the great omani, r.i.p.

being a great houdini fan, as well as a fan of the great houdini (who lived in appleton wisconsin and whose museum is on my aunt's street there), the obituary of the great omani caught my eye. it never ceases to amaze me why people decide to try and do tricks like eating light bulbs (or bicycles) and plunging themselves into flames.

from the telegraph:
"Ron Cunningham, who died on Monday aged 92, was an escapologist and end-of the-pier artiste specialising in feats such as eating light bulbs and removing a straitjacket while hanging upside down with his trousers on fire. The Great Omani, as he was known to his public, began in the 1950s as a regular draw at music halls and piers around the south coast. His career reached a high point in 1977 when, to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee, he performed a handstand on the cliff edge at Beachy Head with a Union flag between his toes; it made the front page of The People, and film and television appearances followed.

...Perhaps determined that the suspense should last to the very end, Cunningham even wrote his own epitaph: They have put the Great Omani in a box / They're using nails instead of locks / But at the funeral, do not despair / There's still a chance Omani won't be there."

the whole piece may be found here.