Edit/Update: After being offline for ages, here’s an archival link for the first-ever published interview with Rick Genest / Rico / Zombie Boy/ Skullboy.
Sorry about not getting this online earlier — it’s been a long day, which among other things, includes having a transport truck smash into me while I was driving with my daughter to an appointment! Ack!
Big thanks to Veronika for scoring (and doing) an interview with the infamous “Skullboy“, more appropriately known as Montreal’s Zombie. Click through to check it out, and as always, come on back to comment.
PS. You may remember Veronika from her cat portrait neck tattoo as well as her half-sleeve — she’s no stranger to both being featured and creating features!
Comments
425 responses to “Zombie (“Skullboy”) Interview Posted”
Zombisoup – that’s just it though, he doesn’t sound happy at all..
alloylove pretty much said it all. well said, madam.
he looks pretty damn awesome, yeah it was a bit of a disappointment that he sounds like a complete arse, but then who the hell said we all had to be philosophical intelligent or focused on some big dream?
“I think it’s as simple as a lot of people are rather self-righteous, and don’t really “get” punk…”
Amen Shannon. Zombie really seems to live “no gods, no masters.” Personally, I’ve always kind of admired people who can immerse themselves so fully into nilhilism. What a wonderful sense of freedom must follow.
Ughh I looove him
I suppose as long as he’s happy…
To be honest, in my opinion, some people are better seen and not..uh…interviewed.
What a moronic bore.
I like his attitude & the fact the interview was lighthearted,… hes just having fun & doesnt give a fuck so what!
I find it strange & hilarious people are expecting this guy to live up to any of their expectations.
I think i would have to agree with Elana. You really hit the nail on the head. I was amazed that he is only 22, I wonder where he will end up in 20 years time?
He made something that most people can`t becouse they worry about
outher people reactions/job/unreversable change.
They expected to find answer where this guy`s courage is from. They`re dissapointed seeing just “I don`t give a fuck” approach.
Maybe he isn`t stupid and this is the answer? If you want to do something just get your ass up and do it?
Unfortunately in interviev he doesn`t tell why he regrets. He doesn`t want his tatoos at all or he sees how they could look like to be bether.
I love his tatoos, i like his thinking and I regret I can`t do somenthing simmilar. Maybe someday.
Sorry for my english, i hope it`s understandable
“I don’t think it’s unreasonable to prefer interviews that have *some interesting content*, though.”
Thank you for reading my mind.
I think other people have covered it better, but I have to chuckle at all the people let-down that there’s no (as one poster put it) “Miami Ink” story about why Zombie has his mods.
He seems perfectly content being who he is, in whatever world surrounds him, and I have to say I like the “don’t give a fuck” punk attitude.
Shannon has always said that he wants BME to document EVERYTHING in the modification scene. This interview is a perfect contribution to the BME mission.
Okay, I tatally see where so many people are coming from about tattoos not always having to have some profound meaning. I agree. Tattoos are different for everyone. That’s fine that he got them just because he though it was a cool concept. I’m more bothered by the fact that he had fuck all to say about it. All of his answers were trite and ridiculous. He didn’t need to give me some lengthy story about it representing the transcendent nature of man, but he could have said SOMETHING that gave us a real picture of who he was or why he did it. I appreciate the self-deprecating humor of what he says, and I honestly hope a lot of the interview was him being sarcastic.
This guy layed on the sarcasm about a foot thick and its amazing that some people think all his answers are serious, this dude rules
ace interview. why should people have to bare their souls on the internet in order to be applauded for their mod choices? his tattoos look cool and he has a fun attitude.
word to both 63 and 64. I’d buy that crazy fool a beer.
His body, his choices.
He won’t even read this, why don’t you all just keep your criticism to yourself…
Ok forget about how cool the ” I dont give a shit ” attitude is…The way I see it is He’s just another “CHUMP” who is going to be sucking up my hard earned tax dollars livin the life of luxury on welfare…
haha, I like it. I love how vague he is about everything. he obviously has little to no respect for online communities it seems, which doesn’t bother me. Rock on brotha.
Sarcasm doesn’t quite translate to the written word, it’s in the tone, how the hell are we supposed know the diff?
He’s SO over the top that it can’t be anything but sarcasm haha
i’ve never seen this guy! everytime i’m downtown i’m hoping to see him, but i never do. ah well, i will eventually… hopefully.
Great Tattoo er.. Tattoos? Speaking as someone with a zombie fetish its great.
I meant that in a non gay way btw.
Whatever makes him happy, but I can’t help but feel he’s stepped into something he’s not prepared to deal with.
By the way RYan, I don’t think you have any idea how the welfare system works. Coming from a social worker. Just so you know.
I like his apathy towards it, frankly. He’s very.. powder keggy.
tho I agree that I wish his answers had been more in depth I will have to say that I am glad his responses went un-edited as it really gives you a better idea as to his personality, in any case awesome interview and beautiful work, i look forward to more interviews from veronika.
Guy kinda seems like a tool…
I think he lost all my sympathy the moment I saw the “Es lebe Deutschland” tattoo.
DETN8R, you are sooooo gay
I was hoping for a more interesting, informative interview rather than a bunch of smart-arse answers. Oh well, I suppose after having a run of great interviews there was bound to be a crappy one.
Well Smallfry , I do know that the welfare system is designed to help the less fortunate…I do know that these people do not get close to the amount of money to live month to month..these people, who deserve it, I dont have a problem with…its people who are into some “scene” that give no thought to their future in todays society, who like something today and hate it tomorrow…and end up have no future and no choice but to jump onto the welfare chain…its these people that ultimately lower the amount that the deserving people receive….
What a moron. Why bother doing an interview if he doesn’t SAY anything? Shoulda just been a pictorial.
Plus I find it hard to believe that someone would be tattooed so extensively without any idea how they are oging to support themselves in the future. I firmly believe that, within my generation (and I’m about the age as the zombie boy), tattoos will be almost universally accepted. BUT they aren’t yet, and I still need to work in the meantime, so I’ll keep them cover-up-able until then.
What an idiot. Vandalaput was way better.
That read like an interview with Steve-o from Jackass. And not in a good way.
YAAAYYYY! Cool ta finally git an interview with this chap!! He does seem rather- interesting… Sad he has so many regrets. WHen i saw photos a year ago i was like,”holy shit!!” Now, after many years of BMEZINE desensitization, i’m like, “meh…” THe execution on his face, neck and back is amazing art!! Muchos Propz to the artist!!
Awesome…I’m so glad for this interview…this guy is the real deal and all the people who read this interview now know that! I would chill and smoke herb and drink with this guy anytime.
RYan; if you weren’t as close-eyed as your close-minded you would of seen that he has a job, not only that…but he’s actively looking for anything else as well. I’ve never heard of him being un-employed and I’ve met him.
I see nothing wrong with his attitude or views or anything.
He has steller tattoos, and enjoys to drink.
It only makes me kind of desire to go over and see the Montreal scene more now. I mean there seems to be a whack load of decent bands coming out of there, and a bunch of my Toronto punk friends are going over there, meeting him just seems to complete it haha =)
Besides of course adoring his tatts, I love his attitude as well ! Fucking awesome. That made me happy.
I don’t think anyone had expectations for him. We had hopes. I hoped he wouldn’t be an idiot, some nihilistic “I love to drink and smoke and contribute nothing” individual who seems to have no redeeming qualities (unless you consider not giving a fuck about anything a redeeming quality). I hoped that he would be an intelligent, well-spoken person who broke the stereotypes surrounding people with such extensive mods.
What people are upset by, I imagine, is that not only is he not what we had hoped (an example of a seemingly ‘normal’ person with very extraordinarily non-normal mods), but that he is, it seems, a really substance-less person with fuckall to say. That is, exactly the type of person most people without mods probably assume him to be.
I don’t know about you, but I think it sucks that I’m often viewed negatively because that really are people in a ‘subculture’ I’m a part of who live up to shitty stereotypes.
More than anything, though, he just sounds like I would hate.
he just sounds like someone I would hate*.
(I do like most of his tattoos, though)
I know a homeless guy with some really shitty tattoos who’s about as articulate. I’ll grab a bottle of sterno and a tape recorder and see if he’s more profound.
half of the people don’t understand his mentality because they are probably not very involved in the hardcore punk scene
NO FUTURE!!!! that’s what it’s all about
honestly i found it quite humurous and even though i’m not really into punk (i’ve always been a metal head myself)
i can understand where he’s coming from especially the whole “Never really had to think about it… I’ve been white trash my whole life…”
i can relate so much to that one line hahaha
Aurora – I don’t think it’s that similar to the Steve-O interview…
“i understand bme is more inclined to chat to ppl whose modifications are a ‘journey’ but to be perfectly honest, its all a bit miami ink. most ppl i come across get tattoos cos they wanna.”
Awesome.
People always want me to “explain” my tattoos and seem disappointed when I don’t talk about a family member who died of cancer or something else sentimental and instead I say I like how they look.
Anyways back to the interview. Montreal, punk and this guy’s tattoos all suck but he probably wouldn’t care about my opinion so more power to him.
He doesn’t come across as someone I’d want to be partnered with for a class project, but he seems as if he’d be fun to have at a party, or to take home for an acrobatic night or three. Punks need eye candy too.
Lulz @ zombiez for thinking there aren’t tons of kids out there with always visible mods that have no idea how to support themselves.
I wish that bodytwo was still up so I could find the post where Shannon talks about how tattoos should have some meaning behind them.
one would think that a community such as BME wouldn’t have so many people judging others this way. being that a lot of the members have probably put up with the judgmental attitudes from “the world” for their own appearance. This guy obviously lives life the way he wants to, more power to him. If you people think that having your “mods” makes you appear intelligent you’re way the fuck off. This guy comes off (over the internets) exactly the way he looks and I bet he’s a blast to hang out with, unlike the self-righteous types that seem to be trolling modblog these days. You’re boring and having stretched lobes doesn’t change that in the slightest, you are who you are despite your appearance, stop pretending otherwise. also, learn to sarcasm, damn
Comment 54 is all I could say and more. My name is Cait, too? Weird.
Anyway, I want to carry his babies or kill them and eat them – whatever he prefers.