Point 85: In the Beginning There was Gauntlet

by Jim Ward

Yes, humans have been piercing their bodies for millenia, so this title is not literally true.

But in 1975 when Gauntlet was born, except for a handful of fetishists, the western world had largely forgotten this part of its history. That year marked the beginning of a revival that has taken the planet by storm. Thanks to Gauntlet, piercing shops have become a staple of the urban landscape.

Many of you have read my book Running the Gauntlet and are familiar with so many of the photos it contains. For this issue of The Point, I’ve dug back into my personal archives and chosen a number of mostly unpublished photos from Gauntlet’s early years to share.

For the first three years of its existence, I conducted business from my dilapidated old home. The shop opened in 1978. I hope you enjoy this stroll down memory lane.

A young chap modeling the first incarnation of a Gauntlet t-shirt. I silk screened the design myself. At one point I attempted to dye some of them purple, but the widely available Rit dye faded rapidly to lavender.

Poet, performance artist, and out masochist Bob Flanagan in a 1982 video getting a Prince Albert and guiche piercing from Jim Ward. Shot by his mistress Sheree Rose, the video may be seen on the APPThePoint YouTube Channel. It should be viewed as an historical document and in no way
considered instructional.

My home on San Vicente Boulevard in West Hollywood where Gauntlet was born and from which I conducted business for three years prior to the opening of the studio.