anyone here ever work as a "carney"

[Zuni]

or with a traveling circus?

I am thinking of getting into the industry :P

[ghostsofgiants]

1. I've seen every episode of Càrnivale at least three times, if that counts

And that episode of The Simpsons with Jim Varney dozens of times.

[Zuni]

14. that is good enough for me

[radwriter0555]

44. Joe Dirt counts for a LOT.... remember when he was a Carney? He

was HYSTERICAL!

I picture you thusly!

Just stay away from your sister.

[ghostsofgiants]

45. I saw that once...

The only part I remember is Christopher Walken.

[kick-ass-bob]

2. you should do it man.

teeth are highly overrated.

on edit: NC's state fair is coming up in a couple weeks - come on down!

:P

[StopTheMorans]

3. no, i have too many teeth

:cry:

[kick-ass-bob]

4. GMTA.

The lack of teeth is not a prereq - it just happens along the way!
:P

[StopTheMorans]

8. i think that i may be a little too much of a grammar nazi too

don't you think that would make me a misfit carnie :shrug:

[Richardo]

11. Is it your turn for the armband today, Klink?

[kick-ass-bob]

12. I am just picturing it now

Carney: "He ain't got shit fuck to do"

STM: "Actually, that should be, 'he doesn't have shit fuck to do.'"

And then hilarity ensues.

:rofl:

[StopTheMorans]

16. that's a whole nother thing, my good man

:crazy:

[Zuni]

17. probably because of the crank and alcholholism

that are used to relieve the daily misery of carnival life

[kick-ass-bob]

21. when they came to town, I used to have to walk through their camp

to get to my bus stop. Even at 7 in the morning with everyone asleep, that was fucking creepy. Masses of tents set up, cords running into them, alarm clocks going off, weird grunts and groans, and dirty as shit.
:scared:

[China_cat]

36. Daily misery of carnival life?

hehehehehehahahahahah

Thank you my dear for the best laugh I've had all day. I never worked so hard in all my life as I did those 8 years on the road. You don't know what work is until you've met a noon call on Sat. closed at 2am Sun. torn down, jumped 500 miles, set back up and been ready for a 4pm call on Monday.

And if I could, I'd go back out come spring. Because I was part of a large supportive 'family' and have never felt so welcome anywhere else in my life, nor have I ever had the opportunities to learn that I did on the road.

[Shell Beau]

5. No, but I've told some off before if that counts!!

I don't like obscenities screamed my way; it will not make me want to play your rigged game!! Just some pointers in case you make this career change! :)

[StopTheMorans]

6. Fuck! Shit! Ass! reply to my rigged post!

[Shell Beau]

7. I like obscenities screamed my way online, just not at the carnival!

:P

[StopTheMorans]

9. Shit

:cry:

[Shell Beau]

13. Well if it makes you feel better, I don't like those words

coming from you!


:silly:

[StopTheMorans]

18. fuck yeah

:freak:

[Richardo]

10. "Helloooooooo, ball!"

[XNASA]

15. No. But I was in a band once.

Does that count?

[Zuni]

19. did you ever play a state fair?

[XNASA]

24. None that I can recall.

But that doesn't mean anything.

[StopTheMorans]

20. oh yeah, i think i recognize you now! you're "Ulf" from the band that

plays my company's Oktoberfest party, aren't you? those leiderhosen were a bit too tight for my tastes though, thank you.

[Zuni]

23. he was the one playing the alpenhorn

;)

[XNASA]

29. Yes. I love to play my alpenhorn.

It took years to master the correct fingering position, but once I latched on to that.....I was off.

[XNASA]

26. You didn't complain at the time.

:wow:

[StopTheMorans]

28. but you didn't have to tell EVERYONE

:cry:

[XNASA]

30. Too late now.

No use crying over spilt milk.

[kick-ass-bob]

22. did you go to band camp?

:silly:

[XNASA]

31. No.

I didn't go camp until I had been there awhile.

[WCGreen]

25. I traveled one summer from county fair to county fair...

Cooking corn over a roasting pit....

That was wierd....

[StopTheMorans]

27. this may be the weirdest post of the day thus far

:thumbsup:

[Zuni]

34. ...

:thumbsup:

[xmas74]

32. No.

But I did work the kettle corn and pork rinds stand at the local county fairs for a few summers as a teen. A friend's dad owned the stands.
Still love kettle corn but can't stand the smell of pork rinds.

[AllegroRondo]

33. I spent a summer with a circus band

does that count?

[China_cat]

35. Yes, I was on the road for 8 years

a long time ago. The business is no longer what it was.

[enigmatic]

37. Really?

I'd love to hear some stories; been on the road all my life like I have, being a carny is something I almost tried a few times..

[China_cat]

38. Like what?

The time the state cop stopped us in PA while hauling a hippo and wouldn't believe that it WAS a hippo in the trailer until he saw for himself (and almost lost his supper because her tank hadn't been cleaned before the jump and hippos are RANK)

The work, the people? I left the road when they closed the side shows. Too many of the 'freaks' I worked with ended up hurt very badly when their livelihood was taken away from them. The business hasn't been the same since.

But, if I could get together the $29k for the bumper cars I've had my eye on, I'd be back on the road in the spring.

[enigmatic]

39. How long did you work as one?

Was it as insular a life as I've heard it is? What was the sideshow life for those who worked in it?

[China_cat]

40. 8 years

Yes, it can be insular but mainly because of a lot of the misconceptions I've seen just in this thread. (Such as carnies being uneducated...at least 50% of the ride boys every year I was out were college students earning a big part of their next year's school money and people who've never been out would choke on the numbers of degrees held by a lot of these 'degenerates') Outsiders could be welcomed in and it happened all the time. First-of-Mays were always around.

Sideshow life was...sideshow life. We had our headliners, the born freaks like Grady Stiles the lobster boy, Jolly Gere who weighed 800 lbs., Dolly the ossified girl, Otis the frog boy and others and then there were the made freaks; tattooed, blued, and screwed, knife throwers, sword swallowers, fire eaters, etc. :) And the acts. Electric girl (me and others), I also stood for a knife thrower, worked the blade box, handled snakes and stood in on several illusions. We were family. As for feeling sorry for the 'freaks' who exhibited themselves, well...they were feeling sorry for the people who came to feel sorry for them. These were people who were NOT on welfare of any kind, who made enough money to buy themselves homes (both permanent and traveling) pay companions and caretakers and live independent lives.

It's not for everybody and definitely not for someone who can't see beyond 'decent' living.

[enigmatic]

41. I've heard about Grady Stiles

Did you know him? What was your take on his murder?

[China_cat]

42. Yeah I knew him

It's a wonder Terry or one of the kids didn't off him sooner. He was a thoroughly nasty SOB. If you were female, you learned very quickly to keep away from those pincers or you carried bruises on your butt.

[enigmatic]

43. oh boy

This is fascinating; thanks for talking about this:)

[Clintmax]

46. No freakin' way!

I hate those guys! Always yelling at you they are! And plus, they're all gross! Dirty clothes, dirty hair and always looking for "a piece of ass". When I was 12, during the fair, I was getting on the "Scrambler" and the ride operator asked me (when he came up to lock the bar on my car) if I knew where he could find some ass! What 12 year old is going to know something like THAT? :rofl:

[Fox Mulder]

47. I once saw an episode of the X-Files that dealt with carnies...

and an episode of The Simpsons where Bart and Homer decided to become carnies (with special guest star Jim Varney).

:shrug:

Edited for spelling.