Rico the Zombie’s true face: Exclusive interview with Rick Genest
March 23, 2011 —
Following the huge success surrounding his recent appearance in Lady Gaga’s music video “Born This Way”, Rick Genest, alias Rico the Zombie, was recently applauded while walking down Thierry Mugler’s runway during his fashion show in Paris. A native Montrealer, Rick Genest has refused all interview requests for weeks, but has agreed to speak with NIGHLIFE.CA and its reporter, Thomas Leblanc. NIGHTLIFE.CA is posting the French and English versions of this interview on its website today and publishing it in the next issue of its magazine, in newsstands March 30th. In this exclusive interview, Rick Genest reveals what led him to cover himself in tattoos and how, from one day to the next, he found himself under the spotlight in the international fashion scene.
In addition to an interview with a Montrealer who arouses incredible interest and astonishment, the NIGHTLIFE.CA team, a subsidiary of Newad Publishing, is using its website to bring readers behind the scenes of the photoshoot . It took place in a Montreal studio, with photography and artistic direction by Raphaël Ouellet and Marie-Claude Bourdeau, respectively.
Rick Genest’s tattoo-covered face and head attract attention – they especially interested Nicola Formichetti, Lady Gaga’s stylist. Genest’s eccentric style was then incorporated in “Born This Way”, seen over 20 million times on YouTube. Rick Genest appears next to Lady Gaga, whose makeup emulates his tattoos. He says of her: “Gaga is a machine. She’s a distraction, like a carnival. It’s entertainment for everyone.”
Recall that Lady Gaga will release her third album in late May. Her single “Born This Way” reigns at #1 on the Billboard Top 100 for over six weeks now.
The English interview is available here.
The video of the photoshoot is available here.
Other photos are available here.
About NIGHTLIFE.CA
Each month, NIGHTLIFE.CA reaches more than 200,000 Montrealers through its different platforms: magazine, newsletter, website and social media (Facebook and Twitter). The magazine distributes more than 40,000 copies (CCAB). The newsletter is sent twice a week to more than 20,000 subscribers and the website has 550,000 monthly page views. NIGHTLIFE.CA publishes articles, reports, reviews and cultural information on outings, music, fashion, design, art, culture and entertainment. NIGHTLIFE.CA has over 75 full and part-time employees and is a division of Newad Publishing. NIGHTLIFE.CA
About Newad
Newad reaches the highest concentration of the Young & Affluent in Canada by guiding its millions of consumers to four targeted platforms: Indoor, with 20,000 digital and classic boards in over 2,500 establishments and 36.5 million impressions delivered per week; Experiential Marketing, with the production of 250 promotional events a year; Publishing, with hundreds of digital productions each year as well as the NIGHTLIFE.CA magazine and website reaching 200,000 Montrealers every month; and Web, including the design and production of websites, microsites and mobile applications. Newad’s 350 employees set the trends in our Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Moncton offices. Newad has won numerous awards for its creative, innovative campaigns. www.newad.com