I just got a note on Facebook from a friend who said he just saw me on a TV commercial for the upcoming History Channel documentary “Stan Lee’s SuperHumans!”
This is an eagerly-awaited new series of episodes on History Channel about people who have what may almost be considered “SuperHuman” powers to do the incredible, with my friend Daniel Browning-Smith (Flex the Rubber Boy!) as host. It was great to see Daniel again and work with the production crew from Bristol England. We had a blast filming my episode at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, TN in January, and at our farm in Alabama in February, and there should be some VERY INTERESTING footage in our episode!
According to the History Channel site, the series premieres on The History Channel on Friday, July 30, at 9/8c to 88 Million viewers worldwide. The series airs four 8 minute episodes on Thursday nights in each week’s 50 minute program, and some episodes re-air again later that night.
My Episode #7 is tentatively scheduled to air on
Thursday, September 23, 2010 at 10est/9pm Central Time
Check your local listing for local times. Let me know if you see the commercials or even see the episode itself! Can’t wait to see how it turns out! Should be HOT!
“Dan’s creativity, professionalism, and devotion
has taken his sword swallowing to a Superhuman level.” -Daniel Browning-Smith, Host, History Channel’s “Stan Lee’s SuperHumans”
DAN IN QUEST SCIENCE MAGAZINE
Just found out I am being featured in a multi-page article in QUEST magazine - Quest is a major Dutch Science magazine (won “Magazine of the Year” in 2010!), and Quest publishes over 200,000 copies each month to a readership of 1.1 million readers. The article was written by a great guy, Dutch journalist Rik Kuiper, who I hit it off with while I was speaking at the PINC.11 Conference in Zeist Netherlands in May. If you’re a Dutch reader, please let me know how the article turned out!
Sad news: On the day I received my copies of the magazine in the mail, I also found out that Quest’s Editor-In-Chief died at the young age of 39. What a sad story for such a great magazine. Please keep them in your prayers.
DAN IN SCANNER MAGAZINE
I also just received a copy of the Dutch medical magazine “SCANNER” which features an article on me as well! Scanner is published by Erasmus University in Rotterdam Netherlands and reaches a large audience of medical readers.
DAN IN THE LUTHERAN MAGAZINE
Also look for an article on me in the September 2010 LUTHERAN magazine (formerly “The Lutheran Standard”) written by journalist Jeff Favre. This magazine reaches an audience of 4.7 million ELCA Lutherans and 17,000 Lutheran clergy in over 10,300 ELCA Lutheran congregations around the US! Let me know if you happen to see it or hear of any Lutheran congregations, Bible camps, or Lutheran Colleges who might be interested in having me come and speak/perform!
CROSS AND DAGGER
This weekend I’m heading up to Indiana to perform at “Cross and Dagger“Biker Rally for about 2000 bikers at Life Bridge Church in Fort Wayne. If you’re in the area, definitely stop by and say hi!
Then next week I head off to Oklahoma to perform for about 10,000 Baptist youth with uber-cool magician Brock Gill and Peter Nestler on August 6-7 at the Oklahoma YEC Convention in Oklahoma City. If you’re in Oklahoma City, stop in and see us!
Shortly after filming this episode, I felt a strong pain in my throat, almost like a bad cramp that made it impossible to swallow. From the studios, they took me by ambulance to one hospital and then another in Rome, where an MRI showed that I had punctured my esophagus while swallowing the first sword (see video above to see it happen!).
I stayed in the hospital on an antibiotic IV drip for 8 days - No food, no water, just antibiotics! Finally they released me, but I needed to wait a few more days before I could fly home to make sure there was no air embolism left that had leaked into in my body cavity - If I still had an air embolism, the air would expand and double and triple in size when my flight flew home… and POP goes the Weasel! NOT a good idea!
So I stayed in Rome a few more days and got to visit the Coliseum at Rome the next day before flying home!
The 4th Annual World Sword Swallower’s Day was Saturday, February 27, 2010. As President of the Sword Swallower’s Association International, I had requested sword swallowers around the world to help us celebrate by swallowing a sword at their local Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum.
The results?
We had 22 sword swallowers from around the world (18 men and 4 women) swallow a total of 84 swords at 10 Ripley’s Believe It or Not museums worldwide - a total of over 1658.5 inches of swords or 138.21 feet of steel!Believe It or NOT!
For my part on Saturday, I got to perform at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum in Dallas (Grand Prairie), TX, where I swallowed the giant straight razor, the hedge clippers, and 7 swords at once! I even donated one of my favorite swords to their museum, making this the 5th Ripley’s Museum I have performed at that also has a display on me! What an honor! A special treat was to have my friend Paul Salos, the Frank Sinatra impersonator who made through to the finals in America’s Got Talent, come make an appearance, sing a few Sinatra songs, and pull a sword from my throat! Here’s a video from the Dallas Morning News
Tomorrow morning I will be swallowing a sword live on the Bob and Tom Show at 9:25am ET / 8:25am CST! If you get a chance, listen in!
Next week I’m off to the finals of a talent contest in Branson, MO and from there on to London and the Ig Nobel Tour of the UK, including Scotland, and from there, on to a major TV appearance in Rome, Italy! I’ve gotta say - I LOVE MY WORK!
Thanks for keeping in touch! Stay tuned for more over the next few weeks!
100 Feet of Steel to be Swallowed at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museums Worldwide
HARTSELLE, AL – Imagine sliding a steel sword down your throat! Now imagine 25 sword swallowers swallowing over 100 feet of solid steel down their throats! That’s just one of many unbelievable sword swallowing stunts in the works for the 4th Annual World Sword Swallowers Day at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! locations worldwide on February 27, 2010!
Sword Swallowers Association International (SSAI) President Dan Meyer proclaimed the 4th annual “World Sword Swallower’s Day” for the last Saturday in February, “National Swallowing Disorders Month”, with stunts occuring throughout the month culminating with World Sword Swallower’s Day on February 27. World Sword Swallower’s Day is co-sponsored by Ripley Entertainment, who with SSAI, is inviting sword swallowers around the world to put on incredible sword swallowing demonstrations at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! locations worldwide.
Dan Swallows a RED-HOT SWORD for the The History Channel
Dan just filmed an episode for The History Channel - The documentary is tentatively to be titled “The Most Amazing SuperHumans on the Planet” and features host Daniel Browning Smith, one of the top contortionists in the world!
The first segment was filmed at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, TN where Dan underwent some medical tests including several fluoroscopes (moving x-rays) so the doctors could see Dan swallow straight swords, a large forceps, a serpentine sword, a curved sword, and a stack of 7 swords at once! Big thanks to Dr. Edwin Donnelly at Vanderbilt, and Dr. Eric Mashburn of Hartselle!
The final segment of the episode was filmed on the farm in Hartselle where Blacksmith Ben Robbins finishes making a large 37 inch sword, and then heats it to RED-HOT over 1500 degrees Fahrenheit before lowering it down into Dan’s gullet!
Here are some behind-the-scenes shots filmed by my friend Josh Pittman:
Special thanks to Ben Robbins, Josh Pittman, Dr. Mashburn, Dr. Donnelly and everyone else involved! The documentary is tentatively scheduled to air all 32 episodes worldwide starting in February 2011. We’ll keep you posted on details when it airs in 2011!
Here’s your chance to vote for your TOP 5 VIDEOS and let us know which ones YOU like best…
And WHY! What do you LIKE about them, and what makes you like them the MOST?
Please watch, leave a comment and let us know which are your TOP 5 VIDEOS in order of 5 lowest up to your absolute #1 FAVORITE, and tell us WHY they are your favorites!
Have Sword Will Travel:
Convincing a skeptical sword shop owner
in Souq Waqif Bazaar, Doha, Qatar
Dan Swallowing 10 swords and hedge clippers for Cirque Eloize, Montreal
World Record - Nobel Laureates Remove Sword!
Dutch Documentary “Sword Swallowing and Its Side Effects”
Dan Swallowing the RED-HOT Sword for The History Channel!
Ig Nobel Science Lecture Tour video from Odense, Denmark
Italian Science Festival Dan drops a sword down his throat NO HANDS
Dutch Ig Nobel Laureate removes sword from Dan
Italian Cardiologist WHIPS sword from Dan’s mouth!
Sword Swallower performs at Italian dinner party in Genova Italy
Dan Meyer Sword Swallowing highlights
IAEWP World Peace Conference Delegates Remove Sword of War
Alex and Me
Black, Red, White
Blink
Heading For Home
How the Best Get Better
How to Promote Your Book on a Shoestring Budget
Maximum Entertainment
News of the Weird
Outliers
Quiet Diplomacy
Ripley’s Believe It or Not Book
Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Swallowing the Sword
The Art of the Solo Performer
The Faith of George W Bush
The Last Lecture
The Shack
Bounty
Bucket List
Facing the Giants
Final Season
Fireproof
Mountains of the Moon
Pirates of the Caribbean
Shadowlands
Carter Burwell
Ceili Rain
Dan Meyers
David Foster
David Wilcox
Family Force 5
Freddie Fernbrant
Mark Isham
Dan’s Favorite Quotes
Dan at Ripley’s Believe It or Not Copenhagen Denmark
Sword Swallower.