Matt Gone • About
Hi. My name is Matt Gone.
Since 1990 I have had over ninety-eight percent of my body tattooed into an elaborate full body design.
The central concept of this design is a checkerboard pattern.
Aside from the checkerboards, there is a large crowd scene on my legs, mythology designs such as several Phoenixes, and a full chest/arm tattoo of a chimera.
My chakras are also individually marked.
To describe the work in detail would take a very long time - and a lot of the stories are really not anyone's business except those invoved.
The tattoos are the important thing. The pictures on this site show the entire bodysuit in great detail. Pictures of tattoos on the more private parts of my body have been included in a special adult gallery because they are part of the central design of the bodysuit.
There are very few places where I am not tattooed. Only the soles of my feet remain untouched.
Before viewing the photos, please understand that I did not embark on this project for you or anyone else.
I just wanted to do something nearly impossible before I die.
I was also born with birth defects. The tattoos hide them and make my body something I can be proud of instead of hating.
This project began in 1990 and has cost over $65,000 so far. $20,000 of that was earned as a dishwasher in New Orleans' French Quarter.
If anyone says they cannot afford tattoos, they are just not serious about it.
This web site is not intended to inspire. I am not a "chosen" one. A project like this can and may destroy you.
It took about 500 hours of tattoo sessions to achieve this look, including 32 sessions per year between 2000 and 2005. Prior to 1999 I averaged 15 sessions per year.
