The 999 Eyes Freakshow & Surreal Sideshow is hitting the road again, visiting many stops throughout the South and Midwest, with a show created by one of the few performing human anomalies in contemporary sideshow, The Black Scorpion, who now holds the esteemed title of the 999 Eyes Creative Director. True to the variety show style [...]
Touring with a freakshow can land you in some interesting places. During my early summer travels with the 999 Eyes, I happened to land in a pool at a decadent late night party, sipping on a gin martini, not wearing much other than a full face of makeup from the show earlier that evening. As [...]
Sad but true; this is your third and final installment of the Doctor Sick’s burlesque series: What does it take to do a good job talking a Burlesque show? Well, it helps to have a quality show, with performers who are prepared and professional, with their music already set, the routines fully costumed and rehearsed, [...]
Get ready for your second dose of Doctor Sick’s burlesque series: There’s two types of gigs for announcers. He or she (or they) is either a member of the troupe or a hired gun. Being a member of the troupe generally leads to taking on multiple production roles (see Part 1), moreso than an outsider [...]
This week, HeyRube is delighted to present a three-part commentary on the burlesque announcing biz by guest writer Doctor Sick. Sit back and enjoy part one: The lights turn low, the pre-roll music fades out, and then some schmuck, schmuckette, or schmuck duet walks up to a mic and starts warming a crowd, so they [...]
Tomorrow kicks off the 999 Eyes Surreal Sideshow Tour, featuring the Black Scorpion, Eric Odditorium, Ballyhoo Betty and of course, THAT Damned Band! This assembly of misfits have been romping around Austin together for quite some time now, but never before has this lineup ventured out on the road together, and there are quite a [...]
HeyRubeCircus has featured two Top 10 Freak Lists this week, and I found both of them to be severely lacking in certain regards. To compensate for my criticism, I’ve promised to publish a Top 10 List of my own and today is the official unveiling! In the modern sideshow revival, stunt acts are exceedingly more [...]
Dylan Blackthorn is a co-founder of 999 Eyes. The 999 Eyes crew has expanded into multiple components including an authentic vaudevillian freakshow, an old fashioned traveling dime museum and the gypsy-esque musical group That Damned Band. Dylan wears many hats within this assembly of freaks: he is a talker, an accordion player, the band leader [...]
Today, the Green Steam Circus festival is taking place in Austin, TX. This event is multifaceted, so allow me to take a few moments to break it down for you: We’ll start with the last word in the title first: Circus. The festival features several musicians and performance groups, including 999 Eyes, That Damned Band [...]
The final component of the circus is the sideshow. While the big top acts push the limits of physical abilities, I like to think of the sideshow as pushing the limits of the imagination. Traditional sideshow acts include human curiosities such as the bearded lady and lobster boy, as well as performances such as sword [...]