The Night the Wheel of Death Died

July 3, 2004…

I thought it was going to be a fun, thrilling, and exciting night. I had no idea how right I would be. Coney Island Circus SideShow billed my uncle as a special guest at their Annual Fourth of July performance. The Carnival SideShow at Coney Island has characters of every kind. “Freaks” as they are sometimes referred to include: a Fire Eater, a Human Blockhead, a Glass Eater, a Two-Faced Man (he is the proud owner of a tattooed face on the back of his head), Ula “The Pain-Proof Rubber Girl”, Ravi “The Bendable Boy”, Insectivora, a man who swallows crickets and lit cigarettes, a snake charmer, a sword swallower, and a man who hammers nails in his nose (among other things).

If I forgot anyone, see them all for yourself. Go to: Circus SideShow.

So, what does my uncle do? The question is what does he not do. My uncle has a PhD in exercise physiology. Additionally, he is an entrepreneur, a Billiards Hall owner, a Minister, a Gourmet Chef, a volunteer EMT, a volunteer fire fighter, a former gymnast, and most recently an Off Broadway performer. He and his friends put together an Off Broadway show called MAXIMUM RISK that received rave reviews from known-to-be-harsh critics of Broadway and Off-Broadway theatre. His name is the Reverend Dr. David Adamovich, but his friends know him as The Great Throwdini. I call him “Throw”.

My aunt and uncle picked me up between 4:30 and 5:00 PM. We were taking their Hummer from Freeport, Long Island to Coney Island, Brooklyn. It is about an hour drive. Before leaving on our way to Coney Island, we all had to lift the massive Wheel of Death on to the back of the Hummer. We then took tying straps to strap the Wheel of Death on to the back of the Hummer. The Wheel impeded my uncle’s view from his rear view mirror. It’s okay; he’s quick to tell you that he likes to live on the edge. In addition to the Wheel of Death, the Hummer also held the massive brief case of steel knives and other throwing paraphernalia for MAXIMUM RISK. The Hummer also held the large, wooden backboard, which serves as the piece behind his target girls. Lastly, the Hummer also held all the other props that go into Throw’s act. (That’s a lot of stuff.)

When we made it to Coney Island, it was approximately 6:00 PM. Along with my aunt and some of the other performers; I helped remove the Wheel of Death off the Hummer and into the show’s theatre. We then proceeded to move all the other things from the Hummer and into the theatre. I caught a glimpse of one of the earlier performances, and I was amazed at the different kinds of people performing. I highly recommend taking a trek down to Coney Island one day over the summer to experience the boardwalk, the Nathan’s hotdogs, the beach, the amusement park rides, the Russian culture, and the overall ambiance that makes Coney Island such a unique experience.

My aunt and I left the Sideshow and walked on the boardwalk. Only a few paces past the Coney Island Aquarium are various Russian stores untainted by American ideologies. There is a strong Russian influence in this community. We decided to go to a Russian Deli. It was a unique experience, because it is rare that one finds places like that on Long Island. In fact, I don’t think there are any Russian Deli’s on Long Island. We ate some food, drank a beer or two, and then walked back to the Sideshow. It was getting dark. Fire works had been going off in the distance. It was a beautiful sight to see from the boardwalk. We made our way into the Sideshow and met up with some of my aunt and uncle’s friends. We sat on benches and watched the show set in motion. Three or four performers did their routines. At this point, it was almost 11:00 PM; I had two large beers (I have the tolerance of a twelve-year-old girl) and my eyes were getting heavy. However, the next act would be the Great Throwdini, and I did not want to miss part of it. He did not disappoint. For the last part of his performance, he puts his assistant onto the “Wheel of Death”. He spins her around, steps back a few paces and throws his knives around her. One knife after another, the crowd gasps in terror and awe…

Throw helps his unscathed assistant off the wheel. The crowd gives them a spirited ovation. The cast of the Sideshow even baked his assistant Katya a birthday cake. Rather than eat the cake, in Coney Island fashion, her half-naked body teased the mass of onlookers when she squatted on the cake to the crowd’s delight and awe. I recommended that next time they use vanilla icing. Chocolate icing on her rear end and thighs does not look very sexy. Frankly, it appeared as though she did a nasty Hershey squirt all over herself. (Whom am I kidding? I would have licked it off her if she asked me to.)

After the dust settled and the smoke cleared, it was almost 1:00 AM. It was time to depart. We started to gather everything from MAXIMUM RISK back onto the Hummer parked outside the Circus Sideshow. We put the wooden boards in first, and then the brief case filled with steel, more props, and finally the Wheel of Death. We closed up the back doors to the Hummer and put the Wheel of Death on the back. We wrapped the tying straps around the wheel and hooks on the back of the Hummer. It seemed tight…

We left to go back home. It was close to 2:00 AM. On the way home we were laughing at some of the crazy things we all witnessed that night. We drove onto the Belt Parkway heading back to Long Island. It was just as wild a night as I had intended. There was good food, a little bit of T & A, knife throwing, and a few beers to kick back. What more could I ask for? CRASH!!!! “What the fuck was that!?!” I asked in a loud voice. I had been sitting shotgun, and my aunt was sitting in the back seat. All I heard was a thunderous THUD. Throw looked up at his rear view mirror to see that he could see behind him perfectly…the Wheel of Death fell off the back of the Hummer!

We pull over to the shoulder of the Belt Parkway. Not 200 feet behind us is a man who is having car trouble. It is pitch black outside in the middle of the night, and we are in the middle of the Belt Parkway! The man walks up to my uncle and I and asks if he can borrow my uncle’s cell phone. He was from Maine and could not get service in the area. Evidently, his car broke down. Without breaking a sweat, my uncle offers the phone to him as if he were hanging out with some friends in his backyard. The man dialed the police and some one was on their way.

I think to myself: “This is not normal, but it sure is fun.” When does something like this ever happen to anyone? The answer: maybe once in a lifetime. On a serious note, there is a metal pivot on the back of the wheel that makes it possible for the wheel to spin, had that bar landed into someone’s windshield it would not have been a pretty sight. During the day, bumper-to-bumper traffic fills the Belt Parkway. Thankfully, it was 2:00 AM, and no one but a few random cars passing by at 60 MPH was there to witness what had just transpired. My aunt stayed near the Hummer while my uncle and I walked onto the Belt Parkway to pick up the loose pieces of shattered wood (Kids don’t try this at home.). After fifteen minutes had passed, we picked up most of the wood. The funny thing is that my uncle actually wanted to keep it to use as target practice. He is a little odd. At this point, my uncle and I are laughing at the madness of what has just happened. We gather up everything, and get back into the Hummer. We start to drive off, all with a sense of disbelief as to what just transpired. Then Throw forgets something. Not 200 feet from where we had originally pulled over, Throw puts the Hummer in REVERSE! Why? Good question. My aunt is yelling at him while he is doing this. Her requests that he show some sign of sanity are to no avail. Throw forgot something…coming up upon the stranded man and his truck, Throw tells him that he forgot to wish him a good night and a good bye. Now, that was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. We had just been through the craziest ordeal. Thankfully, we all got out of it safe. Nevertheless, Throw has to put a little bit of mustard on this dog and wish the random man a good night! We just picked up shattered pieces of wood on the Belt Parkway at 2:00 AM—And he wants to wish a good night to this guy! Incredible…

I cannot believe what has just taken place. The Wheel of Death is figurative in its meaning. This night it became literal. The Wheel of Death had died. It was nothing more than shattered wood. It was now a feigned memory in my uncle’s eye. And so, the Wheel of Death was dead. Weeks later, my uncle and a friend made a new Wheel of Death. He still uses it as a prop in his show. It sits in his backyard.

If you would like to learn more about the Great Throwdini, go to KNIFE THROWER.