Coney Island’s phony “Mayor” and freak king Dick D. Zigun on going head-to-head with fellow politicos, the dignity of the American stripper, keeping Vegas glitz away from Coney Island grit, and why only Obama can save us.

I'm sorry, Dick Zigun, I forgot to turn on my tape recorder -- what were you saying? As I was saying, the organization is 30 years old. We do a number of different programs, like the sideshow, the Mermaid Parade, and the Coney Island Museum -- which we are best known for. There is other stuff as well, such as the film festival or the creep show that you just saw.

My mother's partially to blame for Heather joining the sideshow. Heather Ramon, my childhood friend and fellow Girl Scout, is now known as Heather Holliday, the sword-swallowing starlet of Coney Island's freak show, "Sideshows by the Seashore". Miss Holiday has mastered the art of effortlessly devouring 28 inches of cold steel to the very bottom of her throat. As she explains to her audience, "All you need is saliva, no lubrication required." Of course, you'll want to see the video.