Thursday 20 January 2011

Interveiw with the 'Lizard Man'.

I was lucky enough to have the oppurtunity to email Erik Sprague aka 'The Liazard Man' and have an online interview with him.
So heres an introduction for people who don't know who he is...

My name is Erik Sprague, but I am far better known as The Lizardman.

I'm that tattooed green guy with the split tongue that you may have seen on television, or as a young lady in South Dakota once succintly put it to me: "You're that motherfucker from TV and shit, ain't ya?" That one encounter speaks volumes about what it is like to be me.

I am a professional freak. I perform sideshows acts, stand up comedy, & front a band.

So this is Erik Sprague a self made lizard. His
body modifications included  sharpened teeth, full-body tattoo of green scales, bifurcated tongue (split tounge), subdermal implants and recently, green-inked lips.



Do you think that body modification could be considered as an ideology?
 Twinkies can be an ideology if you are willing to do enough mental gymnastics to get there.  Sure, body modification could be an ideology but it doesn't necessarily lend itself to the endeavour.  Body modification is far more likely to be part of the methodology for an ideology than the ideology itself.


Do you feel that body modification is a thing that society shies away from?
No, societies directly address body modification by specifying which forms of it are accepted and which forms are taboo - these "rules" about the body tend to be among of the clearest defining aspects of various societies.

How do you feel about your body modifications in terms of how societies will view you?
Society's view of my modifications has little to nothing to do with my feelings, it does have a practical impact on day to day interactions but it doesn't dictate my feelings 


Are you part of any societies involving body modification?
 All societies involve body modification - dress, hair style, etc are all forms of body modification.


Does Erik have a point when he states that we all take part in a for of body modification in our day to day life, it's just that society states which ones are acceptable and which are not? Therefore clarifying which are deviant and tabboo? 
Great thinking point! 

Thank you to Erik for being kind enough to answer the questions i put to him and taking time from his busy schedule to lend his opinion.  

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