Artist Spotlight: Rick Genest

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."

Needless to say, the last few years have been... interesting to say the least... for an otherwise seemingly humble guy. From not being able to get a passport to flat out jet-setting, I can imagine that Rick Genest has had a whirlwind of experiences: talk shows, interviews, music videos, photo shoots, magazine covers, short films, movies, setting Guinness world records, and even (most recently) participating in this years Comic-Con in San Diego, California where a Zombie Boy doll made its debut, courtesy of http://www.tonnerdoll.com/. Though he certainly appears to be taking full advantage of his worldwide exposure, Genest plans to return to his roots in the performing arts, as a circus freak, once his 15 minutes of fame are up. If you'd like to keep an eye on the social media phenomenon, check in to rickgenest.com, follow him on Twitter https://twitter.com/ricothezombie, or "like" his Facebook fan page https://www.facebook.com/RicoTheZombie for all the latest news, appearances, tour dates, cool pictures/videos, and random zombie jargon :)

Too Cold, Too Cold

Yes folks, this is real. Robert Van Winkle (Vanilla Ice) has aged beautifully. I'm still a fan. Word to your mother.

Open Your Mind

This is so awesome! Shout out to the creator of this adorable image :)

Flavor of the Month: Yelawolf

Catfish Billy! I don't know why, but I LOVE his "Backwoods Bama" ass. Super talented (in my opinion), seems humble, covered in tattoos, pretty easy on the eyes too. Speaking of eyes, have you noticed his? Breathtaking... Oh, wait.... Guess I do know why I love his "Backwoods 'Bama" ass...

Rhyme and Reason

Word.

Photo credit: http://www.thewildandfree.com/

Woman On Mars

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...

Artist Spotlight: Luke Wessman

Born in Tennessee and raised on the mean streets of Southern California, tattoo craftsman extraordinaire Luke Wessman is my artiste du jour. The crème de la crème. A man of seemingly strong will and admirable character, he prides himself on being self made; often speaking of coming from practically nothing, and building from the ground up. No short cuts. It appears that Wessman's humble beginning has been a catalyst of sorts, and he's certainly earned his way to the top of the ink industry. Sticking to the conventional rules of tattooing, Wessman's particular artistic style is often dubbed "traditional gangster" which (in my opinion) combines that classic, time-honored elegance with a bit of west coast flair. With unparallelled drive and loyalty, he has gained the respect of his family, peers, and tattoo enthusiasts around the globe.

Wessman's passion for the craft has allowed him to take his rightful place amongst the best tattooers in the world, proving that hard work and a little elbow grease goes a long way. He owns his own shop, Lucky's Tattoo in San Diego (with partner Shane Modica), but is currently cranking out rad "doodads" at Wooster Street Social Club (known to the masses as TLC's "NY Ink") in New York City. If you'd like to get a little more cozy with Mr. Wessman, check him out on Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/LukeWessman, where he is most entertaining with candid commentary and unfiltered opinions on tattooing, and every day life in SoHo. For a more in-depth account of his journey to tattoo royalty and all around creative genius, mosey on over to http://lukewessman.com/, where you'll find an active blog, pics of original artwork, amazing tattoos, cool videos, and contact information. Visit often. Get familiar, get inspired, and most importantly, get tattooed!

Terms Of Endearment

What romantically lures you to the opposite (or same) sex? Is it his/her sense of humor, or artistic aptitude? Nah… Is it his/her kindness, compassion, personality, or fondness of children? Nope, nope, nope… Those are the kind of characteristics that connect you to your friends… Hmm, let’s see now, is it his/her eyes, smile? Well, Maybe… Is it their lips, washboard abs, thick thighs? Yeah, yeah, probably. See, now we’re getting somewhere…

If you think about it, you could probably find the same positive traits that you love about your friends in your significant other. But you’re not feelin’ your friends like that, are you? Can’t put your finger on it, but something sets those two relationships apart. What is it?!

Ever wonder how you can meet a man/woman that is so perfect; Smart, funny, compassionate, handsome/beautiful, thoughtful, affectionate, everything you want, but he/she still doesn’t do it for you? You just can’t see yourself committing to them, but all your friends and relatives are saying, “What’s wrong with you?! Anybody would kill to have -insert name here-” But to you, it’s like they’re missing something… What is it?!

Well, I’ll tell you what they’re missing: The it factor. ‘It’ is usually something that arouses you (in whatever way) about your gender of preference. Whatever makes you say, “damn!” is your ‘it’ factor. That one little profane word can elevate your friend to your potential husband/wife in a matter of minutes LOL... My point is, the only thing that seems to separate a platonic friendship from an intimate relationship is attraction...

Aggression is what does it for me. Now, I’m not saying that I want a man that’ll slap my head up against a wall, but rather one who can take charge of a situation; a protector. I like men that are dominant and in control, without being chauvinistic (when it comes to the way he approaches/handles me.) Don’t know why, but that’s my ‘it’ factor… 

What’s yours?

The Void

The space between light and dark, joy and sorrow, life and death.
The “gray area.” I hate gray areas.
Yet here I am, lost and confused. Unfulfilled. Cold. Indifferent.
What am I doing wrong? All I want is to love and be loved. That’s it.
But the harder I try, the farther I drive people away.
And I always end up back in this space.
This space between light and dark, joy and sorrow, life and death.
The “gray area.”
I hate gray areas...

Holy Matrimony?

So, recently, President Obama has taken a stand in support of same sex marriage. Awesome. I'm not necessarily savvy on politics, but I'm having a hard time understanding why this is an issue. Why is this even up for debate in the first place? I'd like to believe that marriage is a human right. Some may argue that the country is built on Christianity, and therefore justifies the denial of gay marriage and the enforcement of America's "my house, my rules" policy, which allows us to pick and choose when the rules apply, and who they apply to. But what does that say about our government? So, what, legal rights only apply to Christians now? Those who practice other religions aren't denied the right to marry, so why should the LGBT community be any different? 

America is supposed to be "the land of the free." And if this country allows homosexuals to work and pay taxes as US Citizens, then they should be allotted the same legal rights as EVERY other US citizen. Denying their community the right to legally commit will NOT stop them from being gay, so what difference does it make? It seems a bit unfair to me, to run an allegedly diverse country from an extremely narrow viewpoint. I thought laws were made with the intent of protecting this nation, and its people. Not to ostracize those that don't conform to a personal opinion of "normality." Who are we to judge?