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>>People Big joker >>
Little king’s fool stokes up the crowd
by CHRIS BARRY
Nickname:
Ti-Dan
Age: 26
Occupation:
Entertainer
Bio: This
slinky bundle of love and former Chippendale dancer was slaving away
in a machine shop until one evening, at the age of 21, he was discovered
by a fast-talking show biz agent while cruising along a downtown street.
Currently writing his autobiography and employed as “le fou de
Roi” at the Château Medieval in the Laurentians, his job
is to stoke up the crowd, provide comic relief between bouts of jesting
horsemen and tend bar during the off season. Standing at four feet tall,
Daniel says he lands a good film or television role every couple of
months and resents being referred to as a dwarf. “I’m a little
person.”
How he got his
Chippendale gig: Posing semi-nude and under the name Guido for the
company’s annual calendar, Daniel’s muscular frame was such
a big hit that he was invited to join the touring company full time.
“It’s funny, when men go see strip shows they generally keep
fairly quiet, but the women, the women go crazy at these things!”
Is he like one
of those little people they used to feature in 1950s sex shows—with
a four-foot frame and a foot-long penis? No. “My penis is the
same size as everyone else’s.”
Did he get a
lot of pussy dancing at Chippendales? No. “The women came to
see the other guys, not to see me. Sure, some girls would come to see
me after the show, but not in the same way they would come see the other
guys. For me it was just to talk, not all that other stuff.”
Do rude idiots
ever point and laugh at him just because of his size? Yes. “When
I go to Montreal. I don’t usually see it but my friends do. It’s
worse when I’m out with girls because it makes them uncomfortable
to be with me. But nobody laughs at me here in St-Adolphe.”
Something he’s
been pondering for a long time: Undergoing an operation he saw on
TV that might make him a foot taller. “I would do this mostly so
I could be more attractive to women. But I’m not ready yet because
it hurts a lot and I would be bedridden for at least eight months. And
it would take a year before I could walk. But anyway, for now I have
Jos, my cat, to love. She’s my girl.”
Do ignorant
people regularly talk to him as though he were a child? Not so much.
“But I don’t like it when people say, ‘Oh, he’s
so cute.’ I don’t usually say anything, but later, when I’m
alone, it starts to bother me.”
Something that
brings him a lot of pleasure: Talking to the families of other little
people and telling them of his experience.
Last book read:
A book adaptation of the film Rain Man.
Musical preferences:
Marjo, Gerry Boulet, Jean Leloup.
Favourite film
of all time: Braveheart.
Words of wisdom:
“Don’t worry about what other people think. If you want to
do something, then do it.” : Comments? dimwit@openface.ca
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Name:
Daniel Mercille