Some think of street performance as a nuisance. Others think of it as a cultural luxury. The Community Arts Advocates, Inc. considers street performance to be “a basic human right essential for the healthy growth of youth, individuals and communities.” The Street Arts and Buskers Advocates is a program within The Community Arts Advocates, Inc, [...]
Legendary guitar pioneer, Link Wray rose to fame in the late 1950s with his iconic brand of rock n’ roll. He’s been credited with inventing the power chord and has been dubbed one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time according to Rolling Stone Magazine. You likely have heard his music, but you may [...]
Circus Kids tells the story of a St Louis-based youth troupe as they travel overseas to Israel, where they join a local circus club consisting of Jewish and Arabic children. Director Alexander Lipsitz drew inspiration for the project from her own childhood, when she spent time with the Big Apple Circus on account of her [...]
The Onondaga County Public Library (OCPL) of Syracuse, NY are encouraging locals to read, and to promote reading this holiday season, they’re highlighting the circus books in their collection. I wish my school teachers would have taken the same approach! Below are three of the OCPL’s featured books according to Syracuse News (which is also [...]
On November 18, Brook Riddick (aka the Fiery Fool) attempted to beat the world record for speed fire eating at Salvador Molly’s in Portland, Oregon (Studio 6). The previously standing record was 34 flames swallowed in 30 seconds. The Fiery Fool claims he’s managed to put out 37 flames in that time (Komo News). Check [...]
Street performers don’t have it easy. Although some cities are better than others, most public entertainers can testify that it’s a tough business. In Austin, for example, despite the city’s glowing reputation as a haven for artists and musicians, it is perfectly normal to see a tarot reader or sword swallower reprimanded by police (often [...]
For 14 years, The Gemini Company has been supplying the world with “high quality collectibles, dark novelties, fashionable curiosities, sideshow replicas, plastic skulls and skeletons, fake candy corn jewelry, brain candles, soap and more.” Based in Brooklyn, this company derives its name from the fact that they are multifaceted and dabble in a wide variety [...]
Sunday was to be the short day of HorrorHound Weekend, as vending only operated from 11 AM – 5 PM. In an attempt make up for our shoddy tips thus far, I dragged Alexander Hamilton‘s bed of nails out front of the museum, and began charging people to lay on it. Now, this may seem [...]
Saturday at the HorrorHound Festival was promised to be THE day of the convention. There certainly were a lot of people, but they were tipping exceptionally poorly for the museum. Eric Odditorium spent his day inside the tented museum, swallowing swords and performing the blockhead, which also received little monetary reward. In true grind show [...]
Lesson #5: No matter how excited you are to be out of the car and into one location that will become home for more than one night, resist the urge to drink half a bottle of whiskey. Okay, so this is a pretty specific lesson, but it is one that I learned last Friday morning [...]