A black-and-white photo of a person mid-air in a Superman-style body suspension pose, supported by multiple hooks in their back and legs, smiling joyfully toward the camera. They are suspended horizontally in a large indoor space with high ceilings and visible rigging. A group of onlookers—some seated, some standing—watch with expressions of admiration, amusement, and support. The atmosphere is lively and communal, capturing a moment of shared experience and transformation.

Zombie (“Skullboy”) Interview Posted

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 infamousSkullboy“, 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”

  1. Dylan Avatar

    i love how hes such a BAD ASS MOTHERFUCKER!!

  2. Bob Avatar
    Bob

    What’s wrong, exactly, with wanting people to be intelligent and interesting instead of (or as well as) being interested in how they look?

  3. bill Avatar

    That guy is an idiot and this interview was a waste of time.
    There wasnt anything interesting about it, other than his actual tattoos, and we didnt need an interview for that. Oh, he doesnt give a fuck!? I didnt see that one coming.

    I wonder how much dick he sucks to pay for his tattoos, as I doubt hanging posters pay enough for tattoos AND beer/weed.

  4. IAM: E-Vomit Avatar

    I was 3 hours with him, he wanted to keep the interview vague and not very personal. He IS a great guy very decent AND intelligent, he would of had more to say, I think he wanted the interview to be more in the direction of his mods. He is very interessting and we had long conversations, which are not in the interview.

    And yes he has a job, yes he has projects, and NO is not sucking up money from welfare… Seriously, where do some people come from? How can you even be that… Ehhh…

    He wanted to keep the answers short and clear about everything. He has a great sence of humour too, so this interview is to be taken lightly. I had so much fun doing this, and I’m very happy to have met him and I made myself a new friend. He is easy going and not full of himself or stuck up and I think you can clearly see that. After all the negative comments left the first Modblog entry, I’m just happy he accepted to do an interview.

    Read it, but don’t think it’s a “deeper meaning” type of interview. He is very normal like most of us, he is articulate and he is very nice. I won’t comment on here anymore as I see some people just might not get it. Anyways, I asked the questions, he answered them. Not everything in the world has to be always serious. If you don’t appriciate the interview, don’t read it, don’t click on it. That’s all, no one forced you to read it.

    I can understand in a way how the interview can be “sulting” to himself, but the tone of the itnerview is not made to be taken too seriously, and he is being honnest, it’s his words, the interview has not been adited in ANYWAY, I just read it, and everything has been left intact (except the layout and presentation).

    PS. What he meant about “regretting” his tattoos are the small ones which aren’t part of the body suit, and that now they kind of all blend in, he doesn’t notice them anymore…

    Thank you Shannon for giving me the opportunity to share this interview, and great “layout” editing! Thanks!

  5. IAM: E-Vomit Avatar

    “insulting”-Typo, sorries.

  6. cuntcumber Avatar

    That’s nice to hear. Still don’t understand why you’d want to present yourself the way he did in that article (if he actually is intelligent and a great guy) but at least it sounds like he was ‘hamming it up for the camera,’ so to speak.

  7. Shannon Avatar

    cuntcumber – Honestly, “Montreal punk” is the beginning and end of the answer! He’s got the best look, but you’ll find a ton of people with facial tattoos and a similar attitude.

  8. IAM: E-Vomit Avatar

    100% What Shannon said, he has the attitude, which shows a LOT in the interview, and YES he is a great guy, which shows more or less because of THE attitude. You can have an attitude an be a great person with an awesome personality, just like he says.

    And thanks again Shannon! (Hope you’re alright after the small accident).

  9. IAM: E-Vomit Avatar

    Ohh… And yes, he didn’t present himself like most people do, he was himself from start to finish, this is why the interview might seem more or less “good”.

  10. verena Avatar
    verena

    I’d do him. yum yum.

  11. Charlotte Avatar

    Can’t say I think much (in either direction) to the responses he gave in the interview, but his tattoos are really cool and it was good to see more photos of them rather than just the one or two that have been on Modblog before. He seriously has the best tattoos ever! I love them.

  12. Joshmeshuggah Avatar
    Joshmeshuggah

    he’s rocking the Cannibal Corpse.
    nice.

  13. L Avatar
    L

    THAT IS SOME FUCKING SICK SHIT. 8D
    hes so worth lookin at.

  14. lauren Avatar

    amazing work on his back
    seriously detailed i love it..

    interview wise..u can tell he isnt used to it

    “im fucked in the head!did i mention im fucked in the head?”
    any last words
    “IM TOTALLY FUCKED IN THE FUCKING HEAD”

    we get it mate…
    realy..we get it..
    nice tattoos!
    glad someone got a hold of him!
    nice to see more pics!

  15. IAM: E-Vomit Avatar

    And one last thing, *I’m on a rant now*… Why does every tattoo have to have a meaning, why does everyone have to have “enlightened mod experiences”, can’t you just do it for the sake of loving something or art?

    And I as said, not that he doesn’t “care”, he wanted to keep the interview mod related and not a personal add for himself. If he wouldn’t care, he would of done the interview.

    Maybe he made himself sound like a drug addicted retard, but what he was saying OUT of the interview, was way more smarter than most of what certain people posted on here.

    *Rant done…*

  16. environmental Avatar

    I can’t express how excited I was when I saw this interview was posted, and I’m not going to lie, that excitement had turned to total by the time I had finished reading it.

    I don’t want to get into this whole big fight that appears to be brewing, and I understand that YES, he is punk, and YES he is sarcastic, and no, he doesn’t need a “Miami Ink” reason for his tattoos, or any reason at all besides the fact that he wanted them. Despite all this, did he REALLY need to basically tell us all to fuck ourselves and make himself completely fit every stereotype that people have of this community? Maybe other people outside of our relatively open minded BME world aren’t going to be as understanding about Montreal punk as people seem to expect everyone will be, and if they read this, they would just have something else to back up their hatred. I know that apparently he’s intelligent and whatnot, but just because he’s punk and doesn’t care about anyone, or anything, or himself, blablabla, does he really need to speak like a 13 year old myspace-crazed girl? I feel he could have gotten away with being a lot more bad-ass and punk, and a lot less idiotic.

  17. environmental Avatar

    that was supposed to say “turned to total *dismay* by the time I had finished reading it”

  18. RPVitiello Avatar

    Hay this was no shock to me at all. From what I picket up on him online (and the clothing he was wearing) he came off as a punk. Anyone know anything about Squatter punk culture? Face tattoos are pretty common as a slap in the face of society.

    I myself am 23, and tattooed my face when I was 22. No real meaningfully story behind the tattoos other than I wanted to ink my face for as long as I can remember, and want a full body suit. I don’t need a long drawn out spiritual meaning to all my mods. I just got to like how they look, and they need to make me happy. Hell I even got the face ink when I did NOT have a job. I wound up going back to school and getting a job after I started inking my face. In the interim I was not on welfare or anything like that (I was living off savings)

    As for work aspect, I know the implications of the ink I have, as I am sure he knows too. I wont let that stop me from working though. From this guys attitude he seams like he does actually work. Allot of punks are squatters or welfare people, but he does not seam quite like that. He may not be making a huge contribution to the social-economic position of society, but he pays his way, and has fun. I bet he is less stressed out over money and life and having the latest this, or best that then either you or I.

    He seams like a chill guy, would like to meet him face to face one day.

  19. SNAPLLL Avatar
    SNAPLLL

    I hate tattoos.

  20. Wilburtino Avatar

    ironic that a community that strives for acceptance doesn’t accept someone who gets things done for different reasons. people can take themselves too seriously on here.

  21. aroundth3furr Avatar

    i must say, i dont normally like facial tattoos, but im deffinatly finding his AMAZING, and in a way hes pretty beautiful.

    loveeee itttt!!!<3

  22. Dimlight Avatar
    Dimlight

    Seriously, how the FUCK does our scene end up judging people for modifying their bodies? Isn’t the whole point that we accept alternative lifestyles and life choices?

    I admire this guy’s intense dedication to his art and as far as streetpunks go, he sounds like a good cunt. When he said he regretted some tattoos, did you guys slinging shit really think he meant he didn’t like his skullface?

    And for those people wanting a big esoteric meaning, what would you say if he described his tattoos as challenging people with their own mortality. Maybe it is, but with the intense visual nature of his facial tattooing, it was pretty obvious before the interview there wasn’t going to be much more to it.

    Thank you E-Vomit for bringing us this interview, and thank you Shannon for posting it.

  23. Evan Avatar
    Evan

    The most anticlimactic interview ever. Way to carry the “I don’t give a shit” attitude with enthusiasm only rivaled by a retarded kid spotting a bunny.

    @ ZOMBIE – keep livin’ the dream

  24. maya Avatar
    maya

    all i have to say is: i officially <3 this kid! come to newark so we can chill 😀

  25. Uraniumhobo Avatar

    i thnk people are trying to go to deep into the interview searching for truths that dont exist, or what they want to be the truth, hes punk he lives live fast and hard, does what he wants no questions asked, so he might not be as “interesting” as they wanted him to be, but he is who he is and he dont give 2 shits since he probably wasnt trying to get too much attention in the first place, maybe he thought i we bored him we would leave him alone? great interview, love his attitude

  26. Whiskas Avatar
    Whiskas

    I heart him and his attitude. He’s punk as fuck and has a great sense of humor. His attitude is punk rock – duh. I love that he has this interwebz fame and y’all wanted him to say something deep and meaningful about his tattoos and this is what ou got.

  27. ashleelisbeth Avatar
    ashleelisbeth

    He’s incredibly dull.

  28. wickedgame6 Avatar

    I know this is kind of ‘out there’….but I would totally fuck him…Straight up….Why must Florida be so far away!!! haha.

  29. Isabel Avatar
    Isabel

    I bet I am more disappointed (but not so surprised) in many of your attitudes than you are in his. The collective elitism that runs rampant here sometimes is sickening.

  30. Isabel Avatar
    Isabel

    By the way, did anyone consider that maybe one reason heavily tattooed/modded people are stereotyped this way, is that this subculture is what helped draw so much mainstream attention to mods in the first place? I mean, if that makes sense… Badly worded. OH WELL. GUESS I’M HUMAN.

  31. kleptesvirgo Avatar

    I’m going to get hated on for saying this, but:
    He sounds just like I expected — just some irresponsible, dumb kid living a life consumed with pot, beer, and dicking around. I’m not judging him for this, just merely stating the facts. He may be happy (and I sincerely hope he is), but he’s not anyone I’d deem worth meeting. And he’s certainly not anyone I’d ever consider looking up to.
    Meh.

  32. uuu Avatar
    uuu

    maybe i (and probably some other people)don’t like his attitude because i am jealous. i just wish i could stop caring about everything. however, i have emotions and sometimes i suffer. i see people around me who are hurt and i can’t help but care.

  33. Blackrabbit Avatar
    Blackrabbit

    I concur. I would do him.

  34. Goober Avatar
    Goober

    don’t feel like reading all 127 comments, but i read maybe a quarter. anyway. i think the interview really showed his personality, and i think that personality fit his tattoos. he’s really blunt and honest, and that’s cool. and i think it’s cool that he doesn’t seem to care that much about his tattoos. because he just doesn’t seem to care that much about life.
    why make it so serious… it’s just one person’s life, on a tiny planet.

    love it.

  35. fuus Avatar
    fuus

    I found this interview rather refreshing!

  36. Bob Avatar
    Bob

    I don’t think anyone is particularly criticising his tattoos (here at least), but ultimately there has to be some reason for an interview: the interviewee really has to have *something* to say, or else why bother?

  37. kidd Avatar

    I would fuck the shit out of him. for fucking serious.

  38. mucus marcus Avatar
    mucus marcus

    great interview.
    hilarious comments.

  39. demoiselle Avatar

    Kidd, can I have sloppy secondsÉ

  40. kwaniesiam Avatar
    kwaniesiam

    Love the artwork, not so much the attitude. If he’s the same way in everyday life I’m kind of embarrassed to be sharing a part of this community with idiots like that.

  41. Caroline June Avatar
    Caroline June

    I still think he’s pretty gorgeous, regardless.

  42. Vasey Avatar
    Vasey

    I enjoyed this interview, it was humorous and so sarcastic, I’m surprised that a lot of people did not pick up on it. At least he was completly honest, there is not enough complete honesty in this world

  43. Venomous Intellect Avatar

    This guy reminds me of a few old friends I used to have. The interview makes me miss them. I think his attitude is great!! Going back to what the interviewer said I think one needs to have that attitude.

    I find it interesting that people would judge his intelligence based on this interview. But again I think and I have said this multiple times on posts on modblog.. that I find it very disturbing that as a society we sit and argue and debate about what personal freedoms a person should have.

    The body modification culture is so different from what it was… now I think the typical people commenting are bourgeoisie yuppies with 3 tattoos and 1.5″ lobes that think because of their “mods” it gives them a justification to judge people. Note the difference in comments between some of the people on here and RPVitiello’s. Interesting difference eh?

    I would like to read the thoughts of more heavily tattooed people and see how they differ.

    Really….society is so fascinating….

  44. Megan Avatar

    Hahaha that was rad. I’ve been involved in the punk thing for years and I totally get and appreciate his attitude and he’s living how he wants to live and it fucking SHOWS, so good for him. cheers!

  45. Leroy Avatar

    I can’t belive no ones made a Punk’s not dead (just undead) joke yet.

    His look is absolutely brilliant, though I’ll admit a feeling of disappointment towards his answers. Whatever. 🙂

  46. Mari Avatar
    Mari

    I thought the interview was relatively interesting. I would have loved to see pictures of his transformation if he had any.

  47. Kenevin Avatar

    What the fuck did you guys expect? He’s a down to earth, no bullshit kind of guy. When I met him he was incredibly shy, letting most of his friends speak for him. The only thing that got him excited is when we started talking about putting some Microdermals around his head.

    One on One with Veronika he seemed to have been much more open, which is a good thing…but honestly…

    Did you guys expect him to be a school teacher? Look at most of the heavily tattooed and modded folks around you…what jobs do they have?: Sideshow Freak, Musicians, Tattoo artists, body piercers, Editors/founders of Body Modification websites…

    There’s one Rocket Scientist that was posted on Modblog whom had stretched ears, was he the only one? Probably…because smart people don’t get their face tattooed into freaking skulls when they’re trying to get a professional job.

    When Veronika sent me the Interview last night I browsed through it and I laughed…I took it with a grain of salt, he had no pretensions…I knew this was him, he could of let Veronika write answers for him, he could of taken time to answer each question and putting as much thinking as possible behind it, but it would of been fake.

    Be happy he was willing to do the interview in the first place considering how much negative feed back the first pictures of him got!!

    PS: I just want to point out and throw flowers at Veronika, English is her third language and I think she’s done an amazing job responding to you guys.

  48. Alxsmultimedia Avatar

    Es un pobre y triste gueon pero hay que reconocer que sus tatuajes en conjunto están muy pero muy buenos.

    ademas hay que tener los pantalones bien puestos para lograr lo que el ha logrado.

  49. Meme Avatar
    Meme

    wow thats real?!?! totally cool!!

  50. Bob Avatar
    Bob

    I think people were expecting… something. Something more than “Wooo! Props to my homeboys!! I like to drink beer!!”

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