Page 35 Winter 1988 - 89
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Elvis
Presley Lives... .. .and He Juggles! Comedy
by Jack Swersie
Elvis
Presley. Is he alive or is he dead? Countless sightings fuel this
perplexing question. New evidence comes from Pennsylvania, where
Jack Swersie insists that Elvis stalked him for months, and Swersie
juggled with the King. An incredible story? You Bet! Here's a JW
exclusive interview on the encounter:
JW:
When did you first realize Elvis was following you?
Jack:
In June. In the Catskills at a Neil Sedaka concert. I was the
opener, and there he was, third row, clapping and laughing. It blew
my mind! Elvis alive, and my number one fan!
JW:
What happened next?
Jack:
It got weird. Everywhere I juggled,
he was there! Finally I went up to his table and said hello.
JW:
How did you know this man was really Elvis?
Jack:
He looked like Elvis. He told me he never wanted to be a singer. At
12 he ran off with the circus, but his daddy caught him and gave him
a 'whoopin.' It's true! Still, he spent hours juggling in his yard.
He tried to put a juggling bit in his act when he started singing,
but Colonel Parker said no!
JW:
Why would he fake his death?
Jack:
He wanted to start all over again and do what he loves... juggling!
He was following
me and all the other greats Jackman,
Nizer, Ignatov, Brunn, Fudi, Smith and Wesson - to get ideas for his
act. He said Gatto reminded him of his own youth. Elvis is a really
sensitive guy.
JW:
You actually juggled with him! How was he?
Jack:
Excellent with three balls. His boxes needed some work, so I
helped him. Great
with the devil stick and diabolo. He said he was going to perform
again as "The Amazing El-vi. ..
JW:
Where can we find him?
Jack:
I can only tell you he got restless and moved on. He thanked me for my
friendship and left. He did say, though, that he would keep the Juggler's
World Meetings page in his shirt pocket, and stop in to pass clubs
if he was in town. I'll tell you... I'm sure going to miss that guy!
Try
Bubble Juggling (From
the Juggler's Bulletin, Feb. 1947) Make
a solution of high grade soap dissolved in warm water with a smaIl
quantity of pure gum arabic and about a third by volume of glycerine.
The actual amounts will be found by trial, as it depends on the kind
of soap used.
This
mixture is well mixed and left to stand for a while, well corked in a
bottle. The tube used for blowing the bubbles is made of cardboard,
about one-inch in diameter at the largest end, and is waxed.
Bubbles blown with this solution can be handled easily by a juggler wearing woolen gloves. The secret is that all sticks, etc., used for bouncing, rolling, and balancing are covered with woolen material. Some very good effects can be worked out with this novelty. |