First, Let's travel down the midway and visit the Sideshow . . .

Todd Robbins is the Coney Island Wonder Worker, among the wonders Todd works are eating glass and swallowing swords. From the museum of Television and Radio in New York City, Robbins spoke to Anne Strainchamps and he told her that he really, truly does these strange stunts

Todd: Yeah, It's real. The things in the sideshow are traditionally based upon principles of physics and anatomy - That make these things possible. And since most people slept through, you know, Anatomy and Physics classes in school, the secrets are pretty safe with performers there.

Anne: So, is this stuff hard to learn how to do?

Todd: Some it can be learned almost immediately, as a matter of fact I am doing a TV show, the local lead-in to the Today Show. They are coming out to Coney Island and I will be teaching the hosts how to walk over broken bottles in their bare feet. That is one of the easier things to learn.

Anne: (Laughs) How do you walk over . . . I wanna know how. Can you teach us over the radio?

Todd: Well, It's all based upon a couple of principles, one of which is that glass, though it is jagged and we all have a reference point for pain for glass because chances are we've all cut our foot at one time or another. The fact is that it loses it's sharp edge fairly quickly and if you use glass from wine bottles as opposed to very thin glass, a drinking glass for instance, it's not as sharp. Of course, as I am saying this, I am not trying to encourage anyone to actually go out and give this a try. This is the kind of thing you have to learn on a first hand basis from someone who knows what they are doing. But if you have a pile of the right kind of glass there . . .

Anne: Is there any trick to breaking it or something?

Todd: No, No. There are a couple of things that you want to get rid of. You want to get rid of the bottlenecks and the Bottoms of the bottle, because the bottoms of the bottle are sticking straight up - they are nice and jagged things and their sole purpose in life (Pun intended!) is to cause pain to your feet if you step on them. And the bottlenecks are - like, when you step on them - it's like logrolling and they throw your balance off. The balance is so very vital to what we're doing - for something like Walking on broken bottles. So what you do is I will explain to the person what they're gonna be feeling - They put their foot on the glass and they get to feel what the sensation is. If there is any point that it is too sharp you move it a little bit - Move it off to the side. There's enough surface area on the bottom of the feet that you can distribute the weight evenly and it will not on any single point be enough weight to actually cause a puncture.

Anne: Yeah, This sounds like one of those easier said than done kinda things

Todd: Yeah, to a certain degree. Like I said, If you were here I would have you walking over broken bottles in no time.

Anne: (Laughs) what's the first thing you learned to do?

Todd: I learned fire eating. Which is traditionally, fire eating is a entry level skill of the sideshow. Even today, there is really only one traditional sideshow left out in Coney Island - That is really about the only thing. There is one showman by the name of Ward Hall who occasionally puts together a live show to go with his kind of oddities and museum that he tours with Carnivals. But the only really permanent sideshow company is out at Coney Island. And even so, there are probably, I'd say maybe about 3 or 4 hundred people around the country that eat fire. Performers various Jugglers, street performers, things like that. Then it gets, then it starts to kinda wiggle itself down. There is probably, I'd say, 150 . . . 100 to 150 people that do what is known as the Blockhead act. And from that there's maybe . . .

Anne: Wait, What is the blockhead act?

Todd: The Blockhead Act? I'm glad you asked! The blockhead act was based upon a torture stunt that was taken from the Fakirs of India from their Repertoire by a man by the name of Melvin Burkhardt. Melvin did this back in 1929. He took this stunt and he turned it into this joyously gut-wrenching act. Robert Ripley saw him do this and said, "Melvin you are a human blockhead". The act consists of . . . well the bare bones of it are . . . taking a very large nail and a hammer and hammering it into your nose.

Anne: (Laughs) . . Uh, Really?

Todd: Yeah?

Anne: Like piercing skin?
Todd: No, No. Most people have a hole there - It's how you breathe. It goes right into the nostril - And right back into the top of the throat. As a matter in fact, I have sitting right here in front of me, Melvin Burkhardt's Hat. He just died back in November at the age of 94, he was my mentor. And I have his hat right here, I have his hammer right here and I have some nails right here.

Anne: Are you gonna do this?

Todd: Sure! Why Not. And basically what you do is it just goes right back and . . .

(Todd pounds nail into nose)

Todd: Ahhh! Oh! It feels so good after it stops hurting, I gotta tell you. It's a good way to get iron into your system. And . . You should see the faces . . .of the people here . . .

Anne: (Laughs) I can see the faces of the engineers here . . .

Todd: Just cheering . . So, Let me pull it out. Oh look, My fever's gone down, how nice. Oh Whoa, what is that here? . . .Oh, Because of the lighting in the studio here, I thought there was blood on there, but it's Snot . . It's Just like comedy. . .

Anne: Well, tell me about your most famous skill, the glass eating. I know you've done this on TV and stuff. Have you ever done it on the radio?
Todd: I actually have. When I travel around, I do a lot of colleges and universities and through the years I have done a number of Rock and Roll clubs and Comedy clubs and invariably every community has some sort of a "Wild Shock Jock" that's on the morning radio or afternoon drive time. And I've gone on and done this stuff that I'm doing here and it actually plays very well. I mean, if a guy like Edgar Bergin could have a career on the radio doing ventriloquism, you know, A guy eating glass is not that far fetched.

Anne: Well, since this is public radio, I guess we'll

do sort of a tamer version. But, Did you bring some glass with you that you could eat?

Todd: Why, Why, I am glass you asked! I have right before me here a 60 watt GE bulb. I usually eat 100 watt bulbs, but I am on a diet . . . and . . These are the jokes . . . And it is a GE Bulb - You know what GE stands for? . . "Good Eating" . . . .Just like . . Comedy (Laughs) And it's a very simple little process, problem is, you're going to have to take my word for it. Once again I don't want anyone to give this a try - This is so dangerous. There are some people actually that have seen me do this on TV and have given it a try and think they know what they're doing just because they have seen me - That is not the case whatsoever. There is a way of chewing up the glass and swallowing it so it doesn't cut up the mouth and throat and there's a diet and regimen that I go through every day that keeps the glass moving through my system. Now, I learned again this from a sideshow performer who did it for 30 years traveling around the country and I learned how to do this and it's that reason, those little secrets that I know - It's no trick really. There is a technique behind it that keeps this from cutting up my insides and allows me to take a bulb like this - It's the real deal - and Uh, well, do this . . .You ready?

Anne: Yeah

Todd: You sitting down?

Anne: Uh, Huh

Todd: You strapped in there?

Anne: (Laughs) I'm a little nervous . .

Todd: Well, ahh there's no reason . . .You're nervous? I'm the one eating glass! Let's be very honest about this . .

(Crunch Noise as Todd Chomps on a Bulb)

Todd: "Ah, that was a good one. . . hmm . . mmmm . . .mmmm . .crunch . . . hmmmm . . yumm . . . tastes like chicken . . .hmmm . .crunch, crunch, mm mm mmmmm. Ya know . . .

Anne: I can't believe you just did that!

Todd: You know, the sad thing about radio is you can't see people's reaction - That's really what make this all worthwhile is the look on people's faces - it makes the whole ordeal worth doing! Chewing up the glass and swallowing it - that's the easy part of this stunt - It's what coming up in a couple of days from now that I'm not looking forward to . . .

Anne: I can't believe you did that! Didn't it hurt?

Todd: Nooo, you mean going in?

Anne: Yeah!!

Oh, Oh I thought you were talking about . . . Coming out . . .

Anne: Well, yeah well coming out too! But, I guess that it's not coming out yet, But . .

Todd: It's a kinda thing like, like I said, I know what I'm doing here. Every once in a while I do get a little cut on my lip or gum, you know, but if it weren't dangerous, everyone wouldn't be doing it. Like I said, it takes about 2 days and one light bulb really is not a problem. Out in Coney Island I was eating 10 to 12 light bulbs a day! I actually have been doing it quite a bit lately - Matter of fact, I probably have so much glass in my system right now I could poop a chandelier, but that's beside the point. . . There goes the funding right there . . . I've got so much glass in me right now that if I pass gas you'd hear wind chimes tinkling in the breeze - Brings a new meaning to light at the end of the tunnel, doesn't it? But . . .

Anne: (Laughs) Do you need a glass of water or something

Todd: Now that's dangerous! New York City Water! Now there you are asking me to really risk my life! Yeah, I've got water here. You know, I have done about 3000 light bulbs in the course of my career. Let me just swallow it all . . .

Anne: You're eating the whole damn thing, aren't you?

Todd: Oh man, Don't you hate it when you get a piece of glass stuck in your teeth? I hate that! Let me floss with the filament. Oh, By the way, I am not going to eat the metal part - I don't do that. The Fact is, I've gotta fly to Chicago. If you set off the metal detector in Newark airport, let's face it, If you work in security, would you believe my story? No, no, no, no . . . I can almost hear the snap of the latex gloves as they prepare for a full body cavity search! Well, we've taken this to an all new level, haven't we?

Anne: I guess, I'm wondering why do that? Why work so hard to get your body to do these incredible things?

Todd: Well, just the fact that the body is capable of doing something that extraordinary, that strange - again it's the kind of thing of pushing yourself and finding how far you can go with these kind of things. And I think that's kind of important. Also, there's the Historical element - These things go back generations, some go back centuries, some have all but been forgotten, so it's carrying on that tradition - I think that's very important also. But mostly it just amazing what the human body can do and that's what the sideshow has always been about - Exposing people to things that they just didn't know could be done.

Todd Robbins the Coney Island Wonder Worker. Todd is also the Dean of Coney Island's Sideshow School. He spoke with Ann Sprainchamps from the Museum of Television and Radio in New York City.