Self-described as “John Waters’ bachelorette party set amidst the back alleys of Amsterdam’s Red Light District,” Boner Bizarre wants to make you squirm. A few months shy of its 10th anniversary, the extreme erotic variety show celebrates everything from neo-burlesque and contortion to pole dancing and fire breathing.
For co-producers Zoja Exotica and Snake Tits, Boner Bizarre began as a series of house parties that quickly outgrew their Riverside duplex. The duo revamped the event into a full-scale production that prides itself in being “the filthiest show on Earth.”
“It’s pretty clear that we’ve got a radically progressive agenda,” Exotica says. “It’s always been our goal to piss off the right people.”
Exotica’s target audience is the opposite of the fearless, provocative entertainers that command their stage. The showrunners aim to bring in more “normies” in hopes of opening their minds.
“We’re really careful about what we put out there into the world because we know that people are paying attention,” Exotica explains. “Performance art is healing and it’s also very calculated and very intentional in a way to shift people’s mindset. When we feel powerless, it’s something we can turn to.”
“Performance art is healing and it’s also very calculated and very intentional in a way to shift people’s mindset. When we feel powerless, it’s something we can turn to.” – Zoja exotica
Following the tradition of its annual Valentine’s Day show, which is often dedicated to horror film directors (past events have honored David Lynch, David Cronenberg, and Stanley Kubrick), this year’s Feb. 14 spectacle at Come and Take It Live celebrates Italian auteur Dario Argento, best known for his 1977 psychosexual fever dream Suspiria.
Aerialist and artist Open Carrie crafted their Boner Bizarre debut around the filmmaker’s psychological scare The Stendhal Syndrome. Reluctant to give away too many details about their upcoming routine, Carrie admits that though they were unfamiliar with the 1996 film prior to securing a spot in the show’s lineup, they were immediately drawn to its unsettling tension.
“It was fun to see a movie that I’d never heard of before and bring it to life,” Carrie smiles.
For the past three weeks, the 26-year-old performer has been relentlessly polishing their routine, eager to make an emotional impact with the finished product. They’re hoping to replicate the flood of creativity that ignited their artistic spark after they first attended the variety show.
“I want people to walk away [feeling] just like I did from my first Boner Bizarre show I went to – inspired to do something,” Carrie shares. “Whether it be doing a performance like that or singing, dressing up like a clown and going out, whatever you want to do.”
For seasoned pole dancer Bendy Lyndi, Boner Giallo marks her return to the stage following a two-year hiatus from performing. The Capital of Texas Aerial Championship winner’s choreography is based on Argento’s macabre supernatural flick Inferno. Sharing Carrie’s tight-lipped approach, the dancer’s only hint for her upcoming routine is that it’ll include cats in addition to being absolutely hilarious.
“I love the absurd. It just feels so good,” Lyndi explains. “It really channels that inner child for me and keeps it alive.”
This article appears in February 14 • 2025.
