Post by wolfclown on Feb 12, 2007 5:00:21 GMT 10
Found on www.listentome.net/stuff.php site:
We Saw the Freaks and the Freaks are Us!
Greetings to everyone, and Happy New Year!
I hope everyone’s doing well these days. Well, I am back. It has been an exciting 2006. Traveled with the circus, performed in several shows with Chuy and his cousin Larry Gomez. And had a chance to meet “Gringo” himself, who flew all the way down to southern California to meet Chuy and me. He turned out to be an Okay guy. Not as weird as we expected him to be. Is that good or bad?
Last year, Larry, Chuy’s cousin, and I were cast in a movie titled “Freakshow.” The movie was produced by The Asylum Studios in Hollywood, directed by Drew Bell and filmed with the same background set used for “Carnivale.”
Freakshow was released on January 30, 2007. Since it’s release it has received mixed reviews. However, on the IMDB.com site it has received some hateful comments, some saying that the freaks in Freakshow were fakes.
Recently I visited the “Freakshow” IMDB comment page, there I saw so many negative comments, some of them were filled with hate. Even saying that the freaks of “Freashow” were fakes. I wanted to know why was there such a reaction to this movie, so I wrote the following comment, which I would like to share with you.
** Why are we afraid or repulsed by those who are different then us? Why do we cringe when we see human “oddities” doing mundane things?
The movie it self, even though not the best film out there, was not that bad. So, why is there such an unreasonable hostility toward this film?
Because, I realized, they are not angry at the movie, the real live Freaks in the movie terrifies them! It‘s this fear of what is different, out of the norm for them that make them so incensed toward “Freakshow” (The Asylum, 2007).
You see, this century there have been other movies with the same theme, one called “SideShow” (Full Moon Pictures), another one called “Freakshow” (Arrow Home Entertainment Inc. 2001) and people loved them, however, these movies did not have “Real” freaks. The movies had gaffs and grifts, made up freaks.
“Freakshow” (2007) has “REAL” freaks. Tom Devlin is a great make-up artist and FX guy. But Tom, with all his talent did not make Jim Goldman (The Great Riwami) into an armless wonder. Bill Quinn (Chef) needs no special effects to appear legless. Jeffrey Allen, (The Strong Man) is truly built that way. Margaret the Cannibal Girl, played by Amanda Ward, smiles as bright in real life. McKenna Geu, AKA Little Kimmie, is really as adorable. The Suspension Guys’ hooks really did go through their flesh, and their tattoos are real. How about Mighty Mike? Yes, he is real dwarf, and proud of it. VeeKay (Wolf Man) is sideshow curiosity, once known as The Wild Boy. Larry “The wolf Boy” Gomez was born with hypertrichosis. That facial hair is 100 per cent real! And, speaking of faces. That is the outside talker’s (the barker) real face. He could be hiding somewhere, or covering his face, a face that only a wife could love, but he is brave enough to go out in public that way. Even appearing in movies and talk shows to show that it is okay to be different. But I digress.
Why are they so angry at these freaks, these disabled or unusual people? Because they realize that if not for fate, choice, or accident they themselves could have been one of these freaks. And that terrifies them. Thus, their fear turns to hatred, as they are not able to express their fears, or unwilling to admit that the freaks makes then uncomfortable.
Because they do not want it to be known of the prejudice toward those of us who are different, they turn their anger toward the movie.
Having grown up in the sideshow, performing with other special people, AKA freaks, I saw this hatred. Not while we were performing, No, they paid money to see us. However, when we were out in the “real” world, shopping, playing, going to the movie, etc. That’s when we saw their prejudice toward us. You see. Some people would like for us to go away. Locked up somewhere where they do not have to see us. Where they do not have to think of us as “people.”
We are people. We are like most of you. We have feelings, we fall in love, we have families, we cry, we laugh, we go on diets, and we even have “cell phones!” As Shylock said, “If you prick us, do we not bleed” or feel pain? Well, actually, if you are the “suspension guys” (piercing people) the answer may be, no.
Instead of hating us, give thanks that you are who you are, as we give thanks that we are alive, able to work, support ourselves, our families, performing in the sideshow, circus, even movies.
What I am trying to say is, you are we, and we are you. **
That’s all for now. I hope to write soon and give you an up date on Chuy, and my goings on.
VeeKay
We Saw the Freaks and the Freaks are Us!
Greetings to everyone, and Happy New Year!
I hope everyone’s doing well these days. Well, I am back. It has been an exciting 2006. Traveled with the circus, performed in several shows with Chuy and his cousin Larry Gomez. And had a chance to meet “Gringo” himself, who flew all the way down to southern California to meet Chuy and me. He turned out to be an Okay guy. Not as weird as we expected him to be. Is that good or bad?
Last year, Larry, Chuy’s cousin, and I were cast in a movie titled “Freakshow.” The movie was produced by The Asylum Studios in Hollywood, directed by Drew Bell and filmed with the same background set used for “Carnivale.”
Freakshow was released on January 30, 2007. Since it’s release it has received mixed reviews. However, on the IMDB.com site it has received some hateful comments, some saying that the freaks in Freakshow were fakes.
Recently I visited the “Freakshow” IMDB comment page, there I saw so many negative comments, some of them were filled with hate. Even saying that the freaks of “Freashow” were fakes. I wanted to know why was there such a reaction to this movie, so I wrote the following comment, which I would like to share with you.
** Why are we afraid or repulsed by those who are different then us? Why do we cringe when we see human “oddities” doing mundane things?
The movie it self, even though not the best film out there, was not that bad. So, why is there such an unreasonable hostility toward this film?
Because, I realized, they are not angry at the movie, the real live Freaks in the movie terrifies them! It‘s this fear of what is different, out of the norm for them that make them so incensed toward “Freakshow” (The Asylum, 2007).
You see, this century there have been other movies with the same theme, one called “SideShow” (Full Moon Pictures), another one called “Freakshow” (Arrow Home Entertainment Inc. 2001) and people loved them, however, these movies did not have “Real” freaks. The movies had gaffs and grifts, made up freaks.
“Freakshow” (2007) has “REAL” freaks. Tom Devlin is a great make-up artist and FX guy. But Tom, with all his talent did not make Jim Goldman (The Great Riwami) into an armless wonder. Bill Quinn (Chef) needs no special effects to appear legless. Jeffrey Allen, (The Strong Man) is truly built that way. Margaret the Cannibal Girl, played by Amanda Ward, smiles as bright in real life. McKenna Geu, AKA Little Kimmie, is really as adorable. The Suspension Guys’ hooks really did go through their flesh, and their tattoos are real. How about Mighty Mike? Yes, he is real dwarf, and proud of it. VeeKay (Wolf Man) is sideshow curiosity, once known as The Wild Boy. Larry “The wolf Boy” Gomez was born with hypertrichosis. That facial hair is 100 per cent real! And, speaking of faces. That is the outside talker’s (the barker) real face. He could be hiding somewhere, or covering his face, a face that only a wife could love, but he is brave enough to go out in public that way. Even appearing in movies and talk shows to show that it is okay to be different. But I digress.
Why are they so angry at these freaks, these disabled or unusual people? Because they realize that if not for fate, choice, or accident they themselves could have been one of these freaks. And that terrifies them. Thus, their fear turns to hatred, as they are not able to express their fears, or unwilling to admit that the freaks makes then uncomfortable.
Because they do not want it to be known of the prejudice toward those of us who are different, they turn their anger toward the movie.
Having grown up in the sideshow, performing with other special people, AKA freaks, I saw this hatred. Not while we were performing, No, they paid money to see us. However, when we were out in the “real” world, shopping, playing, going to the movie, etc. That’s when we saw their prejudice toward us. You see. Some people would like for us to go away. Locked up somewhere where they do not have to see us. Where they do not have to think of us as “people.”
We are people. We are like most of you. We have feelings, we fall in love, we have families, we cry, we laugh, we go on diets, and we even have “cell phones!” As Shylock said, “If you prick us, do we not bleed” or feel pain? Well, actually, if you are the “suspension guys” (piercing people) the answer may be, no.
Instead of hating us, give thanks that you are who you are, as we give thanks that we are alive, able to work, support ourselves, our families, performing in the sideshow, circus, even movies.
What I am trying to say is, you are we, and we are you. **
That’s all for now. I hope to write soon and give you an up date on Chuy, and my goings on.
VeeKay
