Some folk have an indomitable spirit. Tattoo people tend to fall into that category more than others. Little to nothing tends to slow us down once we decide to go for it. Case in point, Eduardo Arrocha. Better known to the Coney Island crowd as Eak the Geek.
As a former sideshow performer on the Coney Island circuit, Eak had himself heavily tattooed, including a constellation of stars and planets covering his face. For a little over 15 years Eduardo entertained the crowds of gawkers in Coney with stunts worthy of the Jim Rose Circus. Billing himself as The Man Who Tattooed His Face Like Outer Space and The Pain-Proof Man, he regularly preformed such acts as inviting members from the audience of Coney Island Circus Sideshow to stand on him while sandwiched between two beds of nails, and snapping mouse traps closed on his tongue.
Unfortunately, Eduardo came to realize that being another heavily tattooed performer in a sideshow isn’t really anything special anymore and was becoming bored with his repetitive routine. After ten years of soul searching, and a bachelor’s degree from New York’s Marymount College, Eak made the decision to move into a real bizarre sideshow. The law.
Being that Eduardo’s father is already a corporate lawyer in his native land of Mexico, it seemed like the most logical choice. He soon enrolled in Thomas M Cooley Law School of Lansing, Michigan. To say that Eak’s unorthodox appearance caused a bit of a stir in Michigan, would probably be a bit of an understatement, but Eduardo takes it all in stride with his single minded pursuit of his new career.
“It was hard at first because I got way too much attention,” Eduardo says. It was inevitable that people in a blue-collar town would be interested in someone with tattoos of stars and planets covering his face. The local paper made sure everyone noticed Eak by running a front-page story the moment he hit town.
“Going to the mall was strange at first,” he continues. “The people in Lansing had never seen anybody like me. They freaked out! They weren’t nasty – just really shocked.”
Does that put a bit of a downer on Eak’s determination to become a attorney? Not in the least. At first he considered that his heavily tattooed appearance might make the switch into academia a bit difficult, but soon realized that instead of a deterrent, his ink had actually made him into something special again.
“If you’re as tattooed as I am, you’re not really a trailblazer in the sideshow,” He explains. “If you look the way I do, it’s no surprise you do that kind of work. That’s what people expect. But if you look like me and you’re in law school, then that’s a real surprise.”
As I said, indomitable.
Once Eak graduates and passes his bar exam he plans on working for the alternative community and offer representation for business or housing needs. Soon The World’s Most Tattooed Lawyer will have his degree. Then look out world. Eak has a lot of experience working in the circus. I’m betting the legal circus won’t stand a chance.