167 - Comedy, Character & the Fakir Academy - the Headmaster of Pain Håvve Fjell part 2 of 2

Pain stunts can shock anyone. The real question is: how do you turn shock into something people actually want to come back for? I sit down again with Hoverfiel, the Norwegian pioneer behind Pain Solution, to talk about the hard-earned craft of pain-proof performance and why “keeping it real” is more than a slogan. We get into what happens when you refuse illusions, build shows around music cues, and design an act you can carry solo in a gig economy without watering down the material. From there, we dig into the part many sideshow and performance art fans never hear: character work. Hoverfiel explains why relying on puke-and-pass-out reactions is a dead end, and how comedy and tension release can make extreme acts accessible without making them fake. We also talk about pacing, including the deliberate choice to save blood for the end, bringing audiences along a journey where they laugh first, trust the performer, and only then choose how far they want to go. The conversation takes a sharp turn into the Fakir Academy, an unorthodox apprenticeship that starts with a referral from Child Protective Services. We unpack what it meant to mentor young people with self-harm histories, teach technical sideshow skills alongside creativity and structure, and meet self-harm with understanding instead of disgust. It’s a nuanced discussion about mental health, harm reduction, and the limits of what a performer can safely carry, even with the best intentions. If you care about sideshow history, fakir tradition, body modification culture, or the ethics of performance under real risk, you’ll find a lot to sit with here. Subscribe to The Way of the Showman, share this with a friend who loves performance craft, and leave a review so more curious listeners can find the show. What part of the conversation challenged you most?Support the show...After a long abscence our Merch Shop is back! Check out t-shirts, hoddies, and hats! Show yourself as a Follower of the Way of the Showman.You can also "listen" to the Way of the Showman at youtube.If you want to help support this podcast it would be tremendous if you wrote a glowing review on iTunes or Spotify.If you want to  contact me about anyhthing ou can reach me on [email protected] can find out more on the Way of the Showman website.Follow the Way of the Showman on Instagram.If you're compelled to suport the showes and have the means to do so, you can suport the podcast financially at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/captainfrodo