You Not RFN. What you used to look like!

[classicman]

Glad you did it Zen.. I had a post written last night and deleted it.

[Gravdigr]

Snipped from V's Wikipedia link:

In 1937, Eck and Robert were recruited by the illusionist and hypnotist, Rajah Raboid, for his "Miracles of 1937" show.[10] In it they performed a magic feat that amazed audiences. Raboid performed the traditional sawing-a-man-in-half illusion, except with an unexpected twist. At first Robert would pretend to be a member of the audience and heckle the illusionist during his routine, resulting in Robert being called on stage to be sawed in half himself. During the illusion, Robert would then be switched with his twin brother Eck, who played the top half of his body, and a dwarf, who played the bottom half, concealed in specially-built pant legs.[10] After being sawed in half, the legs would suddenly get up and start running away, prompting Eck to jump off the table and start chasing his legs around the stage, screaming, “Come back!” "I want my legs back!"[11] Sometimes he even chased the legs into the audience. The subsequent reaction was amazing - people would scream and sometimes even flee the theater in terror. As Eck described it, "The men were more frightened than the women - the women couldn’t move because the men were walking across their laps, headed for the exit.” [12] The act provided the perfect jolt by frightening people at first but then caused just as much laughter and applause.[13] The illusion would end with stage hands plucking up Eck and setting him atop his legs and then twirling him off-stage to be replaced by his twin Robert, who would then loudly threaten to sue Raboid and storm out of the theater. Their act was so popular that they played to packed audiences up and down the East coast.

In addition to film, sideshow and stage, Eck was also pursuing other interests in this period. He and his brother were musicians, having their own twelve-piece orchestra in Baltimore. Eck conducted while Robert played the piano. Eck continued his love of drawing and painting; early on choosing such subjects as pretty girls, ships and himself. He was also a race car enthusiast and the driver[14] of his own custom-built race car that was street-legal in Baltimore, the "Johnny Eck Special". In 1938, Eck climbed the Washington Monument on his hands.

[BigV]

I have the movie Freaks, which I highly recommend. It is where I learned of Mr. Eck. It's an impressive movie all by itself, and the additional visual blockbuster of so many "freaks" (their term, not a perjorative) is stunning today, even with my CGI-jaded eyes. I can only imagine the effect on the audiences during its original release. Five stars.

[regular.joe]

You know, I was thinking all the babes would comment on how cute I was. Go figure, now I'm just a freak double amputee. Sheesh, thanks guys.

[Undertoad]

nice eyebrows, freak

[BigV]

You're not a freak, you got those other three right there with you.

and UT's right, you didn't get shortchanged in the eyebrow department. Now there's an amputation candidate...


:wink:

[Gravdigr]

Taking some pressure off Joe...me, in 1968, me (on the left) & one of the Unclesdigr ~1972, and Senior pic in '86.

[ZenGum]

Grav, what a fine young man!

During the illusion, Robert would then be switched with his twin brother Eck, who played the top half of his body, and a dwarf, who played the bottom half, concealed in specially-built pant legs.[10] After being sawed in half, the legs would suddenly get up and start running away, prompting Eck to jump off the table and start chasing his legs around the stage, screaming, “Come back!” "I want my legs back!"[11] Sometimes he even chased the legs into the audience.

OMG

[jimhelm]

[Sundae]

We now have a working scanner. And as part of my slow-but-sure deep cleaning of my room I've unearthed many photos.
So you will have lots of lovely treats. Don't cry, I'll try to ration them.

I found many of the Evil Ex including a set of the progression of his tattoo, mostly photographed in my bed. I miss the lovely bed linen. I don't miss him, but it hurts to remember just how smitten I was (hence the amount of photos I guess). Sigh. I guess many addicts miss the all-consuming quality of the addiction.

Anyway! More cheery!

I'll try to go in roughly date order, but I already have these two scanned.
Sarge mentioned something about me when I was 20 which prompted the search for photos and subsequent cull. It was on my list.

Me on a lads' weekend away. All three guys (inc the one behind the camera) thought they might get lucky. Hardly. They were good mates, but I had my own bedroom and no-one else was invited!

And me New Year 1992, dressed for working in the bar. Fancy dress, you know. I added the sparkly shorts as the original costume was quite high cut on the leg.

In both photos I am tilting my head back so no-one can see my ptosis. This is one of many stratagems I employed, as you will see. I still tilt my chin now, but that's because I have more of them.

[glatt]

Very nice!

[Trilby]

Love the devil in you!

[glatt]

I think it's interesting and kinda cool that your self consciousness made you raise your head high. Exactly the opposite of what it normally would do and projecting confidence to the world.

[Sundae]

The first is my first Christmas party working for Dr Solomon's, which makes it 1995. I'd stopped off at Mum & Dad's to show them my dress and hair (done by a hairdresser - I never had any luck in putting it up myself). Lynn and I got into the dining room late (too busy at the bar!) and couldn't sit with friends - instead were guided to a table of programmers and IT chaps. Best thing that could've happened that night. As the only women on the table we were feted and celebrated and I made some friends I would keep until the company was bought out and scattered to the winds. Nice chaps these techy guys.

The second I would guess would be spring 1996. I was working at Solomon's at least. It's me eating KFC in my husband's comic shop (still looking unfinished) and I have no wedding ring on.

I was horrified when I got that photo back from the printers. I was SO FAT! The fact that I was obviously gorging on fried food made it even more inexcusable. Hey ho, live and learn. Must remember that one day I will look back and marvel about how lovely I am now.

[Sundae]

I have a date on the back of this photo. June 1998.
This may be the last photo taken of me by my husband.
I'm off on a night out without him.

I was already involved with the Evil Ex, although not physically, and I wasn't going to see him that night. I look at how happy I am to be leaving the house, and my husband alone for the evening and feel sad. But I like my lipstick.