Sword swallowing is the most dangerous and under-appreciated of all the sideshow acts. When someone swallows a sword they hyper-extend the neck and force the sword past the esophageal sphincter, down the esophagus, and into the stomach. Sword swallowing is so dangerous because the blade, as it goes down your esophagus, passes within millimeters of the aorta, the heart, and lungs. Swallowing a sword does not get the appreciation it should because many cynical people deem it as “fake” stating that performers use fake swords that retract into the handle. I know from personal experience that sword swallowing is 100% real and it is very dangerous and it should not be tried without proper safety precautions or the help of a trained professional.
He calls himself Morgue because if you did what he does, that is exactly where you would end up. Morgue is a performer at the Venice Beach Freakshow, he is a shock artist who does everything from sword swallowing to body modification. Sword swallowing is already dangerous on its own, but he takes it to a whole other level. He combines regurgitation acts with sword swallowing. Morgue uses performing as a form of self-expression, and he truly turns it into a work of art. He uses it as a metaphor for who he is. There are people who really do not appreciate morgue for who he is because he does not care what people think of his way to express himself.
Even though sword swallowing, as well as many other sideshow acts, is making a comeback I believe that it is still not receiving the credit it deserves. Many cynics view sword swallowing as “fake” and just as an act. When you learn how to swallow swords, you would typically use a wire hanger. In my experience it both shocks, and makes the non-believers speechless when you put the hanger down your throat and then bend your neck forward and pull the hanger forward to show them the 90 ̊ angle I just created. The danger behind sword swallowing both excites and terrifies me at the same time. It excites me because the danger and (occasional) pain makes me feel alive. It terrifies me because there is always the fear that something bad could happen, though there are very few people who have died swallowing a sword, the fear of dying is still there.
life on mars? 