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Noel the Freak - Inside the Mind of a Body Manipulation Artist

From , former About.com Guide

As he became more deeply integrated into the society of body manipulation, he made friends who encouraged him to improve his skills and try even more daring stunts. He met a showman from Las Vegas named Andrew who taught Noel his trick of hanging large hooks from his eyes. Noel practiced the act for months, tweaking and altering it until he could successfully pull it off with two gallon jugs hanging from the hooks. He started off with just an inch of water in each jug, and would increase the amount of water every couple of days. Each attempt left him with bruised and blackened eyes, but he kept at it until he was able to lift both jugs filled with water (FYI: One gallon jug of water weighs 8 pounds). But you might be asking yourself, why? What possesses a person to do this kind of thing?

Well, it’s not for money, fame or anything superficial. Although some may enjoy financial gain and recognition, that’s not the reason they do it anymore than a painter paints just because they think it will make them rich and famous. These are people who simply find pleasure in seeing how far they can push their bodies. It’s really no different from a runner or weight lifter who pushes his limits to see just how much his body can handle, but because it’s an expressionist form of art it requires an audience. There’s a psychological reward for attaining a new height in physical accomplishment—a sense of self-satisfaction that brings about an inner peace that can’t be attained without a little fear and pain. That psychological reward – that inner peace – is what Noel describes as the best medicine for a damaged soul. “It’s like therapy….you can’t even buy this kind. If it’s done right, it doesn’t ‘hurt,’ not really… Once you’ve hurt yourself enough on a regular basis, your body stops freaking out.”

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