Stevie Starr, Professional Regurgitator
Status: Magic trick
Stevie Starr calls himself a professional regurgitator. He's been doing his act for a long time, and is quite famous. (He's appeared on shows such as Jay Leno and Ripley's Believe it or Not.) But I just became aware of him through a video of one of his performances on Google Video, and I'm at a complete loss to explain how he does what he does. His performance includes some of the following tricks: He swallows sugar, followed by a glass of water, and then regurgitates the sugar, completely dry. He swallows a live goldfish and regurgitates that a minute later, still living. (As he does this, he mentions the urban legend about goldfish having 5-second memories.) Reportedly he's also able to swallow a (miniature) rubik's cube and bring it back up — solved. (Though the Rubik's cube trick isn't shown in the google video.)
I can't find anyone on the web who has a decent explanation for how Starr is able to do all this. Obviously he has a genuine talent with his stomach. An article about him in the Amherst Student reports that:
he was born in a children’s home in Scotland, where he lived for the first 19 years of his life. When little Stevie was four years old, he discovered this unique talent by swallowing his lunch money and realizing he could bring it right back up. Thus, a freak of nature was born.
But this doesn't explain how he can swallow sugar, followed by water, and bring the sugar up dry. Or the trick with the rubik's cube. Does he have a second stomach, or something like that? To do the rubik's cube trick I assume he must have swallowed a solved rubik's cube before the show. But like I said, I'm pretty much baffled.
Incidentally, history is full of famous vomiters, so Stevie Starr evidently isn't the only one who has ever had this talent. In 1621 there was the case of the nail-vomiting Boy of Bilston (who had been trained by a priest to simulate the symptoms of being bewitched). This was followed in 1642 by Catharina Geisslerin, "the toad-vomiting woman of Germany," who, as you might guess, had a talent for vomiting up toads. In 1694 there was Theodorus Döderlein, who vomited up twenty-one newts and four frogs. (I'm getting this info from Clifford Pickover's The Girl Who Gave Birth to Rabbits
.) Pickover also reports that there have been cases of compulsive swallowers who don't later regurgitate what they swallow, including one guy in 1985 who had "53 toothbrushes, 2 razors, 2 telescopic aerials, and 150 handles of disposable razors" removed from his stomach.
|
Categories: Body Manipulation, Food, Magic Posted by Alex on Tue Feb 14, 2006 |
Comments (193) |
| More from the Hoax Museum Archives: | |||
About the small balloon he apparently poped inside his stomach, everyone knows he didn't swallow the balloon. Just watch closely right before it poped, his left cheek pops the baloon right in his mouth. People are just not concentrated on his mouth at that point... Great acting. About the fish... he DID swallow it! Even in slow motion, catching his tail was misleading to think otherwise.
Posted by Elie on Mon Jan 15, 2007 at 01:03 PM
Just seen all these posts - bad of me really, as Stevie's manager I should have been keeping a careful eye on things! First off, let me correct what appears to be a common misconception. Stevie swallows the Rubic's Cube made & brings it up mixed. It really would be stretching credulity to do it the other way! As for the other stuff, I love hearing the theories but let me put it to you this way. There are people everywhere who can bend spoons & make watches stop like the great Yuri Geller because that is a trick. NOBODY does Stevie's show because it isn't a trick. Have fun watching guys!
Posted by Mike on Mon Feb 12, 2007 at 10:27 AM
I think he also used to go by the
stage name "Harve the Inhaler" or
maybe "Harvey the Inhaler". I saw him
on The Late Show with David Letterman
in the late 80's or 90's.
Posted by Noah on Fri Apr 06, 2007 at 08:21 AM
stage name "Harve the Inhaler" or
maybe "Harvey the Inhaler". I saw him
on The Late Show with David Letterman
in the late 80's or 90's.
I love the act, real or not I don't care but that is the worst Glasgow accent I ever heard, Robin Williams sounds more genuine.
Posted by Webbie on Sun Apr 15, 2007 at 10:15 AM
he dosnt solve a rubrics cube. he just turns it inside his belly.
Posted by patrik on Sat Jun 02, 2007 at 04:57 PM
I met him on a train years ago on my way to Carlsle and he did a show for us at the back of the carriage. He introduce himself by asking to borrow my zippo lighter then swallowed it, i had never heard of him before until then and you could say I was quite shocked
fatastic man, really friendly and down to earth
Posted by davy on Wed Jun 13, 2007 at 07:10 AM
fatastic man, really friendly and down to earth
I saw this guy live, and i swear he's legit. For one, he wore a sleeveless vest, and thats it (well, besides pants of course) He explained his talent as having pockets in his stomache. Some of his tricks included swallowing a stack of coins, and then having the audience yell out how many they wanted him to cough up (say four) and whether they wanted them all at once, or one at a time. Also, he swallowed a billiard ball (which there is no way he could have faked) then a key, and asked the audience which one to regurgitate first. The best trick by far was when he swallowed butane, waited about 5 minutes, then blew a bubble with the butane in it, which he proceded to light on fire. He was so awesome
Posted by Jimmy T on Mon Jul 09, 2007 at 01:20 PM
I got a video of him at Leno, and maybe there is a clue: Several times after a trick he takes something out of a pocket in his jacket and kind of rubs it under/in his nose.
Posted by default on Sat Aug 04, 2007 at 05:32 PM
I saw Stevie 2 weeks ago at my university. I was a bit sceptic at the beginning, but after I watched I think he is absolutely legit. The most amazing one was when he took a ring from someone in the audience, swallowed it together with a padlock and the key, and retuned the key binded to the lock.
The only things I noticed were:
- Everytime he swallows something, he energetically hits himself in his chest. Maybe it's suppose to mask some sounds?
- When he swallows coins, he puts the microphone near his mouth so you can hear a coin falling onto another coin. When that happens, I could hear him burping quitely every time
- Sometimes his voice sounded as if he had something in his mouth.
The only option is that he makes a couple of his tricks with his tongue. But still, he has to be able to swallow and regurgitate stuff - there's no way he could hide a billiard ball or a lightbulb under his tongue.
Think about it - if you had full control of your stomach, it wouldn't be too difficult to turn the Rubik's cube two or three times, would it?
Posted by Maciek on Mon Oct 15, 2007 at 01:46 PM
The only things I noticed were:
- Everytime he swallows something, he energetically hits himself in his chest. Maybe it's suppose to mask some sounds?
- When he swallows coins, he puts the microphone near his mouth so you can hear a coin falling onto another coin. When that happens, I could hear him burping quitely every time
- Sometimes his voice sounded as if he had something in his mouth.
The only option is that he makes a couple of his tricks with his tongue. But still, he has to be able to swallow and regurgitate stuff - there's no way he could hide a billiard ball or a lightbulb under his tongue.
Think about it - if you had full control of your stomach, it wouldn't be too difficult to turn the Rubik's cube two or three times, would it?
FACT: Stevie's Stuff is real. I was privileged enough to be back stage of one of his live performances. He swallows 3 Liters of water before every show (prevents stomach acid from killing fish amongst other things). The throws the water back up after every show.
Posted by HJO on Mon Oct 15, 2007 at 02:02 PM
He's an American.
The 'Scottish' accent is the result of learning to speak with an unrepaired cleft palate. He's fortunate not to have a cleft lip or gum.
The 'accent' is similar to that of other Americans with unrepaired palates. The 'Scottish orphanage' in his bio is pure fabrication.
Having said that, I leave the explanation up to the rest of you to figure out.
Posted by Jim on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 07:03 PM
The 'Scottish' accent is the result of learning to speak with an unrepaired cleft palate. He's fortunate not to have a cleft lip or gum.
The 'accent' is similar to that of other Americans with unrepaired palates. The 'Scottish orphanage' in his bio is pure fabrication.
Having said that, I leave the explanation up to the rest of you to figure out.
i dono i jst saw this guy last ngiht live he swallowed 10 dollar coins and bought up how much u wanted he swallowed butane gas and for the next 20 min throughout the show he would burp up and light the gas he swalloweed a lightbulb several times the rubrics cude he swallowed was done b4 he swallowed it and when he bought it up the sides were mixed up and the most amzing thing was that he swallowed a pool ball a legit sized pool ball i dono how but he did n it was gone and he bought it back up it was amazing
Posted by vinny on Sun Oct 28, 2007 at 01:10 PM
I saw steve live at the baxter theatre in cape town. I was on stage with him and stood less than a foot away. he swallowed butane, lit a lighter and burped flames thereby singing the hair off my arm. i am familiar with illusionism and perform a number of effects myself. I truly believe Steve is no hoax. I witnessed the sugar and water, the gold fish, the snooker ball all go down his gullet. The man is amazing and truly unique. Bravo. If you get the chance to see him live DO NOT MISS THE OPPORTUNITY.
Posted by patrick dickens on Sun Nov 11, 2007 at 09:44 AM
Hmm...I've just seen this guy do a live close up performance at my university and I have to say it can't be a trick...no sleight of hand, no hiding in his mouth...he came right up close, popped a pool ball in his mouth, showed it there and swallowed.opened his mouth and it had gone. same with all the other items...like his swallowing an entire cigarette worth of smoke and bringing it up 20 minutes later. Has to be real!
Posted by James Boucher on Thu Nov 15, 2007 at 05:21 PM
In reply to Jim from California (26th October):
he's not American. Stevie (his real name, although Starr is not) and I both attended Strathaven Academy in the 1970's. I remember him from them, but was totally unaware of his talent until I saw him on TV some years later. I don't care if it's not all for real, it's a great act.
Strathaven is about 20 miles south of Glasgow but our local accent is usually mistaken for Glaswegian by furrners.
Posted by David Kirkwood on Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 03:15 PM
he's not American. Stevie (his real name, although Starr is not) and I both attended Strathaven Academy in the 1970's. I remember him from them, but was totally unaware of his talent until I saw him on TV some years later. I don't care if it's not all for real, it's a great act.
Strathaven is about 20 miles south of Glasgow but our local accent is usually mistaken for Glaswegian by furrners.
For the billiard ball trick, if you notice a little flaw there... he doesnt talk during it... with the other objects he talks (even tho you can notice that he cant talk normally... you can notice somthing is in its mouth...) during the billiard ball... he just does the scream thingy and giggles a bit...
Posted by Heart on Tue Dec 11, 2007 at 06:48 PM
Most of you are assuming that just because it enters his mouth that he is swallowing it and it goes into his stomach. Some things to notice:
1) He never swallows 2 billiard balls at the same time. If they were actually going into his stomach he would be able to swallow 2, 3 or more at the same time.
2) He never talks when swallowing very large objects such as billiard balls. He always goes out of his way to explain what's going to happen beforehand.
3) He's inhaling not swallowing.
4) He has a maxillofacial defect of some kind.
His tricks involve a physical defect, training, sleight of hand and above all great showmanship.
Posted by Dean on Mon Jan 14, 2008 at 02:00 PM
1) He never swallows 2 billiard balls at the same time. If they were actually going into his stomach he would be able to swallow 2, 3 or more at the same time.
2) He never talks when swallowing very large objects such as billiard balls. He always goes out of his way to explain what's going to happen beforehand.
3) He's inhaling not swallowing.
4) He has a maxillofacial defect of some kind.
His tricks involve a physical defect, training, sleight of hand and above all great showmanship.
The reason he's able to produce dry sugar is because it never goes to his stomach. He simply opens the lid on his esophagus (like you do when you swallow air when trying to burp) and the sugar's safe in the air pocket. The water goes to his stomach, never touching the sugar.
The coin trick is just that; a trick. He already has another set of labeled coins hidden in his mouth from 1 to 5 in order between his bottom teeth and gums. He inhales the other coins and just holds them in the air pocket which he brings back up after the show. Since the coins in his mouth are in order, he's easily able to find which one the audience wants to see with his tongue.
The fish trick is very simple too, as is the Rubik's Cube trick. I don't feel like typing any more, so if you want to know how they're done, or any other trick he does, email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Posted by Visara on Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 02:11 PM
The coin trick is just that; a trick. He already has another set of labeled coins hidden in his mouth from 1 to 5 in order between his bottom teeth and gums. He inhales the other coins and just holds them in the air pocket which he brings back up after the show. Since the coins in his mouth are in order, he's easily able to find which one the audience wants to see with his tongue.
The fish trick is very simple too, as is the Rubik's Cube trick. I don't feel like typing any more, so if you want to know how they're done, or any other trick he does, email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
I think you all who say its a trick are crazy no offence Stevie Starr is an amazing performer regardless of how he does it. you dont know if its a trick he could have a pyhsical mutation that enables him to do the act!
Posted by Derek Wahdan on Tue Feb 26, 2008 at 06:20 PM
How the hell would you guys know????
Posted by Steve on Sat Mar 01, 2008 at 05:04 PM
He does frequently reach in his pocket and then touch his face or put something in his mouth. Especially during the Jay Leno perfomance
Posted by Suzie Suzie on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 11:48 AM
sugar is that i dont believe anyting else goes
Posted by myllydjk on Sun Mar 30, 2008 at 11:22 AM
you know, a simple x-ray would solve all these issues.
Posted by voice of reason on Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 12:52 AM
i just saw this guy perform at my school in canada...although this guy is a nut, his talent is quite impressive. The one trick that i saw him perform that amazed me the most was to swallow someones ring... followed by a locked lock and then the key for the lock. a minute later the ring was hooked onto the locked padlock. he had opened the lock with the key...slipped the ring on and locked it again...ALL in his stomach...
Posted by fsdaf on Wed Apr 02, 2008 at 01:52 AM
😠 gg steven jie b mc culloch
contact please
fallside missin you
Posted by jie bolt on Fri Apr 04, 2008 at 12:36 PM
contact please
fallside missin you
steven jie b fallside saw a ghst eatin toast halfway up a
Posted by john bolton on Fri Apr 04, 2008 at 12:41 PM
Actually, he doesn't solve the rubik's cube. You got that wrong. He just moves the movable parts in the Rubik's cube.
He does this by swallowing a solved rubik's cube, moving the squares, and regurgitating the same cube but with moved squares.
Posted by Fatin on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 02:13 PM
He does this by swallowing a solved rubik's cube, moving the squares, and regurgitating the same cube but with moved squares.
I knew Stevie personally. He is one of the greatest at what he does, but what he does is not regurgitating lol.
Posted by Mae on Wed May 07, 2008 at 11:15 AM
There is a video floating around of a guy in some 3rd world country drinking a 1 liter bottle of water and then completely regurgitating it back into the bottle, swallowing it again, and regurgitating it yet again.
Most of this stuff is for real, people who think most of this is fake are just jealous that they cannot do it themselves.
If it was fake, someone would have been able to expose him of this by now, seeing as he has been doing it for over 20 years.
Posted by No one on Mon May 12, 2008 at 10:49 AM
Most of this stuff is for real, people who think most of this is fake are just jealous that they cannot do it themselves.
If it was fake, someone would have been able to expose him of this by now, seeing as he has been doing it for over 20 years.
watch closely - he doesnt have many bottom teeth...he hides them back there like a hamster.
Posted by ss on Mon Jun 09, 2008 at 02:11 AM
{stupid336x280}
Get MOH Blog Posts by Email
Our Sister Sites
