I’ve always had a Thing for crazy twins, so the recent deaths of Igor and Grichka Bogdanoff turned out to be a goldmine (for me if not for them.) The twin brothers, who are famous pop culture figures in France, died withing 6 days of each other after falling ill with Covid in December.
They refused Covid vaccinations but denied being afraid of them, much like they denied having plastic surgery, even though they turned their faces into giant surreal puppet masks. What kills me is that they were originally good looking men who must have lost their minds together in a classic case of folie à deux.
The twins became famous in the late 70s as the presenters of the hit science show “Temps X”(described as a cross between Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Mr. Wizard.) They appeared in wacky silver space suits but this was child’s play, in terms of the antics to come.
Over the years, they received dubious doctoral degrees and published academic papers that explained the state of the universe just before the Big Bang. When their work was derided as gibberish, they sued several scientists and magazines for libel.
You will have to google them to get the full story, but if you don’t love them you have a heart of stone. I wish I could know everything about them. One of them had several children, so we’ll see how that works out.
The Bogdanoff Twins reminded me of my favorite twins of all time, Frida and Greta Chaplin. I used to be obsessed with them and I may just be ready to revisit that obsession.
Frida and Greta became famous in the 80s, when they went on trial for stalking a truck driver. They walked and spoke in unison, dressed alike, and most poignantly, says a neighbor, “They even hoovered together.”
Their story is tragic at first glance, but maybe their companionship was a blessing that most of us will never understand. They dressed by looking at each other instead of a mirror! They died thirteen years apart, which must have been an ordeal for the surviving twin, but they were eventually buried one on top of the other in a double cemetery plot.
This is how I want to be buried with my husband! I think I got him to agree to this although we haven’t discussed who goes on top.
Finally, there are Flo and Kay, who I wrote about in 2009 and ended that post by calling Dick Clark a cunt, a statement I stand by today. Flo and Kay are autistic savants, and it may sound condescendingly ableist to call them special but they really are amazing. Enjoy this documentary about them! You’ll be happy to know that they are still with us and doing well. If anything bad ever happens to them, I hope they are together until the last moment…like me and my husband, in our double plot, with me on top, because I weigh less.
Just as fun to read was your post about Flo and Kay and the comments that followed. Fascinating stuff, twins. The two french brothers I knew nothing about. Occasionally seeing the photo of the two in the first image, I would always say silently, don’t do that to yourself…please. We all have the capacity to go “there”.
I always wonder what these people see when they look in the mirror. And how did their faces become so LARGE? I have read a bit about them-obviously high level scientists that wouldn’t get the vaccine, right?
Europe has some characters. Lolo Ferrari is another one that was a sad and fascinating creation.
I guess there’s something going on with twins that those of us un-twins will never be able to understand. Who the hell would I be to judge, anyway? All I know is that reading about the brothers just made me horribly sad, and I hate, and feel ashamed to report, that I did not fall in love with them. The bizarre face altering and possibly premature deaths from Covid was so depressing, I couldn’t feel anything else. Also it seems like some real, legitimate scientists were hoodwinked by their bullshit academic papers, too, and that’s one more level of depressing.
Bevitron – Yep, it’s depressing to think too much about those brothers. I think I meant LoveThem in a perverse way, not a heartfelt love like the way I feel about Flo and Kay. No shame in finding things to be depressing; I mean, so few things don’t have a tragic dimension, you know?
I find these two terrifying, like Gary Glitter meets Spitting Image.
I know it’s wrong, but I have very little sympathy for anti-vaxxers who die from Covid. More so if they push that wacky agenda (which i don’t think these two did.)
Google Pelican Twins Sunshine Coast Australia. You will find weird but heartwarming weird.
Beannie – Thank you, I will look!
Suspended – I know what you mean. But I can’t help feeling sorry for such awful mental problems, in everyone except of course Donald Trump.
Kate – YES, those comments!!!