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. Kisaragi Avatar
    Kisaragi

    I’ve never commented anything here before, but I just want to wish you the best of luck with everything Shannon! It’s been really great reading and seeing everything you’ve put on here, it really opened my mind to some stuff I never thought was possible! So thanks and all the best with your next projects 🙂

  2. Kisaragi Avatar
    Kisaragi

    I’ve never commented anything here before, but I just want to wish you the best of luck with everything Shannon! It’s been really great reading and seeing everything you’ve put on here, it really opened my mind to some stuff I never thought was possible! So thanks and all the best with your next projects 🙂

  3. audente Avatar
    audente

    Having been a faithful, albeit mostly lurking, reader of Modblog and BME for many years, I am very sad to see it has come to this. BME changed my life in a very profound way, as it has for many others, and although I am no longer an “active” member of the community, simply because I choose not to display myself for the masses, I feel that Shannon is in a way a part of my life. We both had beautiful little blond haired daughters within six months of each other, both were divorced within 3 months of each other, and while I’ve never taken the initiative to contact you personally Shannon – I feel an absurd sense of kinship with you because of these parallels and because you have allowed me to peek into your life and have opened my eyes and mind to to myriad of human experiences to be had in the realm of body modification. I wish you nothing but the best in whatever endeavors you throw yourself into, because although we’ve never met or spoken, I feel I know enough about you thanks to years of reading your blogs to know that you will continue to create and drive yourself to new heights. Thank you for your years of dedication and hard work, I for one will never be the same.

    -Sean

  4. audente Avatar
    audente

    Having been a faithful, albeit mostly lurking, reader of Modblog and BME for many years, I am very sad to see it has come to this. BME changed my life in a very profound way, as it has for many others, and although I am no longer an “active” member of the community, simply because I choose not to display myself for the masses, I feel that Shannon is in a way a part of my life. We both had beautiful little blond haired daughters within six months of each other, both were divorced within 3 months of each other, and while I’ve never taken the initiative to contact you personally Shannon – I feel an absurd sense of kinship with you because of these parallels and because you have allowed me to peek into your life and have opened my eyes and mind to to myriad of human experiences to be had in the realm of body modification. I wish you nothing but the best in whatever endeavors you throw yourself into, because although we’ve never met or spoken, I feel I know enough about you thanks to years of reading your blogs to know that you will continue to create and drive yourself to new heights. Thank you for your years of dedication and hard work, I for one will never be the same.

    -Sean

  5. tank_girl Avatar
    tank_girl

    That’s so sad! After seeing what the site was like when you didn’t have access before, I’m afraid of what might happen to BME. Good luck with the future, you will be missed.

  6. tank_girl Avatar
    tank_girl

    That’s so sad! After seeing what the site was like when you didn’t have access before, I’m afraid of what might happen to BME. Good luck with the future, you will be missed.

  7. modestmouse Avatar

    Shannon, I’m so sorry to hear you’ll be leaving us… But I hope you have a great future in whatever you do! Best of luck buddy!

  8. modestmouse Avatar

    Shannon, I’m so sorry to hear you’ll be leaving us… But I hope you have a great future in whatever you do! Best of luck buddy!

  9. johnny-zigany Avatar
    johnny-zigany

    oh well… bme is dead. Fair enough. It was good while it lasted, sorry to see you go shannon.

  10. johnny-zigany Avatar
    johnny-zigany

    oh well… bme is dead. Fair enough. It was good while it lasted, sorry to see you go shannon.

  11. carlovely Avatar

    best of luck shannon.
    you will be missed.

  12. carlovely Avatar

    best of luck shannon.
    you will be missed.

  13. Amras Avatar

    you shall be missed shanon standing by your side in the good and the worst
    may your life be full of happyness

  14. Misha Avatar
    Misha

    Thank you Shannon for all the time an effort you have put in to this community you will be missed.

  15. Amras Avatar

    you shall be missed shanon standing by your side in the good and the worst
    may your life be full of happyness

  16. Misha Avatar
    Misha

    Thank you Shannon for all the time an effort you have put in to this community you will be missed.

  17. n0ir Avatar
    n0ir

    Too bad to hear that you are leaving BME and ModBlog, Shannon! However, it sounds like you leave with high spirits and that is always a good thing (especially after such a long commitment). Thank you for all your work and the interesting articles through the years!

  18. n0ir Avatar
    n0ir

    Too bad to hear that you are leaving BME and ModBlog, Shannon! However, it sounds like you leave with high spirits and that is always a good thing (especially after such a long commitment). Thank you for all your work and the interesting articles through the years!

  19. Beauty inthe Breakdown Avatar

    Missed is an understatement. Haha
    I’m tearing up at work.

  20. Beauty inthe Breakdown Avatar

    Missed is an understatement. Haha
    I’m tearing up at work.

  21. Chillymama Avatar

    I don’t think mere words can adequately express how profound an impact BME and you, Shannon, have had on me. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself with us. You will be missed – in many ways, every single day. Good luck and godspeed to you.

  22. Chillymama Avatar

    I don’t think mere words can adequately express how profound an impact BME and you, Shannon, have had on me. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself with us. You will be missed – in many ways, every single day. Good luck and godspeed to you.

  23. Ireland Avatar
    Ireland

    Cheers, Shannon.

  24. Ireland Avatar
    Ireland

    Cheers, Shannon.

  25. beaker Avatar

    *joins in the toast to all of Shannon’s hard work*

  26. beaker Avatar

    *joins in the toast to all of Shannon’s hard work*

  27. maria Avatar
    maria

    I found out this blog only few weeks ago, but I fell in love with it at first sight. I learned to appreciate your wit and your personality and, even if I don’t know you personally and probably won’t ever meet you, Shannon, I want to say “thank you” and blessed be.
    🙂

  28. maria Avatar
    maria

    I found out this blog only few weeks ago, but I fell in love with it at first sight. I learned to appreciate your wit and your personality and, even if I don’t know you personally and probably won’t ever meet you, Shannon, I want to say “thank you” and blessed be.
    🙂

  29. Matt Volatile Avatar
    Matt Volatile

    This is inordinately disappointing. The grace of your “resignation” is to your absolute credit, and I can’t say I’d be reacting in the same way were I in your position.

    Was “ceasing to write about body modification” part of the settlement? I find it pretty shocking that you couldn’t move your interests, writing style and eye for the interesting to a new blog, and think it’s a shame (and something of an indictment) if you’ve been prevented from doing so.

    Thanks for more than a decade of hard work and revolution. And keep in touch.

  30. Matt Volatile Avatar
    Matt Volatile

    This is inordinately disappointing. The grace of your “resignation” is to your absolute credit, and I can’t say I’d be reacting in the same way were I in your position.

    Was “ceasing to write about body modification” part of the settlement? I find it pretty shocking that you couldn’t move your interests, writing style and eye for the interesting to a new blog, and think it’s a shame (and something of an indictment) if you’ve been prevented from doing so.

    Thanks for more than a decade of hard work and revolution. And keep in touch.

  31. Gillian Avatar

    Holy shit.

    I wish it could have ended differently. Thank you for EVERYTHING.

  32. Gillian Avatar

    Holy shit.

    I wish it could have ended differently. Thank you for EVERYTHING.

  33. LovelyGrasshopper Avatar

    I’ll miss you, too!

  34. LovelyGrasshopper Avatar

    I’ll miss you, too!

  35. La Negra Avatar
    La Negra

    THANKS SHANNON! u do alot for alot people <3
    ..i cant belive u dont gonna be here anymore..cri cri

  36. La Negra Avatar
    La Negra

    THANKS SHANNON! u do alot for alot people <3
    ..i cant belive u dont gonna be here anymore..cri cri

  37. jOELTRON Avatar

    Anddddd the post is back again. Magic, perhaps?

  38. jOELTRON Avatar

    Anddddd the post is back again. Magic, perhaps?

  39. Hell_Puppy Avatar
    Hell_Puppy

    Sorry to hear it.
    Thanks for all the work you’ve done.
    All the best. =]

  40. Hell_Puppy Avatar
    Hell_Puppy

    Sorry to hear it.
    Thanks for all the work you’ve done.
    All the best. =]

  41. memphis Avatar

    good luck Shannon!

  42. memphis Avatar

    good luck Shannon!

  43. Liz Avatar
    Liz

    fuck.

  44. Liz Avatar
    Liz

    fuck.

  45. Sara Avatar

    *sigh*
    This is really sad. I’m actually tearing up.
    Shannon, thanks for everything you’ve done. You will be missed. I can’t say that I’ll frequent the site as much now, as it was you that really made it what it is. I wish you the best in whatever you do later in life…also, I hope that any legal troubles that are left get resolved very soon.
    I’m sure we’ll all miss you. Even though we’ve never met, you’ve influenced my life in a big way, and probabaly many others as well. I enjoy reading your writing, and am glad you’ll continue your personal blog.
    Best wishes,

  46. Sara Avatar

    *sigh*
    This is really sad. I’m actually tearing up.
    Shannon, thanks for everything you’ve done. You will be missed. I can’t say that I’ll frequent the site as much now, as it was you that really made it what it is. I wish you the best in whatever you do later in life…also, I hope that any legal troubles that are left get resolved very soon.
    I’m sure we’ll all miss you. Even though we’ve never met, you’ve influenced my life in a big way, and probabaly many others as well. I enjoy reading your writing, and am glad you’ll continue your personal blog.
    Best wishes,

  47. Obvious Avatar
    Obvious

    I think it’s quite obvious that the only reason Shannon came back, was because we all lost are trust in bmezine when he was gone. Now we trust bme again, so Rachel can actually have a site with people on it. I feel f*cked.

  48. Obvious Avatar
    Obvious

    I think it’s quite obvious that the only reason Shannon came back, was because we all lost are trust in bmezine when he was gone. Now we trust bme again, so Rachel can actually have a site with people on it. I feel f*cked.

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