Alan Oversby 3492623 222650366 2008-06-30T12:57:05Z Katharineamy 2590656 Adding categories '''Alan Oversby''' ([[February 20]] [[1933]] – [[May 8]] [[1996]]) was one of the primary figures in the development of contemporary [[body piercing]] in [[Europe]]. He was better known by his professional name Mr. Sebastian. Originally an [[art]] [[teacher]], Alan Oversby left his initial profession to pursue his interests in [[tattoo]]ing and [[body piercing|piercing]] instead. From his studio in [[London]], he promoted both tattooing and body piercing, especially within the [[gay]] [[leather subculture|leather]] community. He was a correspondent of both [[Doug Malloy]] and [[Jim Ward (body piercer)|Jim Ward]], and sponsored by Malloy, he visited [[Los Angeles]] and Malloy also sponsored trips to London to visit him, bringing along Ward and [[Sailor Sid Diller]]. These exchanges were critical to the global spread of the techniques and technology used in contemporary body piercing. Alan Oversby was also responsible for the adoption of the use of topical and local [[anesthetic]]s as part piercing procedure in Europe. Although they are used less now, it used to be standard practice to use anesthetics when performing piercings in England, where in [[North America]] this practice is almost unknown. ==Operation Spanner== In 1987 Alan Oversby was one of 16 men charged as a part of [[Operation Spanner]], a series of raids that resulted in the arrest of men who were all engaged in [[consensual]] [[homosexual]] [[BDSM]] activities. Alan, like the other men was charged with [[assault]] with [[actual bodily harm]] for performing a genital piercing on a client. He was also charged with using anaesthetic without a licence, and for sending obscene material through the post (photographs of piercings). As the judge was not willing to take the consensuality of the participants into account, Alan pleaded guilty along with the other 15 men. He received a sentence of 15 months, which was suspended for two years. ==Trivia== He was interviewed in the first issue of [[PFIQ]]. Did much of the tattooing and piercing on [[Psychic TV]]'s [[Genesis P-Orridge]] and [[Paula P-Orridge]]. His vocals were used in the Psychic TV track "Message from The Temple" which appeared on their first album ''Force the Hand of Chance''. Another Alan Oversby is one of the best-known competitors in Classic Motorcycle Racing in the UK. He rides [[Manx Norton]] and [[Honda]] machinery. ==External links== * [http://www.bmezine.com/news/jimward/20031111.html ''The Beginnings of the Modern Body Piercing Movement''] [[BME (website)|Body Modification E-zine]] article * [http://www.bmezine.com/news/jimward/20050715.html ''A Visit to London''] [[BME (website)|Body Modification E-zine]] article ==References== * ''Modern Primitives''. Re/Search Publications. ISBN 0-940642-14-X. {{DEFAULTSORT:Oversby, Alan}} [[Category:1933 births]] [[Category:1996 deaths]] [[Category:LGBT people from England]] [[Category:Body piercing]] {{UK-bio-stub}}