In 1932, Tod Browning directed a film that would later define the sideshow world forever. That film was FREAKS, and it has been the basis of all things sideshow worthy for decades thereafter. And while this has nothing to do with SIDESHOW GOSSIP in general, it still makes for a good read.
SIDESHOW GOSSIP: Essentially a super group of carnival circus freaks putting their very being into all things wild. This live show will make you wanna bob your head, stomp your feet, or quite simply, (if you have no pulse), none of the above. SIDESHOW GOSSIP is all about "the show", plain and simple. You don't go to a SIDESHOW show without walking away knowing you've just been punched in the jugular. And while this may seem a bit harsh to others, the fans love it! Where else can you go and have a band make a rock star out of the audience? And who else other than the one and only Keebler will jump off stage only to give the audience high fives in the middle of a song? No one, I tell ya!! No one but the SIDESHOW SHOW even comes close to making the audience feel like they've just walked into a birthday party for them!! Its definitely a freak show and you're all invited. WELCOME TO THE SIDESHOW SHOW!
Interesting sideshow factoids...
Joseph Merrick, the Elephant man
The 'Elephant Man' is one of the most famous 'freaks' that ever lived, due probably, to the fact that behind a body monstrously deformed remained a man, conscious and intelligent enough to understand his misery.
Lionel, the Lion-Faced Man
Stephan Bibrowsky was born in Poland in 1890 to normal parents. He suffered from hypertrichosis, a rare genetic disease that covers the entire bodies of the subjects with a thick coat of fur. Only about 50 cases of the disorder have been documented since the Middle Ages. In the case of Lionel, six-inch-long hair covered his body
Violet and Daisy Hilton
Medically speaking, they were conjoined twins joined at the buttocks. The bones of their lower spine were joined and they shared a common blood and nervous system. They would share sensations but usually behave as separate individuals. They were born to a barmaid, Kate Skinner, in the English town of Brighton on February 5, 1908. Their poor mother had to sold them to Mary Hilton, a midwife, when they were two weeks old. "Auntie†saw early the potential of the sisters to make money. They learned to read, write, sing, dance and play music by joining early the circus life. Auntie hoarded all of the girls earnings and kept any and all money away from the girls never allowing them to associate with others. Upon Auntie's death, the girls were willed to Edith, Auntie's daughter, and their slavery continued.
Prince Randian, the Human Caterpillar
Prince Randian, from British Guiana, had no limbs at all. He was brought to the US by P.T. Barnum in 1889 and became famous throughout America, appearing in carnivals and museums for forty-five years.He was introduced as the 'human caterpillar who crawls on his belly like a reptile'. In an incredible scene in the movie Freaks, Randian rolls up and lights by himself his own cigarette.Prince Randian was married and had five children; he died at the age of sixty-three.
