Shocked and Amazed #9

sofcover 128 pages $20.00 post paid in the USA

Finally, Zamora The Torture King aka Tim Cridland makes the cover of James Taylor's Shocked and Amazed, the only magazine devote to sideshow and other strange variety entertainment.

The interview they did with me is the longest ever published in the histroy of the magazine. If you want to know my history and inspirations it is all in here, plus a lot more. Here is Taylor's description of the contents:

■Tim “Zamora the Torture King” Cridland interview

■Manuel King (once billed as the World’s Youngest Animal Trainer when he was 10yrs. old back in the ’30s) interview

■Excerpt from RATTLING YOURS – THE STORY OF SNAKE KING (the man who supplied pretty much all the carnival shows with the bulk of their exotic animals, especially reptiles, in the first half of the 20th century)

■Excerpt from John Strausbaugh’s BLACK LIKE YOU on the historical origins of minstrelsy Medicine shows!

■Next installment of “The Strand,” on variety entertainment at the turn of the century

■Next installment of Walt Hudson’s “Coney Island Baby”

■History of Ken Harck’s Bros. Grim Sideshow photo essay

■Joseph Pujol (yeah, Le Petomane) and our discovery that, in spite of the urban myth to the contrary, he really existed (as opposed to: he was a hoax) and farted for a living

■“Carny Lingo”

■Mark Frierson cover art

■… AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!

“Great fxxxing mag!”
Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller

All copies will be signed by Zamora The Torture King

To order click of the button below:

Circus of The Scars

$30.00 post paid in the USA

Hardbound, 450 pages, 32 pages of Photos, Over 100 illustrations, full index

What is it like to be a part of a modern day sideshow? How did the whole thing start? This is the full behind the scenes account of the Jim Rose Circus Sideshow. From the beginnings in Seattle, WA, the quick rise to fame on the Lollapalooza Festival, the tours, the road, the glory and the grind. This is the "warts and all" story as told by the road manager and one of the founding members of the show. The revelations in this book are so brutal and clear that one of it's subjects called up the Ripley's TV show and begged them not to mention the title on the air. We have not been sued... yet. Buy your copy while you still can. This book is especially informative if you plan on doing a show of your own.

The most imaginative casting agent couldn't have chosen the original troupe with more flair.

The Amazing Mister Lifto; The Torture King; The Enigma; Matt The Tube Crowley with Dolly the Doll Lady

They were led by the maniacal hype-master himself, Jim Rose, who was assisted by Bebe the Circus Queen.

These Human Marvels came together to revive the ancient art of Sideshow . . . which had been nearly lost . . . but not forgotten.

Before rock-and-roll there was Sideshow, which also captivated, mystified and enraged audiences for over a hundred years. But by the end of the 20th century, you could count remaining sideshows on one hand. Entertainment had become sanitized and corporatized for mass consumption; lukewarm safe with no sharp edges.

There was a whole new generation that had been born and raised on rock-and-roll. Sideshow virgins who knew absolutely nothing about the eyeball-bulging, faint-inducing antics of the Human Marvels of Yesteryear. That is, until a modern sideshow came to town.

The contemporary tale--as told by tour manager Jan T. Gregor and original member Tim Cridland a/k/a The Torture King--is one of bannings, sex, drugs, fame, lust, longing, camaraderie and betrayal. Intertwined into the present-day story is an equally compelling historical voice: the intimate passages from a long-lost and only recently discovered 142-year-old diary.

The average person, inherently curious, has always been both fascinated and repulsed by Human Oddities and their unusual feats. Circus of the Scars is the ultimate rollercoaster ride, careening through two years of Sideshow present while simultaneously barreling down 150 years of Sideshow past. Circus of the Scars takes you on a bizarre odyssey around the globe with a Sideshow troupe that truly was live, real, raw and dangerous. Learn the hidden secrets behind one of the most emotion-inducing acts of the 20th Century.

"Entertaining from start to finish, an interesting look at an unforgettable piece of '90s pop culture."
-- Joe Garden, The Onion

"Genuinely affecting . . . notable for the detail it brings to the experience . . . offers more straight dope than any freakshow junkie could ever hope to metabolize."
-- Marc Savlov-Austin Chronicle

"Winner of the Best Oddity in International Publishing award . . . Look no further than Circus of the Scars, a remarkable achievement by any standard, a work very much equal of its subject . . . presented in one of the most impressive packages you'll see this or any other year."
-- Alan Kellogg, Edmonton Journal

$30.00 Post Paid in the USA (Canadian and overseas: email ZamoraKing@aol.com for postage costs).

Weird Las Vegas and Nevada.

Weird Las Vegas and Nevada is the new book by Tim Cridland, better know to many by his stage name Zamora the Torture King.

Weird Las Vegas is the latest in the Weird US series, which started with Weird New Jersey. Each of the Weird US books covers the legends, folklore, personalized properties, eccentric people and events, outlandish rumors and of the different States.

Why was Zamora selected to write Weird Las Vegas? The Las Vegas weekly newspaper City Life explained it well when they wrote "...the selection isn't so puzzling. Turns out Zamora's real name is Tim Cridland, a Las Vegan who, before he decided to make a living by sticking spikes through his face, used to publish a 'zine devoted to the weird called Off the Deep End. This venture allowed him to indulge in his passion for sideshow acts by forming one himself with the help of friends. His act would eventually evolve into the Jim Rose Circus, which toured not just Lollapalooza but the world. If Cridland's name (or pierced profile) seems familiar, it's because you've seen him on shows like Ripley's TV, Guinness World Records and 48 Hours. Oh, and he already co-wrote the book Circus of the Scars, a history of the early years and rise (if you can call it that) to infamy of the Jim Rose Circus."

Here is what the reviews have said about Weird Las Vegas and Nevada:


• "Do not venture into the Silver State without this guidebook..." --- Richard Menziez

• "This book is a must if you visited or live in Las Vegas... Buy this book is worth every dollar!!!!!" --- Paul A. Vincent

• "This is a great book for anyone's collection on Nevada. The stories are interesting, well-done, and the quality of the book is superb."
--- Ryan Jerz's blog

• "Anyone ... curious about some of the off-the-wall history facts; plus ghosts, bizarre architecture; unusual places to visit; UFO's will have a field day with this nicely-priced guidebook to the Silver State should get a copy of Weird Las Vegas and Nevada. Beautifully illustrated, easy-indexed and covering everything from Busy Siegel to Elvis, Area 51, Liberace, thrill rides, strange museums, roadside oddities and more, it's a "gee-whiz" book with class and character. It approaches this unique state like no other travel guide."
--- Howard Schwartz Gambler's Book Club

• "...add Weird Las Vegas to your collection of quirky books about Sin City" --- Las Vegas City Life
• "5 stars out of 5" Las Vegas-Clark County Library District

You can get a copy signed copy of Weird Las Vegas, direct from the author, postage paid, for only $20.00, less than it costs at a store. Plus, you will also get a copy of the article Fear and Loafing in Las Vegas from the newspaper Los Angeles Alternative Press. This is a mini-guide to weird Las Vegas written by Zamora and is one of the things that lead to the contract to write the book.
Los Angeles Alternative Press is now out of business and the article can no longer be found on the Internet. I saved a stack of the issue when it came out, so you will receive the original article, not a photocopy or rewrite.

Order now for a signed copy. Click on the PayPal button below. The cost is $20.00 postage included within the US (Canadians and other countries please e-mail at ZamoraKing@aol.com for shipping details).

A Critique of Pure Randi
I have done it now. My critique of former magician turned professional skeptic James Randi has finally been published in The Anomalist print edition #14. This is a mini bio of James Randi, born Randall Zwinge. One review accurately states “Cridland suggests that Randi's past is much more ambiguous than that of the pure hearted crusader against paranormal pornography which he now portrays himself.” It has taken years to find a publisher with the guts to print this. The debunker is debunked in the overview of the life of The Amazing Randi. I don't have to have the powers of Criswell to know that I will lose friends for writing this (or at least confuse some) and gain some new ones. This may hurt me financially. I will experience “the sensation of being glared at.” Some will point at me while yelling “Woo!” Some people won't like what they read but before YOU judge it read it and check the sources. You will be surprised by what you learn.My article “The Real James Randi” (not my original title) is included in Anomalist 14.

The essay is part of a 170 page book/magazine with 14 essays on strange and unusual. Order now for a signed copy. Click on the PayPal button below. The cost is $13.00 postage included within the US (Canadians and other countries please e-mail at ZamoraKing@aol.com for shipping details).