Story by Linell Smith (Baltimore Sun, July 1995)
Lady Sandra Reed, legendary albino sword swallower, will soon appear in Artscape’s literary arts tent on the cover of the city’s newest publication. Shocked and Amazed! On & Off the Midway, a biannual journal created by local writer James Taylor, claims to be “The World’s First And Only Periodical” devoted to interviews with sideshow performers and midway show people.
A joint publishing effort between Dolphin-Moon Press and Atomic Books, Shocked and Amazed! combines sideshow lore with tales from the human blockheads, fire-eaters and “half-girls” who continue to sustain the field. The first issue offers a glossary of midway lingo (a grab joint, for instance, is an eating concession) and sideshow-inspired fiction as well as lengthy interviews with Lady Sandra Reed and World of Wonders impresario Ward Hall.
Co-founder and president of Dolphin-Moon Press, Mr. Taylor spent 2½ years interviewing sideshow performers. He found a politically incorrect culture which is not only alive but thriving.
“Anyone who is predicting the death of sideshows is exaggerating the current state of affairs,” he says. “Fire-breathers are everywhere. I couldn’t begin to count the number of sword swallowers who are new, who are out there learning on their own. There’s a lot of interest in the Generation X crowd.”
Sideshow fans should consider trolling the summer fairgrounds in York, Pa., says Mr. Taylor. Last year’s fair brought 700-pound Harold Huge, a sword swallower, a fire-eater, and a girl who turned into a gorilla.
“To me, the definition of a carnival is something that has a carousel, a game wheel and a two-headed cow,” Mr. Taylor observes. “Without the freakish things, it kind of just ain’t a carnival.”