‘The Enigma’ visited Lake Havasu City

February 16, 2010 by jaynehanson

This was one of the most interesting interviews I have yet to stumble upon in my position as a news reporter. Despite learning a lot about my place of work as well as our readership in the wake of sharing this story, I must admit that meeting The Enigma and his traveling sideshow is not something I will soon forget. (Read full story here) Let me explain by way of show and tell.

Ok. These guys look like freaks. And in a way they are. But, aren’t we all in our own way? Take for instance The Enigma. When I asked him what inspired him in regard to the extreme all-over body art and extreme body modifications, he told me it was all done in hope of setting himself apart from other musicians and sideshow talents.

It seems logical and not so extreme in a different sort of way, right? The man IS an artist. A walking, talking, to the extreme, holdin’ nothing back, putting it all on the line PERFORMANCE ARTIST.

Now let’s take a closer look at a more rigid type of lifestyle, oh I don’t know, like an average joe. A waking up every morning and going to work, slave to a home mortgage, a family, maybe church on Sunday, average joe. Just for fun let’s say our average joe is most comfortable within a realm made up of a handful of friends and family members, all who share the same general type of lifestyle and all around perspective. Furthermore, average joe’s clan probably further conforms or even compromises their beliefs just to belong within their, well, small environment.

Now, to someone even a tad worldly, my average joe might very well be viewed as a freak. Not necessarily for exterior appearances but maybe for closed-mindedness and a tiny existence. In honor of The Enigma … think about that. Let me explain a bit further.

First of all, I must admit to anyone reading this that I was a bit star-struck moments before leaving the newsroom for the interview.

Then I thought, hell, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. This guy has literally been around the world and has probably been gawked at by thousands if not millions the whole way. To meet someone with a certain amount of notoriety like that, even if within the underground subculture of extreme tattooing and body modification, was truly exciting to me.

Having overcome my nerves, I strolled into Living Art Studio Tattoo in Havasu that day to find The Enigma and his sideshow talents in all of their glory. I was expecting this guy and his crew to be guarded, aloof, maybe even assholes.

I was dead wrong. The Enigma was accesible, forthcoming, witty, clever, challenging and playful. Sure, I took notes but I found myself wondering on my return to the newsroom if I had gathered enough substantial information to even write a story. (In all honesty, I needed a dictionary after talking to this guy.)

Serana Rose, one of the Enigma’s traveling sideshow talents, is completely and utterly adorable and I resisted the urge to hug her upon completion of the interview.

All in all, I must say. The world is FULL of different walks of life. And I think every person out there HAS to have a story (yes, even the average joe). To not embrace that beauty, that certainty, seems like a waste. At least to me.

So to The Enigma, I must say. Thanks. The experience was truly my pleasure. And I sincerely hope you choose to visit Havasu again someday.