Credit: Photo by Sandy Carson

What the Hell: Magic Stunt Show

Auditorium Shores, Nov. 6

There are no new freaks under the sun. If you’ve seen one guy tattooed as a human serpent floss his nasal passages with a condom, you have seen ’em all. Yet the good carny knows how to draw punters in and keep each gruesome sideshow stunt fresh and icky. Split-tongue-twiddling Erik “The Lizardman” Sprague could fall back on being a lizard man, but the self-made freak turned on the hard sell, handing out free books and beer to bring in the rubes, pulling the crowd right up to the stage for his close-up magic. Yeah, right into the splatter zone. At his side, Jason Calle looked like an accountant who had accidentally walked onstage – right until he started pulling string out from behind his eyeball. As Lizardman struggled with exploding condoms, Calle stalled by munching on a broken light bulb and crunch-crunch-crunching it into the microphone. Doubt it was real glass? The blood spatter when he drooled looked authentic. Sprague’s old friend Jim Rose may have brought the circus back to rock & roll, but Calle and Lizardman are helping keep it there.

This article appears in November 11 • 2011.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.