Re: Houdini

[Douglas Alan <nessus@mit.edu>]

> From: scasterg@cd.columbus.oh.us (Stuart Castergine)

> I read a biography of [Houdini] once, and while he was not
> pronounced dead in the bottle, so to speak, the burst appendix did
> become acute during his last poerformane and he had to be hauled
> out of the bottle. I believe he was unconscious and did die a short
> time later. I dont' think that's a myth. If it is I'd be interested
> in hearing the real story.

It's a myth.  Houdini never failed.  He did not need to be rescued,
even for his final performance.  He performed successfully despite
whatever intense pain he probably felt.  He did die of a ruptured
appendix.  Houdini's cause of death always gave me an affinity towards
him, since I nearly died of a ruptured appendix when I was three.

> From: gallaher@MOLLYBLOOM.msfc.nasa.gov (Mike Gallaher)

> Quite an understandable and forgivable misinterpretation.  I've made
> plenty myself (I had figured out that Cloudbusting was about a woman
> giving birth to a mutant baby!)

Me too.  That's why I wrote these alternative lyrics for Cloudbusting
(reprinted with my own permission):

     A reliable source of rumour says that Kate has just seen the
     hottest SF thriller of the summer (*Aliens*) and likes it a lot.
     Apparently it has inspired her to write a new song, which will be
     released shortly as a special between-album single.  A working
     version of the lyrics have gotten out; here they are:

        CHESTBURSTING

        I still dream of Aliens.
        I wake up crying.
        You're making eggs
        But you're out of reach
        When your cacoon encases me

        You're like my tapeworm
        That grew in my bowels
        What made it special
        Made it dangerous
        So I flushed it and forget.

        Everytime it pains,
        You're here in my chest
        Like the tapeworm coming out
        Oh, I just know that something gross is going to happen
        And I don't know when
        But just thinking it could even make it happen.

        Under the reactor
        Wrapped up in this slime
        You could see them coming
        They looked too small
        In their big metal lander
        To be a threat to the mother Alien

        I flushed my tapeworm when it got too big
        I can't flush you down the toilet
        Oh God!  I can't forget!

        Your son's coming out (Ouch!)
        Your son's coming out (Agggh!)
        Your son's coming out (Aaaghargaglephfftargletoopgaaaaaaggggh!)

|>oug