Rick Genest covers his full body tattoo.

October 21, 2011 7:31 PM

Twenty-six-year-old fashion model Rick Genest, who starred in Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" video and walked Thierry Mugler Men's Fall 2011 runway, puts Dermablend's concealers to the test in the brand's "Go Beyond The Cover" campaign.

A team of three makeup artists worked in just one day using about 4 tubes of Dermablend Professional Leg and Body Tattoo Primer and Leg and Body Cover to conceal Genest's skeletal tattoos from the waist up. In the jaw-dropping, three-minute clip, we see the final result.
posted by Leisure_Muffin (95 comments total)

OK, I am officially an old fart. Why would anyone do that to themselves? Plus, if they had cut out all the glowering, the video could have been a minute shorter.

Now off to buy a house dress.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 7:36 PM on October 21, 2011 [24 favorites]

I love both makeup and tattoing so this is just super neat.
posted by The Whelk at 7:36 PM on October 21, 2011 [13 favorites]

The thing about tattoos is that people who have them can't get rid of them, so they have to invest a whole lot of their identity in them. Which is why people with tattoos will rarely say tattoos are a bad idea, because they feel that would be indirectly saying there's something wrong with them.

(currently enjoying my godlike good looks, which require no tubes of Dermablend. I can always dye my hair and put on different clothes if I want.)
posted by dunkadunc at 7:41 PM on October 21, 2011 [4 favorites]

I don't have any strong opinion on this guy's Terminator lifestyle, but I imagine if he has a mom, she probably thinks she just saw a ghost.
posted by SharkParty at 7:44 PM on October 21, 2011 [9 favorites]

I respect the guy for going balls to the wall with his tattoos, and it seems to have worked out for him... but holy shit, you can't count on being in a Lady Gaga video. I want to see this guy when he's 70, that's going to be awesome.
posted by Huck500 at 7:46 PM on October 21, 2011 [2 favorites]

I read Sweetie Darling's comment about the unnecessary glowering before watching the video, and then watched it without the sound, and it made the video unintentionally hilarious. It makes him come off as nervous and upset about revealing his tattoos. Also he reminded me a lot of the villain from the latest Star Trek movie. And every Star Trek movie.
posted by bleep at 7:46 PM on October 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

Dermablend is amazing, shadow-covering, drag-enhancing nectar of the gods. And Rick Genest is super hot. There is no part of this post that doesn't make me happy.
posted by emmtee at 7:46 PM on October 21, 2011 [6 favorites]

A friend of mine linked to this on FB the other day, and while I watched it then, I didn't understand that they were hiding the tattoos. I thought they were adding the skeleton make up. I'm much more impressed with it now that I know the real scoop --- even if it is an effing commercial. Thanks for explaining it to me.
posted by crunchland at 7:47 PM on October 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

The thing about tattoos is that people who have them can't get rid of them, so they have to invest a whole lot of their identity in them. Which is why people with tattoos will rarely say tattoos are a bad idea, because they feel that would be indirectly saying there's something wrong with them.


The thing about people without tattoos is that they say a lot of weird things about people with tattoos.
posted by neuromodulator at 7:48 PM on October 21, 2011 [52 favorites]

It's like fashion, I like when people decide on what they want to look like and do it rather than settling for what nature gave them, it seems more fair.

Then again I don't have any rats cause I know how changeable and havering I am, which is why I like fashion and makeup.
posted by The Whelk at 7:52 PM on October 21, 2011 [5 favorites]

Rats, I mean.

I don't have any rats cause they live too short and I can't deal with the heartbreak.
posted by The Whelk at 7:53 PM on October 21, 2011 [12 favorites]

Tats. Learn the word iPad!

Taaaaaaats.
posted by The Whelk at 7:53 PM on October 21, 2011 [25 favorites]

Paying $300 for ass antlers is one thing, but sporting prison tattoos on your knuckles is a truly a statement about your lifestyle.
posted by KokuRyu at 7:55 PM on October 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

I don't really care about what anyone does to their bodies but it's kind of interesting that you never hear old people saying "I should have got a bunch of tattoos when I was younger. They'd be all saggy and crap by now."
posted by gronkpan at 7:58 PM on October 21, 2011 [7 favorites]

I saw this guy before he got "famous" at my local grocery store, (I live in a cottage town so he was probably visiting but I am not that far from his hometown) carrying I guess it would be his Niece he had a hoodie on but I recognized him. I am officially an olde fart but Dude was smiling and giggling with this little girl being totally normal.

Every-time I see him glowering I thing of that moment, him smiling and giggling in his own little world with a young family member... realize he is just like every other person his age just... ya know with a lot of ink.
posted by mrgroweler at 8:03 PM on October 21, 2011 [12 favorites]

...ass antlers?
posted by RakDaddy at 8:03 PM on October 21, 2011 [12 favorites]

Well not a whole lot of people have head to toe body tats either, so there.
posted by The Whelk at 8:05 PM on October 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

Impressive on many levels, but the editing of the video is not one of them.

Also: face tats, man. Whoa.
posted by wemayfreeze at 8:05 PM on October 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

but I imagine if he has a mom, she probably thinks she just saw a ghost.

I hate to be that guy who links to a Daily Mail story, but not only does he have a mom, she sounds fairly supportive:

Despite his unconventional lifestyle, his mother said she is proud of her son - and he always replies to her text messages, even now he is leading a glamorous life on the catwalks of Europe.

His mother said: 'He's doing what he wants to do. He's always been a very artistic person and a good student - he's so artistic.

'People go their own way. Rick has lived his own way by choice.'

posted by strangely stunted trees at 8:09 PM on October 21, 2011 [13 favorites]

Tear drops and spider webs also say very much: "ex con" where I live.

I was looking for a YouTube type clip from Papillion where they meet a jungle trapper with a cockroach facial tattoo.

Trapper: You like this?

Papillon: Oh, very much.

Trapper: I did too. At the time. But I was drunk.

But I couldn't find it so I'll leave you with my equal fave tattooed rube instead.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 8:11 PM on October 21, 2011 [2 favorites]

I want to see this guy when he's 70, that's going to be awesome.

Sure, he's going to look like a wet photocopy of himself. But you don't get tattoos for when you're old, you get them for when you're now.
posted by mhoye at 8:12 PM on October 21, 2011 [5 favorites]

That dude better hope that Dermablend is still around in five years when he's applying for retail jobs.
posted by Mayor Curley at 8:12 PM on October 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

He likes tattoos. That is all.
posted by benito.strauss at 8:12 PM on October 21, 2011

...ass antlers?

AKA tramp stamps
posted by porpoise at 8:13 PM on October 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

I watched it with the sound off, too, and the glower was making me giggle. Then I realized that's how he kept his "teeth" straight.

It feels odd to say that he looked uncomfortable in his own skin.

I'm glad he's a good son. I can't help imagining how all that will look in the nursing home.
posted by lysdexic at 8:13 PM on October 21, 2011 [2 favorites]

...ass antlers?

AKA tramp stamps


My father calls them "forget-me-nots"
posted by lysdexic at 8:14 PM on October 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

Ink over the voice box. ::::exhalation of amazement:::::

Then. I. Saw. The. Ears.

Either you like the pain or you want the result so very much you'll look past the pain. Either way, owie.

/wuss
posted by datawrangler at 8:15 PM on October 21, 2011

That dude better hope that Dermablend is still around in five years when he's applying for retail jobs

I can't imagine why anyone, tats or not, would do that.
posted by The Whelk at 8:15 PM on October 21, 2011 [5 favorites]

So, I have been familiar with Rick Genest for a few years now, but if I had seen this video without the intro, I would have NO idea the handsome man looking into the camera was Zombie Boy. I think the filming of him rubbing off dermablend to reveal the amazing macabre scene underneath had potential for some sort of mind blowing video-poem playing with the concepts of image and decay and fame.

Or, you know, just run the footage of covering up his tattoos in reverse time lapse. I guess that's just as good. :-/
posted by midmarch snowman at 8:16 PM on October 21, 2011 [2 favorites]

Anyone else remarked to themselves how Straight Edgers respect their bodies sooo much that they advertise the fact by SCRIBBLING ALL OVER THEMSELVES IN PERMANENT INK?
posted by uncanny hengeman at 8:18 PM on October 21, 2011 [3 favorites]

Why would anyone do that to themselves?
That dude better hope that Dermablend is still around in five years when he's applying for retail jobs.

The guy is a local entertainer. I don't know how much money he actually makes, since I've only nodded to him at mutual events of attendance, but how should I put this- it's probably less damaging than other things people do if you want an international modelling career and he seems to love his stage shows.

Plus, he lives in Montreal. You pretty much have to go that far to stand out in this zoo.
posted by Phalene at 8:18 PM on October 21, 2011 [5 favorites]

Dude was getting by for years before Gaga made him a minor celebrity, I'm sure he'll be fine. Also, not to shame his tattoos because I like tattoos and he's got a thing going on, but damn is he fine without them.
posted by yellowbinder at 8:18 PM on October 21, 2011 [2 favorites]

That was confusing at the end. It's not apparent right away that they're going backwards, so I almost thought they were adding makeup to make him look like a skeleton.
posted by Defenestrator at 8:18 PM on October 21, 2011

emmtee: "Dermablend is amazing, shadow-covering, drag-enhancing nectar of the gods."

I have never heard of this product. Why is it that the drag queens get all the best, practical beauty secrets to themselves? I feel like if Vogue or Elle would hire a drag queen as their next beauty editor I might actually stop and read the beauty advice in those pages and learn something useful about makeup for the everyday gal instead of skipping through to drool over the unaffordable accessories.
posted by Dr. Zira at 8:27 PM on October 21, 2011 [22 favorites]

I've actually heard a lot of old(er) people say they wished they'd gotten tattooed and otherwise lived more freely when they were younger.

They're usually saying it in an approving way in response to my hair being dyed a crazy color, but sometimes in response to my tattoo or other visible markers of individual choice.

So maybe it depends on the older people one hangs out with.
posted by rosa at 8:28 PM on October 21, 2011 [7 favorites]

I'm at 1:07 and the poor man just looks so fucking exhausted from rubbing his hand on his chest for nine full consecutive seconds

deep breath rick pull it together you can do it
posted by ook at 8:32 PM on October 21, 2011 [12 favorites]

The thing about tattoos is that people who have them can't get rid of them, so they have to invest a whole lot of their identity in them. Which is why people with tattoos will rarely say tattoos are a bad idea, because they feel that would be indirectly saying there's something wrong with them.


What?

Read the introduction to Henk Schiffmacher's "1000 Tattoos" book.
posted by gcbv at 8:33 PM on October 21, 2011

I want to see this guy when he's 70, that's going to be awesome.

I mean no disrespect to our elderly population, but when you're 70, you're ass-ugly no matter how much ink you have embedded in your skin.

/But you made it to 70, so fuck it. You're fucking awesome either way.
posted by dirigibleman at 8:35 PM on October 21, 2011 [22 favorites]

I loved seeing this. Entertainer and internet meme turned awesome advertising for a legit product with timelapse? Perfect.
posted by june made him a gemini at 8:38 PM on October 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

I found the ad very effective in demonstrating the product, even though I'd never use it for a tat. Now I wonder about using it for my very prominent birthmark, though.

What I thought about the tats was "ow, I bet that hurt to have done" and "I wonder how he keeps hair-free? wax?". I admire the effort that goes into the presentation, but it's something I know I could never do even if I weren't phobic of needles.
posted by immlass at 9:01 PM on October 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

Paying $300 for ass antlers is one thing R.A.B.bit?
posted by SuzySmith at 9:01 PM on October 21, 2011

dermablend is fucking awesome. i first learned about through some write up on angelina jolie, i think - sometime around Gia. i was a mall photographer and there were a lot of people who wanted to cover tattoos for grandma for the christmas card or whatever. i always suggested dermablend and it has always worked.

as for all the snarking towards zombie boy - this man will never have to work retail and if he does it'll be for a high end brand that wants his look. this isn't a shitty taz tattoo, this is a work of art. his tattoo artist must be ecstatic with the advertising.

and just because i think it looks neat - not scowling.
posted by nadawi at 9:04 PM on October 21, 2011 [12 favorites]

even if it is an effing commercial.

Pepsi Boo.
posted by joe lisboa at 9:04 PM on October 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

No way I would want all those tattoos. No way I would find that level of tattoos or piercing cool, but to each their own. The ad was Very Effective.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 9:05 PM on October 21, 2011

immlass - it'll work for a birthmark. i've had customers do the very same thing - also, with the right layering, it'll cover scars.
posted by nadawi at 9:05 PM on October 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

Holy fucking shit, that's an effective ad. Go Rick, for that matter. I've got three tattoos and I can't even fathom how painful his must have been. That's some serious commitment right there.
posted by Space Kitty at 9:17 PM on October 21, 2011 [2 favorites]

this man will never have to work retail and if he does it'll be for a high end brand that wants his look. this isn't a shitty taz tattoo, this is a work of art.

Come on. He's the "I like turtles kid," except that he can't go home and wash his face.
posted by Mayor Curley at 9:19 PM on October 21, 2011

I like turtles, man that is too true!
posted by uncanny hengeman at 9:20 PM on October 21, 2011

Face tats are not for me, of course, but I've always admired "Zombie Boy's" complete commitment to his personal choices. I certainly did not recognize him until he started taking the makeup off... It is a very effective Dermablend commercial, very well done.
posted by gemmy at 9:24 PM on October 21, 2011

Come on.

you're welcome to not like it - no one intelligent has ever suggested all art should be liked by all people - but if you can't even respect the level of talent it takes to create this, then i think you're either crazy or just being contrary.
posted by nadawi at 9:30 PM on October 21, 2011 [5 favorites]

I've got to admit the work is impressive in its scope and level of quality. Extremely. It's distastefully attention-seeking by my measures, but I fully recognize that my standards are not everyone's.
posted by Mayor Curley at 9:50 PM on October 21, 2011

ugh, the "what will they think of that when they're 70" nonsense. When I'm 70 I'll have much bigger things in life to be concerned about then my tattoos. My grand kids, life, affording retirement, etc. I've got four tattoos and I don't even see them anymore, it's my body, my identity isn't invested in them at all.
in my early twenties I knew a guy with tons of tattoos, facial/scalp/hands/etc. His nickname was Normal Norman, cause he was just that.
posted by andywolf at 10:08 PM on October 21, 2011 [2 favorites]

I don't know if it's so much Art as Craft, but to each his own.
I mean, it obviously takes some skill and time, but there's no real exploration or proposal there. Nothing you don't see in a million kid's notebooks, albeit drafted with precision, technique etc.
Nothing against the guy or his tatoo artist, more power to them, but to my eye it's not really Art.
posted by signal at 10:40 PM on October 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

the move from notebook paper to skin is a significantly hard one, one that moves past random doodles.

of course, i also think that a lot of "kid's" notebooks include some great art.
posted by nadawi at 10:45 PM on October 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

Oh god signal, I just just told the guy what you said,

He's so sad. Oh god he's crying.

Oh man, he's really upset, he took out his needle gun, oh god, he's digging into his skin

Oh god it's horrible, he's pressing into the very bone, oh man, this is bad, there is so much blood.

Oh wow it says Signal Was Right. He fell down. I think it was blood loss. Someone should pick him up. Wow man, art really has an effect. Amazing.
posted by The Whelk at 10:45 PM on October 21, 2011 [7 favorites]

The commercial was a bit silly but I thought it was quite fascinating at the beginning...I was wondering why he was making that stupid face, like he was trying to be a supermodel. But clearly he was just so conditioned to posing his face a certain way in the mirror, his expressions permanently altered by his tattoos, and it was just muscle memory or something.

I'm sort of ambivalent about tattoos. If I notice someone's tattoo I sometimes try to figure out what it is and imagine the motivation behind it but I rarely see them as any kind of interesting statement. And the whole 'danger' of it is pretty much gone...it's seems about as edgy as being on Facebook these days. My mother-in-law has a tattoo. (And she's on Facebook.)

But this guy has a fully thought-out vision; a commitment to a complete aesthetic.
I think he looks totally fucking cool.
posted by chococat at 10:47 PM on October 21, 2011 [2 favorites]

The "making of" video shows a bit more of the process, and you can see how sweet and charming and utterly normal Rick is. At one point, he says he looks the same to himself, because he's "used to being in his own skin".
posted by donnagirl at 11:11 PM on October 21, 2011 [5 favorites]

Is it really still impressive that a team of makeup artists armed with tubes and tubes of concealer can cover a tattoo? Thought that happened all the time.
posted by mantecol at 11:50 PM on October 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

Oh god signal, I just just told the guy what you said,

He's so sad. Oh god he's crying.

This fpp has been fascinating if for no other reason than for how much it has illuminated The Whelk's stance on tattoos.

Also, even though I will never be in the market for tattoos, I need to second Nadawi's statement that drawing on skin is a 1000 miles away and 1000 times harder than drawing on paper. I have one aquaitence who spent months trying to hone her drawing technique to match a style that would work on keratin. One tat artists that my friend got a tattoo from was INCREDIBLY well respected for his ability to translate something that looks good on paper into something that will not look like a pile a dog barf on my buddy's deltoid. Even if you do not like the style of illustration that the technical limitations of injecting ink into skin imposes on artists, you cannot deny the skill of respected needle jockeys.
posted by midmarch snowman at 1:05 AM on October 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

It's distastefully attention-seeking by my measures

I have bright red hair - it used to be pillarbox red, now it's pretty red, red enough for me to be known as 'the girl with the red hair'. It's been this colour for near enough half my life. Last summer, I got a scalp condition and stopped dying it for a while, and I didn't feel myself. I thought back to a short story I read once, about a woman with mad curly dark hair who got it straightened and blonded, and ended up in hospital, not recovering until her 'fake' hair had grown out. I feel like this in reverse. My fake hair is pretty much my real hair.

That dude better hope that Dermablend is still around in five years when he's applying for retail jobs.

Dermablend's been going for years - it started out as a camoflage make-up for birthmarks and burns etc. I've been pondering getting a tattoo when I turn thirty, but what's putting me off is that I'm not sure where to put it - there are times and occasions when I'm not going to want a visible tattoo. I work in an industry where visible tattoos are fine, and I love sleeves etc. on other people, but I want the option.
posted by mippy at 1:31 AM on October 22, 2011

That's definitely an effective ad for Dermablend.

Rick Genest seems to be stuck permanently in Zoolander's Blue Steel, though. I guess if you don't stop your face really will get stuck that way. Thanks, mom.
posted by Justinian at 3:04 AM on October 22, 2011 [4 favorites]

Re Dermablend; doesn't something that cover that effectively basically sign you up for epic skin breakouts? It seems like you couldn't wear it for very long.
posted by emjaybee at 7:32 AM on October 22, 2011

immlass - it'll work for a birthmark.

That's good to know. I'm 43 and even though I've known for years that actors with tats were covering their ink for movie roles, it hadn't ever really occurred to me that I could go out in a skirt or shorts and not have people asking about/looking at the giant red thing on my leg.
posted by immlass at 7:43 AM on October 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

The thing about tattoos is that people who have them can't get rid of them, so they have to invest a whole lot of their identity in them. Which is why people with tattoos will rarely say tattoos are a bad idea, because they feel that would be indirectly saying there's something wrong with them.

No, dude, people with tattoos will rarely say anything bad about them because people who get tattoos LIKE TATTOOS.
posted by 23skidoo at 8:27 AM on October 22, 2011 [9 favorites]

Also, it makes me sad that metafilter is so damn crotchety. You sound like your own parents with all the "How could anyone DO THAT" and "I'm sorry, but tattoos are just gross to me".
posted by 23skidoo at 8:31 AM on October 22, 2011 [9 favorites]

No, dude, people with tattoos will rarely say anything bad about them because people who get tattoos LIKE TATTOOS."

Seriously. Since last night, I've had that comment rattling around in my head as OMG PEOPLE WHO HAVE MADE COMMITMENTS ARE COMMITTED TO THEIR COMMITMENTS AND I THINK THAT'S KIND OF SAD.
posted by yellowbinder at 8:42 AM on October 22, 2011 [6 favorites]

Every goddamn thread that's even tangentially about tattoos.

(Also, previously)
posted by box at 9:14 AM on October 22, 2011

I guess I'm doing it wrong, then, 'cause I can't get it to cover my rosacea properly...
posted by Lucinda at 9:28 AM on October 22, 2011

I like this post. Skinny boys with well-done tattoos make me happy.

Also, I now know how to cover up my tattoos for future cosplay (but not any other time because why would I spend so much money on these things and not want them to show?! I mean, sheesh, that's one of the reasons I refuse to return to office jobs. Dressing like an Orthodox Jew just cause the 4 other people in my cubicle farm might see my ink so so not my thing.)
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:51 AM on October 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

The difference between people with tattoos and people without, is that people with tattoos couldn't care less whether you are tattooed or not.

Mind your own business and don't judge.
posted by TheCoug at 10:00 AM on October 22, 2011 [7 favorites]

For me, I don't understand why people would spend a lot of money on art that could be lost, stolen, or destroyed. The world is an uncertain place and who knows what could happen to any possession. The art that is tattooed on my body will always be with me no matter what the circumstances. These tattoos are the only art that I know will always be in my possession and to me that makes tattoos a better investment that pretty much everything else but knowledge.
posted by fuq at 10:19 AM on October 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Dermablend is awesome. I use it because I have very thin and translucent skin under my eyes. That might not sound so bad, but it means my under-eye circles are prominent enough that when not wearing makeup, I've been taken aside and asked if I'm a domestic violence victim.

I found out about it in the early 90s from a high school friend who has a port wine birthmark. I never knew she had one until one day she came to school without makeup on. That's how good the stuff is.

And emjaybee, it's never given me breakout problems. It's marked as non-comedogenic and it's comfortable to wear.
posted by jocelmeow at 11:15 AM on October 22, 2011

I first used Dermablend for my birthmark when I was maybe 13 or 14. Go to the mall, they have it in the cosmetics section and can help you sort it out. It's too much hassle for me (and it kind of creeps me out to see my face all the same color on both sides) but a lot of folks with port wine stains swear by the stuff.
posted by SMPA at 2:51 PM on October 22, 2011

I'm 60, a middle school teacher, and I am considering getting a second tattoo because my first one (on my shoulder-blade) worked out so well. Also, I got the first one to celebrate a competition I won, and I just won again, so why not?

And gee whillickers, to folks who keep talking about how you're going to look like h*ll when you're 70 with tattoos, there isn't a good way to avoid looking like h*ll when you're 70. All my internal organs have slid downwards so that I'm shaped like a potato even when I suck in my gut. I have discolorations, wrinkles, and drooping eyelids. And that's even though I'm a serious athlete (the competitions I won? world masters championships) and in great shape. Tattoos could actually improve the way you look when you're old.
posted by Peach at 3:02 PM on October 22, 2011 [6 favorites]

I saw this guy on the Dufferin bus once in Toronto. I did not realize he was an internationally famous supermodel -- I just assumed he had deep emotional problems.
posted by sevenyearlurk at 3:13 PM on October 22, 2011

uncanny hengeman: "But I couldn't find it so I'll leave you with my equal fave tattooed rube instead."

That's "Mr. Cool Ice", he lives near me in Mainz, Germany. He's also got a pair of sunglasses tattooed on the back of his head. Some (german language) info about him.
posted by debagel at 3:30 PM on October 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

I just assumed he had deep emotional problems.

what a weird thing to assume.
posted by nadawi at 4:09 PM on October 22, 2011 [8 favorites]

I came to the realization recently that I love full sleeves-- they are exciting to me in a way that single tats are not.

And while I don't think facial tattoos are a good idea, I am stunned by the complete work of art that is this guy. Still, I have two reservations, one fake and one real. First, how do girls respond to this? It would be hard to get past the creepy factor, and I imagine it must cut down on the number of women who are interested. If he is gay, I have no idea of how off-putting these tattoos would be.

My (fake) concern is I hope he never gets amnesia. Can you imagine the shock of looking into the mirror?
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 4:18 PM on October 22, 2011

I don't think it's that weird to assume a random guy on a bus with a full-body zombie tattoo has deep emotional problems, discussions about art aside. Making his face look like a skeleton is basically saying that he took steps to permanently make himself look like a frightening figure for some reason. If that's all that I have to go on I probably wouldn't be making any sudden movements around him. It doesn't necessarily mean he has problems of course and maybe it's some kind of artistic statement about not judging a book by its cover, fine, but sitting across from each other on the bus you have no way of knowing or assuming that's the case. I don't think most people with facial tattoos are making deep theoretical statements about the nature of art and perception.
posted by bleep at 4:32 PM on October 22, 2011

I don't think you should live your life based on how it will affect you when you get old ... with one exception: Between cigarettes and tattoos, I'd rather people were addicted to tattoos, so that they have a chance to actually live to be 70.
posted by crunchland at 4:34 PM on October 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

I dunno. My feeling is that offering oneself up as canvas for someone else's art is at its heart self-abnegating. I can understand it, with effort.

But the pouty, look-how-serious-I-am expression on that kid's face? That was precious.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:45 PM on October 22, 2011

(barricades door, awaits mob of angry, tattooed Mefites to come beat me to death with my own, non-tattooed arms.)
posted by dunkadunc at 4:47 PM on October 22, 2011

I designed my own tattoo, because I'm with stavrosthewonderchicken, but somebody has to buy art.
posted by Peach at 4:58 PM on October 22, 2011

It's a little sad to read so many negative comments here about people with tattoos.

I had 'Chelsea Boot Boys' tattooed on my forehead because it expressed the person I am.
posted by panboi at 5:56 PM on October 22, 2011

As a very heavily tattooed person, I have but one request (for this and any future tattoo related threads): please don't use the word "tats." Seriously. We all hate it. We hate it even when you say "nice tats, guy!"

I'm not a huge fan of his work, mostly just because I don't like the aesthetic of black and grey/biomechanical stuff and that's what it looks like at a glance. I also don't particularly care for 'themed' tattoos, and he has that too. Beyond those gripes about the aesthetic, I don't give a shit. I'd rather look at him and his interesting skin than boring, regular, nontattooed skin.

(One of the only themed, giant tattoos I really like (other than some general Japanese/Yakuza stuff) is Duncan X's piece on this guy here (click the last thumbnail on the linked page for the thing I am talking about). It's scenes of and relating to the London Fire of 1666, and it is amazing. All line work, all black. The linked pic is only a tiny piece of it, in progress, but when it was finished the guy has full chest, back, sleeves, hands (I think), buttocks, ribs, etc. Duncan is so great at incorporating piecework into scenery stuff, and the line work is flawless and deliberate. If you browse around his gallery, you can see more of this piece. For some reason, he did not group all the pics together though, so it takes some browsing.)

And man, what a good looking fella this Rick Genest is. The scowl makes him look a little silly, but without he's very handsome. I also think he actually looks more attractive, structurally, with his tattoos visible.

Also, to whomever mentioned it earlier: the voicebox/Adam's apple really is not that bad, pain-wise. It's tough to breathe when you get zapped there, but the pain is surprisingly minimal.
posted by broadway bill at 6:47 PM on October 22, 2011 [2 favorites]

Can we call them oo's then?
posted by The Whelk at 6:56 PM on October 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

Can we call them oo's then?


YES PLEASE.
posted by broadway bill at 7:00 PM on October 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

Why do so many insist on seeing all tattoos as identical indicators of beauty, class, intelligence, or whatever metric most vital to their judgments? Badly designed or crappy flash tattoos are hideous, but this sort of thing -- beautifully drawn, aesthetically balanced art meticulously conforming to a body's unique natural curves -- can be so damn gorgeous.

I am obscurely pleased that Rick Genest's demeanor follows one of my private constants -- a mere confirmation bias perhaps, but such is life -- that the more heavily tattooed the punk, the bigger a mensch he or she shall be. That kind of pain and dedication seems to etch a permanent sweetness in with it. Every heavily tattooed fellow I've ever known well has that intelligent, soft-spoken way about him, and seems to divide the majority of his time between work, shows, and rescuing abused pit bulls or somesuch. All so appealing and lovely. If I could go back to my misspent youth, I would have spent a lot more time kissing such people. Sweet punk kisses: try some today. (BTW, Dermablend covered up some heinous acne on my wedding day; it's the sort of thing poodles should have strapped to their collars in jeweled emergency flasks.)
posted by melissa may at 7:49 PM on October 22, 2011 [5 favorites]

I am not at all a fan of tattoos, but this guy looked H-O-T in the Gaga video.

That kind of pain and dedication seems to etch a permanent sweetness in with it.
He really does seem like a nice guy in the making of video, Melissa May. It reminds me of when I was a bank teller years ago and The Enigma and Katzen used to come in to the bank. They both seemed really quiet and nice. He always had his ID out and ready. Um, I recognize you, hon.
posted by artychoke at 9:40 PM on October 22, 2011 [2 favorites]

(barricades door, awaits mob of angry, tattooed Mefites to come beat me to death with my own, non-tattooed arms.)

I'm not mad, you just said something erroneous, assumptive, and not very intelligent, given the nature of the discourse.
posted by gcbv at 11:06 PM on October 22, 2011

Just the other day, I had a little girl tell me that I should get a tattoo because "all your kind of white people have them". Which was 1. flattering, because I am a bit older than the "all my kind of white people" to which she was referring and 2. pretty cute.

Unless industrial society totally collapses, when this dude is 70 there will be lots and lots of other 70-year-olds with tattoos and everything will be fine.

Also, if I don't get a horrible disease, I will be old for a long time - like, based on my parents' appearance, I am going to actually look genuinely old (as opposed to late middle-aged) for a minimum of fifteen to twenty years. I think those of us who have been unconsciously conditioned by bullshit magazines to think "oh, if you don't look young you are ipso facto gross-looking" should try retraining our eyes a tiny bit. Seriously, turn off the TV, put away the fashion blogs and try deconditioning yourself so that you aren't repulsed by the real people around you. I am constantly saddened by the internet rhetoric of "ooh, old people are so gross because they have wrinkles and their skin isn't firm any more". Old people are not so gross; the kind of capitalism which makes us feel that ordinary human bodies are embarrassing and repulsive is gross.

On facial tattoos: most everyone I know who has them (and who isn't internationally famous) either works in punk-friendly businesses (used bookstores, cafes, rock and roll kinds of bars) or else works warehouse jobs and so on. People get by. And you know what? Blaming someone who does something harmless like getting a tattoo for the prejudices of others is a bit dumb. If someone won't hire a competent worker because ZOMG tattoos, that's not the tattooed person's character flaw. And I really dislike this whole "you took a fairly lightweight lifestyle risk, so I'm going to smugly gloat about your future unemployment" business - it feels really ressentiment-y.
posted by Frowner at 1:49 AM on October 23, 2011 [15 favorites]

I can't help imagining how all that will look in the nursing home.

"I'm sorry Mr Genest, but could you stay away from Mrs Wilson - she keeps thinking it's Her Time, and it takes all afternoon to calm her down again."
posted by Grangousier at 2:07 AM on October 23, 2011 [6 favorites]

Just to clarify, when I say I want to see him when he's 70 because he'll look awesome, I'm not being facetious.
posted by Huck500 at 11:05 AM on October 23, 2011

The mensch/heavy tattoo correlation doesn't hold up for me. The usual percentage of jerks seem to have tattoos.
posted by Peach at 5:33 PM on October 27, 2011

The mensch/heavy tattoo correlation doesn't hold up for me. The usual percentage of jerks seem to have tattoos.
posted by Peach

I think, for me, it's more that I expected he'd be all,
\m/ YEAH!! I'M THE GUY WITH FACE TATTOOS AND HORNS!!!!! \m/ *rockin' guitar sfx + Gene Simmons tongue but forked*

But instead, he was more, "Hello, I am a normal non-intense person cashin' my check, please."
posted by artychoke at 9:31 PM on October 27, 2011