By Calvin Jefferson (The Relaxer East, July 27, 1995)
For writer/publisher James Taylor, frequenting countless carnival side shows is simply not enough to satisfy his passion for the bizarre.
“After I die, my plan is to be mummified and be taken out on the road and put on show,” he proclaimed with a glint of amusement.
For now, however, Taylor, born and raised in East Baltimore before relocating to Hamilton 20 years ago, will have to stick to writing about the freak show.
His recently published magazine, Shocked and Amazed, highlights the oddities found among these shows, giving readers a more behind-the-scenes look than they would have the chance to see in person.
Other sideshow literature presents the same pictures over and over, according to Taylor.
“But I go right to the show people and collectors so people will see new and different things,” he said, different being the operative word. Taylor hopes to make Shocked and Amazed, currently marketed through his friend Scott Huffines of Atomic Books, a biannual publication.
Taylor can’t pinpoint exactly what put him on the path towards sideshows, but he certainly has beaten the path well. His tone is passionate when speaking of the shows, and concern mixes equally with fascination in his words. Although the lure of the sideshow has waned over the years, Taylor believes it will never disappear.
“Right now, the show is in a period of transition that some people see as its downfall,” he said, although unconvinced that the end is near. If last weekend’s fascination with James’ Artscape display – a bowling ball-size snake head in a jar of formaldehyde – is any indication, the draw is still there.
But like his part-time profession as author/publisher, the sideshow life is not one that brings riches. He told of show members who would have to work other jobs or pawn their “pitch stuff” for additional income. Icelandic giant Johann Peturson, although a big draw, had to sell his oversized rings to make a living; midgets would sell their tiny Bibles. Luckily for James, his full-time supervisory position with the state government allows him to keep his rings and avoid pawn shops.
Taylor opened Dolphin-Moon Press in 1973 and, despite some rocky times, has published four books of his own in addition to others’ works. He also lectures and teaches part time at Dundalk Community College.
Worries about the future of the sideshow are combined with concern for the fate of his literary efforts.
“Writing in the real world comes down to money, and you won’t make a lot,” he said.
But writing is valued beyond dollars for Taylor; for him, it’s personal.
“I would rather put an object out in the world that people can keep,” he said. “It’s my kids.”
Taylor’s future holds many more projects for the world to enjoy, the foremost of which is getting back to work on another book he has been writing. The Sixth Man is the chronicle of a hired pall-bearer who discovers one day he is carrying a friend and sets out to find his murderer.
Also in the works are the production of a Mary Vingo play, more Shocked and Amazed and more publishing. Taylor also plans to ghost-write the biography of Jeanie Tomaini, “the world’s only living half girl.”
Of course, Taylor also plans to set aside some time to visit a sideshow or two.