Captain Steele is a Featured Exhibit at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium in St. Augustine, FL

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Next time you’re in the nation’s “oldest city”, St. Augustine, FL, head on over to the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium!  RBION always provides an interesting experience and you are certain to leave with a little more knowledge of, well, odd things!

Captain has been entertaining with RBION annually for World Sword Swallower’s Day, every year dating back to 2009!  We have entertained at Odditoriums in Orlando, Gatlinburg, St. Augustine and Myrtle Beach.  Each Odditorium has a different structure and layout, making each it’s own unique adventure.

Last year, in 2015, the St. Augustine location (the FIRST Odditorium in the world) began construction on a new exhibit entitled “How’d They Do That?”.  It features contortionists, long-necked women, human blockheads, sword swallowers and MORE!  We were thrilled when asked if they may include Captain!  We submitted photos, x-rays and videos and turned the selection over to the RBION crew.  As you can see, they did a great job!  So next time you’re around those parts, take a look for yourself!

And if you take a photo of yourself with any of his photos, email the image to me at mrsmaybelle@yahoo.com and I’ll send you a FREE shirt and sticker package!  I’ll also add you to our “Friends” page here on our site!  Then ask yourself… what can I do that’s unbelievable?!

So you want to be a Sword Swallower?

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So you want to be a sword swallower, huh? You think you have what it takes. You are ready for a life of SHOCK and AMAZEMENT. Your friends will think you’re cool and you could be THE next big reality star. Sounds pretty great, huh?

Ever since a young girl was shown on television shoving a coat hanger down her throat, I have been getting a few emails a week from individuals asking me to either give advice or teach them the ways of sword swallowing. The crazy thing is, 75%+ are teenage girls who have never even seen a live sword swallower.

As of today, I have never taught anyone the art of sword swallowing. Well, exceptMaybelle on a few occasions, but it didn’t take very long before she decided it wasn’t for her. I guess my reasoning has a lot to do with my other career, body piercing. That’s right. I have been a professional bodypiercer for over 20 years. That being said, I have worked in a tattoo shop for 20 years. That industry lives by a different code than most. People are brought into the business generally through apprenticeship or as a shop grunt, doing whatever is told of them in hopes of getting their foot in the door of a very tight-knit community. Once you brought someone in the industry, you were held responsible by the remainder of the community for their actions. So people were very reluctant to let just anyone in. Of course, times have changed in that industry. However,

Single Sword Swallow, Bahamas, 2014

Single Sword Swallow, Bahamas, 2014

my thought process has not.

I am still able to help someone out who is thinking about the life of a sword swallowing sideshow performer. The first thing I ask is “Are you willing to die for it?” Sword swallowing is one of the most dangerous stunts to perform and even very skilled sword swallowers get hurt and, quite possibly, killed. You must know that going into it.

Also, sword swallowing is just a tool in the toolbox. How do you plan on using that tool? Do you want to be a street performer, stage performer, clown, motivational speaker, or magician? You see, there is a lot more to being an entertainer than just the physical ability to do a stunt. People ask me what the hardest thing I do on stage is, and I always say “talking on the microphone”. Carrying a show is by far the hardest thing I do. If you just get up there and swallow a sword, you are just another episode of Jackass. People have all seen someone do something dangerous for the shock and entertainment of others. Now, what are you going to do to get them to stay around, tip or maybe even hire you for your skill?

So here is my advice. Find out what you want to do and work on that first. See what it feels like to be on stage, book shows, sleep in cars, bomb on stage, get destroyed by a heckler, spend your last dollar to get to a gig and show up to an empty venue, deal with a drunk club owner to get your pay, break down on the side of a road while your fans are awaiting your arrival… I could go on for hours. Then see if it is for you.

It takes a lot more than swallowing swords to be a success. It takes an entire toolbox full of stunts along with the ability to sell it to others. It takes writing a routine (not stealing one on YouTube from another entertainer) and performing it enough to perfect delivery, timing and to make it yours. Once you have done that, then talk to someone about teaching you their craft. Go to one of the few Sideshow Schools in the country and prove you are worthy of walking the path so many great entertainers have paved. Bring something positive to the industry. Don’t be another half-assed performer giving others a bad name. And remember …be humble.

The Balance of Work & Play

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As we draw near to the finish of October, Halloween season, I turn reflective.

We’ve gone to the Myrtle Beach “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!” to perform 12 shows in 2 days.  Exhausted, but managed to walk on the beach at midnight (while beautiful, I have to say that sand fleas SUCK), tossed some brews and whiskey back at The Bowery, and had one of the silliest evening walks ever.  We even ran into an old friend, Ted, on the beach of all places.

We’ve gone to the Gatlinburg “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!” to perform 18 shows in 3 days.  Thrilling and so pumped we had a blast!  Walked alongside the river to the Mysterious Mansion and finally went through this haunt!  Enjoyed a nice dinner at a cabin on a mountain. After 5 years, I finally summoned the courage to ride the Ski-Lift, walked through a beautiful aquarium and marveled at the sharks, and had some interesting mountain pit stops to enjoy the changing color of the leaves.

We’ve gone to Atlanta’s Hot Air Balloon Festival, Owl-o-Ween, to perform 5 shows in 2 days.  Enjoyed the massive crowds and the event was a truly beautiful weekend filled with the Fall Spirit!  Saw many friends enjoying their families and the weather and caught up with fellow entertainers between shows.

I suppose what resonates with me after this reflection is the balance between work and play.  We bust our tails traveling for shows.  So much goes into packing props, costumes and ourselves.  Then there’s the household to mind while we’re gone.  The hound goes to the kennel, the children have destinations, lock this, unplug that, leave those lights on.  It can be overwhelming.  But, we do it all together.  People often ask how it is that we don’t kill each other, always together.  The answer is simply… goals.  We have the same goals.  We want to enjoy this life we have. So, we do.

The show is a reward.  I relish eliciting laughter from folks.  Captain prefers to shock the audience.  We both draw different experiences at the end of the day.  But, always remember to work and play.

Zamora, The Torture King

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The first time Captain saw Zamora perform live was back in the 90’s.  During the infamous Lollapalooza Tour.  It was inspiration incarnate.  Fast forward to 1999.  Spartanburg, SC.  The Torture King and Slymenstra Hymen were touring with their “Girly Freak Show” and Captain (well, Chris Steele way back then) was afforded the opportunity of a lifetime.  He was given the microphone and proceeded to dominate the audience.  At the time, it was not sideshow he was delivering, but body suspension.  Should you be interested in reading how he evolved into the entertainer he is today, scroll on down and read that blog.  But I digress.

As the last 15 years have passed, we have had numerous opportunities to share the stage with Zamora.  Not only performing alongside him, but watching him at many independent appearances.  He is always captivating and I am enthralled watching him manipulate the audience’s emotions and fears.  The first time I recall seeing him live was at the Masquerade with the incredible touring sideshow, Hellzapoppin Revue.  I was blown away at his delivery and his charismatic personality.

Zamora 2 lo res

Of course, we would see him multiple times in the media over the years, be it in print or on television, astounding folks with his “mind over matter” mentality.  You may have seen him on Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, on the Discovery Channel, or perhaps on Stan Lee’s “Superhumans” as  the Pain-Proof Man.   We would again see him perform at the infamous Clermont Lounge in Atlanta.  That evening, we invited the entire touring cast to our place for showers, laundry washing and some off-the-bus-relaxation time.  It was then I got to know the more personal side of Tim Cridland.  If I admired him as an entertainer before, my admiration grew enormously that evening.

As time progressed, we would share the stage again at The Five Spot in Atlanta.  This was just a few years back, and then he decided to up and move overseas. So, it was much to my delight that Captain forwarded an email to me from Tim, about a month ago, letting us know he was traveling back to the US and would like to partner up for a show.  It happens to be that we deliver our full “Southern Fried Sideshow” on the first Thursday of every month at the Laughing Skull Lounge, Atlanta’s premier comedy club.  It worked out for us that he will be our featured guest performer for our March 6th show.

It’s funny, how years can span between different events in your life, and you never know how friendships will evolve.  I suppose that’s to be said with anything really, health, family ties, jobs, etc. I guess it’s the fan girl in me that prompted this blog.  I once only admired Zamora from a far, and now I have the privilege of sharing a stage with him.  Dream big and make it happen.

World Sword Swallower’s Day

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Each year, on the last Saturday of February, sword swallowers from around the world gather at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! locations to participate in this momentous event. The “simultaneous” swallow at 2:22PM on 2/22/14 promises to deliver some astounding sword swallow attempts and amazing physical feats!

Captain Stab-Tuggo, of Captain & Maybelle, will be appearing at the Gatlinburg, TN Ripley’s, alongside fellow sword swallower, Travis Fessler, of the duo Pickled Bros. Sideshow. This is Captain’s 5th year participating in this historical event and his 2nd year in Gatlinburg. WWSD has taken us to St. Augustine, FL and Orlando, FL in years past.

WWSD 2013, in Orlando, FL, Captain became a World Record Holder for “Weighted Sword Swallowing”, lifting an incredible 84 lbs attached to a sword that he swallowed! What does he have in store for 2014?

See y’all in Gatlinburg!

Poll #1

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It’s always interesting to us how the stunts we perform affect people so differently. We see every emotional reaction there is… and then some. Chime in and let us know which stunt really gets you green!

Captain in “Catching Fire”

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catchingfire

That’s right! He’s the guy that’s fire breathing in “Catching Fire”, sequel to the blockbuster movie “Hunger Games”!

How does one land such a HOT role? Well, it certainly helps to be a talented (and pretty easy on the eyes) professional Fire Breather!

In July 2012, Captain Stab-Tuggo went on an audition for a movie. He knew it was for a “big film”, but, never having been a huge movie fan, he was fairly in the dark about the book-to-movie franchise of “Hunger Games”. Heck, I can barely get him to sit through a complete movie in one evening. He averages about 4 movies a year. Seriously.

He goes to the audition and performs up against about another dozen or so fire breathers. “We’ll call you, don’t call us” were the parting words he received and, to be honest, it pretty much left our minds at that point.

More than a month later, he receives a message that he landed the role. He actually filmed the footage you see in the movie back in September 2012. There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes hoopla and interesting stories to be told, but contracts forbid the sharing of those details.

Over the course of 3 nights, Captain used more than 2 gallons of fuel and blew over 500 FIRE BALLS!!! And it was well worth it! The crew loved it! We were unable to reveal that he was in the movie; we weren’t even really sure he would be included in the trailer.

As luck (perhaps) would have it, the trailer was to be released during the MTV Movie Awards 2013, on April 14th. Just so happens to be my birthday, and (this is when I learned if you use your birthday wish for someone else, it simply must come true) when I blew out all 35 of my birthday candles, I wished he would be in the trailer.

Later that evening, about 11PM, our phones and email started sizzling (we don’t have cable and were not watching said awards show). We quickly found out that he was indeed featured in the trailer! Awesome! There was a whole lotta celebrating that night (it was the birthday/amazing news one/two punch). Once the trailer was released, we were finally able to let our friends and family know to watch the film!

Now you know! And now… watch the trailer!