Mat Fraser is a performance artist who starred on the FX television show American Horror Story: Freak Show. Born with phocomelia, a condition that results in malformation of the limbs, Fraser embraces his disability through activism, art, and the carnie-sideshow experience. In this episode, Fraser tells the stories of his condition, his relationship with Coney Island, and how he entered show business with a physical deformity.Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.Music by PC Worship.Transcripts are available at <a href="https://www.everythingisstories.com/portfolio-audio/s01e05/">everythingisstories.com</a> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

Anything For A Witness

Created and produced by Mike Martinez and Tyler Wray, Everything is Stories is an ongoing survey of personal histories. Each episode is a first person narrative from someone who has lived through consequential changes to their notion of self and the world.

Harry Crews said it best: “Nothing is allowed to die in a society of story telling people. It is all–the good and the bad–carted up and brought along from one generation to the next. And everything that is brought along is colored and shaped by those who bring it.

These voices have told their greatest moments where peace is far and death is close. Sometimes these stories explore the philosophy of outsiders. But most importantly, these stories examine what it is to be human.

We don’t record to defend or demonstrate an idea. Rather, we create a document of what was seen and felt during their transformative experiences. Take a listen. Start anywhere. You may find a new definition of reality’s highs and lows.

Know of a story or storyteller? Send us your tales of genuine characters and unfamiliar places for consideration to: HQ@everythingisstories.com. No story too troubled, no atmosphere too strange, no realm too foreign.