I'm from another world. A dying world. There's only a few of us left.
I've been abandoned here against my will, but I've tried to make the
best of it. No one speaks my language, and the communication devices
have failed. My energy is slowly being drained by the resources of this
realm: hatred, fear, selfishness and greed. I've opened my windows to
absorb from the sun, but there is no light. This land is barren, and
there is nothing to see. My door is unlocked, but most are too afraid
to come in. Such a shame though, the indigenous would love my place.
It's warm and inviting, full of compassion, tolerance, and life. But I
haven't lost hope for my people. They're here. Lost and trapped, just as
I am. And if you're reading this, if you can translate it, make
yourselves known. Show yourselves, and don't be afraid of the demons
that threaten our existence. Fight them. Defeat them. Restore our world.
I feel so alone here, and I want to go home...
More affectionately known as "Zombie Boy" or "Rico the Zombie," Rick Genest is our very own modern day Cinderella. Classic rags to riches story. A Montreal native, Genest was the typical angst-ridden teen, associating with down-wind vagabonds and heavily influenced by punk rock culture. One would assume that the "Zombie Boy" moniker derived from the obvious outward display of tattoos (resembling a decomposing corpse) that cover about 80% of his body. Contrary to popular belief though, the nickname was given to him by his friends after surviving a life threatening surgery to remove a brain tumor, pre-ink fest. The name stuck, so he ran with it; right into the hands of Frank Lewis, the tattoo artist responsible for most of the zombie suit.
Once his body modifications were underway, Genest began to flourish creatively as a sideshow performer, gaining lots of attention. So much that he made an appearance in the 2009 film "Cirque Du Freaks: The Vampire's Assistant," after which a Facebok fan page was created, reaching well over 1.5 million supporters in 2010. This buzz caught the attention of Lady Gaga's creative director, Nicola Formichetti, landing Genest a stroll down the catwalk for MUGLER's 2011 Autumn/Winter collections, headlining as Formichetti's muse. Shortly thereafter, Zombie Boy made an inevitable cameo in Gaga's "Born This Way" video, which is probably his most noted project to date. In late 2011, he joined Dermablend's "Go Beyond the Cover" campaign, which boasts a mind blowing video (shot mostly in reverse) of Genest demonstrating the remarkable effects of Dermablend's professional make-up/coverage product line. Leaning on Zombie Boy's mild mannered yet blatant disregard for popular opinion, and his uncanny sex appeal, both Dermablend and Nicola Formichetti are pushing the envelope, and challenging society's mainstreamed idea of "beauty."
