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THE ENIGMA AND KATZEN
Perform at the Bros. Grim Sideshow at Funtime Pier in New Jersey
by Jeani Treacy
From the August 2003 issue of Prick Magazine.
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 The Enigma and Katzen. |
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From one of the more popular hangouts along the
stretch of boardwalk in Seaside Heights, NJ, the
Enigma and his mysterious wife Katzen relax after
a long night of performing in the Bros. Grim Sideshow
at Funtime Pier. The pair are hard to miss - the Enigma,
with hundreds of puzzle pieces tattooed on him from
head to toe and implanted horns which protrude from
his forehead, and Katzen, with her cat-like striped tattoos
and whiskers. Though they may not look like
everyone else, I was surprised at how down-to-earth
they were as I sat down and chatted with them.
So what first inspired their artistic form of expression?
The Enigma replied: "I just wanted to do something
bit by bit, piece by piece." Katzen explained that since she
was seven years old, she would have dreams of her body
being covered with these stripes and would draw them on
herself. The two met when Katzen first started tattooing.
She has also done some tattoo work on the Enigma. As far
as her own tattoos, over 200 various artists have contributed
to her stripes. Chris Delanie is one of her favorite
artists. While at Seaside Heights, her last stripe, located
under her left armpit, was tattooed by Bayside Ink Tattoo
Shop. Her whiskers are actually teflon and stay in for a
month at a time.
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 May we present some sword swallowing ... |
 The Enigma is a professional.
Don't try this at home kids! |
 Sparks flew during the rock show. |
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The next day, I was invited to see their talents
first hand. The Enigma and Katzen performed various
feats including swallowing a razor sharp
sword. Katzen played her guitar with a grinding
wheel causing a spectacular array of sparks to fly from its
strings and, at one point, even lighting a
cigarette from the intense heat. There
were a variety of other insane stunts that they
managed to pull off on stage, but nothing
compared to their astonishing appearance.
The Bros. Grim
Sideshow, a 1920's-style
sideshow, features
a variety of
strange acts and a
collection of oddities
from circus
historian and sideshow owner Ken Harck. The artifacts
include actual items used in rituals for voodoo
and witchcraft - shrunken heads, a 600-year-old
Tibetan skull and blessed Mala beads, which are
made from the teeth of Buddhist Monks. One display
in particular that caught my eye was the preserved
two-headed baby. I asked the gentleman that
worked there whether or not it was real, but he
merely smiled mysteriously.
The Enigma has appeared in various
television shows and documentaries over
the years, including: the "X Files" in 1995,
"Guiness Prime Time" in 1999, "Ripley's
Believe It or Not" in 2000, "Sideshow
Documentary" in 2002, and "Ricki Lake."
Now, the two not only do their sideshow
act in various venues across the country,
they even have a band called Human
Marvels which you can check out for
yourself at www.humanmarvels.com.
After the show when we spoke further,
they seemed to be more concerned
about putting their energy
into their band and wouldn't even
allow me to take a picture of
them without their guitars in
their hands. They have a CD
coming out shortly.
The Enigma and Katzen will be
performing at the Bros. Grim
Sideshow in Seaside Heights, New
Jersey through September, 2003.
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