By Way of Introduction – Through the Modified Looking Glass

Posted on May 24, 2003 by BME

By Way of Introduction

According to custom, something like this would have been my first installment for Through the Modified Looking Glass, wherein I explain my choice of column title, plans for future subject matter, and background. The problem with that is that I have always felt such pieces tend to be cop-outs which avoid a true effort. And while I try to maintain a familiarity and respect for custom, I quite often find myself circumventing it. So, as a sort of additional piece for this month I will do the classic ‘intro’.

First, why ‘Through the Modified Looking Glass’? The reference is, mostly, obvious — if not cliché. I am, as it happens, a Lewis Carroll fan but the greater motivation behind my choice is the use of the looking glass reference by another tattooed sideshow aficionado and performer: Mike Wilson. In his interview that appeared in Modern Primitives, Wilson describes the idea of becoming heavily tattooed:

"...signifying a possible way of going through the looking glass for me to achieve a whole other frame of reference, and to elicit experiences beyond the 'normal'... presenting yourself as a signal beacon drawing things to happen to you."

I shared with Mike some similar influences — surrealism and circus sideshow history so it’s not surprising that we also held some similar views. In fact, this was as close to some of my own ideas and inspirations for my transformation project as I had ever seen expressed by another. I only first saw the interview in 1995 and through my own carelessness for not taking advantage of opportunities I missed my chances to meet Mike in person before his untimely death. I have since come to know some of his friends and colleagues from Coney Island and the title of this column is in part an homage as well as an expression of that shared notion. I like to think too, that Mike as a performer realized one of my own personal joys of the stage and being a tattooed man – taking others through the glass for awhile just by being part of their day.

That is the story, for what it’s worth, of the title. But what do I actually intend do to do with this pulpit? Well, as evidenced by the first installment, The [Modified] Body Politic, some subjects will choose me and simply demand to be addressed. In the absence of such ready made topics in the future I hope to address and give an accounting of the land I find through this modified looking glass and that others may report discovering through their experiences with me. I will also attempt to put some use to the formal training I have had as a philosopher by examining concepts and terms like ‘body modification’. I would also suggest to anyone who has a topic they would like to see here that they contact me via my IAM page or email. And of course, feedback is always welcome.

Now then, you may be asking ‘So, who the hell are you anyway?’ Well, my given name is Erik Michael Sprague but I am far better known these days as The Lizardman. I was born on Fort Campbell, KY in 1972. My mother is an elementary school teacher and my father works both as a high school teacher and a mountain warfare instructor for the military. Growing up, they always encouraged me and told me I could do whatever I wanted — I took them seriously. And so, using the tools they provided me with in my upbringing and thanks to the support of them, my younger sister, and many dear friends I did what I wanted: I became a performance artist. A professional freak. Along the way I have worked a myriad of jobs (lifeguard, farmhand, karate instructor, warehouse crew, bartender, college instructor, and many more) and picked up a degree in philosophy (I abandoned my doctoral thesis to devote my time fully to myself as an artist). Currently, I live with my girlfriend, Meghan, in Austin, TX with one snake and three ferrets when I am not traveling the world speaking and performing. My modifications, rituals, and experiments are documented here on BME as well as on my own pages. Ultimately, I hope that through this column I will find another way to express and develop ideas and to make a contribution that others will find in some way worthwhile.

Erik Sprague

because the world NEEDS freaks…

Former doctoral candidate and philosophy degree holder Erik Sprague, the Lizardman (iam), is known around the world for his amazing transformation from man to lizard as well as his modern sideshow performance art. Need I say more?

Copyright © 2003 BMEzine.com LLC. Requests to republish must be confirmed in writing. For bibliographical purposes this article was first published May 24th, 2003 by BMEzine.com LLC in Tweed, Ontario, Canada.

Beauty: Eye of the Beholder? – Fakir Rants & Raves

Posted on May 18, 2003 by BME

Beauty: Eye of the Beholder?

“The body belongs to the spirit that lives inside. And to no one else.”

Greetings

Welcome to my new column. It’s a genuine pleasure to be a contributor to BME online news for “we the alternative people”. After fifty years of research, my own personal explorations and the mentoring of hundreds of others, I feel obligated to share with all those special persons “who hear the sound of a different drummer.” So every month now, look for this column where I will bring you a mix of news, views and hopefully information that will empower and help you further your own passions. I welcome challenges and questions to answer in the column. So feel free to write me about whatever moves you. As an “old dad” in the body modification movement, I hope to offer this column as a clearing house for new ideas/adventures and hopefully a place to moderate some of the conflicting views that often plague us.

The subject of this first column is inspired by my recent experience with a new television show now in production. The show is a series being called Eye of the Beholder in which the host, Serena Yang, is traveling all over the world to film and interview people who are different — from the moko mark revival devotees of New Zealand to gothic corset wearers in San Francisco to body piercing and tattoo fans in the U.S., Canada and Europe. The series, which will air on Discovery Channel in 2004, has an interesting and intelligent slant. Its theme is exploration of the question: What is Beauty?

Serena interviewed me in depth in May 2003. She will continue interviewing folks of our ilk at the coming APP conference in Las Vegas. She is a sharp and perceptive interviewer who honed her skills interviewing such celebrities as B.B King, Carlos Santana, Ravi Shankar, Martin Scorsese, Robert DeNiro, Robert Redford, Harrison Ford and Sean Penn among others. She has a passion to ask why one does what they do. She has said of herself, “the value of listening to these people is a continuing education for me … the reward is coming away from each person with a wider vision of the times we live in, the issues we need to explore and the choices we can make.”

So with that introduction, I spoke at length to Serena about Modern Primitives, body modification, body rituals, spirituality and similar topics during my May piercing school. She asked good questions and many of them started my mental processes whirling. I began to ask myself questions like: “what really differentiates the visual impact of one body alteration from another”, or “is there a universal, cross-cultural way to gauge the significance of a beauty ideal”? After the interview, Serena came very close to surrendering to our persistent Intensive instructors about having her nipples pierced. We’ll get her next time!

Intensives instructor Tod Almighty meets Serena Yang of Discovery Channel

Tod tries to convince Serena to get her nipples pierced.

For my next shoot with Discovery Channel, at Dark Garden Corsets, Serena did allow herself to get involved in a bodymod. Fakir laced her rapidly into a tiny corset with a twenty-inch waist. She reeled about, spun on high heels, panted and was totally delighted with the sensation and look. She emailed me today:

"Good to see you again last week and experience your corsets first hand! I am a corset convert now, thanks to you! I've always liked them from a fashion standpoint, but now I can appreciate them on all their myriad levels."

The Price of Beauty

Getting down to brass tacks (which are sometimes lovely to sit on), many of us are obsessed with being different, looking different, expressing our differences. Yes? Why are we doing this? What is the payoff? These are the kinds of questions Serena asked me in our interviews. They made me think. What is the Essence of Beauty anyway? What’s the payoff? What are we, or anyone in any other culture, after by making a body alteration?

First it seems obvious we wish to satisfy our own vision of ourselves, how we look and feel to ourselves. And second, and probably more important, we wish to look “beautiful” to others. Of course we must realize some “others” may have different ideas of what is beautiful and claim ownership of what is not rightfully theirs. For example, take the proposed legislative ban on tongue splitting in Illinois. And we know that most of the “others” in our culture are programmed and conditioned to certain fixed notions that may conflict with our own. And that they often try to take our bodies from us — act like they have the right to claim possession of what is ours for “God” and his emissaries, or parents and spouses, or governmental and correctional agencies, or educational and medical institutions. But we know better. The body belongs to the spirit that lives inside. And to no one else.

So in context of any immediate or intimate group that accepts the truth that the body belongs to the one living inside it, the payoff often seems to be to “Stand Out in the Crowd”, to be unique, to be special, to be noticed in that group. This part of the “beauty ideal” seems to be universal in all cultures. In many tribal cultures I have studied, certain members of the tribe either volunteered or were selected by elders to be modified. Example: the young males of New Guinea known as Ibitoe whose septums were pierced for large spikes and whose waists were systematically reduced to wasp-like proportions with tight belts. They were special in their communities, honored, revered. Same goes for women in Africa whose lips were pierced and enlarged to hold huge plates. The larger the plate, the more beautiful. And the Padung women of Burma/Thailand with their giraffe necks stretched to ten inches or more.

So now in the mixed contemporary culture in which we live, there are conflicting standards about beauty and the way it is achieved. On the one hand there is a passion to conform to certain popular beauty ideals by “quick fixes”: injections of botox or collagen, plastic surgery like liposuction or breast implants that make a rapid physical alteration. Or the taking of pills to do this or that with the body without external effort. On the other hand, a different kind of logic rules in those who modify their body in more difficult, more time consuming and more deliberate ways via tattooing, body building, piercing enlargement, corseting and similar practices. I guess that’s most of us. Yes?

So on a universal scale, what are some of the standards by which mankind has cross-culturally gauged the relative value of beauty? How do we rate beauty’s significance on a scale of 1 to 10? After collecting information on hundreds of examples of body mods in different cultures, including our own subculture, this is what I discovered:

In general, the more effort, time, discipline, persistence, patience and physical hardship that was endured to make the alteration, the more precious it is rated, the more it is honored, the more beautiful it is.
The more the alteration sets one apart from those surrounding him or her,
even if others also have the alteration, the higher it is rated in the group which generally prizes rarity.

Beauty is perceived more as difference than conformity; when too many members of a group have the same alteration, it drops in value.

To illustrate the reality of these principles in contemporary circumstances, here are a few examples. A woman with a sixteen-inch corseted waist is more apt to “stand out” in a crowd than a woman with silicon breast implants (unless they are as big as watermelons). Point is you can’t have that small a waist by taking a pill or a quick slice of the knife. It takes time. Or you have the buff male body builder on the beach. He is always going to draw more admiration than the guy with a fake tan, snappy clothes and plastic surgery. And in our own world of body mods, we often get more and more radical piercings and tattoos so we stand out from others — keep pressing limits to achieve or maintain beauty status within our group.

How would you rate these body modifiers on a universal Scale of 1 to 10?
Erica	Sheryl	Fakir

Value Added

So far in this column, I have been examining only one aspect of what’s involved with alterations of the body (what I call “Body Play”): a specific aspect labeled BEAUTY. But “beauty” only deals with the aesthetic side of life, the part of us that dwells in the five-sense world, only relevant with other people. How about the deeper side of us that operates in the “invisible world”? How about the inner emotions, feelings, spirit and energy that animates the body? Or going one step further, how about unseen forces and beings that may dwell outside the body and influence or be influenced by what is happening within body? What if body rituals dealing with the unseen world somehow play a bigger role in our life journey than those so obvious to the five senses? Body rituals like cutting, ball dances, suspensions or hook pulling? Or what if our energy added to such a “gift” delivered under hardship to an unseen deity or archetype adds value to the gift in such a way that we receive a very special blessing in return? That’s what they practice in Hindu Culture in body rites and festivals like Thaipusam.

The aspects of body alteration dealing with unseen forces and energies will be the subject of my next column. It will be called Body Play: State of Grace or Sickness. Again I will focus on the cultural conflicts we are all facing when we give in to our passions.

Yours for more beauty in the world and less struggle,

Fakir Musafar
fakir at bodyplay dot com

Fakir Musafar is the undisputed father of the Modern Primitives movement and through his work over the past 50 years with PFIQ, Gauntlet, Body Play, and more, he has been one of the key figures in bringing body modification out of the closet in an enlightened and aware fashion.

For much more information on Fakir and the subjects discussed in this column, be sure to check out his website at www.bodyplay.com. While you’re there you should consider whipping out your PayPal account and getting yourself a signed copy of his amazing book, SPIRIT AND FLESH (now).

Copyright © 2003 BMEzine.com LLC Requests to republish must be confirmed in writing. For bibliographical purposes this article was first published May 18th, 2003 by BMEzine.com LLC in Tweed, Ontario, Canada.

The [Modified] Body Politic – Through the Modified Looking Glass

Posted on May 15, 2003 by BME

After his earlier well-received guest column, I’m very happy to announce that Erik Sprague, better known as the Lizardman, has joined the monthly column staff of BME. Here’s to enjoying this first column, and many more to follow,

BME.com

The [Modified] Body Politic

There is currently pending (it has passed the house and is awaiting review in the senate) in the Illinois state legislature a bill that would effectively ban tongue splitting as a procedure. A lot of people might assume that my interest in such legislation derives from my own experience with tongue splitting but, in fact, what I find compelling about this issue are the far more sinister aspects I perceive — namely, the legislation of prejudice and the use of the media’s body modification obsession to promote personal political agendas. In my view, what is at stake here is not really tongue splitting but something far more fundamental: freedom of expression. However, to provide some background on the subject I will provide a brief accounting of my history with the procedure before addressing what I think are really the core issues.

In 1997 I sought out an oral surgeon and was able to convince him to perform on me a tongue bifurcation using an argon biopsy laser. This was one of the first tongue splittings in modern record (two other individuals using different methods appearing at about the same) and almost certainly the first using the biopsy laser. I immediately began to share my experience and the success of the procedure with the world at large through online resources like BME, SPC, and my own website. I also publicized it through my own live appearances and shows. Soon, a number of people had contacted me and even stayed with me in order to have their tongues split by the same surgeon. Within a year, the procedure had gone from rumor and myth to being one of the more popular “heavy mods” (keeping in mind that popular in this context still means probably less than 3000 people worldwide today – six years later!) A little more than 2 years later I appeared in Time magazine and on Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Tongue splitting was now entering into millions of homes and my touring meant more and more press for the procedure. This was a double edged sword, because as it certainly made more people who might have desired the procedure aware that it existed and was a possibility – it was also just a matter of time before some of those who said “ewww!” when they saw a forked tongue initiated a backlash.

It happened first in Michigan when a piece of legislation was introduced to ban tongue splitting there. That ban was narrowly defeated. Now, in Illinois we have Rep. David Miller who has authored the following (taken from the Illinois General Assembly Website):

Synopsis As Introduced Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Prohibits a person other than a licensed physician or dentist from performing tongue splitting. Provides that a physician or dentist authorized to perform tongue splitting may perform tongue splitting on an individual only if there is a therapeutic or clinical basis for performing the procedure on that individual. Makes a first offense a Class A misdemeanor and a second or subsequent offense a Class 4 felony.

Mr. Miller is a practicing dentist who after seeing an article in which I was pictured (so I am told and was reported in early stories covering the bill) brought one of my images into session along with his draft, obviously playing to shock value. He also came armed with a number of alleged facts, many of which I have spent a great deal of time in interviews about the bill having to correct.

Mr. Miller asserts that his bill is addressing a health care issue — unqualified, unlicensed practitioners performing a dangerous procedure (tongue splitting). This is perhaps where Miller has done himself a bit of a favor compared to his equally bigoted colleagues in Michigan who described tongue splitting as ‘gross’ and ‘unnatural’. In Michigan this resulted in the legislature being very quickly identified for what it was — an attempt by a group of politicians to legislate into law their own opinions. That bill was defeated mainly because it would have restricted a freedom of expression without grounds. Miller has obscured this by saying that he simply wants to make sure that the unqualified are not performing the procedure but that doesn’t make a lot of sense given the text of his bill. First, if that were the case then he really should better acquaint himself with the section of Illinois law that he is attempting to amend because it already contains provisions against practicing medicine and surgery without a license that more than adequately restrict tongue splitting to the realm of the medical professional. Second and more importantly, if he only wants to see people using qualified personnel then why include the latter portion of the bill which precludes even the qualified surgeon from performing the procedure without a “therapeutic or clinical basis”. This language is sure to be interpreted by doctors and their lawyers as effectively banning them from the procedure. Tongue splitting is a purely elective procedure. It falls in the same general arena as a rhinoplasty, breast augmentations, liposuction, and the like. It is here that Miller reveals his bias. He does not seek for any of these other, far riskier, elective operations to be justified on a clinical basis.

So, just what is David Miller seeking to do? He is, I think quite plainly, attempting to make his opinions into law. And in doing so, he does not seem to care that he is infringing upon one the most basic and respected of our freedoms: Freedom of Expression. While the expression he opposes today is tongue splitting, it could just as easily be something else like breast implants, dancing, hair dye, or wearing a blue shirt — from a purely logical standpoint any one of these would be just as good as tongue splitting for the form of his argument. He has shown no basis whatsoever as to why tongue splitting should be singled out for restriction. What he has shown is that by exploiting visceral reactions and making unsubstantiated allegations that one can very nearly pass one’s prejudices into law (though I hardly think this qualifies as a major revelation in politics). But given that this law would be very hard to enforce since only the stupidest people would advertise their violation of it and that it would be easily circumvented by going outside Illinois, I have to wonder if there isn’t possibly something more to this…

Miller and his bill have been receiving a great deal of press lately and this is the lifeblood of modern politics. While Miller has certainly not impressed me in my debates with him or his statements to the press, he is certainly no fool. He has to have realized that the defeat of a similar bill in another state would weigh against his chances for success. But I think he has also realized that body modification is currently very popular with the media — at least in terms of ‘eye candy’ and “heavy mods” like tongue splitting especially so. While the agencies behind them may not support or endorse body modifications the cameras will always gravitate to them. By putting out modification related legislation this otherwise unnoticeable politician has garnered himself national and even international press. As a community, if we are to be such, we can only hope and try our best so that he does not profit such exploitation by confronting his efforts and exposing his motives.

Erik Sprague

because the world NEEDS freaks…

Copyright © 2003 BMEZINE.COM. Requests to republish must be confirmed in writing. For bibliographical purposes this article was first published May 15th, 2003 by BMEZINE.COM in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Is it a world record? [The Publisher’s Ring]

Posted on January 11, 2003 by BME

Records: An alternate view

I make no claim to speak the absolute truth at all times, but I do hope to make statements that lead people to truths. That is, I’d like to believe that people read the things I write and use them as a foundation to come to their own conclusions.

I recently wrote a column about world records. I’d like now to include an alternate viewpoint, from world class performer and freak, and my friend, Erik Sprague,

The Lizardman.

Shannon Larratt
BMEzine.com

Erik Sprague

Photo: Allen Falkner

I got an email this morning [1/7/03] from a morning radio crew I did an interview with a little while back. They said they just heard about a guy getting three concrete blocks smashed with a sledgehammer on his groin and wanted to know if I would comment on it — since they were really interested in my act where I get a concrete block smashed on my groin with a flaming sledgehammer. Now, I assume the guy stacked the blocks and had all three smashed at once — since doing the act repeatedly is nothing new, I have done hundred if not thousands of times. How do I feel about it — well, I don’t care much really. I give whoever it was a certain basic respect for performing the act and putting his own twist to it with the multiple blocks (though in terms of the physics that actually makes it safer, not riskier) but in the end I would have to see it to make any real judgment. This is because what counts here is the show — he obviously didn’t just do it for himself by seeking the press, so it now becomes (to my mind) a question of whether or not he managed to give the audience something worthwhile. If he managed to in any way inspire, awe, or simply entertain people then I say more power to him.

It was this, along with Shannon’s recent piece about records on BME, that got me once again thinking about world records, or alleged world records as the case may be. I have been approached about records, probably hold a few, and I am friends with many people who now hold or have held various records — as recognized by ‘authorities’ like Guinness and Ripley’s. I can tell you that among many professional performers of such acts, that records are held in fairly low esteem and seen only as holding any value for the promotional value and resulting ticket sales they produce. Actually, it is probably more accurate to say that we [performers] often hold the record ‘authorities’ in somewhat low esteem — just like many a viewer we hold people who achieve great things with some regard — not for the appellation of a record but for the act itself. In fact, being ‘in the know’ we often see records — as presented by people like Guinness and Ripley’s — for the illusions they often are. A person’s look and connections can easily result in them getting the record over someone who outperforms them in the actual technical specs. And as for those specifications, they are often a joke — created by uninformed ‘experts’ and enforced at the whim and leisure of their directors. Take a look at their idea of what constitutes a sword for sword swallowing and then look at some of what has been used by their record holders and this is readily apparent [It was also the subject of amusing conversation at a meeting of the Sword Swallowers Association International]

Once a person realizes that the records as they are presented are often inaccurate and, regardless of this, certainly temporary the focus often returns to the perennial question of “why?”. Why seek out records, why push yourself to such extremes? Is it just for media glory and attention — that as well is certainly fleeting and likely hollow but seems to be the motivation of many. And further, it is often argued that such attention seeking via records and extreme acts is a symptom of the modern media — and to most, a vilifying one. I think this is a bit out of touch with history though. Currently, we are certainly in an upswing for attention with the popularity of various TV shows but this is just a cycle that has gone on for centuries. Our modern media has not created this, at most it has perhaps exacerbated it to a new level given the ability of world media to reach much of the globe’s population almost instantly. Contest, feats of daring and endurance, and grand exhibitions are as old as recorded history and have always been the mainstay of politics, religion, entertainment, and the human experience in general.

What purpose does this serve? There is certainly the basic thirst for knowledge at play — as with any form of trivia. We want to know who’s bigger, who’s faster, etc. I think that we also want to know about our limits and to explore them — both individually and collectively. By pursuing and seeing others pursue records we learn about what is possible and experience, even if only vicariously through the performer, a sense of striving and triumph. To me, this is where records almost certainly have value — even if they aren’t entirely accurate. They set a challenge before people, they say this is what has been done but you can try and go further. And, by attempting to go further they can inspire awe and wonder and remind people that limits are more often perceived than real. Beyond which, seeing a record may inspire a person on a journey of their own to break that record or to simply have a similar experience.

In Shannon’s article he wrote:

“Remarkable acts should be their own reward, and paths to enlightenment are not a sideshow act. I’m not saying it’s wrong to ask for recognition if you pass through a significant ritual, but if I can get preachy, I will say that it is wrong to treat recognition as the sole reason for significant ritual.”

I respectfully disagree with him in a certain way. Remarkable acts and paths to enlightenment have long been a sideshow — and I don’t mean exploited in western entertainment but in their own respective cultures and times. Religious and political leaders historically would often perform great feats (records) in order to gain attention and following. Historically, to prove that you were really in touch with the true god(s) or nature and yourself and should be leading you would perform publicly — miracles, wonders, feats of endurance, etc. This continues today and probably will for as long as the human experience. If a man ‘walks down from the mountaintop’ with the secrets of the universe, even if they are legitimate, it will take these sorts of demonstrations to often get people to pay attention. Would anyone have listen to Jesus without the miracles? Didn’t Ghandi use prolonged fasting and other ascetic rites to draw attention? Do not many modern people use these acts for such gain? I agree that the act should be done for one’s own self first and foremost because something done solely for recognition often bears little of value over time but if it takes the enticement of recognition to get someone to go down the path, I’m not bothered by that. I’m actually willing to take the bet that once the person goes through the experience they may very likely recognize it value beyond the recognition — eventually.

For myself, as an entertainer, I love what I do and do these things with and without an audience. When I have an audience I hope to give them a sense of awe and to inspire them — if making records attempts does that, then I am all for it. Plus, it can often get me an underwriter for something I have been wanting for myself but couldn’t otherwise afford 😉

    Erik Sprague
    iam: The Lizardman
    web: www.thelizardman.com

2003: The Lizardman’s Year in Review – Through the Modified Looking Glass

Posted on January 1, 2003 by BME

2003: The Lizardman’s Year in Review

If you believe the past can’t be changed, you haven’t read a celebrity’s autobiography.

– Sam Ewing

Hey! Here comes the bandwagon — let’s jump on and do a year in review piece!

Actually I hopped on two years ago when I started doing these for my site: www.thelizardman.com. But now that I am primarily writing for BME, why not share the love?

It’s a well documented fact that I am not a fan of the New Year revelry, resolutions, or other calendar related phenomena but I do think there is value in a regular accounting of the past; taking stock as it were.
Also, it provides a good chance for historical summary and reference. As my art professors used to say, ‘Document! Document! Document!’ So, here it is for the events of 2003 — one more document.

January

The year began with an unusual busy streak for me. The holidays and then the remainder of winter don’t often result in many events that clamor for freaks. But come New Year I was on the cover of XBM and traveling a good part of the month. Before hitting the road I attended the Austin Tattoo Revival and finally met Larry the Leopard (who would take part in my Emos show and later put on a wrestling match with me).

My first event for the year was AM-JAM. It was here that I met Spider Webb and got my X tattoo. After AM-JAM I returned to Austin to perform at Emos along with TSD and USS Friendship. From there it was on to the Super Bowl of Ink in Ohio. I wrapped up the month with an appearance at the Palace of Variety in Times Square, NYC.

This was also the month when I wrote what became my BME guest column, About Records, that laid the foundation for my regular column Through the Modified Looking Glass.

February

This month began with some very good news as I was able to announce that I would be the MC for the 2003 Jagermeister Music Tour. From there it only got better as I went to the UK with Shannon, Marty, and Jill to spend a week with Patrick Bartholomew filming for the BME Movie.

This was also the month that I appeared on the local FOX affiliate for a piece on tongue splitting. That small piece foreshadowed what would become the 2003 media frenzy on ‘the tongue splitting fad’ and resulting legislation attempts across the country.

March

Shortly after returning from the UK, I hit the road on the Jagermeister Music Tour.

April

Most of this month was spent on the road with Jagermeister. However, once the tour wrapped up, I dragged myself back to Austin for my pro-wrestling debut versus Larry the Leopard with special guest referee Joe Lifto (still waiting for an airdate). And, a small personal triumph, Lizardman merchandise went online.

May

This was the month of my life that was nearly stolen by one dumb legislator in Illinois. Most of my time and effort, and that of many other people familiar here on BME, was taken up by addressing, interviewing, and de-bunking for stories on tongue splitting. Personally, I had the pleasure (?) of debating the Illinois tongue splitting ban author (David Miller) on a couple of occasions. The man makes Diamond Joe Quimby (from The Simpsons) look like an upstanding, well-informed public servant.

May also saw the debut of my regular BME column — addressing, of course, tongue splitting legislation.

When not pre-occupied by tongue splitting I developed a new act: The Blockhead Blowgun. A historical first, I managed to accurately shoot darts out of my nose.

June

Highs and Lows.

I celebrated my 31^st birthday this month. For the third consecutive year I appeared for Sobe at the KROQ Weenie Roast in LA and made my live Canadian debut at a press conference for Klondike Days in Edmonton.

Dervish passed away.

This was also the month that I made my IAM page my primary online journal. And perhaps in a reactionary move from the previous month’s activities or the Texas legislature introduction of tongue splitting specific codes; I used a scalpel to cut my tongue split a bit deeper.

July

What a wonderful month.

We got a new addition: Ginsu. I spent over a week in Puerto Rico, followed by a week in Edmonton. I finally got my feet tattooed.

August

I was honored this month — twice.

First, I got to take part in the Mayhem 8 man mobile crane suspension. Suspension is a lot more engineering than many people realize; it is understandably easy to focus on the physical when you see hooks through skin. This creation was a triumph and I was lucky enough to get to go along on the ride.

Second, I once again attended and got to be a featured a performer at the 2nd Annual Sideshow Gathering. This event is amazing not only for who is there and the content of their shows, but simply for existing. Franco and his crew work tirelessly to make it happen and bring everyone in. I received a standing ovation that still chokes me up a bit when I think about it.

September

Went to Cleveland for the Gravity Games to make an appearance for Sobe. Otherwise it was a slow month.

October

For the third year running I returned to Orlando to be part of Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights. On the way from Austin to Orlando, I stopped off in New Orleans to meet Harry Anderson and check out his new store space; Sideshow.

November

The Universal Studios gig lasted into the first week of November and was shortly followed by the 2nd Annual Pen-NY Body Arts Festival.

After 7 weeks on the road I returned to Austin. But, one week after getting home I was off again. Meghan and I went to Vegas on a week’s vacation and while we were there we got married! And, when we got back we got ourselves a wedding present: Houdini.

December

I’m still working on figuring out why Xmas doesn’t equal sideshow in more people’s minds (a fat man and elves — sounds like freaks to me) but it was nice to relax more or less with my new wife. I did spend a good chunk of time this month working sorting out copyright settlements and chasing down people who were inappropriately using my image. My parents visited Texas for the first time and came to see us and the ferrets for Xmas. A pleasant end to a very pleasant year.

2004 plans?

Well, I have big hopes and plans for myself and my show for the coming year. As for this column, there are a number of interviews coming and I am currently researching and working on some historical and opinion pieces regarding the connection between history of body modification and the sideshow. As long you are reading, I will be rambling…

Erik Sprague

because the world NEEDS freaks…

Copyright © 2003 BMEzine.com LLC. Requests to republish must be confirmed in writing. For bibliographical purposes this article was first published January 1st, 2003 by BMEzine.com LLC in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.