A black-and-white photo of a person mid-air in a Superman-style body suspension pose, supported by multiple hooks in their back and legs, smiling joyfully toward the camera. They are suspended horizontally in a large indoor space with high ceilings and visible rigging. A group of onlookers—some seated, some standing—watch with expressions of admiration, amusement, and support. The atmosphere is lively and communal, capturing a moment of shared experience and transformation.

So Long And Thanks For All The Fish

After a personally difficult legal dispute over BME, I’ve had to face the potentially insurmountable reality of being massively in debt, and I have chosen to transfer the business to Rachel (the details of this deal are sealed, so please don’t ask). Within the month my role at BME will come to an end, and new staff (made up largely of people who’ve been working on BME for some time as well) will be taking over. I will no longer be writing online about body modification, although I will be maintaining my regular blog and other projects of course, as well as working on several body modification book projects which I am eager to complete.

It’s definitely a very strange and mixed set of feelings, having run this site from the very beginning, over nearly a decade and a half. On one hand I’m very much looking forward to having the opportunity and time to paint and tackle new adventures, and on the other hand I will very much miss both the people and the subject in general that I came to know through BME. That said, when I grew up and fell in love with body modification — and later built BME — this was a very different and much more “outsider” culture, so maybe now, as not just tattooing but body modification as a whole enjoys unprecedented levels of popularity and acceptability, it is a good time to pass the torch on to a new generation. It’s my hope that they maintain the site in the spirit that it was begun, while taking on the challenges of a new environment.

I have very much enjoyed being a part of BME and I leave it with good memories. Thank you to everyone who’s been a friend of the site, and everyone who’s helped bring it to this point. I hope you’ve enjoyed my contributions — I know I’ve enjoyed yours — and I hope that you continue to enjoy what BME brings in the future.

See you in hell! 😛

         Shannon
         [email protected]
         zentastic.com

 

Comments

760 responses to “So Long And Thanks For All The Fish”

  1. Jemaleddin Avatar

    Very interesting.

    Unsubscribed.

  2. Jemaleddin Avatar

    Very interesting.

    Unsubscribed.

  3. Alex Avatar
    Alex

    Thanks for everything you’ve done, thanks for fighting for it, for us.

  4. Alex Avatar
    Alex

    Thanks for everything you’ve done, thanks for fighting for it, for us.

  5. Anthony Avatar
    Anthony

    Good Luck with everything Shannon I’ll miss your articles and you presense in general on BME. I wouldn’t be the same without you, and neither will BME.

  6. Anthony Avatar
    Anthony

    Good Luck with everything Shannon I’ll miss your articles and you presense in general on BME. I wouldn’t be the same without you, and neither will BME.

  7. nooo Avatar
    nooo

    The world became a darker place now that you’re gone
    Thank god there are other blogs of yours
    So long and thanks for all the fish
    :,-(

  8. nooo Avatar
    nooo

    The world became a darker place now that you’re gone
    Thank god there are other blogs of yours
    So long and thanks for all the fish
    :,-(

  9. Nadiah Avatar

    *is 100% shocked*

  10. Nadiah Avatar

    *is 100% shocked*

  11. christina Avatar

    Shannon!!!! Wwe’ll miss you! BME won’t be the same without you 🙁

  12. christina Avatar

    Shannon!!!! Wwe’ll miss you! BME won’t be the same without you 🙁

  13. Alan Avatar
    Alan

    Be well & good luck!

  14. Alan Avatar
    Alan

    Be well & good luck!

  15. blindo Avatar
    blindo

    I admire your work, man.

  16. blindo Avatar
    blindo

    I admire your work, man.

  17. mule Avatar
    mule

    sorry to hear about this. BIG shame your going but good luck. looking forward to reading the books you are currently working on

  18. mule Avatar
    mule

    sorry to hear about this. BIG shame your going but good luck. looking forward to reading the books you are currently working on

  19. bettie cracker Avatar
    bettie cracker

    Best of luck in the future, man. My heart is a little broken and I know things will never be the same without you… but I’ll still be sticking around, of course 🙂
    xox

    [email protected]

  20. bettie cracker Avatar
    bettie cracker

    Best of luck in the future, man. My heart is a little broken and I know things will never be the same without you… but I’ll still be sticking around, of course 🙂
    xox

    [email protected]

  21. Nyarlathotep Avatar

    I dropped off of IAM a while back due to time pressures at school. Still, I had entertained the thoughts of reactivating the account once I had time again. Now, probably not. The apparent censorship and excommunication* [I’m using that in a semi-sarcastic way] of IAM members that said some politically unpopular things during the previous hostile takeover has me more than a little leery; I’m not interested in posting things of a personal nature or of dubious legality (see also: grey-legal modifications) on a site that may choose to turn over incriminating evidence to legal authorities and that is under the jurisdiction of the onerous laws of the US. One of the things I liked about BMEzine and IAM is that it was private, and not subject to the laws of the US.
    I guess that I will have to wait and see what happens.
    For now, it’s out of the light and back into the shadows, away from the semi-public eye.
    Good luck with the rest of your life, Shannon. I hope that you are able to find something to do with your time that is financially rewarding enought to work through all of your legal debts.

    * I never had personal experience with this; I was already so involved in school that my page had gone inactive.

  22. Nyarlathotep Avatar

    I dropped off of IAM a while back due to time pressures at school. Still, I had entertained the thoughts of reactivating the account once I had time again. Now, probably not. The apparent censorship and excommunication* [I’m using that in a semi-sarcastic way] of IAM members that said some politically unpopular things during the previous hostile takeover has me more than a little leery; I’m not interested in posting things of a personal nature or of dubious legality (see also: grey-legal modifications) on a site that may choose to turn over incriminating evidence to legal authorities and that is under the jurisdiction of the onerous laws of the US. One of the things I liked about BMEzine and IAM is that it was private, and not subject to the laws of the US.
    I guess that I will have to wait and see what happens.
    For now, it’s out of the light and back into the shadows, away from the semi-public eye.
    Good luck with the rest of your life, Shannon. I hope that you are able to find something to do with your time that is financially rewarding enought to work through all of your legal debts.

    * I never had personal experience with this; I was already so involved in school that my page had gone inactive.

  23. Feedbacker Avatar

    Shannon

    You are a true inspiration and someone who has given me a sense of place and pride in this world.

    Your wisdom, passion and integrity will never be forgotten and I wish you good fortune and safe passage on all your future endeavors.

    Thank you,
    Matty 🙂

  24. Feedbacker Avatar

    Shannon

    You are a true inspiration and someone who has given me a sense of place and pride in this world.

    Your wisdom, passion and integrity will never be forgotten and I wish you good fortune and safe passage on all your future endeavors.

    Thank you,
    Matty 🙂

  25. Torture Avatar
    Torture

    You have been an inspiration for most of us, it´s sad to see you say goodbye.
    We all grew more tolerant to the strangest things and learned not to open the “gues the body part” game pics at work :p

    I have two quotes on my email signature, one is yours, the other one, I believe, expresses the way any good BME addict thinks.

    Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to be always part of unanimity.
    – Christopher Morley

    “All biological improvement on this planet has come from those who are freaks. Normal lifeforms contribute little to progress (in fact, when you look at the big picture ‘normal’ and ‘will become extinct’ are synonyms). Only the modified can bring humanity to the future by engendering a culture that equates change with goodness. Morphological freedom is the most important right for us to defend in the 21st century. Be More.”
    Shannon Larrat

    We´ll see you in Zentastic so that we don´t get so home-sick.

  26. Torture Avatar
    Torture

    You have been an inspiration for most of us, it´s sad to see you say goodbye.
    We all grew more tolerant to the strangest things and learned not to open the “gues the body part” game pics at work :p

    I have two quotes on my email signature, one is yours, the other one, I believe, expresses the way any good BME addict thinks.

    Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to be always part of unanimity.
    – Christopher Morley

    “All biological improvement on this planet has come from those who are freaks. Normal lifeforms contribute little to progress (in fact, when you look at the big picture ‘normal’ and ‘will become extinct’ are synonyms). Only the modified can bring humanity to the future by engendering a culture that equates change with goodness. Morphological freedom is the most important right for us to defend in the 21st century. Be More.”
    Shannon Larrat

    We´ll see you in Zentastic so that we don´t get so home-sick.

  27. Marcus Avatar
    Marcus

    Sorry to hear you are leaving, Shannon. Good luck, man. I’ve been following BME for 8 or 9 years. Thanks for everything.

    M

  28. Marcus Avatar
    Marcus

    Sorry to hear you are leaving, Shannon. Good luck, man. I’ve been following BME for 8 or 9 years. Thanks for everything.

    M

  29. Jer Bear Avatar
    Jer Bear

    You can crash on my couch!

  30. Jer Bear Avatar
    Jer Bear

    You can crash on my couch!

  31. mismatch Avatar

    hell hath no fury…

  32. mismatch Avatar

    hell hath no fury…

  33. Don Avatar
    Don

    Shannon,

    Thank you for everything. You’ve given me more hope and bravery than you can imagine. You will be sorely missed.

  34. Don Avatar
    Don

    Shannon,

    Thank you for everything. You’ve given me more hope and bravery than you can imagine. You will be sorely missed.

  35. andré henriques Avatar

    as proven some months ago, you are the main stone of this site. Without you everything will go very wrong and definitely without the feeling you’ve put in it.

    Wish you all the luck in the world and I will continue to follow your work (and probably stop hitting the F5 key everyday on ModBlog) to take a break from work.

  36. andré henriques Avatar

    as proven some months ago, you are the main stone of this site. Without you everything will go very wrong and definitely without the feeling you’ve put in it.

    Wish you all the luck in the world and I will continue to follow your work (and probably stop hitting the F5 key everyday on ModBlog) to take a break from work.

  37. zagyvai Avatar

    shannon!
    thanx for all the good things you have done for bmezine, for modblog, and for all this community. and of course thank you for making the largest site about body modification!this job and this success is absolutely yours!we will miss you so much, and this “place” wont be the same without you!
    all the best for your future projects, and if you planning to come to Hungary, don’t hesitate writing me:)

  38. zagyvai Avatar

    shannon!
    thanx for all the good things you have done for bmezine, for modblog, and for all this community. and of course thank you for making the largest site about body modification!this job and this success is absolutely yours!we will miss you so much, and this “place” wont be the same without you!
    all the best for your future projects, and if you planning to come to Hungary, don’t hesitate writing me:)

  39. Ni Avatar
    Ni

    Thank-you Shannon so much, for giving us freaks a place like this to hang out 🙂

  40. Ni Avatar
    Ni

    Thank-you Shannon so much, for giving us freaks a place like this to hang out 🙂

  41. d.c.flint Avatar
    d.c.flint

    Shannon = BME !!!
    (u BEST,respect & love forever!!!)

  42. d.c.flint Avatar
    d.c.flint

    Shannon = BME !!!
    (u BEST,respect & love forever!!!)

  43. kisstheviolets Avatar

    Shannon- thank you for starting BME, and IAM. Without them, I wouldn’t BE ME today. I wouldn’t have met my fiance (we met for the first time in Mexico in 2005) and I wouldn’t be nearly as well-informed about what I consider to be one of the most interesting cultural movements I’ve ever been a part of. Thank you for all your years of dedication and best of luck to you and your adorable kiddo. Looking forward to continuing to read your personal site, and I wish you the best!

    Rachel & Co- I know that Shannon could not have pulled off the site I remember in my heyday without a dedicated staff. I believe that you all know that now, more than ever, the spirit of BME needs to be brought forward in everything you do, and I have full confidence that it will continue to be a fantastic endeavor. Best wishes to you as well!!

  44. kisstheviolets Avatar

    Shannon- thank you for starting BME, and IAM. Without them, I wouldn’t BE ME today. I wouldn’t have met my fiance (we met for the first time in Mexico in 2005) and I wouldn’t be nearly as well-informed about what I consider to be one of the most interesting cultural movements I’ve ever been a part of. Thank you for all your years of dedication and best of luck to you and your adorable kiddo. Looking forward to continuing to read your personal site, and I wish you the best!

    Rachel & Co- I know that Shannon could not have pulled off the site I remember in my heyday without a dedicated staff. I believe that you all know that now, more than ever, the spirit of BME needs to be brought forward in everything you do, and I have full confidence that it will continue to be a fantastic endeavor. Best wishes to you as well!!

  45. Marcus Avatar
    Marcus

    I would like to ask though, would you be doing any “guest appearances” on BME? You know, the odd blog or article etc?

  46. Marcus Avatar
    Marcus

    I would like to ask though, would you be doing any “guest appearances” on BME? You know, the odd blog or article etc?

  47. ElJayDB Avatar
    ElJayDB

    Good luck for the future, your site was a blessing for so many years

  48. ElJayDB Avatar
    ElJayDB

    Good luck for the future, your site was a blessing for so many years

  49. Natja Avatar
    Natja

    We will miss you!!!!!

  50. Natja Avatar
    Natja

    We will miss you!!!!!

Latest Tattoo, Piercing, and Body Modification News

  • What Lifts the Body, Shifts the Soul
    First suspensions are rarely just about the body— they’re a meeting point between the physical and the deeply personal. Stepping into this experience isn’t simply about trying something new, but about stepping outside yourself to a version you had always sensed was waiting. I’ve had… Read more: What Lifts the Body, Shifts the Soul
  • Skin and Strings: The Art of Human Puppetry
    One of the most powerful things about being at a convention like OSC is the sheer concentration of experience, creativity, and capability in one place. When you’re surrounded by people who not only understand the technical complexities of suspension but are excited by the challenge… Read more: Skin and Strings: The Art of Human Puppetry
  • Twelve Points to the Sky
    There’s a particular kind of magic that happens at your first big suspension gathering when you arrive with nerves, an open heart, and the quiet hope of flight. Guided by the encouragement of mentor Lynn Loheide and driven by the quiet confidence of belonging, Alex… Read more: Twelve Points to the Sky
  • Ontario SusCon 2025
    In March 2025, BME attended the Ontario Suspension Convention in Hamilton, hosted by the Kevin Donaghy and the Ontario Suspension Collective. We had the pleasure to take part and help document the event, but also run a booth to sell a bunch of old (but… Read more: Ontario SusCon 2025
  • Welcome Back to Body Modification Ezine
    Dear BME Community, We’ve been gone far too long, but BME is back to give people a voice, a space, a community. With time everything evolves, and BME may be different than you remember. Our goal is to stay true to Shannon and Rachel’s values… Read more: Welcome Back to Body Modification Ezine
  • BME Social Media
    Word of mouth has been our method of reuniting the community, and it has brought a substantial amount of us together. I am inspired by your loyalty and I want to remind more people of BME’s existence. In 2020 we gained control over @bmezine on… Read more: BME Social Media