The lengths that Russians will go to for fifteen minutes of fame
are exposed in It’s Not Big and It’s Not Clever, the first in a series
of twelve videos released last week by Bizarre magazine.
From setting themselves on fire to self-electrocution, Russians, it
seems, will do anything to appear on Slabo, one of Russia’s most popular
TV shows.
In one clip, an adoring mother swings a smiling young girl from a
balcony by her hair and, in another, a talented parent demonstrates the
art of juggling babies.
Animals are also used as props with some people showcasing a talent for
swallowing them and one woman using bees to sting her so that she could
pull a funny face.
In a segment called ’Maniacs’, one man is seen sitting in a bath pouring
acid over his chest and another grabs hold of a burning hot metal
pole.
Russians’ legendary capacity for drinking is shown in a clip featuring
men downing two bottles of vodka in a race against the clock.
Group associate publisher Richard Mergler hinted at big plans for an
expansion of Bizarre magazine next year building on year on year sales
growth of 27 per cent and 33 per cent for the last two years, making it
the fastest growing title in the men’s lifestyle sector. He also claimed
that ad revenues are similarly flourishing. ’We have doubled advertising
revenue in the last ten months. In the last two months alone it has
grown by 25 per cent,’ he said.
The videos, the first from Bizarre, will retail through the normal
channels for pounds 12.99.
