Recently Veronika (iam:E-Vomit) had a chance to sit down with a man that she describes as “one of the most decent, nice, and interesting people” she’s ever met. This may come as a surprise, given that the man goes by the name “Zombie” and some may describe him as the ultimate expression of tattoo nihilism — his entire head is tattooed with the visage of a skull and exposed brain, with tattoos across his body to match. Veronika tells me the pictures don’t begin to do his transformation justice, and she shares with us this text chat they had. Zombie asked that his words be left as he wrote them to keep this in his voice, so this chat is presented essentially verbatim. Thank you to both of them for bringing this to us! Veronika/BME: Hey, what’s up? Some people call you “skullboy” online, but what do you go by in real life? Yo, wazzup all you sexy peeps. My name is Zombie, raised in the baddest park in the maddest city. VIGER PUNX! MONTREAL. POP! POP! Props to viger kids, bleury crew, CRIMES, PBW crew... And all you vandal thug motherfuckers all over the place... And BMEzine... All you crazys... BME: Tell me a little about yourself and what you do? I’m very easy going and approchable... I like drinking beer and smoking weed, everyday... chillin’ downtown with my homies... great place to be. I’m 22, kind of a whore... I switch jobs all the time. I put up posters for now until I find something that pays more. BME: Who or what influenced you in your body modification journey? I’d have to say Tom Savini... All those bad bad boys like that. Horror movies and grind music... All that nasty shit. Ever since I got the zombie one on my arm, people were like “ohh shit man, awesome tattoo” ... and I kept going from there. BME: How did your interest start, and when did you get your first tattoo? Well, at first... I wanted to do the real deal... But I couldn’t peel my skin off... So I had to fake it. Got my first tattoo when I was sixteen — a puking one eyed zombie with cross bones on my upper arm. And after that I got the word zombie underneath it, in tribute to all that horror movie shit... and that’s how it started. BME: By how many artist have you had work done? Ten artists, little tattoos, and the body suit is one guy, Frank [at Derm FX Tattoo, Montreal, QC]. There’s a shitload left to my body suit — I still need instestines, more brains, and to finish the arms and the armpits and the legs ’nd shit. BME: You’re kind of an internet celebrity — what do you think about it? Not much, I don’t even own a computer. So fuck you assholes. BME: Other than your visible mods, do you have any “private” mods aswell? Not yet, I still wanna finish my torso... Before I descend into my lowers. BME: Do you have any further projects in the works? After my body suit I wanna start getting like Frankenstein bolts around my brain, get my eyes tattooed black, sharpen my teeth and shit like that. BME: Facial tattoos are a big step from “regular” tattoo placement. How long had you thought it through before you started your facial tattoos? Never really had to think about it... I’ve been white trash my whole life... BME: How do people react and what do they say when they see you? Depends who... Some people think I’m a joker... Some people don’t say anything... I get a lot more room on the bus though, so that’s cool... BME: What do you think of their reactions? I don’t give a fuck. I was one of those goth kids since high school, I was already used to it before I got tattooed. BME: Was it hard to find an artist who was willing to do your face? The third shop I went to and asked for it agreed. [My regular artist] had already done a spider web on my ear, but he would not go on on my face... so I went somewhere else and went back to Frank for a cover up. BME: How many hours of tattooing has your head had? I dont know, about twenty hours — neck was like nine or ten, back of my head one, brains six and face about three. BME: Are you single? Yes... Very single... I’m not very dependable... Girls cut into beer time. BME: What did you family think about your transformation? My mom told me, “You started it, you better finish it”... My little brother and sister think it’s cool but they don’t know it fucks you up. BME: How does it “fuck you up”? I never could be the manager at McDonalds, so I guess I’ll just have to settle doing porn. BME: What’s the “next step” for you? Once finished... Maybe get a desk job. BME: Do you regret your tattoos at all? I regret most of my tattoos, but now that they kind of blend in together I don’t even notice them anymore. BME: Have these modifications changed you as a person? Nah... I was already a little fucked in the head. BME: So... finally... why? Yo-G, living deads’ tha shit! BME: Any last words? Which way to the circus!!?!! CLICK HERE TO COMMENT ON OR DISCUSS THIS ARTICLE Please consider buying a BME membership so we can continue bringing you interviews like this. Veronika is currently living in Montreal, Quebec, and is into all kinds fo modifications; a piercer currently on hold. She can be contact via email at [email protected] or on IAM as E-Vomit. This interview and photo set is copyright 2008 BMEzine.com and Veronika and may not be reprinted elsewhere without permission. First published March 18, 2008 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. All guest columns | Return to BME/News