Customer Reviews

ModCon: The Secret World Of Extreme Body Modification

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I admit it. I'm biased. In 1998 I helped create MODCON with Shannon. Pictures of my grinning mug appear in this volume. Friends of mine appear throughout. Me telling you it's a "must own" is, if I may be honest, about as ethical as me telling you to buy me a monkey. But here goes: If you are interested in surgical body modifications- YOU MUST OWN THIS BOOK.

Of the 100 or so books in my library dealing with Body Art and Body Modification, this one captures the "who/what/where/why and how" more than any other. It also shows you real people doing extraordinary things to themselves (and to others).

It's intention isn't to shock you. (which it will)
It's intention isn't to scare you. (which it might)
It's intention is to educate you. (which it does)
It's intention is to excite you. (which it does)

I do have to mention that is features VERY explicit photographs of sometimes bloody surgical procedures. It features nudity. Its features anatomical... specimens.

But hey- you weren't looking for a Church Hymnal, were ya?

If you even have the slightest interest in the possibility of transcendence via unconventional surgery- I will repeat- BUY THIS BOOK.

And while you are in a spending mood- why don't you buy me that monkey I was telling you about earlier?

If you've read the Re/Search volume MODERN PRIMITIVES and ever wondered where everyone was going to go from there, this is the book. If you think everyone now has a tattoo or a piercing, ask yourself how many people do you know with a branding or cutting? Do any of your friends have implants? Do you think your body might be improved by amputation? This is area of the world where MODCON takes the reader.

ModCon, a private convention/gathering of extreme body art enthusiasts and artists, is documented in this volume of interviews and pictures, with some material coming from the author's private collection. You will see implants, surgical alterations and every form of permanent skin art, all modifications and changes made at the wishes of the wearer. The pictures are highly-detailed, full-color and sometimes disturbingly graphic in their medical nature.

As a person who has collected body art for almost twenty years now, I have seen a lot of unique people. I bought this book because it went beyond anything I have seen before. The interviews reveal an incredible array of focus and desire when it comes to why everyone is doing these things, as well as varying, and sometimes scary, degrees of will to carry out the mental vision for the physical body. If you want a book that will confront you with questions and shake up your perceptions about humans and how they view and use their bodies, this is one of the ones. Collectors of "the extreme" should also take note.

Anyone who isn't actively involved with (either practicing, getting or wanting) the HEAVY body mod scene definitely shouldn't buy, read or look at this book.

It documents hard modifications such as tongue splitting, 3d/transdermal implants, subincisions, penectomies, glansectomies, scarificaion, etc.

The book has alot of photographs and articles on the subjects listed and is a great book to have for anyone interested, however the articles are seriously lacking perosnal experiences in some cases. The book is definitely not worth the nearly $200 listed above. I got mine from bmeshop.com for $29.99

There is a DVD (that I have) that accompanies this book (also sold at bmevideo.com) that documents hardcore procedures at the actual ModCon.

ModCon2 book also in the works.

This book is peep into the world of extreme body modification. It goes well beyond tattooing and piercing that most people are familiar with and provides (plenty of) photos, and interviews with the people who practice these forms of modification (implants for exaple).
The book really is fascinating. There are mods that you may have heard of, and thought why would anyone do that? Well the interviews in this book give and insight into the reasons behind the mods. And anyone who thinks that body modification is a symptom of a sick mind, could do a lot lot worse than read the exceptionally well easoned arguments for why these people do what tehy do to their bodies.
I've said it once, and I'll say it again, this is a fascinating book that you will genuinely find hard to put down.

I had always been a fan of body modification since buying my first copy of Modern Primitives 13 years ago. Shannon Larratt really takes the reader into this secret world and shows the people behind the modifications and their stories. These stories, interviews and beautiful photography will really make this book a body modification "classic" alongside Modern Primitives.

This is the probably the only book on extreme body modification out there, and it does a wonderful job. "Modcon" is filled with pictures of surgical procedures, many unqiue modifications and others who are involved in the community. The book has tons of wonderful photos (colour and black + white) and interesting interviews. The book might disturb or disgust some readers, but the book is set up in a way that shows it doesn't intent to do that.

This book can be both personally enjoyable and academically fascinating. If you have an interest in body modification, sociology, anthropology and/or subcultures, there is something in this book that will interest you.

I thought the book was a wonderful read. There were parts of this book that moved me mentally in many ways. I enjoyed reading the ideas actually from the people whose bodies were modified. The book loses a star though because more time should have been spent on editing. There's a couple instances of missing words and on one occasion where a page ends mid paragraph and never starts again. Also, as mentioned above...the book can be bought for much cheaper.

I may also be a bit biased in my review, as seeing I am also in the book. While I will admit, the book couldn't totally capture the essence of the event, that is only because it truly is something you have to be physically there for to truly appreciate.
If it were not for the book Modern primitives, I am sure some of those attending the first even, may have never even known there were others out there with similar interest and beliefs. I feel certain that in a few years people will be saying the same about this book.
I am sure some people will buy this book purely for the shock value, but if you do that, you are truly missing the point. This book let's you into many people's lives in a way that in some cases, even there immediate families are unaware of. Some of the modifications seen in here will always be controversial, other such as subdermal implants, may very well slip there way into more normal society, much as the way tongue piercings have grown enormously common.
If you are interested in "extreme" body modification, you owe it to yourself to pick up this book, open up your mind and read it from cover to cover. You may find out some of these "freaks" are not as unlike yourself as you might expect.

Bad things first. It's written like a magazine (basically a collection of short articles and interviews). It goes from page to page with little connecting between them. So it's a bit hard to read as a "book". Not necessarily a bad thing, but when it doesn't even have an index, chapters, or TOC, it feels a bit lost. Not that bad of a thing if you're going to use it as a coffee table book or something to keep in the bathroom for short reads (is that it's purpose?), but it's a bad thing if you're really interested in the subject. It's easy to get lost in it.

It also feels like some of the the "articles" were rushed; there only to fill space beside the really impressive pictures. The short "articles" mirror the entire book in a way. They're repetitive, and jump around between topics.

For me though, perhaps the most disappointing thing was the lack of any real documentation. Lots of references to different people/events, but no real information. It feels like we're just skimming the surface when we read this book. However, for what information there is, an index would have helped greatly.

Don't get me wrong though. The book is really worth it. If for no other reason then the photos (and there are more reasons). It's a subject that little is known about to many people, so in one way, this book has a lot of information. I do think though, that with all the room available, the author could have focused a bit better. If you're just in it for the pictures though, there will probably be more then enough information for you.

Not so much a book about the actual event "modcon", nor a book about extreme body modification. It floats in between, never choosing where it wants to go, and never actually focusing on one thing. So for now, "ModCon: The Secret World of Extreme Body Modification" is still a secret.

In then end I give it a 3 out of 5. It's neither the best written book ever, nor the most complete, but it's the best you're going to get (on the subject of EXTREME modification). And because of that, I would really recommend this book to anyone. You'll get something out of it, be it grossed out, or a new hobby.

I've read through many books on body modification over the past few years- namely books like Modern Primitives, Marks of Civilization and some others. Some were noteworthy but most weren't worth the paper they've been printed on. This book presents the most compelling look into the individuals who perform heavy body modification, people that I have looked up to in my own personal journeys to attaining my ideal physical form. Modcon has been one of the highpoints of such journeys. This book has loads of excellent photography, and while it may shock you at first, you'll find that these are ordinary people that have taken the steps to achieve personal enlightenment through altering the bodies that were given to them.

P.S, you'll even find a picture of me in there- I'm the one with the yoyo ;)