You can click on any photo for a short movie of the performer

Abbot Kinney, Jim Morrison, and William Burroughs, Charles Bukowski all weirdos, found Venice irresistable. Other oddballs like Lenny Bruce, Timothy Leary and Dennis Hopper have found the nearest thing to home here. That magical mojo is still as strong today.

And every day, summer, winter and spring a steady stream of characters appear to populate the Venice stage. A veritable feast of American and foreign talent, as entertaining as American Idol without the annoying hosts.

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The beauty of visiting the Venice Boardwalk is that you know it will be different from the last time you where there. One day you might see a guy juggling chain saws, another day it's a girl jiggling with a hula hoop.

I've seen more than one one man band. And the guy dressed in the bustier, garters and high heels while waking a Great Dane will forever be etched upon my mind. Personally I love the idea that there is a freak show just a short walk from my house,

If I ever have grandkids, before they get too old to scare, I'd take them to the Freak Show, Every little boy should see what that girl can do with her snake. And, did I mention the two headed pig with 5 legs and the other amazing animal oddities?

Need a strong man who can lift 1,000 pounds or a guy who can balance a washing machine on his chin? You'll find them on Venice Beach. See Statue Man and the rest of them. They are all part of a rich history going back almost a hundred years.

Another crop of freaks and geeks that will always be the heart and soul of the Venice Boardwalk. That Zulu with the spear may be a hunter/actor or a stand up comic/forager; you'll seldom get a straight answer.

In Venice it all depends, because in Venice anything can happen and sometimes it seems anything is possible. Look back on the dreams that have come true on the Venice Boardwalk, Morrison found his drug trips, Abbott Kinney found his Venice in America and Jody Maroni found a

sausage kingdom, while musicians create the ambiance. Like the Venice Beach Drum Orchestra with Paul and Abraham that jams in front of the Venice Bistro, they often consist of a mutating flow of members.

The Venice drum circle is a moveable audio feast that will suddenly appear, grown to several hundred players and dancers sometimes, and then disappear all in the span of a day. Add it all up and you have a veritable cacophony of background sounds.

One day I'll have a page of the sounds of Venice. When I do that I'll have to have some sounds of the crashing surf because you can't forget that when you come to Venice Beach there is a real beach with lots of fresh air,

a bizarre of tacky goods to browse some decent art and performing artists like Greg here, doing their thing in the sand. So bring a good attitude and be sure to stay for the sunset, 'cause in the Valley it's 103 today.

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