. >> reporter: mike elsmore grew up two doors down on this quiet street in new hope, minnesota. earl was like a brother. but they couldn't be more different. >> he was always kind of wanting to be over the top. he was an agitator. >> reporter: even though scary's early childhood was happy, as the years passed, a divorce and an absent father left scary emotionally scarred. >> i wanted my dad to give me approval, you know what i mean? say, hey, son, i really love you. but he was really kind of a silent guy. my first tattoo is this little green dragon over here. >> reporter: scary got his first tattoo at age 30. before becoming a tattoo artist himself. in 1993, when his mother died, he turned to cocaine for several months. two years later, he started tattooing his face. is this part of getting some of that attention that maybe you missed? >> it could have something to do with the fact that maybe i didn't get any attention from my father. however, i've always felt fairly comfortable and confident in who i am. i didn't plan to tattoo my face, really. i just decided that i wanted an a

. >> even his childhood friend, mike elsmore, now a retired principal, is a skeptic. >> his whole programs based on, hey, look at me. i'm this -- it's a shock value. if he did that same kind of presentation without the tattoos, it wouldn't work. >> elsmore hired scary to come to his school. >> kids forgot for the most part. they say i remember scary but i don't remember what he said. >> can you have these kind of folks come in. they're, in a sense, a bit of a mercenary, one-time, one-shot deal. does that really change kids lives? my answer is no. >> middle school principal is another dissatisfied customer. he says the real answer is how he starts every day, rain or shine. >> good morning. how are you guys this morning? >> greeting kids before they enter the school doors. >> this is where we make that initial connection with kids. >> have a good day. >> this hermantown, minnesota principal encourages his staff from bus drivers to counselors to make that connection every day. because, he says, people like the scary guy come and go. >> it's important to create a culture. it's going to stay w