Lukas Zpira (Body-Art.net) recently did these amazing 14mm deep chest piercings (see more deep chest piercings on BME as well). These are (of course) on Lucky Diamond Rich, who has worked with Lukas before on projects like this.
Meet body modification artist and superstar Emilio Gonzalez (left) and performance artist Lucky Diamond Rich (right) at the Smack Party in NYC. Photo by Efrain Gonzalez.
This entry was actually supposed to be in yesterday’s update, but I’m not sure why it didn’t make it. First I wanted to apologize for not having posted enough tattoo pinup guys here yet… I haven’t been putting them aside so my queue is limited, and to be honest, guys tend to send in more closeup pictures than portraits.
I also wanted to mention that Needled has mention up of Margaret Cho’s new tattoo (which may end up being Ed Hardy’s final large tattoo). Speaking of celebrity tattoos, another tattoo blog, literally TattooBlog.org, has mention up of Lindsay Lohan‘s latest tattoo, “Breathe” (she’s asthmatic). It kind of reminds me of my own “Stay Calm” tattoo.
While I’m talking about other blogs, I noticed two new tattoo and body modification blogs just fired up recently; first there’s TatTalk, and then there’s also My Body Story, both of which are currently styled as enthusiast blogs. There’s really getting to be a remarkable daily sites out there for people to read if they’re into all this! (So I don’t leave anyone else out of this entry, there’s also A&E’s InkedBlog and the news-oriented Modified News).
And, continuing in Needled synchronicity, thanks to IAM:blackrat, AKA Lucky Diamond Rich, performance artist and the world’s most tattooed person — slightly more tattooed (or a lot more tattooed if you count all the layers) than the folks listed as most tattooed by the out-dated text in the Guinness Book of World Records. Booo to them.
Anyway, I’m moving to a new house tomorrow, so depending on time and commitments and whether my cable Internet gets hooked up, it may be an extra day before I can post again.
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The Lizardman’s Questions & Answers has reached round number ten. For which I can, of course, only take half credit at best since I only supply the answers — the questions, as always, came from IAM members. The fact that no call for questions has gone without a steady response leads me to, hopefully, believe that these are still fun for everyone. They also helped form part of the basis for the The Lizardman FAQ I put online late last year.
Once again, thank you and enjoy:
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Have you ever thought of changing your diet to more resemble that of a lizard? |
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I am a vegetarian, by taste, and I do eat live insects. So, depending on which one you choose my diet does resemble that of a lizard. Realistically though, the only things that I take into account when choosing my diet are taste and health (with a heavy emphasis on taste). I am a picky bastard as anyone who has ever gone to eat with me can attest. |
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If tomorrow it became a federal law that tattoos are illegal and all of the tattooed people had to be rounded up and placed in camps across the nation, would you lead the march against the White House? |
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Why are these hypothetical scenario questions so often gloomy and pessimistic? |
I would not march on the White House in such a situation — what you have described is well past the point of no return. I am nobody’s martyr! When I act and fight for modification rights and respect I do so out of enlightened self interest. What is good for all is often also good for me, but don’t think that I will blindly sacrifice myself or you will be very disappointed.
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As we all know, you have traveled the world. I have not been able to do that. My question to you, since you aren’t the “norm”, what country or cities are more welcoming to your lifestyle? Are there certain countries or cities where the majority have frowned upon you if not shunned? |
The great thing about being an entertainer is that the world welcomes you. When I travel it is almost always for work — doing a show or an appearance.
I know that other people with public modifications on par with my own have had far different experiences in many of the same places. To answer your question though, I honestly can’t think of anywhere that particularly leaps out as welcoming or hostile to such a point based upon my modifications or lifestyle. My experiences most places are so focused that I kind of doubt I ever get a really good sense of what it is like on a regular basis — that’s part of the downside of touring. I get to go almost everywhere but I don’t really get to experience anywhere very deeply.
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Where would your “optimal” place to live in for the rest of your life be? By that I mean somewhere you visited and really enjoyed and would like to, or you can imagine yourself living in for the rest of your life. |
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The requirements for my happiness are almost completely unrelated to geography. The optimal place for me is one where I have my friends and family and the freedom to live more or less according to my own desires. I am very happy in Austin, TX currently and could easily see staying there. Besides which, I travel so much that I effectively get to live all over in a sense. |
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What is your favorite species of lizard and reptile? |
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I really like the various monitors and salt water crocs. |
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Why are you so lovable? |
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Loving me is easy cause I’m beautiful. Heh. |
What kind of body modification makes you uncomfortable?
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No particular kind of modification makes me uncomfortable — but it’s also not like I would watch subincision or flesh removal procedurals just for fun. If anything about a modification is going to bother me it will most likely be the motivation. When people get procedures as a means of one-upping someone else or seem to be pushed into it by others, that makes me uncomfortable. I also get ‘the willies’ when I see practioners doing things like cross-contaminating. |
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Have you ever considered more subdermal implants (small flattish ones, on your arms, for example) to make your scales appear more “textured”? |
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I’m not entirely sure how feasible such a massive implant project like that would even be, but it’s not something I would really want. In terms of texture for the scales I think that further tattooing will provide that adequately through the effect of color shading… I’m not currently considering any further implants with the possible exception of magnetic implants that would be essentially invisible. |
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What’s your favorite movie, and favorite video game, and why? Or one of, seeing as ‘favorite’ is kind of tricky! |
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It is very hard to pick a favorite. Besides which, my favorites have changed and likely will change again in the future. I can say that in terms of movies I have watched the original Highlander and Caddyshack more times than probably any other films. I still really like Highlander on a lot of levels but I am kind of burnt out on it, whereas I still watch Caddyshack at least once a week or more on the tour bus and Full Metal Jacket runs on a loop in our front lounge most days. For video games, I have a long running obsession with the Mortal Kombat series. |
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Who’s your favorite comedian alive or dead? |
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Rodney Dangerfield. I loved his stand-up style and his autobiography It’s Not Easy Bein’ Me: A Lifetime of No Respect but Plenty of Sex and Drugs not only inspired but also influenced me in terms of my own work. |
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What book or books have you read that have had the most impact on you (or been the most enjoyable reads)? |
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The Illuminatus Trilogy has profoundly affected me many times. I have read it at least once a year since I first found it in while in high school in the late eighties and I have no plans to stop. |
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If you could sum up your philosophy of life in a sentence what would it be? |
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I don’t know if I can do that yet. I definitely don’t think of myself as a role model but in terms of my philosophy, such as it may be, I do think that how I live my life is the best expression possible rather than trying to work language around it. If I have to take a swing at a one-sentence summary I’d currently go with: Survive and enjoy doing it. |
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Do you feel like there are certain mods you’re missing out on that you couldn’t incorporate into your lizard theme? |
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There are some designs and ideas I have had and passed on due to my overall theme but I don’t think I am missing out. Ultimately, if I really want something I find a way to make it work for me and my theme. I made the rules for this project and I will bend and break them as I see fit. |
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What’s your favorite city to perform at and why? |
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I don’t have a favorite city for the simple reason that the city you are in is a guarantee of nothing. No matter where you are the crowd can be good or bad or indifferent (which is worst of all). Of course, there are general trends that I have talked about before but the closest thing I could say for a favorite is the town I am in any given night because that’s my focus. |
Who do you look up to?
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I admire a lot of people but I try not to put anyone on a pedestal. The most important thing to remember about anyone you look up to is that they are still human and they have faults just like everyone else — this is especially important for anyone who might look up to me. A short list off the top of my head would be: Lanny & Cindy Sprague, The Great Omi, Rasmus Nielson, Robert Anton Wilson, Rodney Dangerfield, Penn & Teller, James Randi, Aye Jaye, Houdini, Andre Breton, Heraclitus, & Zeno. |
If you could meet anyone dead or alive who would it be?
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I always hated this essay question in school. One of my favorite responses was to suggest that I wanted to meet myself under such conditions that I would have answer any question completely and honestly since we lie best to ourselves. I know that’s a cop-out so, I suppose I would like to meet the actual historical figure or figures behind the New Testament (I find the alleged evidence of a historical Jesus to be rather suspect) so that I could try and discern their motives and get a read on how they would feel about the abomination that their efforts have become in the many modern forms of Christianity. |
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I know that at one point you were a doctoral candidate in philosophy — what was your planned dissertation going to focus on? |
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It would have been a linguistic theory of art. My undergrad thesis was a treatment of the ancient problem of the one and the many using the latter Wittgensteinian notion of family resemblance. My doctoral thesis would have used family resemblance in a similar fashion to address the question ‘what is art?’. |
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What special challenges do you face when travelling? Do you have additional issues getting through airport security, due to being “the green guy”? Alternatively, do you get special treatment in a positive light? Extra drinks from stewardesses, for example? |
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My two main travel challenges are my show gear and other travelers. In terms of gear, you have to think about how airlines tend to view things like swords, traps, and flammable fuels (or their residue). Luckily, over the years I have gotten very good at streamlining my props and packing them for weight and security. Other people are a challenge because as much as I want to be polite and accessible, people who have layovers in airports don’t seem to understand very well that I may not have the same amount of time and that I need to get to my gate to make my flight. On occasion I do get a little special treatment. I fly enough that I have racked up elite status on some airlines and using the same ones means that in some places their staff tends to recognize and remember me. I have gotten quicker passage through security, upgrades, drinks, and been boarded earlier in the past. I have also been invited up to the cockpit a few times — including post 9/11. |
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Your stage show does have a lot of sexual innuendo in it. Do women or men hit on you after shows? |
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It does? Define “a lot”. I thought it was just right or a little low if anything. Anyway, yeah people do hit on me (both men and women) after shows, before shows, anytime really. As much as I am not a fan of wearing jewelry, the wedding ring is nice thing to have at those moments along with the phrase “I’m flattered but…” |
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What is the one thing you collect that has nothing to do with sideshow memorablia or the “lifestyle”? |
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I don’t really collect things. I have tried but I usually get bored or just forget. I have been keeping ‘do not disturb’ signs from hotels for a while but that is lifestyle related. I keep an archive of stuff related to my career and I gather circus, magic, and sideshow materials for research. If I wasn’t my own historian and researcher my possessions would probably be rather spartan or just clutter. |
Do you see yourself tattooing your body a second time around in the future to brighten your scales?
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I think once will be enough, or at least I hope once will be enough. I won’t rule out touch ups here and there but I don’t envy the prospect of going over my whole body more than once. I’ll leave that sort of thing to Lucky Diamond Rich. |
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I remember you mentioning a possible procedure to make it so that your navel is gone (only smooth skin, no proof that a navel ever existed). Is such a prodecure possible? Are you still considering it now that you have your stomach tattooed and colored? Ever thought of doing the same thing to your nipples or any other part of your body to add to your theme? |
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The procedure is possible and was even recently shown on Modblog. I definitely still want to have it done, a touch-up to the tattooing in that area will likely be in order afterwards. My plan was and still is to also have my nipples surgically deconstructed as well. |
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If there were a way to 100% safley and painlessly remove your ferrets’ fur and tattoo them would you do it? If so, what theme would you give their tattoos? |
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I don’t see how this would be of any benefit to my ferrets or me; it really strikes me as rather absurd. I love my fuzzy little minions — and besides, they are already tattooed. My wife, Meghan, who is responsible for introducing me to keeping ferrets had the idea of getting similar dot tattoos but rejected it as not fitting with her urban legend theme. I am still considering getting one dot in the event that I get a vasectomy which is fairly likely (both the operation and the tattoo). |
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Were you always such a sexy beast? |
Without a doubt and only getting sexier. You may also have noticed my legendary humility.
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How many times have you been called The Enigma? |
How many times have I had to slap the taste out of your mouth? If anyone ever thinks I edit these questions (I don’t), just look at how often I take the ones from Orbax and Shawn Porter.
A lot, but he gets mistaken for me too — apparently all us tattooed folk look alike. In fact, I was once sitting next to him in Jackelope (a bar in Austin) and a person came up to talk to him (he was doing a show there that night) and they went on about seeing him on TV. Eventually they asked, ‘Can I see your forked tongue?’ He simply chuckled, pointed at me, and said ‘I think you want him.’
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I love my bifurcated tongue, it is my favorite on pretty much every possible level. |
This is a two part question (hope you do not mind), how long is your tongue split? Did it or does it re-grow?
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I don’t mind at all. The depth of the split depends on how I hold my tongue but is approximately a little more than an inch. It does not re-grow; the depth has been stable since it finished healing after the second operation in 1997. |
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I have met you and you seemed a perfectly sane person, by my standards anyway. I was just wondering, why a lizard? Do you or have you ever felt a strong urge to be a lizard? Do you just like something about lizards, their reputation, their aesthetic qualities? How modded where you by the time you decided to under go a complete transformation? Was it always intended to be part of a show? If you did have some sort of urge to become a lizard, do you feel more complete now? If not, will you ever, or are you just a guy who always had an interest in mods and somehow decided to take it down the path of a lizard? |
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It has never been about being a lizard for me, it is the transformation idea — I chose a reptilian theme based mainly on aesthetics. At the time I first started thinking about the project my only modification, to most people’s standards, was a pierced ear (done myself with a safety pin). By the time I truly committed to the project I had pierced and stretched my lobes somewhat and had begun some of the blackwork tattooing on my arms to see how well I would be able to take it. I did not originally intend it to be part of a show but that was a dream that has since come true. I wouldn’t say I feel more complete but it definitely has been and continues to be fulfilling. |
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So how’d you choose a shade of green? |
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I had limited options in terms of the greens available in tattoo inks, but I simply picked a bottle out the rack that looked good to me. |
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What event this last year was the most memorable to you and why? |
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My Dad’s heart attack and recovery. The reason should be obvious. |
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I’ve read a couple of times you would like a tail of sorts — ever thought about getting a subdermal implant near your tailbone and slowly stretching it (2nd generation 3rd gen, etc) |
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I have had it suggested to me before but never seriously considered it. Even if that were a viable method for creating a tail, it would not effectively create the sort of long crocodile-like tail I would want. |
Also, when can we expect to see you in Australia?.. I want to see a Brisbane show, I’ll even shout you dinner if you head down this way.
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I am still working on getting to Australia, I want to my show there as well — any promoters down there reading this? I’m ready to go. |
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How did you train your snake to be comfortable and perform on stage? And by snake I mean your little green friend, not your happy green friend! |
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Snakes are not particularly trainable (snake charmers and similar performers are often actually just choreographing their behavior around the snakes reflexive, instinctual reactions) but they do seem to ‘condition’ based on repetition. When I start working with a new snake I handle it a lot till it settles down and then I just go for it. The first few times through can be difficult but over time they seem to take to it as a matter of routine. Some recent experiments with snakes and mazes seem to indicate that they have more mental capacity than previously thought and perhaps this is similar to the ‘learning’ exhibited in those studies. |
 Erik Sprague |
Well Modblog readers, I am still alive. After a brief scare in the Grand Canyon, this week’s news is coming to you from Sin City itself, Las Vegas. With that in mind, I thought this week’s news round up should kick off with a tattoo dedicated to someone who is no stranger to corruption.
Jeremy Scheuch has got style. Chicago style. And Rod Blagojevich style. The 31-year-old event planner spent three hours Tuesday night honoring the city and the on-trial-for-corruption former Illinois governor with a large tattoo on his upper right thigh.
I will admit, it does look a LOT better than the Sarah Palin tattoo I posted about a couple weeks back.
For the rest of this week’s news, including a number of tribute tattoos, as well as some great information about tribal modifications, click the little “read more” link.
Tribute tattoos are a mainstay of the culture. Sometimes they’re dedicated to a lost loved one, or maybe to a favorite band. What about a tribute to a road? And what if that tribute tattoo was only one of many dedicated to the same stretch of highway? Well to Ron Jones, Route 66 means a heck of a lot to him.
Ron “Tattoo Man” Jones has 85 tattoos in total and 84 tattoos dedicated to sites along the 2,448-mile highway. His body pays tribute to Waylon’s Kuku Burger in Miami, Okla.; a former zoo that once housed mountain lions in Two Guns, Ariz.; even the Santa Monica Pier arch in California, where Route 66 ends and the Pacific Ocean begins.
While Ron has dedicated his body to his favorite stretch of road, Brandon Perry from Perth has covered his arm in symbols of his beloved homeland.
Now it features a Vegemite jar, a Hills Hoist clothes line with Bonds Y-fronts, a pink lamington and a meat pie with tomato sauce spread into the Triple J insignia.
I’ll be the first to admit that beyond Vegemite, I have no clue whatsoever as to what the other images are of. Any Aussie readers out there care to fill the rest of us in?
As readers of Modblog know, I do like to post stories that explore modifications from tribal cultures all over the world. I’ve touched on how the Maori shrunken heads were finally returned from a museum in Paris, and now this week I was lucky enough to come across a pair of articles that delve into a little bit of detail describing the history behind both Moko tattoos, as well as Apatani modifications from northern India.
“Apatani women were often abducted by the neighbouring Nishi tribesmen for their beauty, so to make themselves look unattractive, they tattooed their faces and wore huge circular nose plugs,”
Sticking with news from the southern hemisphere; The Red Cross in Australia has recently updated it’s rules with regards to when a person can give blood following a tattoo or piercing. They re-evaluated their policy and decided to reduce the wait period from one year down to six months. While this is a decent step forward with regards to the modified community, the organization has come under fire for not changing it’s rules regarding gay men.
The fact the Red Cross is willing to review its current donor guidelines for people who have piercings and acupuncture and tattoos, but not review guidelines when it comes to gay blood donation, really does suggest the Red Cross is, at best, engaged in some fairly arbitrary decision-making, or at worst, is just downright homophobic
According to the rules, if a male has engaged in same sex behavior, he must wait at least one year before donating blood. Personally this pisses me off to no end, as the Canadian Red Cross has similar policies. I have a good friend who has been in a committed relationship with his partner for over two years. He is unable to donate blood as he has sex with his partner. At the same time I have another friend who tends to sleep with as many women he can find in a given month can donate all he wants. Tell me, which of my friends poses a greater health risk?
Speaking of dumb ideas, it seems that a tattoo artist in Edinburgh thought it wouldn’t be a problem to tattoo a 13-year-old.
Stewart also admitted tattooing five teenagers under the age of 18 – three were aged 15, one aged 16, and one aged 13 – between January and February of this year. Defence agent Stephen Mannifield said: “He wasn’t completely familiar with the legislation. “He has learned his lesson and will certainly know for next time.”
At what point does it seem alright to think tattooing a minor wouldn’t be illegal?
Then again, the dad in Fresno who tattooed his son with a gang sign was just acquitted. Maybe the artist in Edinburgh should move to California if he wants to keep tattooing children.
A few weeks back I posted an article about the guinness record holder for the most tattooed woman. Well this week there has been a new record set, the world’s most expensive tattoo. To be fair, this isn’t actually a legitimate tattoo, but bedazzling yourself with over $900,000 worth of diamonds does warrant a little attention.
So we have the world’s most expensive tattoo, what about the world’s most “disgusting” tattoo? One of the projectionists at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin has gotten a tattoo to commemorate the horror film, “The Human Centipede“. Personally, I think it’s pretty awesome that he got that done, although I would have preferred if he put a bit more detail into it.
Talking about detail, the developers of the upcoming video game, Call of Duty-Black Ops, spent a lot of time trying to get the in-game tattoos the character sports as realistic as possible. Unfortunately for them, someone was even more detail oriented, and wrote them a nice article explaining why the tattoos in the game are unrealistic.
Now before I get into the celebrity “news” portion of this week’s roundup, I wanted to share this story about modified mommies. With Father’s day coming up I was hoping you, the loyal reader, would be so kind as to find some stories about modified daddies. Sure the alliteration isn’t there, but the big dad for fathers is coming up, and it’d be nice to send some love their way.
Without futher ado, let’s see what foolishness the rich and pampered have been doing this week.
Gemma Arterton, star of the Prince of Persia, has gotten herself her first tattoo. When asked about the pain, she said, “All the men warned me in advance it would hurt a lot. It wasn’t that bad, though. Try having your bikini zone waxed, guys. Then you will know what real pain feels like.”
Katy Perry and Russell Brand have taken a big step in their relationship, one that superstitious types would say is the kiss of death to a relationship. They went and got matching tattoos.
I do have a question for our readers, especially those who believe in the matching tattoo superstition. When getting a tattoo dedicated to the person you’re dating, is it bad luck if you’re not actually dating the person yet? The reason I ask is because one of the contestants on The Bachelorette decided to get a tattoo dedicated to the bachelorette in question, while the show is still going on and she’s fooling around with several guys at once.
Seriously, you can’t make this stuff up.
Oh, and this week’s final celeb story is probably my favorite. Coolio, as you may remember from such hits and Gangster’s Paradise and umm.. that other song, has gotten himself a new tattoo to show how happy he is to be taken on tour with his new buddies, ICP. Unfortunately for Coolio, he wasn’t informed fully about the Juggalo culture, and ended up getting Juggalo spelled wrong.
So that’s it for this week. I should be near an internet connection again in a few days so the next update will be a bit sooner. Thanks to Botexty and Valentine for the submissions this week. And don’t forget everyone, Father’s day is this weekend, remember to pick the old man something special.
Bicycle bicycle bicycle, she wants to ride her bicycle, bicycle, bicycle.
She wants to ride her bicycle, she wants to ride her bike.
She wants to ride her bicycle, she wants to ride it where she likes.
And she does by jove!
Tinkle your bell merrily and saddle up for this interview with Gwen, BME’s very own Biker Chick — the self-assured and full of wanderlust bicycle sort of biker chick, not the bobbing-for-hotdogs off the back of a Harley type. She’s cycled, floated, bused, choo-choo’d, hitchhiked, stumbled and otherwise meandered her way thousands of miles! Starting from Hamilton, Ontario she peddled mercilessly onwards to Alabama via Winnipeg, Vancouver, San Francisco, down the coast of Mexico then turned left to cross Texas. Along the way she’s collected some wonderful tales, the odd case of food poisoning, and a gorgeous scarification piece.
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A Mexican newspaper covers Gwen’s trip |
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ROO: |
Let’s get the wheels turning by asking you about your passion for cycling, can you remember the first time you hopped on a bicycle? |
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GWEN: |
I remember this cherry red tricycle I had when I was a kid. I must’ve left it out while my folks were having a garage sale and it got sold — I cried a river that day. |
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ROO: |
I’m terribly sorry for your loss, it’s a nice thought that a succession of children and probably adults after you have derived some pleasure from it though, or are you still plain bitter? |
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GWEN: |
Well, I’m bitter at my dad depriving me of such a pleasure, but maybe in another twenty years I won’t resent it so much. |
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ROO: |
I hope so, you’ve got quite enough to carry around without slipping a grudge into your backpack! Now, without getting all ‘Fight Club on your arse’ — it’s on the tip of everyone’s tongue, I just gave it a name — your IAM page doesn’t hint at any genital piercings, is this because you spend most of your life in the saddle, so to speak? |
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GWEN: |
You guessed it! I’ve heard some piercings don’t get agitated too badly but being on the road for so long means my hygiene level is a little below par, so I wouldn’t be able to take care of ’em so well. |
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ROO: |
So are you saying all cyclists should be given a wide berth because they pose a significant risk to public health? |
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GWEN: |
A warning couldn’t hurt; saddle sores are a bother in themselves — I wouldn’t want my whole genital area to be inflamed and pissed at me ’cause I couldn’t keep it clean (ROO: And neither would we Gwen). |
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The day before leaving |
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ROO: |
For those who haven’t read about your adventures (which will hopefully have dwindled to zero by the time we’re through) could you recount some memories of people you’ve met and general kindness that keep you warm at night? (See her IAM page for the story in more detail). And anything that makes your toes curl? |
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GWEN: |
Oh my, there’s been so much hospitality… okay, some that stick out:
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A DIY homestead visited during the adventure |
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Hanging out with the Zoobombers is just something intrinsic to being in Portland. The crew of people who bomb down on those little bikes every week is so varied, young and old, drunk or sober, etcetera, that you’re guaranteed to meet some interesting characters. The tall-bike jousting was a thrill; I didn’t expect to be able to hold my balance on such a contraption but it’s not as hard as it looks! Everyone takes it lightly and getting hurt is half the fun! Finally, staying at the million-dollar place was a crazy coincidence; a married biking couple that Morgan and I had frequently run into had arranged to meet with another couple who had travelled the world for 2 years on bikes, and we ended up seeing all 4 of them in town (Ventura, California). We were invited to stay over as well. The wife of the latter duo house-sat for these rich people, and since they wouldn’t be home, all of us biking nomads were invited to eat and drink at this mansion-villa (who needs to own 4 dishwashers, seriously!?); it was quite a treat. Getting on the road the next day was a bit of a humorous shock, to know that the bike-touring lifestyle throws every extreme of culture at you. I love being poor and dirty, though, so I’d much prefer sleeping by the side of the road to such opulent quarters any day. I could go on, but those are some fun times. We were pretty lucky about not having too many bad experiences. Being in fog and mist around the Washington coast and then sleeping on a beach in Oregon with blowing sand and freezing cold nights without a tent sucked. I almost got mugged while visiting Ally in Winnepeg, Manitoba. A little more about the Oregano beach: The picture where I’m flying a kite (further down the interview) was the night before we realized that the ocean procures some damn cold winds and the sand comes along with ‘em. We tried using rocks to hold our tarp down as a shield but it just whips up from all directions. That was one of the most miserable mornings, but it makes you that much more anxious to get on the road and wait for the sun to dry you up. Beaches look so innocent and inviting but don’t trust them to stay that way when the sun goes down! |
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ROO: |
Life’s a beach, eh. Mugged? Not by a muggle I hope.. |
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GWEN: |
Haha, actually, the mugging happened whilst I was being tattooed!? My friend got together her stick-and-poke materials (sewing needle taped to a pen, dipped in India ink) and we decided to do it on a bridge over this train yard, but some homeless native guy came around mumbling something about nice bikes and I didn’t pay him any attention. Next thing I knew he was trying to mount my bike?! Luckily my friend jumped to block his way and “negotiated” with him (I think he was heavily drugged or drunk), and instead of taking my expensive bike he took hers — in the meantime, though, he attempted to hit us with his fists, and then managed to grab my friend’s U-Lock (we were using it as protection), although he didn’t try to hurt us with that, thankfully. It disturbed me that cars and pedestrians were passing by — the situation being blatantly hostile — and no one even looked when we were screaming for help. I found it so distasteful that someone would steal a somewhat worthless bike just because they didn’t feel like walking; I guarantee he rode it for 3 or 4 blocks then ditched it. (We ended up finishing the tattoo when we got home). |
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ROO: |
Crumbs Meg, that was a close shave.. Apart from a large tub of courage what else do you pack on an ‘average’ trek? Nothing that’s got you into trouble I hope.. |
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GWEN: |
I have four panniers (saddle bags), two on the front and two on the back, and I usually pack light — sleeping bag, sleeping mat, a few bike shorts and shirts (gotta have that spandex), a few kicking-around clothes, running shoes, bike maintenance stuff, a few books, toiletries, and a bit of food to last me ’til the next grocery store. I depend on everything I have so it forces me to keep an eye on everything pretty closely. We always make sure not to have any drug-related stuff when we cross borders, and the only thing that had me stuck for an explanation was the cuts on my arm in Mexico — I didn’t know enough Spanish to convey that I didn’t get stabbed and that they had been willingly inflicted. |
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Cyclist meet-up in Vancouver |
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ROO: |
Another close shave? Can you remember how the conversation went? |
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GWEN: |
It started with a lot of broken English, quite a lot of pointing at their arms referring to mine, me smiling sweetly and looking to Morgan hoping he’d be able to explain the situation, and then ending up saying “lo mismo los tattoos” (ROO: Rough translation – “the same the tattoos”), adding plenty of hand gestures and then yours truly walking away quickly. |
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Gwen and Morgan in mainland Mexico with his parents |
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ROO: |
Care to talk about the ‘cuts’ that almost got you into trouble and how you came to receive them? It was a scarification pierce by Rafael, correct? |
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GWEN: |
Yes, that was a good time. I remember at my suspension Philip Barbosa mentioning he lived in Mexico so I sent him a message to see if he knew any cool places to check out and he forwarded me to Rafael, who lives in La Paz where I was headed. We met him and ended up hanging out for the time we were in the city then spending time at his piercing studio. I learned that he did scarification, and as I was itching to get more work done (hadn’t had any in a year — too long!) I mentioned I could be a guinea pig if he needed more pictures for his portfolio — and the next day I was getting prepped for the scalpel! Rafael did a great job and now I have a keepsake of my travels in Mexico. |
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Having scarification done by Rafael (Symbiosis) in La Paz, Mexico |
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ROO: |
Could you ramble a little more about your experience with Rafael please honey? |
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GWEN: |
Asking me to ramble? (ROO: No, I’m demanding it!) With pleasure! The scarification was done at his shop (Symbiosis, La Paz, Mexico) under very sterile conditions. He changed his gloves often, and wiped my skin down with an anti-bacterial swab. He changed scalpel blades a few times — he explained they lose their sharpness — and wrapped my arm in saran wrap after he was done. It was a new challenge to see someone repeatedly cutting into the same spot while I could watch it all go down (with my calf cutting I was blind to what was going on), but I prefer ‘seeing the pain’, letting it flow through me, and still remaining calm. |
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ROO: |
Did you manage to get any rest after he’d unwielded his scalpel and before you rode off into the night? |
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GWEN: |
Oh, I slept wonderfully that night — all the rush of emotions and endorphins makes me tired after being cut. We stayed at a hostel so we had time to do laundry and give my arm a day off to get a head start on healing before I’d be riding again. |
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ROO: |
Staying on the topic of your skin for a moment, have you got any special tattoos you’d like share with us? |
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GWEN: |
There is my tree lady, she signifies everything I encompass. She reminds me of how I’m half of the earth, and half human, as every cell in my body is comprised of materials that were formally individual molecules that belonged to rocks and plants and water and so on. The roots remind me to stay grounded and remember that I am part of the greater circle of life and not ontop of it. |
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Feral, Womantree |
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ROO: |
You’re a diamond, would you say suspending makes you feel the same way? |
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GWEN: |
My suspension is hard to put into a few words. It brought me to a level of consciousness where I could feel the energy of the world and of those around me and embrace them fully. For the first time in my life I felt connected and loved everthing with a childlike innocence. |
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Gwen’s suspension |
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ROO: |
That’s beautiful Gwen, like the pink skin of a baby’s bottom. Anyway, you’re obviously planning on doing a lot more travelling in the future, do you see yourself getting more piercings, (hopefully intentional) scars or tattoos along the way? |
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GWEN: |
Absolutely; I like to think of body modifications I collect on the road symbolizing the time and place of where they were done. I adore having different people work on me and forming those types of bonds with as many people as possible. |
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ROO: |
Do you generally find that the people you meet on your travels are hospitable? |
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GWEN: |
Surprisingly so. I never knew how welcoming people can be to those they’ve never met before and know nothing about. I could tell you a hundred instances of when someone did something so generous and nice — in all the three countries I’ve been riding through, too. If I ever have an address I’m staying at I know I’ll be welcoming any traveller coming through; a warm shower is the best gift when you’re riding all day and don’t want to pay for a room just to get some hot water. |
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ROO: |
Have you ever considered starting a cyclists-rest type service to help your fellow iron jockeys? |
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GWEN: |
Absolutely! There’s a women with the moniker ‘the cookie lady’ who welcomes all bike tourers to enjoy a warm shower, a place to stay and, of course, some cookies. There’s another site, www.warmshowers.org, that connects those looking for a place to crash. So the framework is in place, I merely want to be another cookie-lady — only I’d make ’em vegan. |
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ROO: |
I’d take up cycling if there were vegan cookies at the end of the trail! Hopefully not, but has anything disastrous happened to you whilst you’ve been roaming the planet that made you regret your path in life? Even for a moment? |
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GWEN: |
Not a thing. Becoming a homeless wanderer was the best decision I ever made. The first week in Mexico made me want to be back in the States, but that’s the only time I felt like changing my route slightly. (A car slowed down and — with great precision — pushed me off the side of the road! I fell pretty hard on my hip and banged my head on the cement, luckily I had a helmet.) |
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ROO: |
Jeepers, that was a bit mean, onwards to some merrier questions! Out of all the places you’ve been to can you pick one that struck you as the most beautiful? Is it the people you’ve met or the places you’ve visited that stand out most for you? |
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GWEN: |
Haha people always ask this (ROO: Gosh, I’m predictable) and I never know what to say. Every place has its own qualities that make it special, y’know? If I had to pick my favourite place, it’d probably be Northern California. There was this hiking trail that decided we should bike, and to cut a long story short, after pushing our bikes on this slippery wet trail up a good two hundred metres (or so it seemed) I saw the Redwoods for the first time in all their beauty and wanted to die I was so happy. Despite that I’d have to say the people I’ve met stand out the most, as there were so many breathtaking vistas and cool places but only a dozen or so people I really connected with, and they made the areas seem alive. I was in awe of every different landscape change, there were just too many; I remember them as one giant conglomerate of amazing scenery, whereas individual people are easier to recall. |
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Travelling the California coast. |
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ROO: |
And we all know how you feel about conglomerates! Could you run through the route you took on your epic voyage so people get an impression of just how amazing you are? |
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The course, starting in Mexico. |
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GWEN: |
Well, I began in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, went northwest, around Lake Superior, connected to Hwy 1 and stuck to that straight through all the provinces to British Columbia. I stopped in Winnepeg, Manitoba and Calgary, Alberta but didn’t take a full rest day other than those times. I went through Banff then connected to Hwy 3 south through B.C. (where I hooked up with Morgan) then followed the U.S. border on that highway ’til I hit Vancouver, then I ferried to Victoria on Vancouver Island, went up to Cumberland then back down to Hornby Island, then took a boat to Ucluelet on the western shore (and saw my first real sunrise over the ocean), went by Tofino then rode back to go to Salt Spring Island, then back to Victoria, which ended my Canadian stretch. |
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Hornby Island |
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From Victoria Morgan and I took a ferry to Port Angeles in Washington, rode out to the coast stopping in Olympic Nat’l Park, then went inwards to hit Olympia, rode down to Portland (great bike route connecting the two), then back out to the coast to Tillamook and continued on the 101 all the way through Oregon an California, going through the Lost Coast Highway then down to San Fran, Big Sur and on to San Diego, which ended the U.S. part. We crossed the border to Mexico in Tecate, a few kilometres east of Tijuana, then took the main highway all the way down Baja to La Paz, where we ferried over to Mazatlan and from there we pretty much packed our bikes on buses and the train through Copper Canyon. From there I headed east through Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi to rest in Alabama where I am now (done through hitchhiking and buses also). |
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Morgan and Gwen in Mexico |
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ROO: |
For the budding cyclists amongst us (not me unfortunately) could you wow us with the specifications of the bike you use and any other tips for the would-be leg powered vagrant. |
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GWEN: |
My bike isn’t too boast-worthy. I don’t know the specifics, aside from the components are all Shimano, about the second to top of the line, twenty-seven speeds, drop-down handle bars, 27″ rims and everything has held up ’cept for the occasional flat tire. As far as tips go, to anyone who’s thinking about being a vagrant, I say DO IT. Take a few hundred bucks and just take off. If you’re open to going with the flow and taking opportunities as they come, there’s no telling where you’ll end up. And definitely make connections over BME — this here site introduced me to Morgan who I was with everyday for seven months, plus a wonderful lady in Portland (no longer has her page up), Rafael in Mexico, and soon to be another man in Alabama whom I’ve already fallen in love with. If I had stayed at home I can guarantee that wouldn’t have happened. Oh, and Food Not Bombs is in almost every big city and good for a free meal…and raid every dumpster you can find — you can find tonnes of good food from grocery stores! |
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ROO: |
You’ve almost answered this question, but what exactly do you eat when you’re on the road? |
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GWEN: |
Anything and everything. I started out vegan but relax that to vegetarian most of the time. Peanut butter and bananas has been a staple, but I’ll take anything I can get. As I said, dumpstering brings much of my bounty. Why pay for it when they’re just throwing it out? |
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ROO: |
I agree completely, but have you ever been so delirious with excitement upon finding a tasty treat that you gobbled it down without poking at it, then found it to be something poisonous or otherwise unpleasant? |
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GWEN: |
I threw up once…I was eating donuts that came out of a dumpster and I probably wasn’t careful enough in selecting the ones that didn’t get contaminated with other stuff in the garbage bag. Aside from that I don’t think I’ve ever been sick this whole trip. |
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ROO: |
I wouldn’t be surprised if your constitution’s comparable to that of oxen by now! Even though that might be true were you at all worried about the risk of developing an infection after the work by Rafael? There is quite a lot of media-coverage at the moment surrounding the spread of hepatitis in Mexico (that you can contract it from simply drinking a glass of water etcetera). |
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GWEN: |
I’ve heard a few things about the risk of catching diseases in Mexico but I wasn’t worried; I had eaten their food for two months with no ill effects so I felt fairly confident I’d be okay. |
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ROO: |
Let’s hear Rafael’s view on the situation.. apologies for making you orange but colours are being rationed in Canada at the moment.. |
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RAFAEL: |
The Mexican authorities don’t seem to care about body piercing, scarification etcetera.. The senators have recently approved a new law to protect these activities and the customers but really it’s just a meaningless piece of paper! A lot of people work in the streets, markets and carnivals performing body piercings and scarification, it’s very sad because they attract more custom than an established studio, they also don’t pay rent or taxes and so forth which is obviously bad for the economy. Customers still supporting these psuedo-artists can very easily pay less than 8 USD for a street piercing, and they don’t seem to care much about the quality of the jewellery, sterility of the equipment or the modification they walk away with. Piercings in a professional studio usually cost from between 20 USD and 40 USD. You get what you pay for! |
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ROO: |
Thanks for the insight Rafael. From what you’ve just said it appears not, but do you think the chance of someone contracting Hepatitis deters people from having scarification/piercing work done in Mexico? |
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RAFAEL: |
Obviously I ensure that everything in my studio is clean and sterile! Only a very small percentage of customers express concerns about Hepatitis, to be honest most of them don’t seem to care. I’ve been piercing for five years now, I attend seminars to increase my knowledge, I’ve got health department certificates and one of my accquaintances is a doctor who I can call upon if I need support, so in that respect my credentials are amazing! |
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ROO: |
Do you find you have to work extra hard to bring people in to your shop because of this risk? |
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RAFAEL: |
Not really, piercings are very popular at the moment. Most of my customers seem more worried about how much the piercing will cost more than anything. The vaste majority of scarifications I do are on close friends, and basically I do them for free because scars aren’t really that popular where I live. In peoples minds the risk of contracting hepatitis doesn’t seem to register so I don’t really have to work any harder to dispel fears or anxieties regarding it. What I do have to work hard for though is people coming in with crappy jewellery and terrible piercings from the pseudo-piercers I mentioned before. All in all the situation looks awful but there’s a lot of information out there right now, websites such as BMEzine.com, magazines and so forth, but people just look at the pictures and don’t read the articles. I don’t know, it’s crazy! The situation in Mexico at the moment is affecting the industry I love and the career that ensures I earn money. Now I charge 20 USD for a piercing (including jewellery) just to ensure I can pay the rent. That’s the situation here in La Paz, but I suppose it’s the same everywhere in Mexico City. You can find blocks and blocks of streets filled with jewellery stands and ‘piercers’. Here’s an example of a crappy tattoo done in a local ‘tattoo studio’ for 30 USD! |
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30 USD tattoo |
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ROO: |
So there it is from the horse’s mouth, make your own minds up guys! Gwen, how many spokes does your bike have? |
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GWEN: |
A lot. Thirty-six or something maybe? Don’t know for sure. |
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ROO: |
And you call yourself a cyclist! |
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GWEN: |
I’m still starting out! I may have biked a hell of a lot but I’ve never looked into the technicalities! (ROO: That’s me told!) |
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Oregon and Washington |
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ROO: |
Where do you see yourself in five/ten/fifteen years or so? This is probably a rather silly question but do you have any plans to settle down inside a white picket fence and make marmalade with your husband? |
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GWEN: |
That’s a tricky one. I don’t look too far in the future as long as the present doesn’t pose too many problems. I’d like to be building my own little place out of reclaimed/dumpstered things and have enough land to grow all my own food and can it during the winter. There´ll be no white picket fence, but maybe some branches to keep the wild animals from eating my garden. Funny you mention that, though, ’cause I’m about to move into a place that appears to be that perfect little house.. I’m not one for marriage but I wouldn’t mind having having someone to sow seeds with (literally, not sexually, I refuse to give birth to a child) with. That said, I’ll be a wanderer for the rest of my days at least part of the year. The wanderlust is implanted deep. |
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Morgan in Todos Santos |
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ROO: |
I hope it was implanted under suitably sterile conditions. Ok how about this question instead.. Where will you be travelling next? I’m sure if folks had a vague idea of your plans they’d be willing to offer you some free (or at least discounted) scarification/tattoo work. That is if you have a vague idea, of course. |
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GWEN: |
Unfortunately I don’t know which route I’ll be taking from here (ROO: I saw that coming). I’d like to see North Carolina and Tennessee, but I really want to see everything so it’s impossible to pinpoint where I’ll be going next, I usually decide where to go on a whim or a suggestion.. or if someone’s willing to let me sleep on their couch for a night! |
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ROO: |
If there are people reading this willing to help you out on your travels by offering a bed, simple home cooked meal, a warm shower or a night at a strip club how should they contact you? |
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GWEN: |
Assuming they’re on IAM, that’d be the best way to contact me (Hi-Ho), but gmail works too ([email protected]) — I’ll be staying in Alabama for a while, but come nice weather I’ll be hittin’ the dusty trail again so if anyone is down for biking with me a few kilometers or just hanging out, shoot me a line! |
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ROO: |
Any final words you think might be of interest to our lovely (and by now probably as exhausted as you felt upon reaching Victoria) readers? |
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GWEN: |
As far as final words go, I want to be an example of a free-spirited vagrant who decided to live life and choose my own path rather than being led around by someone else’s ideas. The best way to travel is cheap — you meet every type of person and go through every situation, from the lowest to the highest. I feel if you’re open to the world, she’ll embrace you. As a fellow hitchhiker once said to me: “You meet the angels and the freaks, the sinners and the saints, but that’s what makes the world go round.” I hope I inspire other kids my age (or anyone) to give up the constant rush of consumer society and breathe in the fresh air and just not care. |
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ROO: |
Thank you so much Gwendolen, you’re a trooper. Stay safe and may the wanderlust be with you always. |
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GWEN: |
<3 |
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| Just imagine how unstoppable (and unlikely) the love child of Pauly and Gwen would be! |
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Roo Crumbs (iam:RooBot) is This article is copyright © 2008 BMEzine.com, and for bibliographical purposes was first published May 16th, 2008. |
