cut-away and he swung all over the place it was just great…there was blood everywhere!!!!!…I will never forget that!

  43. Great interview, I’ve always through an Allen Falkner interview would be interesting, I’m going to check out that audio piece now.

    Thanks again for all the work you’re putting in on these interviews Shannon, and indeed anyone else involved with them! They’re definitely appreciated.

  44. Great interview, I’ve always through an Allen Falkner interview would be interesting, I’m going to check out that audio piece now.

    Thanks again for all the work you’re putting in on these interviews Shannon, and indeed anyone else involved with them! They’re definitely appreciated.

  45. That interview was amazing Shannon.

    I was wondering if anyone knew of any suspension groups in the UK. I really really want to do my first suspension soon but I know no one! I’m in the midlands area but would obviously travel for it 🙂

  46. That interview was amazing Shannon.

    I was wondering if anyone knew of any suspension groups in the UK. I really really want to do my first suspension soon but I know no one! I’m in the midlands area but would obviously travel for it 🙂

  49. Really good interview, really enjoyed reading it =]
    As I do most interviews on here.

  50. Really good interview, really enjoyed reading it =]
    As I do most interviews on here.

  51. I love the tattoo removal part of this interview, it really makes a lot of sense because before the topic was so black and white: either you love you tattoo or you hate it and want it gone. His solution acknowledges the grey area of the issue. thanks for posting this

  52. I love the tattoo removal part of this interview, it really makes a lot of sense because before the topic was so black and white: either you love you tattoo or you hate it and want it gone. His solution acknowledges the grey area of the issue. thanks for posting this

  53. In my opinion one of the best articles/interviews in a long time. Great to have this article span the many years Allen has been on the forefront of everything…piercing, tattooing, suspensions,etc.

  54. In my opinion one of the best articles/interviews in a long time. Great to have this article span the many years Allen has been on the forefront of everything…piercing, tattooing, suspensions,etc.

  59. You have him “LOL”. This amuses me.

    Oh yeah, and good article. Each section was quite interesting…

  60. You have him “LOL”. This amuses me.

    Oh yeah, and good article. Each section was quite interesting…

  63. I would have much preferred to read about Allen’s desire to eat poo and contract HIV, but overall it was a good interview.

  64. I would have much preferred to read about Allen’s desire to eat poo and contract HIV, but overall it was a good interview.

  69. That was fantastic; thanks Shannon. I’m particularly grateful for the information on removal – I have a forearm tattoo that didn’t work out as planned. I’m delighted to discover that as a fair-skinned person with a black tattoo on my arm, I’m an ideal candidate. Maybe my cover-up idea will work after all…

  70. That was fantastic; thanks Shannon. I’m particularly grateful for the information on removal – I have a forearm tattoo that didn’t work out as planned. I’m delighted to discover that as a fair-skinned person with a black tattoo on my arm, I’m an ideal candidate. Maybe my cover-up idea will work after all…

  75. I enjoyed the article. I have been considering removal to make way for a bigger sleeve peice, and thats why I read it. I am not a fan of the suspension thing, but this article did make me a little more accepting of the practice.

  76. I enjoyed the article. I have been considering removal to make way for a bigger sleeve peice, and thats why I read it. I am not a fan of the suspension thing, but this article did make me a little more accepting of the practice.

  81. I’m so fascinated by body art as performance art. We had a couple of lectures on my course recently about Ron Athey and a French artist called Orlan (who has plastic surgery procedures performed on herself as art, which I appreciate is slightly different) and I think it’s amazing, the most incredible connection to the art you’re making. Sadly, when I asked my tutor if I would be allowed to use needles in our performance piece, I was told that I wouldn’t as “we can’t just sit by and watch you harm yourself, we’d have to intervene.” 🙁

  82. I’m so fascinated by body art as performance art. We had a couple of lectures on my course recently about Ron Athey and a French artist called Orlan (who has plastic surgery procedures performed on herself as art, which I appreciate is slightly different) and I think it’s amazing, the most incredible connection to the art you’re making. Sadly, when I asked my tutor if I would be allowed to use needles in our performance piece, I was told that I wouldn’t as “we can’t just sit by and watch you harm yourself, we’d have to intervene.” 🙁

  83. ALLEN DID MY NIPPLES BACK IN DALLAS, TX AND MY PARTNER (LIKE 13 OR 14 PIERCINGS DOWN THERE…) ONLY A FEW PEOPLE IN DALLAS HAD THEM AT THAT TIME…ALLEN IS A VERY COOL DOWN TO EARTH GUY AND I REALLY LIKED HIM ALOT. NOW THAT WE MOVED FROM DALLAS TO MOVED TO SAN FRANCISCO, CA I STILL THINK ABOUT ALLEN AND FEELING THAT ROD IN HIS ARM. I STILL HAVE MY RINGS IN MY NIPS AND PROUD TO SAY ALLEN, THE GUY IN THE GUINESS WORLD RECORDS DID THEM FOR ME. LOVE YOU GUY! YOU ARE THE BEST AND HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN ONE DAY!!

  84. ALLEN DID MY NIPPLES BACK IN DALLAS, TX AND MY PARTNER (LIKE 13 OR 14 PIERCINGS DOWN THERE…) ONLY A FEW PEOPLE IN DALLAS HAD THEM AT THAT TIME…ALLEN IS A VERY COOL DOWN TO EARTH GUY AND I REALLY LIKED HIM ALOT. NOW THAT WE MOVED FROM DALLAS TO MOVED TO SAN FRANCISCO, CA I STILL THINK ABOUT ALLEN AND FEELING THAT ROD IN HIS ARM. I STILL HAVE MY RINGS IN MY NIPS AND PROUD TO SAY ALLEN, THE GUY IN THE GUINESS WORLD RECORDS DID THEM FOR ME. LOVE YOU GUY! YOU ARE THE BEST AND HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN ONE DAY!!

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