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CZAR NEWS #3 - November 27, 2001
http://www.czarofbizarre.com
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Contents
1 - CENTERFOOLED - A Message from the Czar
2 - The Big Tease
3 - Notes from the Home Office
4 - How to Subscribe/Unsubscribe
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1 - Message from the Czar
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CENTERFOOLED!
Go HERE to see the Anatomical Venus:
( http://www.czarofbizarre.com/newsletter/0003_av.html )
Can you keep a secret? Me too -- so I'm not going to tell
you how this illusion works! A fair amount of you already
know, but, for those who don't, viewing her simply as a
perplexing pinup is perfectly all right.
Most illusions, including this one, originated as stage
presentations and were one of several visual mysteries
presented in a magicians program. The basic ingredients
required to produce this astonishing effect are so
incredibly low-tech that the original "headless illusion"
could easily date back several centuries.
Exactly when this domeless damsel exited the theater and
found a home on the fairgrounds is anyone's guess but she's
been a mainstay there for several of my lifetimes and then
some.
I knew several operators who toured the illusion as a
"single-o" attraction, lecturing it in a psuedo-scientific
manner. The lecturer, usually attired in a white surgeon's
coat and dangling stethoscope, would deliver a deadpan
dissertation on the girl's dependence upon the weird
laboratory paraphernalia hooked up to her. The most popular
story involved a car wreck, rendering the victim headless
but somehow salvageable through the wonders of modern
science. The word "illusion" never passed the bogus doctor's
lips.
One of the best "headless shows" was owned and operated by
Hap and Mary Lindquist. Hap was the first person of my
acquaintance afflicted with Parkinson's Disease, usually a
pretty devastating condition in its advanced stages, but
when he picked up the mike and assumed his doctor role, all
tremors disappeared. I used to find this as remarkable as
the patrons found the girl with the tubes sticking out of
her neck.
The girls who work in stage illusions are referred to in the
industry as "box jumpers." They appear, disappear, are
dismembered and reassembled via an array of strange
cabinetry. Being a box jumper in a theatre illusion show is
hard work. Finding good box jumpers is even harder. Finding
a female to occupy a carnival illusion is next to
impossible!
For openers, Lindquist's version of the headless illusion,
presented in theatre fashion, (curtain opens, girl is
observed, curtain closes), no longer exists. Who'd believe
the story?! Now, the few remaining shows of this type are
presented as "grind shows," where the girl is constantly on
display as patrons troupe through the exhibit. This box
jumper does no jumping, and instead sits imprisoned in the
tight apparatus for hours on end. Bathroom breaks are
scarce, food breaks even scarcer as both require closing
the show.
Probably the hardest to endure were the churlish remarks
made by the male patrons. Supposedly headless, (so
mouthless), she was pretty much doomed to endless hours of
sophomoric blithering.
I painted several sets of headless banners as well as four
or five panel front versions. One year, evidently on a
complete mental vacation, I framed and operated one of my
own. The turnover of principle actresses almost kept pace
with the attendance of the show.
The farewell engagement for the show was at one of the
roughest little fairs in Pennsylvania. In keeping with the
cretinous clientele, the carnival had booked four no-holds-
barred girl shows, so raunchy that their "blowoff"
offerings, (for an additional fee), featured audience
participation. I had decided to close the "Headless Horror,"
(as I'd grown to regard it) that week, so it came as no
surprise to find the girl and her boyfriend packing their
belongings one morning.
"She ain't workin' here no more," boyfriend proclaimed with
a scowl.
"And why is that?" I inquired.
"I'm not havin' my woman talked to the way the guys talk to
her in the show -- THAT'S why!"
"I know they get pretty rough," I said, adding "well, I
certainly hope that whatever she goes to next will be a step
up."
He reluctantly shook hands with me and I said "Do you have
another job lined up?"
"Sure do," she said brightly. "I'm gonna work in the
Flamingo Club!"
I bid them farewell and watched as they walked down the
midway and through the doorway of the Flamingo Club, the
girl show next door. I could almost hear "Stairway to the
Stars" playing softly in the background.
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2 - The Big Tease
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Look for a special email later this week (or early next
week) for a BRAND NEW feature to the Czar's website... just
in time for the holiday's too. Best of all, it's FREE!
Stay tuned.
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3 - ANATOMICAL VENUS now available!
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Just in time for the holidays we are proud to announce that
ANATOMICAL VENUS is now available -- a limited edition
4-color lithograph, (500 only), numbered, signed, and ready
to be shipped!
Drop by the shop to have a look:
( http://www.czarofbizarre.com/shop/ )
Our old friends Baby Irene and Nate Eagle's Hollywood
Midgets are also still available. The perfect holiday gift
for that special someone is just a few clicks away.
Believe it or not, WORLD OF WONDERS also just came in, and
as soon as it's processed, we will have it available for
purchase (probably early next week). World of Wonders is the
last lithograph in this series to be offered.
Best,
Mike
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3 - How to Subscribe/Unsubscribe
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To subscribe, just visit
http://www.czarofbizarre.com/newsletter/ and enter your
email address.
To unsubscribe, reply to this message with the word
"UNSUBSCRIBE" in the subject line.
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The Czar of Bizarre
http://www.czarofbizarre.com/
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