The article does describe Gandt's act, but almost as many inches are devoted to describing his unconven­tional personality and appearance. "On stage, Gandt most resembles an unmade bed," Looney writes.

 

But Looney also gives him credit for intelligence as manifested in his love of reading, and athleticism as manifested in his juggling, bodybuilding and former status as a table tennis expert.

 

Gnadt said he found the attention to his personal life humorous, but a little overblown. He said, "My house does look like Dr. Einstein's laboratory, but I don't have things growing in the sink."

 

Looney concludes that Gnadt is a classic case of a man born too late, that his act is perfect for vaudeville but largely lost on modern audiences. Gnadt candidly agrees, claiming that jugglers today just ain't what they used to be. ''The old guys were just better than the new guys," Gnadt says, describing the acts of people like Rastelli and Kara. "I can't get over the fact that so many jugglers are ring, ball and club jugglers and are not creative. But that's what they see. My era was the end of vaudeville, so I saw a lot of different stuff and that's reflected in what I do."

 

Gnadt said the article came about through his friendship with former NBA player Mike Newlin and bodybuilder Bill Perl. Those two pushed his cause with the editors, as did a Time magazine writer who saw his act in Salt Lake City. The whole process began more than two years ago. Gnadt was pleased with the article. "It made a very interesting story, and the exposure will be good for juggling," he said. "It's one of the really great honors to be recognized. Getting in SI gives you a tatoo on your backside that really raises you up!"

 

You would naturally expect some spin-off publicity from an article in such a prominent publication, and Gnadt said he had received coverage from local newspapers and television. In addition, he got a call from the Good Morning America show. He said, "They called me up, but they didn't want any tools juggled. They must be thinking so much about liability. Why did they want to feature me without my tools? They could have gotten anyone."