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Ozzy Osbourne is no stranger to shock tactics when it comes to performing. In 1982, he developed an act that played on that shock factor. He would regularly pelt his audience with pig intestines and calves livers and bite the heads off fake bats as a part of his act. Soon, fans began to bring meat and even dead animals to throw onstage. Things got out of control when, on January 20, 1982, a fan threw a live bat onstage. Thinking it was a fake bat, he picked it up and bit the head off. As a result, Ozzy had to endure a series of painful rabies shots. Surprisingly, the situation happened to him not only once, but twice. He performed a similar act in May, 1981. He had become bored during a record company press conference in Los Angeles, California. As a result, he grabbed one of the doves that were brought in for the event by the publicity department and bit off its head.

Tommy Minnock was a variety artist who plied his trade in Trenton, New Jersey in the 1890’s. Shockingly, he allowed himself to be crucified onstage. As the nails were being driven into his hand and feet while is horrified audience watched, Minnock sang “After the Ball Is Over.”

Dora Oberling was a stripper in Tampa, Florida. One night, in 1996, she cheated death while she was performing onstage. While she was dancing, a dissatisfied member of the audience tried to shoot her. Her life was saved because the bullet bounced off one of her silicone breast implants.

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Idi Amin was notorious because of his cruel streak. At an Organization of African Unity summit meeting, Idi Amin entertained his fellow African presidents by demonstrating how to suffocate people with a handkerchief.

In September 1994, a glass eye worn by Armando Boelli, who was in the audience, shattered when a soprano hit a high note during an opera in Milan.

Frenchman Joseph Pujol was a virtuoso as an anal (yes, I said anal) performer. While lying in the bath, Pujol made the discovery that he could modulate sound with completely odorless farting. Pujol took his “act” to Paris, where he became an overnight sensation and, in the 1870’s, even eclipsed Sarah Bernhardt in popularity. His performances included a series of imitations that included mimicking the sounds made by an eight day old puppy, a creaking door, an owl and other sounds. He would then top off his performance by placing a small flute in his rectum and play “By the Light of the Moon. The highlight of Pujol’s career was his continental tour, which was even attended by many of the crowned heads of Europe.

Matthew Buchinger, a seventeenth century German, was the first all-round entertainer. He mastered a dozen musical instruments and was a brilliant magician. He was also an excellent marksman, a superb bowler and an accomplished calligrapher. What made these feats so special was the fact that he was only two feet four inches tall and did not have arms or legs.

Other related articles by Bren Parks include:

• Making Movies: Stars Who Died Undone
• Tales of Men Who Ruled
• Making Movies: Stars Who Collide
• Making Movies: Beyond the Call of Duty
• Artistic Eccentrics
• Rock and Roll Suicides
• Six of the Greatest and Deadliest Bands in Rock and Roll