1 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: Hey, you welcome to the short stuff. I'm Josh. There's Chuck. 2 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:11,200 Speaker 1: It's just the two of us again. We uh can 3 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:16,959 Speaker 1: let it all hang out. Jerry's not around. Um, we're 4 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: just a couple of dudes hanging out in our bathrobes 5 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:25,360 Speaker 1: talking about GiB Town, the town in Florida near Sarasota 6 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: and Tampa where the people who lived in the circus 7 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: where the Carnivals went to live when they weren't working. 8 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 1: Let's go quick story. Since we've on a short stuff, 9 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:40,960 Speaker 1: I'll make it twenty seconds. I got out of the 10 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:43,479 Speaker 1: shower today and I almost went and put on a 11 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 1: suit just to walk into the kitchen and make Emily laugh. 12 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 1: But it wasn't worth the effort. So I was like, 13 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:50,880 Speaker 1: I told her the joke and said to just imagine 14 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 1: I did that, right, that's good enough. Uh, so give Town. Yeah, 15 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: we did a show, an episode on Circus Side Shows, 16 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 1: uh way back, and it's a really good one. And 17 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: I know that we'll talk about this a little bit 18 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:09,479 Speaker 1: in this episode. But um, these things can very much 19 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 1: seem like exploitation of people with disabilities, and on one hand, 20 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 1: they certainly were. But on the other hand, we found 21 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 1: out through research. A lot of these people it was 22 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 1: the only way they could make money. A lot of 23 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:24,959 Speaker 1: them found love and community, and so it is very 24 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: much something that is is in the Gray area, uh 25 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:31,040 Speaker 1: as far as you know when this was going on. 26 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 1: So I just wanted to throw that out there. I 27 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 1: think that was really good, Chuck, because I remember our 28 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 1: um what do we call him? Sideshow performers or did we? 29 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:41,480 Speaker 1: Was freaks used in the title of that episode. I 30 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: don't remember. I don't think we did, but it was 31 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 1: a really good one. And I remember I just saw 32 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: Freaks the movie the other day and apparently, um a 33 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:53,280 Speaker 1: lot of people from GiB Town who hadn't settled there 34 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:56,279 Speaker 1: quite yet but soon would. We're in that movie as well, 35 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 1: Yeah for sure. So, um, we're talking about Gibsonton, Florida, 36 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: which is near Tampa, and it is on the Alphia 37 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, the Alafia or the Alafia River? Do you 38 00:02:11,480 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 1: know which one it is? No? I no, I hang 39 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:16,639 Speaker 1: out on the east side when I'm down there, that's 40 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 1: west side. We don't. We don't get along very well. Well, 41 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:24,120 Speaker 1: I see flashing your west side sign. Yeah, you couldn't 42 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:26,080 Speaker 1: even see me, and you you knew that I did 43 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:28,400 Speaker 1: that when I said west Side, and it was all 44 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:31,959 Speaker 1: jumbled to like it's just basically all fingers were splayed 45 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:34,040 Speaker 1: on each hand, and then I put it up against 46 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 1: my chest as if I've been recording a lot of 47 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:40,959 Speaker 1: these skype things now with movie Crush, and I always 48 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: do video and they're always surprised when they ask about us, 49 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 1: and I'm like, we don't do video, mainly because my 50 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 1: notes get in the way. But I was like, after 51 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 1: this long, all I need is that guy in my 52 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:54,080 Speaker 1: ear holes. Sure a little bit of this right up 53 00:02:54,080 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 1: in your ear Yeah, So give Gibson toon. If you 54 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:02,520 Speaker 1: went to that town in the nineteen fifties and walked 55 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:05,519 Speaker 1: around a bit, you would think, what is going on here? 56 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,800 Speaker 1: There are lions and tigers in that backyard. There is 57 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 1: a restaurant run by an eight foot tall man and 58 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 1: his wife, a woman with no legs, And there's Lobster Boy, 59 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:22,799 Speaker 1: and there is uh monkey girl. And these are all 60 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 1: sort of the unfortunate names given to them on their 61 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 1: side show tours, yes, sometimes by their adopted parents, who 62 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:33,320 Speaker 1: would be the promoters a side shower circus promoters who 63 00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:37,960 Speaker 1: basically literally had legally adopted them and in some cases 64 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,320 Speaker 1: that was actually a step up for you know, some 65 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: of the kids. But um, yes, if you did walk 66 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 1: around what came to be called GiB Town, um it 67 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:51,200 Speaker 1: did seem a little different. I mean just the fact 68 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 1: that people had like monkeys and elephants and lions and 69 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:57,560 Speaker 1: tigers in their backyard. That's a pretty that's a that's 70 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 1: a different than most other towns. The side show rides 71 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:04,800 Speaker 1: parked and people's driveways, it's a little different too. And 72 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 1: apparently this town was that way because it was first 73 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 1: settled by um, the the Giant and the half woman 74 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 1: they called themselves, but their names were Alan Genie Tomaini, 75 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:21,720 Speaker 1: which is great Genie Tomaini. It just rolls off the tongue. 76 00:04:21,640 --> 00:04:23,480 Speaker 1: Yeah that's great. But they first showed up there in 77 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: the thirties, and I guess they just basically said, hey, everybody, 78 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:29,040 Speaker 1: this this place is kind of cool. We're not judged, 79 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 1: we're not treated differently in the town's actually kind of neat. 80 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 1: And eventually the town or the county, Hillsboro County, passed 81 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: an ordinance that said you can have things like carnival 82 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 1: rides in your driveway or elephants in your backyard. Um, 83 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:45,800 Speaker 1: be if you are a carnival or circus performer. Yeah, 84 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:47,599 Speaker 1: I think they got the notion that it was a 85 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:51,920 Speaker 1: pretty sleepy little town, and in the nineteen sixties they 86 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:55,800 Speaker 1: had about a hundred actual sideshow performers and about a 87 00:04:55,839 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: thousand carnies that would live there. When you know, it 88 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:01,320 Speaker 1: just became a friendly place for them all to live 89 00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:03,080 Speaker 1: and they were all kind of like a big family. 90 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 1: So they congregated there, and I think the town was like, 91 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:08,720 Speaker 1: you know what, these are great residents. They pay their 92 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:12,680 Speaker 1: uh state taxes. Wait a minute, it's Florida, all right, 93 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:15,359 Speaker 1: that's why they're living here. There are no state taxes, 94 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:17,680 Speaker 1: although I don't know if that was the deal back then, 95 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 1: but or has it always been the deal. I don't 96 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 1: even know. I don't know. I know there's no state 97 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:25,520 Speaker 1: income tax, but there's like the property taxes are much higher. 98 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:27,280 Speaker 1: Like they make it up in other ways. For sure, 99 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:29,160 Speaker 1: right they get they get you one away of the 100 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:34,240 Speaker 1: other that elephant taxes really steep. But they realized, hey, 101 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:37,640 Speaker 1: we could use these residents. And they're only here part time, 102 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:39,039 Speaker 1: if you know what I'm saying, So that's kind of 103 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 1: great too. And so they made like you said, these 104 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:45,040 Speaker 1: business ordinances that made it kind of a friendly place 105 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:47,760 Speaker 1: for Carney's. So I say we take a break and 106 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:49,919 Speaker 1: come back and talk a little more about give Town. 107 00:05:50,400 --> 00:06:18,400 Speaker 1: Let's do it. What's the famous quote, Chuck, don't don't 108 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:23,320 Speaker 1: try it, Jake, this is GiB Town. That's it. I 109 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:25,479 Speaker 1: don't even think I got the first part, right, No 110 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 1: you didn't, Jake, Jake, stop stop, this is gid Town. 111 00:06:29,040 --> 00:06:32,280 Speaker 1: Don't do it. I think it's uh a GiB town. 112 00:06:32,279 --> 00:06:37,520 Speaker 1: I'm walking here, that's it. That's from Midnight Cowboy, right, 113 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:43,840 Speaker 1: Midnight Cowboy. Yes, that is Dustin Hoffman. Right, nice work. 114 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:47,800 Speaker 1: So back to GiB Town. This town by, like we said, 115 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:51,479 Speaker 1: by the nineteen sixties was booming with carnival folk. Uh. 116 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:53,599 Speaker 1: They loved living there. It was a kind of a 117 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:57,480 Speaker 1: lovely community for them. And we mentioned earlier that they 118 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:02,080 Speaker 1: sometimes found love. Uh. We we mentioned the tall man 119 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:05,880 Speaker 1: and the short lady who traveled as the world's strangest 120 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:09,360 Speaker 1: married couple. It's actually a very sweet story. Yeah. Like, 121 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 1: he was over eight feet tall, Chuck, and she, not 122 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:15,880 Speaker 1: having any legs, was about two and a half feet tall, 123 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:20,120 Speaker 1: and it am at the knees. Yeah, yeah, I guess so, um, 124 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:23,400 Speaker 1: maybe like mid Shin. Actually who knows it was a knee. 125 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:26,440 Speaker 1: I saw a picture. Okay, where there you go? So um, 126 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 1: the Tomaini's they toured as the world's strangest married couple 127 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:33,040 Speaker 1: and they actually they had kids too, and their their 128 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:36,440 Speaker 1: daughter remembered that they would, you know, leave for the 129 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:38,480 Speaker 1: summer and go make some money and come back to 130 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:41,960 Speaker 1: to Give Town and and run the Fish Camp Giants 131 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:44,880 Speaker 1: Fish Camp, which is one of the places that that 132 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,800 Speaker 1: they owned, which was very legendary but apparently isn't there anymore. No, 133 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 1: there's a memorial there. Now. I watched a couple of 134 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,680 Speaker 1: short YouTube videos about Give Town, and you know, there 135 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 1: are still remnants of uh and there are still some performers. 136 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 1: About two hundred carnival people still live there, but they're 137 00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 1: little remnants of that past world. Every now and then 138 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 1: you'll see some broken down, old rusted rides in like 139 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:12,080 Speaker 1: a vacant lot, or maybe a themed restaurant that's closed down. 140 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:15,840 Speaker 1: So Get Towns about forty five miles from Sara Sota, 141 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:19,360 Speaker 1: which is where the Wringling Brothers Barnman Bailey Circus winters. 142 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:22,760 Speaker 1: So I think it was, and we've talked about Florida 143 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:27,160 Speaker 1: in general, having sort of circus stuff in general. So 144 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:30,000 Speaker 1: I think it all just sort of made sense, right, Um, 145 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:32,839 Speaker 1: and I I don't know why GiB Town. I think 146 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:36,320 Speaker 1: it was just that the Tomainis happened to set up 147 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:39,760 Speaker 1: shop there and found that the people were tallerant and friendly, 148 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:42,360 Speaker 1: and it just kind of spread from there. So it 149 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:46,360 Speaker 1: had the Heyday from I'd say the thirties till maybe 150 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 1: the eighties or so. And um. This article from how 151 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 1: Stuff Works points out that there were side shows in 152 00:08:52,559 --> 00:08:57,480 Speaker 1: operation pre Lallapalooza, side shows like the Real Deal um 153 00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:01,280 Speaker 1: into the eighties and um, though they really kind of 154 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:03,920 Speaker 1: started to decline by like the thirties and forties. People 155 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:07,480 Speaker 1: were like, this seems exploitive, and people say, well, it 156 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:10,840 Speaker 1: probably is, um, but let's not ask the performers. Let's 157 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:16,000 Speaker 1: just decide for them. But finally, in Americans with Disabilities 158 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:19,520 Speaker 1: Act was past, and all of a sudden, you know, 159 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:21,400 Speaker 1: working in a sideshow is not the only place you 160 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:25,200 Speaker 1: could get a job if you had some sort of um, 161 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 1: what's the word I'm looking for. I don't know, physical malady, abnormality. Maybe, Yeah, 162 00:09:31,559 --> 00:09:33,160 Speaker 1: I'm not sure the right way to say that. These days, 163 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:36,120 Speaker 1: I'm not either, But if you were a sideshow performer, 164 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:38,160 Speaker 1: you could now get a job anywhere thanks to the 165 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:41,840 Speaker 1: A D A. That's right, which is great. Um. The 166 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:45,960 Speaker 1: lobster boys, he was known greaty styles. He was known 167 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 1: as the lobster Boy because and here's the deal, and 168 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:52,439 Speaker 1: we talked about this in the Side Show Performer podcast episode, 169 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:55,880 Speaker 1: is that you got into these things because you were 170 00:09:55,920 --> 00:10:00,200 Speaker 1: born with a condition almost invariably, and they would view 171 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:02,120 Speaker 1: a name like lobster boy, when in fact you had 172 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 1: a real life condition, which which one was that ectrodactically 173 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:10,160 Speaker 1: right where it appears like you have two fingers only 174 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:12,240 Speaker 1: that sort of looked like claws. It looks a lot 175 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:16,920 Speaker 1: like lobster clause. Actually, yeah, and Justin Bieber's wife actually 176 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:19,320 Speaker 1: has a form of this because she has a pinky 177 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:22,520 Speaker 1: that is um sort of misshapen, and she has just 178 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:24,320 Speaker 1: come out and said, all right, let's look and talk 179 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:27,240 Speaker 1: look at it and talk about it, because here it is. 180 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:32,320 Speaker 1: But he actually was a terrible person, so that he 181 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:35,600 Speaker 1: was murdered. He was an abusive alcoholic. He killed his 182 00:10:35,679 --> 00:10:39,480 Speaker 1: first wife and was sentenced to home incarceration because there 183 00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:41,960 Speaker 1: was no prison that could care for him. Wait he 184 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 1: killed us? No, I think he killed Yeah that's right. 185 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:52,800 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, daughter's fiance home incarcerated, quit drinking, got married again, 186 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:56,640 Speaker 1: started drinking again, and allegedly he was either knocked off 187 00:10:56,720 --> 00:11:02,360 Speaker 1: by Carney for bucks paid for by current wife or uh, 188 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:04,160 Speaker 1: the neighbor just came over and took care of business 189 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:06,280 Speaker 1: because they knew what a bad guy he was. Yeah, 190 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:09,800 Speaker 1: I think like he he was paid from what I 191 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:12,040 Speaker 1: saw like that that amount of money. I didn't see 192 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:14,960 Speaker 1: any other alternate theories. But he shot him twice in 193 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:19,400 Speaker 1: the head and he died like sitting in his chair. Um. Yeah, 194 00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:22,720 Speaker 1: he wasn't a very good guy from what I saw either. No, 195 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:25,600 Speaker 1: so not to you know, not to trash his name, 196 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:29,200 Speaker 1: but you know, but that was like the big scandal 197 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:30,880 Speaker 1: in give Town. For the most part, it was like 198 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:33,040 Speaker 1: a really peaceful, happy place where if you were a 199 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:36,200 Speaker 1: side show performer, like you could go feel at home 200 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:38,720 Speaker 1: and be yourself. And one of the cutest things that 201 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:42,640 Speaker 1: I saw was that another couple that found love. Um 202 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:47,200 Speaker 1: Priscilla the monkey girl who had hypertrichosis, which was um. 203 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:50,240 Speaker 1: She had like a full head of hair, like a 204 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:53,319 Speaker 1: hair do as an infant, and it just kept going 205 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:56,719 Speaker 1: from there. She had a beard. Um, she was like, 206 00:11:56,880 --> 00:12:00,440 Speaker 1: just had tons of hair. Um. She married Emit the 207 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:04,200 Speaker 1: alligator skin Man, who had a healthy case of ichthyosis, 208 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:07,480 Speaker 1: which is thick, scaly skin all over your body. And 209 00:12:07,520 --> 00:12:10,240 Speaker 1: they were married for so long that they had their 210 00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:14,040 Speaker 1: fiftieth wedding anniversary at a local club, the Showman's Club. 211 00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:18,280 Speaker 1: They're fact that the cutest thing it is. And I 212 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:20,640 Speaker 1: love the idea of GiB Town that these people came together, 213 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:25,160 Speaker 1: um on the outskirts of society, and now hipsters are 214 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:29,160 Speaker 1: moving there apparently. Yeah, that's the least surprising part of 215 00:12:29,160 --> 00:12:32,559 Speaker 1: this entire episode. That's right. One other thing, if you 216 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:34,400 Speaker 1: want to see something very cute, go look up a 217 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:39,800 Speaker 1: baby photo of Priscilla the monkey Girl. She was adorable. Agreed. Um, 218 00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:43,439 Speaker 1: Well that's it for short Stuff, everybody. Short Stuff is out. 219 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:48,880 Speaker 1: Stuff you should know is production of iHeart Radios. How 220 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:51,840 Speaker 1: Stuff works. For more podcasts for my Heart Radio, visit 221 00:12:51,880 --> 00:12:54,720 Speaker 1: the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 222 00:12:54,760 --> 00:13:00,880 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.