Like I said earlier today I am not a Christian and even if I were I certainly wouldn’t be amongst the ones that are actually convinced tomorrow is the rapture. That being said, if I wake up tomorrow and this dude’s hovering over me, I will pray harder than a guilt ravaged priest who just fondled his own son.
No offense to Phuture Primitive here, I think its just the John Lennon meets Lady Gaga glasses that scare the hell out of me.
A lot of Modblog readers have told me how much they enjoy the mini-interviews I have done. I guess it’s a sign of the times that people like nice short single serving pieces. When I stumbled across Nick’s IAM page, my first thought was “who’s this buff little dude who’s not Emry’s?” Upon further inspection I found out he was a piercer, a body builder and a skydiver amongst other things. Interesting enough right? So without further ado, a mini-interview with Nick.
For the interview, keep on keeping on.
Sean: Let’s start with the basics: Age, sex, location, where you work
Nick: 25. Male. Salt Lake City, UT. Iris Body Piercing.
Sean: How did your interest in body mods start?
Nick: I’ve had an interest in piercing since I was a really young kid. I begged my mom to let me get my ear pierced when I was 6 years old. The first time I saw someone with stretched ears, it blew my mind. I was completely fascinated with it. I liked that having piercings made me look different and set me apart from other people.
Sean: What mods do you have personally?
Nick: 2″ Ear Lobes, 0g Helixes, 1/2″ Nostrils, 14g Philtrum, 9/16″ Labret, 8g Reverse PA, 4x 10g Frenums, 2x 14g Dydoes, 2x 12g Dydoes, Tongue Splitting, Meatotomy, 3x 1/4″ Sub-Dermal Implants in Chest, Branding on Arms and Chest, Tattoos…
Sean: How did you get into piercing as a career?
Nick: I was a shop rat. I hung out at the shop and got pierced all the time. I was friends with the people who worked at the studio. One day, Dustin, who I now pierce with, came out and said “We’re going to apprentice you, so you should be ready for that.” That was 8 years ago, and I’ve been piercing ever since.
Sean: How would you define yourself as a piercer? What sets you apart?
Nick: I love taking my time and paying attention to detail. It’s important to realize that every client is different, both personally and anatomically.
We’ve been teased for being “elitists.” I really don’t see how that word can be taken as an insult. We pride ourselves on our commitment to never stop learning and to do the best job possible. We’re happy to surpass industry standards in every aspect of our studio. All piercers at the shop are APP members. All of our piercing jewelry is F-136 Titanium, and of course is internally threaded. We don’t sell any externally threaded jewelry at our shop. I never get tired of hearing “I’ve never been in a shop like this before.”
Vertical Labret by Nick
Sean: When and why did you get into body building?
Nick: I’ve never really thought of myself as a “Body Builder.” I started being serious about exercise when I was 19. I had gone through a really difficult break up and was extremely depressed. I started going to the gym, and I’d just work out until I was too tired to care about being sad. So it started with making exercise a habit. Habit progressed into something that I became passionate about. Passion evolved into setting goals and working hard to obtain them.
Sean: How does the body building fit into other forms of body mod?
Nick: I think that taking care of your body makes you appreciate it even more. Think about when you stretch your ears, or you get a new tattoo, and you really like the “new you” that you see in the mirror. Exercise is a lot like that, except you’re the one who has done the work to make the changes you’re seeing. I think that having a nice body helps to accent the other changes you’ve made to yourself. Pretty tattoos on a fit, sexy body look way better to me than the same tattoos on someone who is unhealthy and out of shape.
Much thanks to Nick for taking the time to do this brief interview. As soon as I can catch Brian Skellie on Skype, I hope to bring you guys an amazing and detailed interview by one of the most influential and educated piercers around.
If your not a piercer, or don’t use Triad brand products this post will probably be of little interest to you.
Nonetheless, as soon as I saw this link posted on Elayne Angel’s facebook page and read the article, I realized it was important enough to share here so that as many piercers who may be using these products could be informed of the recall.
After the techni-care recall lot’s of piercers went back to iodione as their surface prep of choice, a HUGE supplier of iodine in single use wipes and swabs is Triad and now the FDA is recalling most of their product lines.
Here’s the full article for those interested.
Ladies and gentlemen, tonight I bring you the very final installment of the Cadaver Chronicles. It is a bitter sweet conclusion. Sad in the fact this is likely the last you will read of it on this humble blog. Yet happy, because from all the positive feedback he has received from these post, he has decided to carry it on further.
I’ve begun writing an expanded version of the memoirs for traditional publication in book form and this one will pull no punches, it’ll include every juicy story. -Cliff Cadaver
Currently he owns the domain www.CliffCadaver.com, but the site is not live yet. I have spoken with him and suggested he get at least a placeholder up soon, and I believe that’s currently in progress. Keep your eyes peeled there as I am sure his website will be a wonder in and of itself. It will also contain updates about his upcoming book and information on how you could pick up your own copy of the hardcover book “A basic guide to body piercings” that was mentioned and shown in Episode 2.
On behalf of myself, BMEzine.com and all of the modblog readers who enjoyed these articles I would like to thank Cliff, for taking the time to share all of these stories with us and I wish him the best in all of your future ventures.
If you have been hiding under a rock for the last few weeks, here are links to the previous episodes for you to play catch up with (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), otherwise keep on keeping on for the final chapter.
The Death Card
I can’t even see my largest tattoo, a backpiece that covers me shoulder to shoulder, stem to stern. I got it before I began piercing, about the time I realized construction would never cut it. The image is one you’ll recognize. It’s from the Rider-Waite tarot deck. It’s also in a lot of horror movies. Major Arcana, Roman numeral thirteen, skeleton. It’s the death card. It symbolizes change. The friggin’ Monkey on my back.
I should have quit piercing five years before I did. The writing was on the wall, in bold capitals, outlined three times, day-glo. I looked the other way, as usual. I was mired in the past, struggling to keep my head above water in a present with no future. Bad limbo. Everything had declined from the golden days when Mike was there. Tarnished. Jenny McCarthy included a night time shot of my shop on the opening of her talk show. Edgy. I started drinking.
I watched body piercing go from a very specialized niche industry I loved, to something I didn’t recognize. I didn’t know a single person with a pierced tongue in 1990, and navels were still a rarity. In 2005 I pierced so many kindergarten teachers I’d need one of those take-a-ticket systems. Starbucks. “Single file, ladies. Single file.” I’d stop at 7-11 on the way to work for a single-serving of chardonnay to back my morning coffee. Not enough to get looped, just enough to face the world. Not right.
Prices hit rock bottom all over town except in my shop. George Bush laid his great depression across my neck like a jack-boot. It seemed none of the competition were traditionally trained anymore; they’d take a quickie class at a “piercing school” and then open their own “pierceology academy.” Just shoot me. I never saw so much low-quality jewelry before in my life. Distributors would show me their wares, glow-in-the-dark trinkets made of plastic and Taiwanese pot metal. They’d shrug their shoulders when I asked about internal threading. I’d unscrew the ball from a zero gauge circular to show them what quality and proper design looks like. They’d inspect the Good Art or Anatometal product that cost ten times more than their cheapies. They’d leave the shop laughing. Crazy round eye.
I was the longest tenant on my block. I saw so many businesses come and go it wasn’t even funny. Rockwood and Studio City Tattoo had moved. Punk rock music store, gone. The antique store whose owner had traded me a light-up porcelain geisha head for a guiche piercing, gone. Even the Thai joint closed its doors. And then Tony Theodor, my Greek landlord, died. He had cataracts so bad he could barely see, he’d had a couple triple by-passes, he came up to about my belt-buckle. Once, he saw some customers getting pushy, he returned brandishing a shovel. He and my father had exchanged whispered words when Tony saw a Masonic ring on my dad’s finger. Since I lived in a triplex over my studio it was easy for him to pound on the door when I overslept or played hooky. Thanks a lot, Pops. He taught me dirty phrases in his native tongue. I’d yell “Ap-po-piso!” when I saw him. He’d blush. I loved him.
The new landlord was Persian. He never smiled or taught me squat. He raised my rent every year. He leased the unit next door to palm-readers. They lived there. With children screaming twenty-four-seven and fragrant gypsy cooking wafting into my shop all day. “May I help you,” I’d ask after welcoming a client. “Yeah, I was thinking about a Prince Albert?” They’d wrinkle their nose. “Do I smell goat?” Yes. There was no parking. The new hair salon contracted Nazi valets that commandeered our small lot. I worked seven day weeks. I worked a solid month without a day off. More than once. Still, I had trouble making ends meet.
One day I got a call from a guy looking for trepanning. I thought a second before asking, “You mean drilling holes in your skull to let the voices out?” I said it slow, gave the words added gravity. “I’m impressed,” he said. “You’re the first one to know the term.” Great. “Oh,” he continued, “it’s not to banish any voices. It’s for consciousness expansion.” He chuckled. I sighed. “Might I suggest meditation?” I was really dismayed that some kid into Egyptology was calling mod-shops for skull boring. What’s a little street shop elective surgery between enthusiasts? “If you call enough places you’ll find some idiot willing to sani-wipe a Black and Decker and just go for it. Call a brain surgeon if you’re serious,” I said. I was just about ready for a skull-fuck myself. I was thinking zero gauge, about nine millimeter.
I Paid Dearly for a Happy Ending
I know why the universe let me drag my feet for so long. Why I didn’t permanently close my doors earlier, when it could have saved my sanity. Why I never pulled a trigger.
It was January third, two-thousand and three. A cosmic reprieve. She wanted her eyebrow pierced, said she wanted something just for her. Her marriage was on the rocks, divorce proceedings underway. Today was the fourteenth anniversary of her bad wedding. “I don’t know what’s worse,” I told her. “Being lonely, or being chained to the wrong person.” She’d think of nothing else for the next week.
“You’re back!” I said. I was happy to see her. She was nice, pretty. “I think I need more,” she said. We wouldn’t know until later that we each had the same secret thought upon our first meeting. I could stay with that person forever.
Spread-eagle in my stirrups, she wouldn’t stop giggling. I figured it was nerves. The stress of a genital piercing can manifest itself in many ways. “What is so funny?” I asked. “Ticklish?” She wouldn’t say, but she had me laughing too. She paid, bought some aftercare solution, and asked me for a date. She’d been laughing because she had a plan. Thought wily female thoughts and nothing else for that entire week. She knew she’d take a chance, ask me out. Get her hood pierced and give me a preview of things to come. A reason to change, to live. I kissed her cheek. I married her.
The Cadaver Rises
My colorful plumage finally attracted a mate. Forty year old, confirmed bachelor Cliff Cadaver got hitched on April fourth, 2004. All of our wedding stuff says, “Four, four, four… Forever.” We took our vows in the highest wedding chapel on Earth, top of the Stratosphere hotel in Vegas. We bought seven acres in the Angeles National Forest. Named our spread, “Triple 4 Ranch.” No more sterilization chores or touching creepy strangers, now I muck horse stalls, groom miniature donkeys. I feel kind of like Syd Barret tending his garden after too much fame and LSD. I’m finally fulfilled. I want to live in the forest forever. I have no street-cred left to lose; I want to quote Winnie the Pooh for my wife, Carol.
“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you.” – A.A. Milne
Epilogue
| I have tried to relate the facts of my fifteen year body piercing career as accurately as possible. I’m an old stoner, ’nuff said. It’s possible I transposed inconsequential names from this convention to that. I honestly can’t remember which combination of apprentices and gophers assisted me at the Palladium shows. But there isn’t a single instance in these memoirs where I lied. Except of course, that whole Tuinkhov thing. *Sigh* Only one petty larceny in all those years; I never pierced the professor from Gilligan’s Island. So crucify me. I was up front on what I couldn’t prove. Maybe someone discovered “Propping” over at the Gauntlet, independently, at the exact same time as me. It’s possible, who knows? I tried to stay positive when telling my story. I purposely avoided going into feuds and reliving cat fights. I saw that my personal sigil had indeed become the international symbol for body piercing. I learned the hard way that loose lips sink ships. My symbol can be found painted on most piercing shops in Europe. A bold, three ring circus, courtesy of Cliff Cadaver. I had the adventure of a lifetime, memories I’d never trade for anything. Even though some of them nearly killed me.
I never had my first tattoos fixed or removed. The ones I got at the Long Beach Pike in the winter of 1980. Before the wrecking ball made way for a respectable downtown expansion. Bert Grimm’s legendary shop razed for an Aquarium. I got a flaming death’s head with only three crossbones that set me back $35. And a reaper with black ribs and white shading for $80. I was eighteen; the artist was old, bifocaled, openly cocktailing. Knowing me, I probably tipped him. I never cut off the finger with Jill Jordan’s chop tatted on it, (right middle. Priceless). Every modification records a moment in time. A history of Cliff Cadaver. Personal trophies to prove I existed, and still live. I never felt one second of shame, ever. Never will. I traded in my fangs eons ago (…One thing about living in Green Valley I never could stomach…all the damn vampires…) for a set of platinum teeth. Dreadlocks, tattooed body suit, piercings, grill. Bib overalls. Bibbers? I am one weird hillbilly. Cliff Cadaver graduated with honors from the “UCLA Certificate Writer’s Program in Long and Short Fiction.” He’s currently preparing his novel “Silverfish Bugsuckers” for representation. He spends his days doing what he loves. It’s time for his motto: “Flow or Be Flowed Upon.”
Articles Back-Off Magazine, Volume 1, Number 5 “Get the Point; Your Piercing Questions Answered by Cliff Cadaver – The Thirteen Most Often Asked Body Piercing Questions” In the Flesh, Number One – A Hole New Magazine “Red Devil Studios, Cliff Cadaver” In the Flesh, Number One – A Hole New Magazine “The Pierced Penis; Sexual Supremacy, or Mutilation?”
Outlaw Biker Tattoo Review #31 “How to Make a Monster” Hustler, October 1994 “Penile Love Beads; Ancient Japanese Secret No More” Tattoo Savage, Number 7 “Cadaver’s Commandment #666; Apprentice to Perfection” Penthouse, June 1996 Janine Lindmulder of “Blondage” gives tongue piercing credit
Body Art, Issue 23 “Sex, Drugs, and Love Beads” In the Flesh, #5 “The Nasalang and Bobby Brady” In the Flesh, #7 “Brave New Implant”
Tear, Premiere Issue “Meet Me at Upgrade” Radio UCLA 530 AM “Trash Culture” KNAC Pure Rock 105.5 “Morning Show with Mike Stark” |
I was fortunate enough to get a copy of the “Professional Piercing Basics Volume 1: Above The Neck” DVD put out by Ron Garza. Over the last few months since I first viewed it, I have implemented a lot of the techniques into my daily piercing procedures and am quite impressed with what I learned.
For my no holds barred: the good, the bad and the ugly type review of this dvd as well as testimonials by several others, keep on keeping on.
This DVD, contains advanced techniques for freehand piercers (or people wanting to become freehand piercers). It is not a How To Pierce video, it assumes you already know the basics. If you don’t know the basics and the “whys” and you are trying to learn piercing techniques purely from this (or any) video you will inevitably become an ill informed hack and a danger to your customers. For this reason, a lot of piercers have been very outspoken about their views on this video being available to the general public. I, however, think that this video should be available to ANYONE wanting to view it. For one it is a valuable tool for the informed client, or the “piercing dork” who just wants to stay abreast of the latest techniques (even if they have no desire to try them out). Also, if a DIY type piercer is going to pay the 69 bucks for this video, at least that shows some commitment to the trade. To make this a “for professionals only” video would be doing a disservice to the industry as well as the piercing community at large.
For example, YouTube is full of how to pierce videos, if someone wants to buy this DVD, full of good information, why should we stop them? Ron makes it clear this video is for the experienced piercers and it doesn’t even demonstrate the basic building blocks needed for most of the procedures performed. I, for one, fully support this sharing of knowledge and think that limiting it to professionals would be of no benefit to the piercing community.
As for the content, it’s extremely educational and inspirational. I am a professional piercer of 14 years. I stay active in most of the piercing forums and try to “talk shop” whenever possible. I am extremely happy to say I learned a few great new tricks and techniques from this video. I actually got this video a few months ago and since then I have implemented a lot of the techniques I learned from this video into my daily routine. Many have become second nature and I can safely say this lead to the single biggest change of technique I have made since going freehand many years ago.
Some of the techniques I don’t like, but one of the beauties of this DVD is that it’s not just Ron showing off his techniques, Ruben Lew and Chris Glunt also show variations of several of the piercings in their own personal style. As an experienced piercer, you can pick and choose which techniques you would like to implement and which just don’t fit in with your style. If you are a professional piercer and can find one technique or trick worth implementing yourself, this dvd is well worth the cost of admission.
My only complaint with the dvd is the production. The sound is bad, and in several parts of the video background “shop noises” distract from the content. The majority of the video is shot with head cameras, and for the most part it’s not too bad. However, a few instances of obstructed view make some of the techniques a little harder to grasp. One amusing little blooper is the word “NEEEDLES”, in one of the first segments. Modblog readers know I am no stranger to typos and grammar errors, and some of you sure like pointing them out to me, so it’s fun to take my turn as the typo nazi for once!
None of these issues are deal breakers though, this is still an excellent piercing video. I would even go as far as to say this is the best piercing video since the Pierce With a Pro videos by Jim Ward. I only mention the negative points in it to be honest in my review and in hopes of seeing some improvements in Volume 2. (Editors note: Ron is more than aware of these issues and I have been reassured that Volume 2 as well as the Spanish release of this one have improved on them immensely.)
In closing, production issues aside, this video series is ground breaking and has the potential to prove a huge boom to the advancement of our industry. Watching this video opened my eyes to several new ways of doing things. In many instances I had “why the hell didn’t I think of that” moments in regards to some not-so common sense ideas presented in the video. One prime example of that is a simple needle bending technique using an eyelet. Seriously, how have I had a shop full of needles and eyelets together for 14 years and not once considered using the eyelet as a tool for the needle? I can not recommend this video highly enough. I am so sold on it, that I plan to use it as a visual aid for teaching certain piercings to my apprentice . Needless to say, I am extremely enthusiastic to see what volume 2 has to offer and to learn from it as well.
And now to steal a quote from Reading Rainbow: “But don’t just take my word for it…”
DVD testimonials
I (Ron) gave an advanced copy to freehand piercing pioneer and tireless champion, Pat Tidwell , for his thoughts on the project. This is what he had to say:
It’s outstanding! I find this video to be an amazing start toward understanding this so called ‘EXTREME PIERCING’. This DVD brings it all back to true basics and showcases the full talents of what our minds and hands are truly capable of doing !! I CAN NOT wait to work with Ron and continue this outstanding project of much needed higher education for our community!
I (Ron) also gave an advanced copy to John Johnson, who is a reputable piercing instructor in his own right with over 10 years experience, currently is on the APP board, and was recently awarded the Josh Prentice Volunteer Award by the APP in recognition of his tireless help with so much in our industry. He had this to say about Vol 1 of the DVD…
Ron’s video is thorough and well done. I’ve adjusted some of my own techniques after watching Ron, Chris, and Ruben pierce and I look forward to the rest of the series. This will help any experienced piercer take their work to the next level.
Emails from actual people who bought the DVD
I just received the Piercing DVD Vol. 1 in the mail today and have already watched it twice. I am looking forward to using some of the amazing techniques, especially the tongue and lip techniques. I learned mainly from freehand piercers and I found this video to be very educational! Thanks for spreading the knowledge. 🙂 -John T.
Got my dvd today and just finished watching it…all i can say is thank
you and amazing work!I have been freehand piercing for about 4 years now and this was very
informative on different techniques and needle bending some of which
I have never seen , used or thought of!Cant wait for vol 2!!!
thank you again” – JeremyI just got done watching your video. I got to say wow. It’s impressive!! Thanks for making this video for people like me that is trying to better their knowledge of piercing. There are things that you do that I wouldn’t have thought of.
Again thanks for this video I can’t wait tell the other ones come out.
-Derek
Due to the high demand the DVD is currently out of stock at BME shop. However, it should be back in shortly in both the English and Spanish versions!
Jenya is no stranger to Modblog. In fact long term readers have watched him evolve into the modern modded man he is today. Fortunately, he was nice enough to chat with me on Skype a while back to answer some questions about him and his mods. His native tongue is Russian, so I had to clean up the grammar on his answers a bit to make it easily understandable, but I did my best not to change the context whatsoever.
Sean Philips: So why don’t you give me some basic info to start; age, sexual preference, location and career.
Sean Philips: So right off the bat you knew you wanted stretched lobes, what lead to that decision?
Sean Philips: No problem it’s far better than my Russian.
Jenya: The platypus has a large bill which is very similar in appearance to the large stretched lips for human. Also, I really like the sound of the word “platypus” in English.
John Durante is one of those guys whom I have known of for many years. However, I don’t believe I actually had the pleasure of meeting him until the Philly Tattoo Convention early last year. Since then, I have ran into him at a few conventions and have always enjoyed talking to him, so I felt sure the modblog readers would enjoy hearing from him as well.
John is a good example of a body mod renaissance man. He is actively involved in so many facets of this industry/community that he is hard to keep up with. Perhaps later, I will have to interview him again to dig deeper into his piercing and scarification work, as well as his extensive traveling and involvement with ancient and modern body rituals alike. This time though, we are focusing on the body jewelry company he founded, Evolve.
For the interview, keep on keeping on.
The following is from a Skype chat I had with him a while ago, combined with some of the amazing pictures he has shared with me.
John Durante: Hey bro!!!
Sean Philips: Hi man, how’s it going?
John Durante: Good, working super hard, rearranging the Evolve office and work shop, setting up a larger work area. We finally got the rest of our stone machines set up here!!!
Sean Philips: Very cool, where is Evolve out of anyhow, your always on the road. But I assume there has to be a home base somewhere.
John Durante: We are based in Seattle, WA. Actually, right next to Laughing Buddha, the studio I work at.
Sean Philips: Awesome, that sounds extremely convenient! So I guess the best place to start the interview is with the start of Evolve. What’s the history of your company?
John Durante: Well, I moved to Seattle between 6-7 years ago. I moved here from kuala Lumpur Malaysia, where I had been working at Borneo Ink. I started the company with my business partner, Michelle Hamilton, about a year later, so about 6 years ago.
Sean Philips: …and how did you personally get your start in the production and distribution of organics?
John Durante: I have spent 13+ years extensively traveling and living all over SE Asia. I had made the connections with many carvers and material suppliers many years before I actually began my company. So when me and Michelle started Evolve we utilized many of those connections, as well as starting our own US based production on top of that.
Sean Philips: When I think of Evolve, I think of all the road sales and traveling, what brought that about?
John Durante: I always wanted to be able to connect directly with our clientelle, learn directly what people want, what works, and what does not. Plus it’s fun, and makes the good ol’ USA a much smaller place!!! But mainly it is piercers connecting with other piercers, not just some salesman.
Sean Philips: It definitely seems to work, Evolve seems to be in most of the shops I have visited that carry decent jewelry. I assume a lot of that is because of the easy accessability of the traveling sales people.
John Durante: We work hard at it, and I hope it makes people happy!!!
Sean Philips: Speaking of happy people, how about your carvers? How is Evolve’s relationship with them?
John Durante: They are Evolve, whether they be our carvers overseas, or our carvers here in the USA. I am happy to have been able to positively impact the lives of our carvers all over the world. I personally am friends with, and spend a good deal of time with our carvers/artists here in the US and abroad. Evolve is a big family that spans so many countries.
Sean Philips: John, I am going to backtrack a bit, because my brain refuses to work in a congruent order…… How did you get your personal start in body mods?
John Durante: Hahaha, cool. I began my facination with piercing and body art around 92′, but did not start working full time as a professional piercer until late 94′. I can honestly say that I was in the right place at the right time living in Los Angeles, around old school Gauntlet croud as piercing was coming out of the closet so to speak, from a primarily gay and S&M subculture. Remember the Aerosmith video??? As soon as that video aired, all of a sudden piercing became mainstream!!! I started my professional piercing career at Puncture Body Piercing in 1994, and since then have worked at so many of our country’s best studios, and for that matter many of the world’s best.
Sean Philips: Oh yeah, Aerosmith and Alicia Silverstone set a trend that has long since became a staple of our industry in that video. God bless that big lipped bastard, and his video writers for inadvertantly setting the stage for our careers.
John Durante: Im serious, and its funny, I later had the chance to thank him myself when he came in to our studio in Los Angeles.
Sean Philips: That’s awesome that you got to meet and thank him for that. That video was a long time ago, you are definitely dating yourself with that reference. Hell, I got my start in ’96 and people are amazed I haven’t jumped ship or totally burned out, you have 2 years on me, what’s kept your heart in it so long?
John Durante: I have such a passion for piercing and this art, but honestly I have an equal passion for world travel and exploration. That travel is usually oriented around piercing, or jewelry, or anthropology, or better yet ethnography. So the time I give myself to travel I believe greatly saves me from burnout!!!
Sean Philips: Sounds like you got it figured out pretty well. Back to Evolve, what seperates Evolve from the countless other organic companies that have popped up in recent years? Does Evolve make any political, humanitarian, or ecological type impacts?
John Durante: L.T.D indeed!!! First, Evolve is a company founded out of an almost 2 decade passion for this industry, founded by piercers for piercers, and jewelry lovers. Not like so many popping up to simply try to exploit what some business people may see as some fad to capitalize on. I have been here, and will be here through good and bad for life. I can’t say I try to get overly political, but we do go out of our way to take care of our carvers around the world, here and abroad. Exploitation is no part of how we do business.
Sean Philips: LTD is Live the Dream, correct? I see that on a lot of Garza’s stuff as well, how did that all come about?
John Durante: Hahaha, well LTD is a crew of close friends and family who share a passion for life, and traveling the world. Myself, Ron Garza, Chris Glunt, Dave Gilstrap, Wayde Dunn, and more. One thing to add about what sets Evolve apart is how much we are focusing on our custom work here in the USA lately. We’re now producing almost any custom stone or wood right here in Seattle.
Sean Philips: Are there any custom pieces or styles you are particularly proud of?
John Durante: Alot!!! Our wood is second to none these days, produced here in Seattle with high end exotics. Our new stone production here is also coming along very nicely. Some awesome weights, labrets, conch pegs, and plugs!!! And to add to the LTD thing, essentially it’s more of a mindset!!!
Sean Philips: Ironically enough, someone is buying some Evolve jewelry from me at this very moment. The black onyx facet cut ones, to be exact. (I do most of these interviews at work, so sometimes I have to deal with customers in the middle of them. It was cool to be talking to a customer about the Evolve plugs while also talking to John about Evolve simultaneously.)
John Durante: Hahaha, AWESOME, thats what I like to hear!!! Nice, the onyx is super clean!!!
Sean Philips: The facet cut stones really fly off my shelves.
John Durante: We just got in a bunch of faceted opalite, smokey quartz, onyx, carnelian, and rose quartz.
Sean Philips: Very cool. Does evolve also do custom pieces?
John Durante: We do indeed, we just finished getting the last of our stone tools set up for plugs. We have been doing custom wood for a while, now lots of custom stone labrets, conch pegs, some stone weights, and specialty materials. Much, much, more to come. We also do some teflon, we do custom for various mod procedures.
Sean Philips: I didn’t realize you did teflon, that’s good to know.
John Durante: We dont really advertise it, but sure enough!!!
Sean Philips: You should, that’s a good niche that isn’t really filled by many companies.
John Durante: Indeed I should. We do alot of things like TS (trans scrotal) plugs and such that are not so common.
Sean Philips: Are there any long term employees you want to mention and if so, what role do they fill for Evolve?
John Durante: Well Michelle Hamilton my partner, Sophia who is our manager/road manager, James Woodsmall is our head carver here, and Chris Jakubiak, who is as well one of our awesome carvers. As well as many of our road team we have out yearly.
Sean Philips: Very cool. Lets see we got some history some current how about the future?
John Durante: Well I hope to expand our production here in the USA, and getting more international distributers. We may soon open an Evolve studio for piercing and jewelry production, as well as working more with distributing some publications for tattooed kingpin, modern primitives, the Godoy brothers, and Ron Garzas LTD productions.
Sean Philips: So if any modblog readers want to contact you, what’s the best way for them to do so?
John Durante: The best way to contact me about Evolve is via email at [email protected], or call at 8773291834
Much thanks to John for taking the time to Skype this conversation with me and get me all of these pictures. If you see him running around a tattoo convention, a Mayan temple or anywhere else for that matter be sure to say hi. He is one of the nicest, most down to Earth and knowledgeable guys in the industry and he is always willing to talk your ear off.
Sometime in the late nineties my casual interest in body piercing became my passion. I was desperate for knowledge, yet there was so little accessable. Nowadays, we take for granted how easy it is to learn about body piercing (or any subject for that matter) by using nothing more than a few keystrokes. However, in the nineties the internet wasn’t something I had access to. So I relied on printed media, which was fairly hard to come by in Columbia, SC ,where I grew up. Fortunately, I found a local Harley shop that carried bulk packs of various tattoo magazines back issues and I bought them up. One magazine in particular, the long since defunct, “In The Flesh” magazine was a piercing magazine and what I read in those pages defined who I was to become. The interviews with Jon Cobb, Blake of Nomad and many others changed my entire outlook, not just on body piercing but on life as a whole.
One of the inspirational piercers featured in those pages was Cliff Cadaver. Cliff was a cutting edge piercer of that era and unlike a lot of piercers at the time, he was willing to share his knowledge. Through various interviews, features and his book “A Basic Guide To Body piercing” he put out the information that other piercers guarded as if they were top secret classified info. In fact, one feature in particular where he described the nasallang piercing (that he is credited as inventing) was so inspiring to me, I rushed out at got one myself (that I still have and wear daily).
So, when I was thinking of influential piercers whom have not been previously featured on a BME interview, Cliff was an obvious choice. I tracked him down on facebook easily,obviously there are not many people named Cliff Cadaver. At first, when I asked to interview him he seemed reluctant, but after a short while he had started writing his memoirs and totally alleviating me of any interviewing responsibilities. Since, I am an admittedly crappy interviewer, I was thrilled to have this piece written and edited with very little input by me. I helped check a few facts for him, but aside from that, this whole piece is written by him.
The memoirs he provided me with are rather long, so rather than present it in one long feature with a few choice photos I decided to milk it, and use it as a weekly feature with several photos in each episode. Since this piece (beyond my intro) is purely his writing, I must preface it by saying the opinions stated in it are Cliff Cadaver’s and do not reflect the views and/or opinions of myself, BMEzine.com or the Catholic Church.
“Monster God: Memoirs of a Body Piercer”
By Cliff Cadaver
A Welcome Shake and a Wave Goodbye
I opened the message from Sean Philips. It said, “I’m documenting the history of body piercing.”
“I haven’t set foot in a mod-shop since I walked out of mine on New Year’s Eve …five years ago.” I hit Send.
His reply came immediately. “This is important.”
Well now, here’s a fella that likes to get down to business, I thought. This wasn’t the usual facebook message from a brand new friend. Hmm, tell me more. “People these days don’t even know the history of our trade,” he said. He used words like archives, innovations, techniques and dedication. He said legend. I’d just completed a UCLA certificate program with straight A’s, I’m an accomplished stroker. Sean Philips laid out his proposal, he was polite. Legend. I was dealing with a professional.
Timing is everything. I wrote the first segment to show how hard it is for Cliff Cadaver to change. Something discussed in spades later. I wanted Sean to know that only after five years was I ready to face my past. I’d spent fifteen years of my life in the p-biz. Enough time to leave a lot more than holes. Now I was getting hit up for memoirs. Sean Philips, a piercer/blogger from Virginia, would get more than he bargained for. And so would I.
I’ve read that for some writers, the process happens so easily that they compose as if they were reading. That’s not how it works for me. Whether it’s a novel or a short story, inspiration comes slowly. My muse must be as naturally stoned as her acolyte. I freewrite. I scribble shitty first drafts. I ponder, and edit, and rewrite. I polish. Pages and pages and pages. If I’m only half satisfied I start over again. Anal? It’s a blessing and a curse. These memoirs weren’t like penning the fiction I’m used to. They poured out of me. They wouldn’t stop. Projectile vomit. For the first time, I was writing like those brainiacs I’d read about. I spent two weeks in the zone, getting it where I wanted it. And I was drained.
Swear on Anton’s bible. I made the same promise to myself that I’m making to all of you right now. I will tell the tale to the best of my ability. The most accurate history that my aging stoner memory will allow. If there are any mistakes, they’re small. Nothing was stretched, or altered, and I feel really good about that. I even did some fact checking to supplement my memory. The good feeling fled when I contacted someone from my past. “Wait a minute,” I told him, couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “You want me to erase your history?” I wouldn’t have believed it in a million years. “Yes,” he said, “I don’t want to be another of your characters.” He’d changed. Now, he was ashamed of piercing. Upset I was writing memoirs. Embarrassed of me. He actually said, “What if they find out I’m tattooed?” A sledge hammer rang the bell of one of those carnival contraptions. Adrenalus Maximus.
I regained my composure after three days of fuming. Fuck it. If my first apprentice would be ruined by all the wonderful and complimentary things I say about him, I’ll spare his feelings, even if I don’t agree with his reasons. It’s so hard to eat a shit sandwich, but I’m not the cosmic chef. And I’m used to it. Now this isn’t Mike Leatherman we’re talking here, he’s way too solid a cat for that. It’s the other Mike, Mike T, the one who asked me to drop or misspell his name. I could be mean and say he’s found religion or Sarah Palin, but that wouldn’t be true.
Tuinstak? Tuinzaka? Tuistenopoulos? There are only two lies in this story. Mike Tuinkhov is the biggest one. You’ll have to read closely to find the other. A small fib with a B.A., a B.S., an M.A., and a Ph.D.
Ancient History
My first job was for the Los Angeles plumbing union, local 78. I slung their tools for fifteen years. I built condo and housing tracts, schools and restaurants, tilt-ups and skyscrapers. I was halfway to retirement and a full pension. That would never happen.
They had no concept of what I was into back in the eighties, unable to pigeon-hole me. They didn’t know how to take piercings and heavy ink. If it wasn’t my blue hair throwing them off, it was the permanent fangs I paid Doctor Fraga a couple grand to install. I’d dangle my legs off a helicopter pad at break time, thirty stories up. I’d toss a paratrooper toy off the side and fight the urge to go with it. I ate my lunch and my pride. I survived under a Harley-Davidson hat and ached for change.
I was very lucky to be accepted as a piercer’s apprentice by Crystal Cross at the now defunct Red Devil Studios, co-owned by Jill Jordan. Same shop that spawned artists Kevin Quinn and the Tuesday Brothers, Riley and Jesse. Hollywood, tattooing, piercing, non-stop excitement. Bliss.
I trained for two years under Crystal back when the only other place in town doing exotic piercing was the Gauntlet. I went from a high-paying Journeyman’s salary and a nice apartment in San Pedro, to a place on the ‘vard I shared with two roommates. I struggled and made chicken feed for wages. Both these things would change.
1993 saw the opening of Cliff Cadaver Body Piercing in Studio City, California. My business quickly flourished, life grew even more exciting, I was happy. For a time.
No Place Like Home
When Red Devil closed its doors, I accepted an offer I couldn’t refuse. Rockwood Rick, owner of Studio City Tattoo and long time friend, suggested I rent a suite above his shop. Business boomed, no one else offered full-range piercing in the San Fernando Valley so I easily cornered the market. In six month’s time a Ventura Boulevard storefront opened up three doors down from Rockwood’s place. I upgraded. I painted the interior with Hammerite metallic silver paint; it looked like someone took a ball peen hammer to the insides of a flying saucer. The exterior was gloss black, red neon, chains, diamond plate and acorn nuts. Giant, four-foot piercing needles skewered signs and fringed the roof. Over the years, I paid a custom metal specialist to fabricate steel and aluminum furniture, counters, walls. Every square inch was silver or metal. My shop was gleaming and bullet-proof. So bitchin’. I worked alone for the first year and thrived.
For further episodes from this series keep checking modblog every Friday until it’s completion. Same mod time, same mod channel.
Rob Wommelsdorff is one of Industrial Strengths piercers as well as an all around rad guy. Check out his interview!
You can check out the interview just after the clickthrough.
The BME tour stopped into Industrial Strength Australia and talked with a few of the staff there. One of them happens to be Jennie McQuade, Industrial Strengths Manager. A huge thank you goes out to Industrial Strength (USA) for being one of our tour sponsors. Without them, we couldn’t have been able to check out Australia, New Zealand and Japan!
To check out the interview, keep on reading.
