SplatterTribe: Introduce the Pickled Brother Sideshow and compare each member to something that can get stuck in the bottom of a shoe. Then explain why the comparison.

 

Travis Fessler: The Pickled Brothers Sideshow is myself, Travis Fessler, my wife Susan Fessler, and my half-brother Erik Kloeker. Bottom of a shoe, eh? I guess I would be dog poop since I make a lot of noise and everyone knows I'm there. Susan would be gum since she holds things together but you don't realize she's there sometimes until you look, and Erik, thumbtacks.

Travis Fessler of The Pickled Brothers Sideshow! -- OK, there's just to many caption's possible here --

He makes the show fancy like tap shoes.
 

SplatterTribe: For anyone that has no idea what the Pickled Brothers sideshow is, please explain.

Travis Fessler: The Pickled Brothers is a circus sideshow from Northern Kentucky. We mix classic acts like fire-eating, sword swallowing, bed of nails, juggling and bullwhip cracking with bizarre acts like cockroaches in the mouth.

 

(Tribe Note: Woah... be careful... This is a family show!)
 

SplatterTribe: Does every member like pickles? What about cucumbers?

Travis Fessler: We get this a lot. The name doesn't come from pickles. The name comes from pickled punks, a phrase to describe 2-headed babies in jars. As for pickles, I like them, but not cucumbers. I don't like anything fresh that I like pickled, and vice-versa.
 

SplatterTribe: How did the initial 'sideshow' idea come about as a career option?

Travis Fessler: I used to do magic for little kids' birthday parties. I was awful at it. 6 year olds were busting me on card tricks, so around 1999, I decided to start doing something "real". I learned to eat fire, and everything else started snowballing after that. When Erik was 14, he went to the state fair and saw jugglers. 2 weeks later he had made himself homemade juggling torches and taught himself to juggle. He had his first "gig" with me just a couple days after turning 15 in 2003. Susan was a whip target and photographer until about 2008 when she took a more active role in the show.
 

SplatterTribe: How do you define the following words as they pertain to you?
 

Travis Fessler:
-Music-
I think we all have different tastes in music. Susan loves 80s and classic rock. I'm a fan of novelty and cabaret. Erik likes more modern music and thinks our taste sucks.
-Entertainment-
The Entertainment industry is a harsh bitch.
-Art-
I may not know art, but I can tell a hell of a dick joke.
-Life-
If life sucks, join the circus.
 

 

Pickled Brother Erik Kloeker

SplatterTribe: Is sword swallowing good for heartburn and other stomach related problems?   Travis Fessler: Actually the opposite. It worsens acid reflux, and can puncture the bottom of the stomach if a sword swallower isn't careful. Placing a sword into your stomach and pulling it back out can introduce acid onto the esophagus.   SplatterTribe:  Have you ever thought about clearing your throat the old fashioned way? Travis Fessler: Sure. But does that get me gigs?   SplatterTribe: Make one sentence out of the following words or phrases...

Travis Fessler:

-Pickled-
Bobby paid his quarter to see the pickled punk at the county fair, but couldn't afford the extra dime for the blow-off.
-Splattered-
The carny had to clean the vomit splattered all over the tilt-a-whirl.
-Chain Wallet-
The drifter eyed the mark who thought he was safe with a chain wallet and thought, "Easy money."
-Red Pillow-
By order of the boss, red pillows are banned from all Pickled Brothers' households.
-Binder-
Binder? I don't even know 'er!
-Roach-
Who knew that a roach would make us so famous?
 

SplatterTribe: Do you look at Roach Hotels as a Horror of Humanity?

Travis Fessler: This is another thing. The only roaches I work with are specially-trained Madagascan Hissing Roaches, and they are too big for roach motels.
 

SplatterTribe: What comes to mind when you hear the word SplatterTribe.

Travis Fessler: I first met the SplatterTribe guys at Scarefest '09. Since then I've been following their interviews with people in the horror industry on Facebook and their website. They always seem to ask questions that no one else does.

 

(Tribe Note: OK, your $20's in the mail... That's not exactly word for word, but it's close enough! I mean, you did leave off that SplatterTribe is the most AWESOME thing you have ever witnessed in your entire life, but I'll accept what you went with...)
 

SplatterTribe: America's Got talent, what's the story with them and Pickled Brothers?

Travis Fessler: Yow. The first season of America's Got Talent I looked into it closely. The contract was so odious that I declined to participate. Since then they have shown themselves to be abusive to the talent. Also, the system is rigged so that a variety artist will never win. See, they make money from sales of CDs from the "winners". The producers will manipulate the "contest" so that the most marketable singer will always "win". They do not pay anything, you have to take time away from your life to "compete", and they will own the performance you do on the show. That means they can edit it in a way to make you look foolish. They have contacted us no less than 15 times this season,
with promises of "national exposure". But I'm not sure how much good being made fun of by 3 no-talent d-list celebrities on a poorly produced show will do for our careers.
 

SplatterTribe: I have to work this shameless plug into a question because it has to do with the SplatterTribe Message Board. Our poor SplatterTribe Message Board is seriously not getting much attention and is dangerously lonely.  So, anytime I can throw a link up to help the cause and bring attention to our overlooked, poor SplatterTribe Message Board than I feel that is what I should do. I'm not trying to force people to register or anything, but...

 

This question has to do with a feature our poor SplatterTribe Message Board. We have been featuring a Proverb Of The Week on our poor SplatterTribe Message Board and I was wondering if you might have a good, random Proverb we can use in the future on our poor SplatterTribe Message Board?

 

Travis Fessler: Never light a fire too big to put in your mouth.     SplatterTribe: OK, I ask everyone I interview for a good, random question to ask a future interviewee. I'm gonna pick 3 of those for the next 3 questions. First, this question is from rock band WillowShade and their question was... --How can you compare Music to Cake?--- Travis Fessler: Music will never fill you up or throw you into a diabetic coma. Except maybe boy bands.   SplatterTribe: This question is from Athena Lee Kottak, drummer of the band Kottak.

Susan Fessler (TOP) Travis Fessler (Bottom)

--What's the grossest thing you do when no one is looking?--

Travis Fessler: Why would I do something gross when no one was looking? I get paid for that!
 

SplatterTribe: The last question comes from former WWF wrestler the One Man Gang/Akeem, (Whom has not responded to the SplatterTribe since his Q & A was posted. Either I punked him out real good or he is waiting somewhere to KIll me!) and his question is...

--When you are laid to rest how do you want to be dressed for your last ride?--

Travis Fessler: Maybe nude. Might as well gross everyone out one last time. Also, I loved One Man Gang's mohawk in the 80s.
 

SplatterTribe: Do you have a good, random question I can ask a future interviewee?

Travis Fessler: If vampires don't show up in mirrors, why is their hair always so perfect?
 

SplatterTribe: Do you have a question you would like to ask me?

Travis Fessler: Who is the strangest person you've ever interviewed?
 

(Tribe Note: That depends on your definition of strange. Strange could be a dude with Roaches in his mouth, ala YOU. Strange could be a woman who crushes stuff with her Gigantic boobies, ala Busty Heart. There was also some band I interviewed last year for Mike of Blastzone Entertainment. I don't remember the name of the band, or the guy I interviewed, but he got confused on every question I asked and didn't know how to answer. I literally mean every question. He kept saying, "hold on let me check on this", "I'm not for sure" and stuff like that. It's strange when someone doesn't even know anything about their own band, but wants to be interviewed. Needless to say, that interview got scrapped! Off the top of my head though, the strangest person I ever interviewed was the guitarist for System Of A Down. That dude was strange. I don't know if it was 'real' strange or 'fake' strange, but he was strange. To be honest though, I think everybody is a little strange, that's why I like doin' this sheeit!)

 

SplatterTribe: Is it possible to juggle live fish? Please explain if possible...

Travis Fessler: From Erik: You can juggle anything you can toss and catch. But if you juggle them out of water, they won't be live for very long. And juggling underwater might be problematic as they would just swim away.
 

SplatterTribe: Do you believe in ghosts and/or have you ever had any experiences with the paranormal?
 

Travis Fessler: When I was little, my grandmother lived in a house that everyone believed was haunted. Furniture was often moved away from the walls after the family returned from being out, and sometimes the phone would be off the hook. Later a friend would say he had called while the family was out, and someone answered, but never spoke. My aunt named it "Herbie".   SplatterTribe: Any closing comments concerning anything you want said, known, printed or shown? Travis Fessler: Be sure and check out our schedule to see a show near you!

Conan O'Brian & Travis Fessler