The Scary Guy is a United Kingdom based American motivational speaker who campaigns worldwide to eliminate hate, violence, prejudice and bullying in schools and corporations. In addition to being a tattoo shop owner, modern day philosopher,[1] comic, entertainer, inspirational speaker and performance artist, Scary Guy's nose, eyebrows and ears are pierced and tattoos cover over 85 percent of his body.[2]
The Scary Guy was born December 29, 1953, as Earl Kenneth Kaufmann, to Carroll and Constance Kaufmann. Growing up in New Hope, Minnesota, United States, The Scary Guy graduated in 1972 from Cooper High School [2] and excelled as a voice major at Macalester College, in Saint Paul.[3]
The Scary Guy got his first tattoo at the age of 30[4] and now has tattoos that cover an estimated 85% of his body. Over the years, his collection has grown as an artistic reflection of his life and experiences. They are what he calls, modern tribalism and reflect events he has experienced from humorous to stressful. One of these is a tattoo of a man called "Yuppiecide", a representation of his former self. Scary Guy's other tattoos represent his love of art and others are chosen simply because The Scary Guy was a computer salesman at one point in his life and they looked "cool".[5]