“by the time you read this I’ll be dead.” (QUOTE!!! NOT ME!)

The world lost a visionary, and egotist, a great mind, and a free spirt on March 15th, 2013. Shannon Larratt, the founder of bmezine, finally succumbed to the degenerative disorder that had been plaguing him for years. Apparently he took his own life, which was his prerogative and I do not fault someone in agony that choice.

I am writing this trying to focus through the later half of a migraine. I am fighting for every key stroke and word and some might not come out right. But this will pass and I will sleep eventually and have pain free days. Shannon did not. 

I don't remember exactly when I found bmezine. I was working as a marketing manager in Whitehouse Station, NJ and had one small terrible tattoo, but this community spoke to me. I became a free member of IAM. I dragged the Husband to a "BME:BBQ" in NJ. I met amazing people. I came home and friended them on IAM. We kept in touch with messages and emails and more events. I found body ritual. I performed flesh pulls and suspensions. I got branded with an electrocautery scalpel in my dining room. 

All of this, every last hook, every scar, every tattoo, can be traced back to becoming part of a community that supports the drive to change and ornament and sculpt and push and celebrate our bodies, our minds and our souls as complete vessels of which we have total autonomy. Holy shit, I typed that correctly with a migraine, I fucking rock!

I remember when he made me a wiki editor he made my password a reference to my language acumen. 

I remember apologizing to his then wife for having sex dreams about him. I have no idea why I did that. 

I haven't had any contact with Shannon or his work in years, but I am still touched by his influence, and now rocked by his loss. I used to think about getting a white ink tattoo of one of the bme logos. As a tribute to all that community gave me. I may have to make that a reality some day. To recognize the indelible mark one man can make on a stranger, with his life, and with his passing. 




I think I will add this heart logo to my body at some point. I'm so glad everything related to BME can be found online. 


No comments:

Post a Comment