When Every Night is like Halloween

By Rob Salem

Scott McClelland’s a pretty spooky-looking guy … even before he hammers a nail up his nostril.

He strides onto stage at the Poor Alex Theater- where his one-man Paranormal Show has been playing for the past 7 months – looks like the unlikely offspring of Tom Waits and Edward Scissorhands; Marilyn Manson meets Harry Blackstone, Jr.

The 33- year old vaudevillian magician- also mentalist, ventriloquist and all-purpose oddity – brings his eclectic psycho sideshow to Whiskey Saigon tomorrow night at 10 (250 Richmond st.W., admission $10), an enhanced, expanded Carnival Diablo he’s mounting especially for Halloween.

And therein lies the problem.What do you do Oct.31 when every night is Halloween?

“ That is the dilemma,” McClelland shrugs. “It’s not like I can go out and dress up.”

McClelland’s been working this act for 6 years now, and before that it’s previous incarnation, Professsor Crookshank’s Travelling Medicine Show. He’s been performing one thing or another for the last 20 years.

In fact, it’s his family business. McClelland’s maternal grandfather, Nick Lewchuk owned and operated Canada’s largest traveling carnival sideshow, Prof. N.P. Lewchuk’s Travelling Vaudeville Shows, from 1920 thru 1968.

McClelland’s mother, the youngest of ten kids, grew up training lions, tigers and monkeys.

“ But then,” he deadpans, “at age 18, she decided to runaway and leave the circus.”

Mom wanted to get off the road, get out of show business and settle down. Imagine her dismay when young Scott decided to climb on stage at age 11.

“I think she was hoping that it was just a phase,” he says. It wasn’t. And McClelland insists he won’t have a problem if his kids want to follow in his stage blood-caked footsteps.

Though at the moment family life is not an issue. “I haven’t met anyone that can tolerate my lifestyle.”

Even after Halloween, McClelland’s unnatural act equal parts magic, mirth, mayhem and audience participation- continues Saturdays at midnight at the Poor Alex.