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Dylan Thuras: Whenever you meet somebody at a celebration and so they say, “Oh, what do you do?” What do you say to them?
Jack Lepiarz: I attempt to keep away from that dialog as a lot as attainable to be very sincere with you. If there's no means out of it, what I'll do is I'll say I form of work in stand-up comedy. But when I say I'm within the circus or I'm on social media, then that turns into a complete further further dialog.
Dylan: That is Jack Lepiarz. We talked over Zoom and on the display, you already know, Jack's clean-shaven. He's in his 30s. He's bought a bookshelf behind him with a portray of a cat on it, very regular stuff. However the factor about Jack is that he's bought an alter ego, an alter ego that you could solely encounter in some fairly particular locations and solely after he has drawn on a really massive mustache after which he turns into Jacques Ze Whipper.
Jack: Jacques Ze Whipper is the character that I play when I'm acting at Renaissance gala's. He's French as a result of I didn't wish to do an English accent as a result of I assumed being French can be funnier. And as Jacques Ze Whipper, I crack whips and I sing songs and apparently that tickles some a part of the world's lizard mind that it has gotten me thousands and thousands of views on social media.
Dylan: And I'm positive as quickly as you clarify what your act is, individuals are like, “Do your act.” Like, “Present me. What do you imply?” Do individuals try to get you to carry out as soon as they discover out what you do?
Jack: They used to generally like once I was in school, fortunately like I don't carry a whip round me and it's not one thing that most individuals have like simply mendacity round for me to display with. So fortunately I don't get requested to do all of it that always. I did have a bizarre household reunion a pair years in the past with a bunch of—a complete aspect of my household. I had not seen since I used to be like 9 years outdated. And I stroll in and so they're identical to taking part in movies of mine on an iPad and I'm like, all proper, okay.
Dylan: That is the worth of being the well-known cousin. You recognize what I imply?
Jack: That is what we get. Yeah.
I'm Dylan Thuras and that is Atlas Obscura, a celebration of the world's unusual, unimaginable, and wondrous locations. When you've got ever questioned what it's wish to run away and be a part of the circus, this episode is for you. We're speaking to Jack Lepiarz, also referred to as Jacques Ze Whipper, about how he created a life for himself on the Renaissance Honest circuit.
That is an edited transcript of the Atlas Obscura Podcast: a celebration of the world's unusual, unimaginable, and wondrous locations. Discover the present on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all main podcast apps.
Dylan: Let's discuss how this all started. You have been born into the circus. Are you able to discuss your childhood with the circus?
Jack: So my dad was a performer with the Massive Apple Circus. So he had began performing circus work within the late '70s, began doing Renaissance Festivals within the early '80s, and he left the Renaissance Honest circuit mainly proper as I used to be born to go do the Massive Apple Circus.
So the best way I all the time describe it's simply think about a bunch of feral toddlers in various states of unwashedness, simply roaming round a fenced-in circus lot, simply moving into antics, you already know, sneaking beneath the circus tent to observe the present from beneath the risers, consuming the stale, half-eaten cotton sweet that falls down beneath.
We have been so gross, so disgusting, but it surely was this type of factor the place since you have been on this fenced-in surroundings the place everybody knew you, you didn't want to fret about actually a complete lot of security as a result of everybody was form of watching you always, which meant that we had quite a lot of freedom, quite a lot of independence to only form of roam round and simply play.
There was faculty, however faculty was very restricted, and we left earlier than I used to be actually school-age. We left once I was six, no less than the circus world itself. My dad stored performing in Renaissance Festivals, different states of being, however I used to be technically in the identical faculty system, Ok by way of 12. I simply missed quite a lot of faculty.
Dylan: How did it really feel for you? I imply, do you bear in mind pondering as a child—like generally we see what our mother and father do and we expect, “I wish to do the precise reverse of that.” And generally you see what your mother and father do and also you suppose, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's for me.” Do you bear in mind whenever you began pondering, “Oh, that's for me”? Like, “I feel I wish to, performing is one thing that basically calls to me.”
Jack: I went by way of phases. I feel once I was actually, actually younger, I didn't wish to go away the circus. My dad has advised me that the very first thing I stated to him when he knowledgeable me that we have been leaving the circus was that I stated, “I'm going to go get a brand new dad.” I used to be not happy about leaving the Massive Apple Circus once we left the Massive Apple Circus, and for a very long time, I wished to return to the circus.
After which I used to be in form of regular faculty in, you already know, the suburbs of New York, and I used to be not, being the circus child was not, was now not a social profit. You recognize, it's nice whenever you're seven years outdated. It's not so nice whenever you're 14.
And so I went by way of this section the place I wished nothing to do with the circus. I wished to be possibly a author, possibly an actor, you already know, one thing that folks respect. After which I used to be working at Chilly Stone Creamery. I used to be making $6.25 an hour, and my dad requested me to assist him with a present, and I feel he paid me the equal of $25 or $50 an hour. And I used to be like, oh, okay. All proper, let's discuss this. Let's revisit this. And so once I got here as much as faculty in Boston for school, I made a decision to only strive avenue performing quite than try to get a traditional job.
Dylan: Inform me about whenever you began performing as Jacques Ze Whipper.
Jack: So I used to be a junior in school the primary full yr I did Jacques Ze Whipper. However the first yr, within the first couple years, it was like, it was this bizarre expertise the place I used to be going from both performing my present to class at 8:00 a.m. the following day. I used to be doing my homework backstage and form of making an attempt to determine, okay, how will we do a present like how I had gotten quite a lot of reps in, so to say, doing avenue performing. I'd executed avenue performing for a pair years at that time, however I used to be nonetheless very, very inexperienced and I used to be form of discovering the character.
I initially didn't have a mustache drawn on. The primary two days I used to be Jacques Ze Whipper, it was simply me simply doing a French accent in a Renaissance costume. And I made a decision to strive the mustache for the third day. And it was like individuals bought it instantly that the present is dumb. The present is supposed to be laughed at. And that appeared to calm everybody down and form of get them on the identical wavelength that I wished the viewers to be. However then it was nonetheless, you already know, seven years of simply actually determining the character and getting in tune and in contact with the character.
Dylan: And I assume we must always say, Jacques Ze Whipper, you don't simply converse in a French accent. That will be a form of a comparatively restricted act. You've got a expertise. So possibly you would discuss a number of the belongings you do in your act.
Jack: Yeah. So the act was born out of, you already know, I watched my dad's act rising up within the circus and he has like each ability identified to man. However what I actually loved once I was a child was I appreciated the whips, as a result of they have been loud, they have been cool, and you already know, my dad was cool, Indiana Jones was cool. So I gravitated in direction of studying the whips. And as that went on, I used to be like, oh, you already know, that is truly quite a lot of enjoyable.
Dylan: After placing in tons of time as a avenue performer, Jack began taking the act on the street. By this time, he had graduated from school. He had gotten a part-time job at a information radio station in Boston. However each time he may, he would drive to a neighborhood Renaissance truthful and do his Jacques Ze Whipper Present.
Set the scene for me. You're backstage. You've bought to prepare. Stroll me by way of moving into character, into costume, the way you put together your self, the way you heat up earlier than you step out in entrance of an viewers.
Jack: Ideally, I've already executed that prep work two hours prematurely. Ideally, you already know, costume goes on at like 9:00 a.m. for my 11:00 present, or no less than many of the costume. The make-up is already on. All of the props are set. And ideally, I've had like half an hour someplace to only hearken to some unhinged music to form of get myself into the bizarre headspace that I wish to be once I'm on stage.
Dylan: What sort of unhinged music?
Jack: Oh, you haven't any concept. Do you wish to go to this harmful place?
Dylan: I do. I actually do.
Jack: So I feel let's go together with the most secure choice. I feel the most secure choice for me to share with you is the heavy steel covers of outdated online game music. So the Avenue Fighter 2 soundtrack for me lives rent-free in my mind. It was what I performed once I was 9 years outdated. I nonetheless know many of the music, you already know, in order that's a pleasant, straightforward, secure choice to share with the world.
Dylan: Okay, superior. So that you're listening to unhinged music. You're moving into that headspace. You've already bought your outfit, your mustache on, or does your mustache go on late? Your mustache is already on.
Jack: Mustache goes on early. Yeah, that's bought to be executed. That's bought to be executed very rigorously.
Dylan: What's the mustache made—is it grease paint? What's it?
Jack: Eyeliner. It's eyeliner. CVS. Low cost eyeliner from CVS. It really works, man. One way or the other, it's fairly sturdy. I imply, just like the sweat means it's going to run and the best way, you already know, I smile and, you already know, my cheeks fold collectively and it runs a little bit bit, however I'm happy with its sturdiness. You recognize, I've a number of layers of setting spray on always, however, you already know, it's advantageous. We're doing all proper.
Dylan: Bought it. Okay. And you then step out in entrance of the group. Do you've gotten a—how do you begin an act? What does Jacques Ze Whipper say to the group when he first greets them?
Jack: So it was I'd come out and I'd yell, “Whippy Present” in a protracted, drawn-out means. I'd come out and say, “Whippy Present!”
Dylan: After which the whip methods start.
Jack: So now my present is half-hour of, you already know, numerous whip cracking stunts, methods, jokes, no matter it might be. Whether or not it's singing songs with the whips offering a beat to the songs, whether or not it's, you already know, doing a number of the extra superior whip methods that I've realized in nearly 30 years of whip cracking now, whether or not it's goal slicing or whether or not it's the fireplace whip routine that I've on the finish of the present the place I mild a whip on hearth and hopefully don't mild anything on hearth within the course of.
Dylan: By the best way, in case you thought we have been interviewing simply any outdated mid-tier whip ability man, Jack truly holds the Guinness World File for essentially the most bullwhip cracks in a single minute, which is 298. And there's an enormous musical element to your act. How did that develop and the way do you select songs that work within the act?
Jack: It was initially a pre-show routine, one thing you do to construct a crowd, one thing that's loud, energetic, individuals can hear from distant and so they come and see the present. And so what I discovered was We Will Rock You is one that everybody is aware of instantly, they acknowledge, everybody is aware of that track. So that could be a track that's all the time, nearly all the time the track that begins the present.
However then past that, once I go to the viewers for requests, I'm in search of a few issues. I'm in search of a track, primary, that I do know, however I'm additionally in search of a track that I haven't executed 20 occasions within the final month. And that's how we bought the banned listing, the listing of songs that I'm now not accepting, which is Freebird, Barbie Lady, Candy Caroline, Sephiroth, Sailor Moon, Pokemon, Fireplace and Flames, something by Taylor Swift or something from Hazbin Lodge and these days, Sizzling To Go as properly, as a result of that was each track for about 4 months.
And mainly, it's the form of factor the place I'm in search of a track like, okay, do I do know the track properly sufficient that I can parody the lyrics on the fly? Is it a track that I feel many of the viewers goes to know? After which is it a track that I haven't executed a bajillion occasions? And that's what I'm in search of once I'm going for viewers requests.
Dylan: So for some time, being Jacques Ze Whipper, it was Jack's different life. It was the Mr. Hyde to his Dr. Jekyll. Through the day, he was on the radio station. He was Jack Lepiarz, the intense newscaster man. After which on weekends or each time he may get away, he would grow to be Jacques Ze Whipper. However a few years in the past, Jack began fascinated about altering this stability round.
Jack: It's a mix of issues I wish to say in 2021, you already know, so I used to be in individual the entire of the pandemic and it was beginning to grate on me. I had form of hit a wall with radio the place I used to be like, okay, for my profession to go any additional on this business, I must put in quite a lot of further work. I must stage up my radio sport, and I knew what I needed to do and none of that work excited me. And I considered doing the identical form of work to do circus work full-time and that excited me. I wished to try this.
After which in October of 2021, longtime followers of mine got here to my present, posted clips of it on TikTok and people clips bought, first one bought 300,000 views after which the following two bought greater than 2 million views. And I used to be like, oh, okay. All proper. Apparently there's a requirement for Jacques Ze Whipper on the web. Let's begin posting some movies of my present on the web. Let's simply begin placing it on the market.
Dylan: That's superior. Okay. So, properly, now you do that full-time. What does your life appear to be?
Jack: It's both 60 miles an hour nonstop or there's a complete lot of nothing occurring. And proper now we're in a short interval of a complete lot of nothing, thank God. However so this yr has been mainly since mid-Might, nonstop till mid to late October.
So mid-Might, I did the New Jersey Ren Faire after which we went to Colorado, eight weeks in Colorado, two weeks in Seattle, six weeks in Baltimore. After which we bought residence, instantly went to Paris after which instantly went to New York Comedian-Con. So it's like from Might twentieth to October twentieth, if I used to be residence, I used to be residence for like three days max. So it's been quite a lot of going, quite a lot of all the pieces.
Dylan: And also you're doing a ton of touring. Largely driving or largely flying?
Jack: A couple of 50/50 cut up. If it's inside eight hours drive, I'm most likely driving.
Dylan: Am I proper in pondering you journey along with your cat? My cat is there for emotional help and generally content material. Scipio, my cat, he's getting there. He's bought some work to do. Once we drove to Colorado this summer time, he evacuated all of his bodily fluids within the first 20 minutes. After which I bought meals poisoning in solidarity with him on the third day of that drive. We have been only a pair of cat bros, simply scuffling with the drive.
Dylan: In a extremely aromatic automobile.
Jack: Sure, precisely.
Dylan: Maybe you noticed it, however there was a mini documentary sequence on HBO referred to as Ren Faire. I appreciated it. And it was all about this Renaissance truthful in Texas run by a really colourful character, older man who began the competition. And the present is about all of the individuals round him who're form of jockeying to take over the Renaissance truthful for him. It is rather type of a excessive drama. I did need to ask Jack if this was what it was truly like.
I do need to ask, clearly there was a giant HBO sequence about Renaissance truthful life that type of, I feel for lots of people, possibly was their first time even considering what that world is or what it seems to be like. What did you consider that sequence?
Jack: I had a few takeaways from that present. One was that some components of it have been so outrageously scripted that it was very troublesome for me to take any of it and not using a grain of salt. There have been solely a few spots there the place I'm like, okay, that appears prefer it, that's an precise interplay. I additionally really feel the necessity to say that TRF, Texas Ren Faire, Ren Fest, Ren Faire, I overlook, is just not each truthful. The possession there's a little eccentric, let's put it that means.
Dylan: Is there any, is there drama? Is there behind this, within the theater world, there's drama generally, it comes with the territory. Is that this part of the job?
Jack: It's like all workplace. I imply, I feel it's, any workplace is gonna have, you're gonna have coworkers you want and coworkers you don't like. On the finish of the day, it's a enterprise. It's a, I'd say it's a looser enterprise tradition or workplace tradition than you'll get, I'd say, working at a traditional workplace.
Dylan: How is the Ren Faire tradition distinct from the circus tradition? As a result of you've gotten expertise with each.
Jack: They're fairly comparable, to be very sincere with you. It's, I imply, I feel the Ren Faire world is, I feel it's simpler to get into simply because there's so a lot of them. With circus, there are fewer and fewer circuses each single day. I imply, Massive Apple Circus went out of enterprise, I feel as soon as, possibly twice now. Ringling stopped exhibits. So the circus, the standard circus, as we give it some thought, is just not a thriving business.
Ren Faires are doing superb proper now, which I attribute to Sport of Thrones. However the tradition of the world is, what I really like about it's it's a place, and I say this with love, it's a place for the freaks and the geeks and the individuals who don't match neatly into regular society. You recognize, no matter your historical past, no matter your background, so long as you're not a menace or a hazard to your self or others, there's a spot for you on the Renaissance Faire, and there's a neighborhood for you on the Renaissance Faire world, as a result of everyone seems to be a little bit little bit of an outcast. I really like that for the Ren Faire world.
Dylan: Jack, this has been actually, actually enjoyable to speak to you. Actually attention-grabbing. Congratulations on all of the success, on the nice act, and hopefully I'll get to see it in actual life someday.
Jack: With a bit of luck. Thanks for having me, Dylan.
Pay attention and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all main podcast apps.
This episode was produced by Amanda McGowan. Our podcast is a co-production of Atlas Obscura and Stitcher Studios. The individuals who make our present embrace Doug Baldinger, Chris Naka, Kameel Stanley, Johanna Mayer, Manolo Morales, Baudelaire, Gabby Gladney, Amanda McGowan, Alexa Lim, Casey Holford, and Luz Fleming. Our theme music is by Sam Tyndall.
