GAFFS: There are fishing gaffs, which
are metal hooks. There are electrical
gaffers on
movie sets.
There are fixed cards and such in magic,
referred to as "gaffs". And there is even
what is basically a thong for cross-dressers
and drag queens, to make their "business"
seem more like that of the opposite sex.
This too is called a gaff.
However,
the gaff we are discussing here is an
entirely different concept. In sideshow
lingo, a gaff refers to a manmade exhibit,
which is either a replica of something which
actually already exists in real life, the
artist's own interpretation of a creature
from mythology or cryptozoology, or some
other being or concept completely fabricated
by their own brain.
Either
way, these attractions are exhibited as the
real thing for fun and profit. You see,
gaffs work on many levels, but primarily
because everyone wants something to believe
in. And, as with any other "normal"
authentic museum exhibit, it's the story
that makes the piece. Without a story,
you've got nothing. You can take any
ordinary object and display it, as long as
you have a powerful enough story
to go along with it. Then suddenly, you've
really got something! Albeit, there are
some attractions that are simply strong
enough on their own accord. However, there
are also those that can use all the help
that they can get!
Some gaffs will make you laugh, and some
will make you say, "what the Hell were they
thinking???".
But then there are those rare few that make
you scratch your head, if just for a moment,
and wonder if they could possibly be real.
It's when that happens you know that some
gaff builder out there did their job the
very best that they possibly could. For you
see, in the world of the sideshow, nothing
is ever truly as it seems!
Mark Frierson
