Who Is Lady Gaga's New Tattooed Muse?

Who is this man?

That is a question that has been floating around the internet for the last six weeks.  He first achieved notoriety when he was featured in Gaga's remix video for 'Scheiße', in collaboration with Thierry Mugler's recent men's fashion show (in which he was also a featured model).  As many of us of seen the video for 'Born This Way', he's prominently featured in what may possibly be the most popular video of the year, if not, the era.  Not only has this individual become an obvious muse for both Gaga and Mugler, but at the moment, he is the most in demand and most talked about male model in the fashion industry.  Who is he.

His name is Rick Genest.  The tattoo/body modification world knows him as "Zombie Boy".  He has actually been somewhat of a celebrity within body mod circles for the last five or six years, garnering press in practically every tattoo magazine and body modification blog on earth.  By many, he is considered the most tattooed man on the planet.

He keeps his personal information pretty close to the chest.  Though many articles and interviews have been written in the last 5 years on Rick, chronicling the progress of his artwork, not much has been written about Rick himself.  Numerous pieces are quoted to call him "twenty something", although at this time, he looks like he could pass for 30.  Earlier articles refer to him as "Rick from Montreal", but nothing is said about where he hails from currently.  He is an enigma.  Perhaps that is how he prefers it.  To think that someone that so obviously stands out can have such a personal life.  This is one of the only pictures know to exist of Rick Genest before his amazing transformation.  He is the gentleman on the left.

The tattoo world really started to take notice of Rick in the later part of 2006.  His artist at the time, Frank, at Derm FX Tattoo, in Montreal, submitted a couple photos of Mr. Genest to BME, a body modification blog and e-zine.  They immediately posted a piece about what they saw:

"Damn!!!! I really think this is the most intense facial tattoo I’ve ever seen in terms of radically transforming a person’s interaction with the rest of the world… and speaking as someone with a facial tattoo, I definitely feel like this is going to be a shock to his system. Very, very intense; I’m seriously impressed at the size of his FTW balls… Turning your face into a death mask is, just… wow…"

At the time, I don't think BME, or the rest of the world for that matter, understood the extent of the journey that Rick had in mind.  This was going to become more than just a facial tattoo.  This was a transformation.  He was becoming a new identity; an evolved form of the modern man.  By June 2008, it was reported that he had spent nearly $4,100 dollars Canadian on tattoos and over 24 hours in the artists chair.

Since then, it is apparent that he has still had extensive artwork done to complete the vision of himself.  I read in an interview that was done with Bizarre Magazine in 2008, that his mom cried when he first received tattoos on the tops of his hands.  She was afraid that he would never be able to find a job.  He is currently the most recognizable male fashion model on earth, and likely to be sign a multi-million dollar modeling contract by year's end.

 Rick Genest is truly one of the most unique and most beautiful men I have ever had the privilege of seeing in my 35 years of life.  He is an outstanding example that "different" can be extraordinary, and that, what one perceives as "ugly", others can see as sublime.  Every time I see a photo of him, I have to stop to take him in. He is more than human at this point.  He has become a piece of art.  He is a combination of everything that makes him grotesque, resplendent, shocking, poetic, and grand.  He is Rick Genest.