Johnny Strange | |
|---|---|
 Johnny Strange, performance artist | |
| Born | 6 December 1988 Lancashire, England |
| Occupation | Performer |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Website | johnnystrange |
Johnny Strange (born 6 December 1988), nicknamed "the man with ears of steel", is an English world record breaking performance artist, producer, street performer and bestselling author based in London, England. He is known for performing daredevil stunts with a comedic twist.
Johnny Strange began his career as an amateur escapologist after studying the works of Harry Houdini. He began picking handcuffs and escaping from straight jackets, padlocks and chains; this led to him becoming fascinated with Victorian sideshows and freak shows. He has since studied various skills such as juggling running chainsaws, target whip cracking, lifting weights attached to his ear piercings, sharpshooting and prop manipulation as well as classic sideshow and fakir stunts such as sword swallowing, the human blockhead, walking across broken glass, fire eating and breathing, eating broken glass and the bed of nails.
Other stunts and variations include swallowing a magnet then retrieving it by swallowing a sword, swallowing a 2000v glass neon tube, multiple chainsaw stunts and target whip cracking routines.
Johnny Strange has been featured in publications such as Ripley's Believe It or Not! [1] and Guinness World Records [2] as well as appearing on many radio and TV programs.
Johnny Strange is known for performing dare devil stunts with a comedy twist. His live shows often include demonstrations of mind over body, escape artistry, precision marksmanship, juggling and feats of physical endurance.
In 2012 Strange produced his own variety show titled "Johnny Strange's Theatre of Wonder", which he currently hosts and performs in, [3] alongside a range of circus, sideshow and freak show artists from around the world including; contortionists, knife throwers, snake charmers, strongmen, aerial performers, hand balancers and fire breathers. [4]
According to his official website, Johnny Strange's Theatre of Wonder "brings the golden age of freak shows alive, propelling traditional Victorian sideshow into the 21st century for a new generation".
Strange holds multiple Guinness World Records. In 2013 he gained the nickname "the man with ears of steel" after setting the official Guinness World Record for 'the heaviest weight lifted by pierced ears'. [5] Guinness soon challenged him to attempt 'the heaviest vehicle pulled by pierced ears', Strange accepted their challenge and at North Weald Airfield he managed to pull a Cessna 172-P aircraft for 67 ft. [6] After setting this new record Strange became the first person to hold both the record for 'the heaviest weight lifted by pierced ears' and 'the heaviest vehicle pulled by pierced ears' at the same time.
Some of his records include;
The Daily Express announced that Strange's 'most melons chopped on the stomach on a bed of nails' record was one of the "best ever Guinness World records". [15] International Business Times listed Strange's 'most apples chainsawed out of the mouth' record as one of "The most weird and wonderful records ever broken". [16] To celebrate 60 years of the Guinness Book of Records, Geek VIP compiled a list of 'The weirdest Guinness World Records ever'; Johnny Strange's 'Heaviest weight lifted by pierced ears' record ranked at number 22. [17]
In 2014 Johnny Strange made headlines in several national and international newspapers after teaming up with stunt rider, Vesko Lesev, to perform a unique sword swallowing stunt in Brussels, Belgium, when he became the first person to swallow a sword inside the Globe of death. [18] Strange swallowed a 17-inch long sword blade while standing in the centre of a 5-meter round steel mesh ball as a motorbike rode around him at speeds in excess of 40 mph (70 km/h). [19]
Strange has been quoted as saying that it took three years of practising to master the art of sword swallowing, and that he had to practice daily to achieve it. [20] He went on to say;
"I have been performing sword swallowing for a few years now, it is extremely dangerous. Lesev is a great rider, the skill he shows in the Globe of Death fascinates me but teaming up was still no easy decision to make. There is a lot of trust needed on both parties as one false move could have had devastating consequences for either of us. I have performed in Belgium before but have never performed in Brussels until now, there was an amazing atmosphere and the audiences throughout the weekend were fantastic." [21]
Because of the inherent danger and dedication required to perform such a stunt there are very few sword swallowers in the world, with the Sword Swallowers Association International (SSAI) listing Johnny Strange as one of Europe's last actively performing professional sword swallowers. [22]
Strange has made several television appearances worldwide including:
Strange has also made appearances on Good Mythical Morning, [35] LastWeekTonight, [36] F2Freestylers [37] and Sidemen.
In 2021 Strange appeared in an episode of The Sidemen titled 'Sidemens Got Talent' where he lifted a beer keg with his ear piercings and swallowed swords – eventually letting KSI pull a swallowed sword out of his throat. Miniminter also made him an honorary member of the Sidemen. [38] This was his second appearance with The Sidemen, his first being in an episode of Sidemen React titled 'Most Unbelievable Body Mods'. [39]
In 2023 Strange authored a book called 'Unusual As Usual: Bizarre stories of historical circus, sideshow and freak show performers' based on his YouTube project of the same name. [40] The Book was released on 10 March 2023 and reached the number-one bestseller position on Amazon within 24 hours of its release. [41] This was quickly followed up with the second book of the series 'Unusual As Usual: Abnormal Animals' the same year. [42]
On the Youtube channel, Strange hosted several series including: 'Abnormal Animals', 'Anatomical Oddities', 'Modified Marvels', and 'Peculiar People'.
In 2024 Strange released his third book, the official biography of Elaine Davidson, [43] the 'Most Pierced Woman In The World' according to Guinness World Records. The book, titled 'Elaine Davidson: Holier Than Thou', talks all about Davidson's life and career as a performer. [44]
Johnny Strange has been recognised as an active member of;
In North America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair, or other such attraction.
Guinness World Records, known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as The Guinness Book of Records and in previous United States editions as The Guinness Book of World Records, is a British reference book published annually, listing world records both of human achievements and the extremes of the natural world. Sir Hugh Beaver created the concept, and twin brothers Norris and Ross McWhirter co-founded the book in London in August 1955.
The Jim Rose Circus is a modern-day version of a circus sideshow. It was founded in Seattle in 1991 by Jim Rose and his wife BeBe Aschard Rose. The sideshow, then called the "Jim Rose Circus Sideshow", came to prominence to an American audience as a second stage show at the 1992 Lollapalooza festival. although they had toured the Northwest and Canada and had several US TV appearances before this time. Rolling Stone magazine called the show an "absolute must-see act" and USA Today termed Rose's troupe "Lollapalooza's word-of-mouth hit attraction".
Erik Sprague, known professionally as the Lizardman, is an American freak show and sideshow performer. He is best known for his body modification, including his sharpened teeth, full-body tattoo of green scales, bifurcated tongue, subdermal implants and green-inked lips.
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Impalement arts are a type of performing art in which a performer plays the role of human target for a fellow performer who demonstrates accuracy skills in disciplines such as knife throwing and archery. Impalement is actually what the performers endeavor to avoid – the thrower or marksman aims near the target rather than at them. The objective is to land the throw or shot as close as possible to the assistant's body without causing injury.
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