West Philly strongman to be on 'America's Got Talent'

Shane Lanes was reluctant to go on America's Got Talent. Then, he said, he had a flash of inspiration: "I wanted to lift Nick Cannon with my teeth."

We all have dreams, and, at 8 p.m. Tuesday on NBC, viewers can find out whether Lanes - known to fans as strongman Titano Oddfellow - achieved his. It will be the latest achievement for Lanes, 42, of West Philadelphia, who also holds world records in beard-pulling, septum-lifting, and sledgehammer-juggling.

Next, starting on his birthday July 16, he wants to lift a stranger with his teeth every day for a year (the liftee must lie down wearing a harness in order to be lifted about a foot off the ground). "It's an interesting sociological experiment. They have to trust me to pick them up with my teeth and not hurt them," he said. "I want that connection with a lot of people: rich, poor, black, white, Asian, even Amish. I'd like to lift an Amish person with my teeth; that would be a unique moment."

The self-described "Eighth Wonder of the World" spoke with The Inquirer, explaining that he saw these feats as a way of connecting with people and inspiring them.

How did you discover you had these talents?

I'm probably the only strongman that got pestered into doing it. I had friends in a group called the Dead Man's Carnival. They said you're big - I'm 6-foot-3 - and I had most of my body and head tattooed, so I was considered a self-made freak, and they wanted me to perform with them. But I thought it was too macho. They kept bugging me: They said I should rip a phone book in half. I said, "Hell, no! I have way too much imagination for that!" So I taught myself how to drive nails through a couple planks of wood and a burning frying pan with just my hand.

And lifting people with your beard followed?

I really believe in mind over matter. Part of the reason I perform is to inspire people to do things they don't think they can do. So last year, I saw this video of a Lithuanian man who had been training for years to lift things with his beard. I wanted to break his world record on my first try without training, and I did.

Your tattoos are part of your persona, but they came before this career?

I just felt like I wanted to. It was who I was supposed to be. I liked National Geographic magazine growing up. You'd see these beautiful people from different parts of the world with tribal traditions, face tattoos and stretched ears, and I thought it was the most beautiful thing. I was sad [that] with globalization these things were disappearing.

I've had people look at me like I'm a convict, and they're terrified of me. Sometimes, I've had people come up to me and admit that, for weeks seeing me in public, they judged me. And then they felt bad and started crying, and they said I changed their perspective on people in general, which is pretty beautiful. I like being myself, and hopefully that's making a difference.

This is your job now?

I have a sideshow in Philadelphia, and I work closely with my family that I live with, Squidling Brothers. We tour around the country. Five of us sideshow people live together. As you can imagine, our house is not boring.

Have you had on-the-job injuries?

I have hurt myself. A lot of my strongman feats have consequences. I like to bring a level of danger because I consider myself a circus strongman and a freak show. I incorporate chainsaws where, if I fail, I can lose an arm. I lost a tooth from one accident, which I pulled out myself with a pair of pliers on stage. I have chainsaw scars from near-misses. I have accidentally driven the head of a nail into the bone in my hand. But with feats of strength, it's mind over matter.

Is there a secret to growing a weight-bearing beard?

I've been trying to be better at conditioning. I think I have just a really strong beard. But I think it's really about the meditation: I think about that part of my body being made out of steel. Also, I like to trim it with scissors like I'm pruning a bonsai.

What was it like to do this on 'America's Got Talent'?

It was challenging. If you're doing a world record that's a feat of strength and great pain, you need time to focus and meditate. I didn't have time for that in the slightest.

But I pride myself on showmanship. . . . In that short time of 90 seconds, we got people laughing and chanting, "Titano." We took them through a good range of emotions. I look at performing like a good movie, helping people forget themselves and their worries for the duration of your act, and I think that's what happened. I think people watching on TV will have the same experience. They'll be baffled, bewildered, and laugh, and be stoked seeing something they thought wasn't possible.

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