Saturday August 9th 12:10am
Location: The Marquis De Sideshow Tent- Spiegel Gardens
"This is sideshow, not magic," the shirtless tattooed performer explained as he pushed a galvanized 10 penny nail through each of his nipple piercings. "Real people doing real things..." He reached behind a curtain, and roughly pulled out an automotive battery wrapped in heavy steel chains, then dropped it violently to the floor in front of the anxious crowd. He bent forward at the waist, unraveled one of the chains, and slipped the end link over one of the nails- locking it snugly around his right nipple. "This is sideshow, it is not meant to trick," he said as he attached the other chain in like fashion. "It is meant to shock, and AMAZE..." He then arched his back, pulling the chains taught against the nails with his arms straightened behind him like an olympic swimmer ready for the race. He paused briefly for some of the audience to take pictures of his now downward-stretching nipples. The battery was still firmly planted to the floor.
"Now I'm going to see if I can lift this battery off the ground using only my chest- but first, we're going to make it more interesting!" Again, he reached behind the curtain, now producing a set of heavy automotive jumper cables. Nervous laughter filtered throughout the audience. "How many of you understand the laws of electricity?" he asked. "Well, I will tell you that there is enough electricity contained within this battery, that if I were to attach these jumper cables to these chains, there would be enough sustained amps to kill me..." He clipped the negative cable to the negative terminal, and then, likewise, clipped the positive end to the positive terminal. Grasping up the opposite ends of the cables in each hand, he quickly touched the two ends together, producing a shower of sparks. The audience gasped.
"Now for me to be able to lift this battery, there needs to be an exchange of energy..." Again, he touched the cable ends together, producing a secondary shower of sparks. "If I rub the ends of these cables against the chains, it will still produce an electrical current, but only about 5 to 6 amps, which will NOT be enough to kill me." He went on, "So I'll be getting energy from the battery, but I also need energy from you, the audience." The tension in room was palpable- everyone focused completely on the performer. "When I begin rubbing these chains, they are going to get very hot- especially here and here," he motioned to each nail. "On the count of three, I need for you, the audience, to scream as loudly and as wildly as you can. If I can pick the battery up just a few inches, I've done my job, and I've done it well..."
"Are you ready?" he yelled. The crowd, united in their response, screamed, "YEAAAAHHH! He scraped the cables against the chains. Sparks fell down his chest as he winced in pain, "AAAAAHHHHHHHGGGGG!" There was a small cloud of smoke wafting into the front row. "Can you SMELL IT?" he asked. "That's the smell of burning flesh!" The woman seated closest to him waved a hand in front of her face. "Remember, this is sideshow, NOT magic," he repeated. "It is meant to shock...and AMAZE." He paused to let his words settle in for dramatic effect. "Remember, you must scream as loudly as you can! NOW, on the count of three...ONE......TWO.............THREE!
The performer began rubbing the chains up and down against the battery cables. Sparks flew. Smoke filled the air. The crowd screamed loudly, forcefully, wildly. The performer screamed too, but they were screams of anguish. He arched his back against the weight of the battery. From my vantage point, I could not see the battery rise off the floor, but from the change in the crowd's screams, I knew that it had. The performer screamed- and we screamed louder, as he quickly rocked his body from side to side, making the battery swing like a pendulum. Then, he relaxed, and the battery tumbled back to wooden floor with a heavy thud.
He slumped forward, clearly exhausted and dazed from the effort. The crowd cheered. He detached the chains, straightened himself, and took a deep bow.
"SIDESHOW!" he exclaimed, "Real people doing REAL THINGS!"
OH MY GOODNESS!!!
ReplyDeleteAAAAAHHHHHGGGGG!!!
Indian dentistry comes to mind.
ReplyDeleteHey Tick,
ReplyDeleteYou must elaborate on indian dentistry. Our readers don't know what you are talking about. I, of course do know what you are talking about. Your comment is valid.
bp
Wow, he must be a nut or on some serious drugs.
ReplyDeleteFantastic report, Phil! I was sitting on the edge of my seat!!!
ReplyDeleteThe term Indian dentistry refers to a method allegedly used by the American Indians to remove teeth. A piece of rawhide is tied around the offending tooth and the other end attached to a medium to large rock. The rawhide is of such length that the rock cannot reach the ground with the tooth intact. The rock is then held out at arms length for as long as the strength of the patient allows. When it is dropped, the tooth of extracted.
ReplyDeleteAt Tickfest a few years ago, I was able to procure and show a film of a group of buckskinners practicing this ritual. They weren’t just any buckskinners either, but a group from eastern Tennessee and Kentucky who could have been the entire cast of extras for the filming of “Deliverance”. The film was loaned to me by Jerry Spahn of Lincoln, Nebraska whom I fondly refer to as “banjo Yoda”. He seems to have encyclopedic knowledge of old time banjo techniques and the practitioners thereof. He in turn obtained the film from a pair of cultural anthropologists from Goodletsville, TN, namely Leroy Troy and Marty Stuart.
I am not sure why the folks in the film felt the need to remove so many teeth on that particular day, but it does help me to understand why so few people from that area are a threat to bite anyone. The technique was pretty effective, and the tooth, or in some cases teeth, came out in spectacular fashion. The extractions were accompanied by much screaming, cursing, and spitting of blood.
Problems sometimes arose with bottom teeth. For the lower jaw, the rawhide string was passed over a tree limb in order to give the appropriate upward pull. One unfortunate individual tried to pull three bottom teeth with one rock drop. The teeth did not budge and their owner was pulled up against the tree trunk and immobilized in a totally undignified position until help arrived to lift the rock. He was a trooper about it and repeated the process one tooth at a time.
Overall at least 8 or 9 teeth were removed in the film segment shown. It is a subject of fond memory by that years attendees, at least the less squeamish ones.
OH MY GOODNESS!!!
ReplyDeleteThankful for modern day Nitrous Oxide and Novicaine.
"Thanks" Tick that was an interesting bit of history about the Indians.
Hey Tick, can you tell us about an indian frontal lobotomy?
ReplyDeleteBravo Phil, for maintaining this blog for so very long. It does make a difference to others who feel passionate about what the Wilders do.
ReplyDeleteI'm home from Scotland and just found a newspaper article about the Wilders. In reading the article I found that many of the words in it described what I experienced with my extended family, The Wilders, as I had the opportunity to live with them on part of their Scotland tour. The article was reporting on the Alaska tour specifically the Pelican's Boardwalk Boogie which the Wilders completed prior to going to Scotland.
In the article, Betse is quoted, "I think it's sort of like a four-headed monster when we get together because the elements, the sum, is kind of greater than it's parts...We play together as a band. We're not in it for the individual glory. We're very serious about what we do, but don't take ourselves too seriously."
The Wilders' performances are like a gourmet meal where the overall presentation is so overwhelming that at first you can't even handle or see the individual dishes and courses of the meal. But as you start to partake, you appreciae each relationship of individual to the whole. So, I agree with Betse's idea that the meal you partake in is intensely satisfying and delightful in its totality. But, before this Scotland tour, I had not realize how much the Wilders currently love, honor, and appreciate each band member's mix to the whole.
They now assist the audience in hearing and seeing the ingredients, dishes, style of blending and mixing the magical meal...I know this honoring of each person magic and passion was always there, but somehow this new album and I would argue new presence on stage is clicking in an more apparent way. The individual glory (even though not self-exploited) does emerge more than ever before. They chose what to perform on stage, right there on the spot, because they need to hear and experience that moment. In that need to self-satisfy, we all as the audience are fulfilled. I am full.
One night in Edinburgh, at the Fringe Festival, I was talking with the Speigel Tent producer and he was describing how The Wilders are innately passionate on stage, a quality that he said was missing with most other productions he sees. It was satisfying to finally talk with someone who understands my feelings of watching The Wilders. I feel like I'm peaking into someone's private space where their inner spirit, soul, sexuality, etc. is being exposed. Betse also says in that Alaska article, "I think we tap into those sides of ourselves that have no restraints, and so when it's time to let go we completely do". What you get to see with the live show of the Widlers is an exposure. It seems as if they are channeling a place that many people can't access or at least many musicians lose how to be in such a place.
Prior to seeing the Wilders perform in Scotland I had not seen them on stage for a year. It's like everything has crystalized for them in that year! Every individual has come into her/his musical magic; in turn, the band has found its magic.
My highlights of experience in Scotland:
• Ike's 'Your Cheating Heart' at the Hank Tribute (Seriously, the most passionate sound I have ever heard him utter. Still makes me cry.)
• Betse's and Phil's dedication song to me on my last night in Scotland (a blast from the past from the Dhurries- a band prior to the Wilders– in turn, making me take stock of our long special relationship)
• Nate taking a moment with me to share a Chi Gong exercise, as we try to take care of ourselves on tour.
• Experiencing the performance of Camille The Dark Angel at the Fringe festival who goes even further than the Wilders in terms of exposure (You can check her out at http://camilleosullivan.com/home.html but not the same as live- its about a experience not a song). What it means to be a woman was honored as she touch my feminist soul.
• Meeting the Scottish people, especially Gordon, the biggest Wilders fan in Scotland who listens to Betse's fiddle tune everyday!
Thank you Wilders for be so generous as I joined you on tour. Over the years, many people have asked me if I ever go out with Ike on tour and I have always said 'no, it's too hard to see how hard they work, what they do to their bodies, how the travel and timelines create pressures,...'. I can't believe I did it, allowing myself to see you in the ways that I was too scared to see you. Now, I try to embrace the beauty of it all and not any of the worries. I hope you also can keep relishing in the beauty. Love, ya'll.
Sweetpea
P.S. I promise not to worry too much about ya'll.
If you wanted to read the Wilders Alaska article see:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.juneauempire.com/stories/051508/
spo_279423433.shtml
If you want to read A Wilders Scotland article see:
http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/features/
display.var.2413500.0.Now_for_a_festival_thats
_really_cooking.php
Thanks SweetPea, we all needed that.
ReplyDeleteHey Vieta, I'll be coming by,
ReplyDeleteI heard you made me a great big pie
I made apple and I made peach,
But I only made one of each,
And I like cream pie, specially bannana,
And I smoke cigars from Havanna,
But I will drive for chocolate pie,
And that is why I'm coming by.
Hi y'all,
ReplyDeleteI have learned to cuss honky tonk style after your Stirling gig. Thanks for that. What you guys probably don't know is that the venue you filled to bursting rarely gets that number of customers - a sell out at the Tolbooth (even thought it only holds 165 people) is an accolade.
You were great. I have posted some pix at:
http://solasandlight.blogspot.com/2008/08/pix-of-wilders-and-special-ed-at.html
Enjoy and see you in Edinburgh?
Carrie, thanks for the links, and for the great description of your touring experience with The Wilders! I felt like I was there eating that "gourmet meal" with you!
ReplyDelete...and, speaking of eating, thanks for the pie poem, LVJ!