To The Hilt cover art

To The Hilt

To The Hilt

By: Marc Hartzman and Dan Meyer
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About this listen

Welcome to To the Hilt! The podcast version of To The Hilt: A Sword Swallower’s History of Sword Swallowing—a book that explores the mysterious and dangerous world of sword swallowing, charting its history from ancient rituals to mod¬ern-day performances. This show features its co-authors, world-renowned sword swallower Dan Meyer and sideshow historian Marc Hartzman, cutting up jackpots with modern-day sword swallowers. In other words, hear their wild stories and experiences as they travel the world gulping steel blades for your entertainment and keeping this most unusual art alive.Marc Hartzman and Dan Meyer Art Entertainment & Performing Arts
Episodes
  • Jellyboy: Clown of Danger and Science
    Aug 7 2025

    You may have seen Jellyboy the Clown on America’s Got Talent Season 19, where he amazed audiences and the judges. Or perhaps you've read his recent book: Memoirs of a Coney Island Clown (Outside Talker Press). In this episode, you'll hear about Jellyboy’s beginnings as a clown, his start in sword swallowing and his creative twists on the art, like adding a chainsaw to the blade and experimenting with a Tesla coil. He also tells us about his adventures in retrieving a confiscated rifle sword in Ukraine, and much, much more.

    Jellyboy is one of more than a hundred sword swallowers featured in the book, To The Hilt: A Sword Swallower’s History of Sword Swallowing, published by Schiffer Publishing.

    Find Jellyboy online:

    Website

    SquidlingBrothers.com

    Facebook

    Eric Broomfield

    Squidling Brothers

    Instagram

    @ConeyIceland


    And check out his new book, published by Outside Talker Press!

    Memoirs of a Coney Island Clown

    Outside Talker Press


    For more on To The Hilt, visit ToTheHiltBook.com or purchase a copy on Amazon.



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    39 mins
  • Keith Nelson: Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Sword Swallower
    Jul 17 2025

    Keith Nelson, also known as Mr. Pennygaff, is the co-founder of the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus. The Bindlestiffs have been performing circus, sideshow, and vaudeville acts for thirty years. The show has presented nearly 600 of the world’s top artists in the circus and variety fields across New York City and the Hudson Valley, and throughout the United States. Performances have engaged audiences in the hundreds of thousands in theaters, Spiegeltents, big tops, cruise ships, fairs and festivals, and more.

    In this episode, Keith shares his experiences working for Ward Hall, offers tips to aspiring sword swallowers, talks about performing on Late Night with David Letterman, and more.

    Follow Keith Nelson and the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus online:

    Website

    Bindlestiff.org


    Instagram

    Bindlestiff Family Cirkus

    Keith Nelson

    Facebook

    Bindlestiff Family Cirkus

    Keith Nelson


    For more on To The Hilt, visit ToTheHiltBook.com or purchase a copy on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3EbUsQf

    Show More Show Less
    23 mins
  • Chris Steele: World’s Most Extreme Sword Swallower
    Jun 26 2025

    Chris Steele is the sword swallowing half of America’s Favorite Sideshow Couple, Captain & Maybelle. In this episode, you’ll hear about his start in gulping steel, his adventures on America’s Got Talent and Wife Swap, working with Ripley’s, lifting cinder blocks from a swallowed sword, twisting 7 swords 180 degrees, the extra-dangerous lightning bolt sword, nearly dying from a sword swallowing injury, spilling a bag of swords at the airport, and much more.

    Chris Steele is one of more than a hundred sword swallowers featured in the book, To The Hilt: A Sword Swallower’s History of Sword Swallowing, published by Schiffer Publishing.

    Find Chris Steele online:

    Website: CaptainandMaybelle.com

    Instagram: @captain_steele_

    Facebook: Captain & Maybelle


    For more on To The Hilt, visit ToTheHiltBook.com or purchase a copy on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3EbUsQf

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 2 mins
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