Erik Sprague, better known as The Lizardman, sticks a running power drill up his nostrils, which is what he does when he’s not busy setting himself on fire or suspending himself by his nipples. His laundry list of body modifications includes green scales and black markings over his entire body, Teflon implants in his skull create the appearance of horned ridges, sharpened, crocodile-like teeth, a forked tongue, and stretched earlobes. He has a number of piercings, many of which are only visible when he streaks, which he does often.
Body modification starts with an inexplicable instinct to play with your body. I always had a very natural interest in tattooing and piercing. Some kids draw on the walls; I was a draw-on-my-arm kind of kid.
In my opinion, body modification includes things like clipping your nails and getting a haircut. People do unnecessary things to their bodies for reasons besides hygiene. It’s one of the few things you can say exists in every single culture and society. What I do to my body is not unlike what they do to theirs; it’s a spectrum, and we’re just on different ends. They may be styling their hair, while I’m radically altering my outward appearance.
Body Modification Started with PiercingThe first thing I did was pierce my ear in my freshman year at college. I lived in a small rural area and my parents said, “It’s your body, your consequences, your life.” If you walked into a gallery and saw one of Picasso’s latest Cubist works, you’d start with his early work and then look at all his work in between, you see the progression, and it seems perfectly natural.
What I am and what I do is an aesthetic choice. I don’t think I have an inner lizard that wanted to get out, but it’s a lizard for the same reason it’s a blue suit for someone else. It’s stylistic. A few years ago I started using reptiles in my act. They’re very fragile and difficult to keep. Currently I don’t have one. My wife is actually not a big fan of reptiles, which is interesting, since she’s married to me. She’s never known me as anything else. The first time she laid eyes on me I was running out on stage on fire, wearing nothing more than a green Speedo.
The Lizardman: A Professional Freak
My act involves rituals and things like putting running power drills up my nose, which is a variation of the human blockhead, or the traditional approach of using a hammer and nail. With the drill variation, you don’t feel a thing unless you hit the side, which I do every time. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s something I’m willing to do to get a reaction.
I want people to react with shock, awe and/or laughter, depending on the moment. If you’re at my show, you’ll hear a lot of gasping, and hopefully at the end, applause. I don’t have a lot of grand designs. I’m an entertainer, so I’m just trying to elevate simplicity. I think it’s a very noble thing to make people laugh. I may distract people from what’s bothering them. The human body really can swallow a sword or hang from hooks. Sometimes people are inspired by what I do. Like any art, it’s not only what you put out there, but what people invest in themselves. The viewer always contributes to the dynamic.
