About

All About Alligator Jesus

Blame Insane Clown Posse. Why not? Everyone else does. Then again, the D-town horrorcore tag team are pretty blamable sorts. In fact, they seem to welcome the notoriety. And let’s not start on the culpability of those Juggalos.

In this case though ICP does indeed deserve the blame. After all, it was they and they alone who inspired some free-thinking Miami high schooler to create a couple of crazed websites. And it was they and they alone who then used those sites to ply their crazy trade. The band even let the lad design a line of merch and put it up for sale. Then they had the audacity to have him join up with them and a gaggle of Juggalos on the road.

The kid hasn’t been the same since.

Yep, we’re talkin’ about Alligator Jesus. Oh, the lad hadn’t yet been tagged by that name. But anyone with any sense could tell he was destined for an eminent tag. And Alligator Jesus is an eminent tag. In fact, Swagger Magazine spent a large part of its AJ feature story testifying to just that.

“Alligator Jesus is one glorious moniker,” ran the story. “Not only does the name evoke both the ancient and the immortal, but it taps into myth and legend, not to mention faith, hope and fear. It also represents strength and inspiration, power and miracle, spanning eons and encompassing legions. If Shakespeare had been considering Lord Byron rather than Macbeth he might say Alligator Jesus was a name full of sound and fury, signifying everything — everything that’s mad, bad and dangerous to know in this wild world of ours.”

Of course that tag didn’t just spring outta the clear blue sky. Oh, the name came from above alright. But it first had to be earned. Leap by glorious leap. In other words, a lot of mad action predated that rad christening. And it unleashed the kinda pursuit of creative excellence from which legends are made.

And what a wide variety of action there was. Collaborations with Miami space bass leader Otto Von Schirach and the Bermuda Triangle Family that spawned stagings alongside the likes of Skinny Puppy and 2 Live Crew. A Visitor Services Directorship at Miami Beach’s Wolfsonian-FIU during the spectacular “Futurism” exhibition. The Art Director post at that same city’s World Erotic Art Museum overseeing a rare cropping of Rembrandt etchings. The Creative Directorship at L.A.’s Royal T Gallery through a swan song of stunning solo and group shows. It was a fury of sound, as well as vision, and it signified an everything that was in fact everything.

That everything truly became everything in the City of Angels, where Alligator Jesus took flight among a set of creatives that turned out to be as inspiring to him as they were inspired by him. How else to explain the onslaught of accomplished inspirerers who flocked to the creator and his work?

Even a short list of the long list of admirers will floor you. There’s Naomi Campbell and Riff Raff, Uma Thurman and Kat Von D. There’s Karen O and Spike Jonze, Marilyn Manson, Ahol Sniffs Glue and Saudi Prince Fahad Al Saud. They and more chose to drape themselves in Alligator Jesus’s one-of-a-kind line of bling. Some chose gold and diamond chains. Some chose precious metal and gemstone pendants. Some chose Godzilla, skull or AJ’s-own alligator rings. Some even chose to have their own body parts cast in precious metal and fitted to meet their images. Most chose all of the above. 

Then there’s Alligator Jesus’s line of custom grillz, which are made from combinations of gold, diamonds, platinum, opals, turquoise, pearl and jade. AJ can cast a set of grillz on the spot, then have them dropped with a client within 48. And many a client is so impressed with the initial results they come back for more!

Like the fans of AJ’s bling, the fans of AJ’s grillz is as long as it is illustrious. There’s Billie Joe Armstrong and Lil Xan, Suicide Boys and Ghostemane, Denzel Curry, Kriz Kaliko and Pussy Riot. Insane Clown Posse is also on the list, back of the house and front, for both bling and grillz. So is the one and only Ozzy Osbourne, who dug his first set of Alligator Jesus grillz so much he came back for seconds.

As you probably suspect, AJ’s interactions go beyond the one-on-one. You’ll find him boothed up in DTLA for the long-running BDSM Soft Leather gathering, as well as at Echo’s booming Emo Nite, not to mention on the shelves of Melrose’s impeccably cool Forgotten Saints. You’ll also see AJ’s gear draping the stars and the casts in videos from the likes of Lil Xan (“Lost at Sea”), ICP (“Fury”), SRVD (“Black on Black”) and Little Big (“Uno”).

Is this a complete and comprehensive list of all that Alligator Jesus has goin’ on? Hardly. In fact, it’s not even close. Then again, even attempting such a list would be an exercise in sheer futility. To begin with, the number of AJ acolytes expands each and every day, both online and in-person. Not just because he never declines a reputable invite. But because the reputable invites keep coming. Add that to the word-of-mouth, which has got the chattering class on high chatter, and, well, there’s little wonder why we’ll never know the extent of AJ’s reach.

Let’s just celebrate the fact that the impact of Alligator Jesus is getting bigger by the moment, and that the creator’s moment is now!  

 

Recent Press:

Podcast | Sex, Magick & Dessert: Skillz to Make The Grillz : Designer, Alligator Jesus Talks - Lips, Tits & Clits - Custom Jewelry, Celebrity Clientele, Art in Miami & His Cuban Roots (75 min)