Paranormal And Strange World: zombie boy

Ever since man harnessed the means of production, which in turn afforded him more time to pursue other past times besides foraging for food and whatnot, we have seen the proliferation of endless arrays in human endeavor. As a developed species we have had the imagination and inclination to climb the highest mountains, develop medicines, explore the unknown depths of the earth’s oceans, fly the sky in winged contraptions and put men on the moon. We’re a crafty bunch and in addition to such amazing feats there are a large portion of us who are creators, purveyors and patrons of the arts.

Some individuals are so enamored by art that they are compelled to go further than simply appreciating the art visually - they want the art to become a part of their physical identity. The art of tattooing has enabled people to adorn themselves with an endless spectrum of visual symbolism ranging from renditions of classic paintings to 20th century pop art (and unfortunately about a bazillion began tribal tatts).

The nineties saw the beginning of a new kind of body adornment, one that was less interested in ‘classic’ images and more dedicated to modern day cultural phenomenon. These types of tattoos include images of Nintendo ‘controller’ tattoos, Nike symbols, Pac Man pictures, Superman Logos, Garfield portraits, Star Wars characters, Bart Simpson pieces, Watchman ‘smiley face’ tattoos and Heath Ledger ‘Joker’ renditions.

Movies have a huge impact on certain individuals and some are compelled to collect any memorabilia pertaining to their favorite films. One such individual called Rick DeVries who hails from Montreal Canada was so obsessed with zombie films (particularly George A. Romero’s Living Dead movies) that he decided to actually become one by transforming himself through the art of tattooing. In a recent interview with Bizzaremag, Rick explains his reasons for transformation:

“When I was a kid I was a big fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and I wanted to be a Ninja turtle and live in the sewers. Bus as I got older I fell in love with zombies and wanted to become one. Anyway, the closest thing I could get to become a zombie was to get tattooed like one. I see my tattoos as celebrating the art of obscenity and the macabre.”

Rick expands on his wish to become to one of the living dead citing his tattoos as a reflection of his true inner self:

“They’ve been a part of me forever – before I even got them done. They reveal how I feel on the inside. I’m so used to how they look that I don’t see them anymore.”

After being questioned as to whether his life would have been better or worse with or without tattoos, Rick explains his outlook prior to getting tattooed,

“Actually, since having them done I’ve become a much happier and nicer person. Before, I hated pretty much everything and everybody. I just wanted to pass out in the gutter and swear at cars as they went by, shit like that. I wasn’t a happy person at all.”

Rick’s extreme body modification has made him into an internet celebrity that has seen passionate threads appearing in various forums with both positive and negative comments pertaining to his choice to look like a decomposed cadaver before having actually died.

Having spent over $4000 Canadian dollars so far, Rick is halfway to looking completely ‘corpse-tacular’, and has plans to take his modification to the next level.

“I want to get my brain shaded in. I want to get it all nice and grey like hamburger meat. And then I want to get Frankenstein bolts sticking out of my head around the rim where my scalp ‘cuts off’. And I’ve thought about getting my eyes blacked in. I’m thinking that in five years from now, if no one’s gone blind from it by then I’ll go and get my eyes tattooed black, so there’d be just big holes in my face.”

The famous writer William S. Burroughs once wrote; ‘Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.’

All I can write about this extraordinary individual is; ‘My, what gigantic ball you must have!’