Many people decide to do body modifications in a bid to look more attractive. One would rarely think of going under the knife in the bid to look like a reptile. But Erik Sprague, an American freak show artist and sideshow performer, has undergone multiple drastic body modification procedures so that he can transform into a lizard. Today, he has a bifurcated split tongue, sharpened teeth, and a full-body covered in green tattoos. These changes have earned him the name “The Lizardman”. Erik Sprague was inspired to undergo these changes after he became obsessed with Godzilla, a fictional monster who is a marine and terrestrial reptile.
Erik Sprague recently appeared on the British chat show This Morning on June 28, where he spoke about his body modification procedures at length. In his conversation with hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, Erik Sprague said, “I became a fan of the way reptiles cross all cultures and history. No matter where you go, there is either a tale of a lizard man or a reptilian.” He explained that he decided to undergo tongue bifurcation in 1997. At the time, he was probably the first person who insisted on getting this modification. Recalling the tongue bifurcation procedure, he said, “I could taste and smell my own burning tongue as the laser went through it. The swelling was so severe that it took about a week for the swelling to go down to the point where I could speak or eat normally.”
In his bid to look like a lizard, Erik Sprague got bumps made of teflon inserted in his skull and above his eyes. These bumps were implanted to mimic the scales of a lizard. The procedure to insert these implants into his skin was painful but Erik Sprague was okay with these sacrifices. He told the hosts, “You have got to suffer for your art.”
When he got his teeth sharpened, he had trouble speaking normally as he developed a lisp. He then learned to speak properly again with the help of a speech pathologist. Erik Sprague said that when he goes out in the open, he often gets stared at. He is used to people doing a double take to get a better look at him. He said, “I’m not proud of it but I have caused a couple of traffic accidents over the years. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt, as I’m aware of.”
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