Rolf Buccholz prepares for his first ever Dubai visit

Rolf secured his place thanks to the 453 piercings he has on his face (158 in total) and body (295) – the most of any man on the planet.

Supplied photo

In September 2011, Rolf Buccholz headed to London to celebrate the launch of the coming year’s Guinness World Records almanac alongside the most elastic woman and the person with the longest tongue.

Rolf secured his place thanks to the 453 piercings he has on his face (158 in total) and body (295) – the most of any man on the planet. He has modified his look in other ways as well – including having almost head to toe tattoos and horns implanted into his forehead.

Now the 55-year-old from the German city of Dortmund is on his way to Dubai, where tomorrow he will entertain partygoers at Cirque Le Soir nightclub as part of its ‘Freaks and Beats’ evening.

We spoke to Rolf about his life in the spotlight.

Do you make regular personal appearances like your visit to Cirque Le Soir?
No, I have a normal job. I studied computer science and now I work for a big company in Germany. I just do this in my free time for the fun of it, and I also go to a lot of body modification events and know a lot of the great artists.

Is it true you got into piercings and tattoos quite late in life?
Yes, I was 40 years old. I started in December 1999, when I got my first piercing and my first tattoo on the same day. I liked it, so I got more and more of both. It was a special decision, but there was no defining moment that made me do it.

What do your colleagues think of it?
My colleagues knew me before the tattoos and piercings, and they saw it growing. It’s no problem.

How difficult is it to maintain all that metal on your body?

It’s not difficult.

Are there any other benefits or pitfalls you’ve encountered?
I’ve never changed my life. I’m doing the same job; the only difference is that everybody knows me! I’ve never had problems with this look though – today it has become more and more common for people to have tattoos and piercings.

Do you have any further plans to modify your body?
At the moment I will not get more piercings and there’s nothing else that I want to do. But there’s never been a plan – if I like something, I’ll do it.

Do you enjoy the attention that your look brings?

Yes, I enjoy it. Ladies like it and they ask for pictures.

Have you travelled the world much since you earned your record?
Yes, mostly in Europe. As well as going to Great Britain for the launch of the Guinness World Records book, I’ve done television in Russia, Romania, Italy and Germany.

What prompted you to get the horns?
I saw pictures of the horns and liked them, so I got some small horns then made them bigger and bigger. The operation was quite easy, it’s not deep – only under the skin – and it doesn’t hurt afterwards.