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Britney Spears’ VMA Serpent-Wrangler Returns, 20 Years Later: “Could Have Been Really Risky”
By Lyndsey Parker Twenty years ago at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, Britney Spears, at the peak of her performance, delivered one of the most electrifying and discussed acts in VMA history. Showcasing a more sultry and sophisticated sound on “I’m a Slave 4 U” produced by Neptunes, she strutted on stage at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House with a 7-foot albino Burmese python draped around her delicate shoulders. , looking like the ultimate snake charmer in control. But that was just a testament to the pop star’s professionalism – because Spears was actually terrified to death of his scaly co-star, according to that night’s python-wrangler, Mike Hano. “She was extremely, extremely scared at first. I was very impressed with how she was able to focus and force herself to do what she had to do, ”Hano, former vice president of the New York Herpetological Society, told Yahoo Entertainment. “She’s from Louisiana, and there are many types of poisonous snakes there and people get bitten sometimes. So when I first showed up on the first day of rehearsal, she was very scared. Spears had reason to be concerned. Hano, who initially hadn’t realized when he was hired how elaborate the production “I’m a Slave 4 U” would be, explains: “Britney Spears is quite small – and she was going to dance with it. [the python]. She had to position the snake on her shoulders on her own and dance, then she had to hand it over to a third person… and it’s easy to screw that sort of thing up. You know, he wraps around your arm and doesn’t want to let go. It could have been very risky, because it was a live performance, a take. Hano notes that the python was a “relatively young animal” and not fully developed – it then went from around 7 feet and 25 pounds to 15 feet and 100 pounds! – and that the Burmese breed is generally “quite fluffy” and “quite manageable” when bred in captivity. “The problem is, they get huge, and most people don’t have to keep one because they get big enough to kill you easily.” And it’s not that they want to kill you; it’s usually a so-called accident, a feeding reaction, where they think they’re shrinking prey. … Once they are wrapped around something, they cannot even see what is around them. All they know is it’s hot and it’s struggling, so the snake keeps squeezing. There was an incident in the 90s where a young man, I think about 19, right here in New York, was killed by his pet, the Burmese python. Hano adds that in 1999, Burmese pythons became illegal as pets in New York City and he had to obtain a special permit from the New York Department of Health to use one in the performance of Spears’ VMAs. All this considered, it’s no wonder that Spears was finicky when it came time to rehearse with the python, so it was imperative for Hano that he spend some quality one-on-one time with her for the get comfortable. But to do this, he had to go through his entourage. “They had a person who I guess was supposed to be my master or whatever, my liaison, and they made me sit in the audience area,” Hano recalls. “So I’m just waiting for them to need me, and I’ve told this guy a few times that I would like to spend a few minutes alone with Mrs. Spears, so that if she had any questions or concerns she could talk to me in private. And if she wants to hold the snake, she could try it away from everyone else who is watching – just me and her and the snake. Sometimes with that sort of thing, if they’re a little uncomfortable, they can hold the back part of the snake’s body while I hold the front part of the body, and as they feel more comfortable, they can gradually move. to the point where they can hold the snake on their own. This is how I prefer to proceed. Why would you want a hundred people watching you, if you are scared and might be a little embarrassed? And I said to this guy a few times, ‘Give me a few minutes alone with her, especially if she’s scared.’ I don’t think she’s ever handled a snake before. Eventually, Hano got his request, even though it was awkward. “They didn’t even let me talk to him before. This is my first time facing her with her – and I am holding this python! And all of a sudden, she’s not ready to do that. I could tell she was uncomfortable, ”he recalls. “Corn [the liaison] gave me a few minutes – and it only took a few minutes – where she was able to sit with me on the sidelines and realize that it’s okay to hold a snake. So we did the rehearsal that day and then it was later that day or the next day that I got a call from the agent that they wanted to do an extra rehearsal with the snake, just so that ‘she was very comfortable with this. “On day two, Spears” told me something about how she had “broken out in beehives” wherever the snake touched her during rehearsal – which is really not possible, “Hano laughs. But in the end, he says she was” very professional, very focused. Like, I remember a few times the director said, ‘OK, everybody takes five’ and basically everyone walked off the stage, and she was left alone and you could sort of get it. ‘Hear count: “One, two, three, four ..” She continued to practice her movements by herself, without the music. You could tell she was a very hard worker. And she did well. She did very well. Interestingly, there was also a tiger in Spears’ jungle-themed “I’m a Slave 4 U” issue – but even if it turns out that this fat cat was handled by none other than the star of Tiger King Doc Antle, most fans remember only the yellow python. Animal rights groups like PETA condemned Spears’ VMA performance at the time, although Hano recalls that the outrage was more tiger-focused than snake-focused. “And I kind of agree with that,” he says. “These animals aren’t really meant to be around pyrotechnics and loud music. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t do that with tigers. With snakes it’s different, because they can’t see or hear or anything. And so the performance became iconic specifically because of the snake, and it’s still referenced in pop culture – like in Grimes’ “Genesis” music video or Kaley Cuoco’s epic tribute to Britney on Lip Sync Battle. Even Spears, despite his reluctance, has fond memories of the historic performance, even tweeting about the python 11 years later and retroactively naming it “Banana.” (Hano isn’t sure where that nickname came from, because Banana – as the female python will now be known for the remainder of this article – was unnamed at the time. “He can’t even hear you say his name, you know, “he jokes.) At first, Hano himself didn’t realize how important performance was; while he was delighted to work at the Metropolitan Opera House because he had sung there in a children’s choir from 1976 to 78 and even shared the stage with Luciano Pavarotti during a televised concert in 1977, he was not very up to date with modern pop music and did not even know that Spears was a major superstar. However, when he returned home that night with Banana after the 2001 VMAs ended, he quickly realized that he had been part of MTV history. “I actually took the metro on the evening of work – because how are you going to park there?” – so I just had the snake in a cooler, ”Hano confesses. “And after doing this job, I took the train home… It was half an hour later that I left the station and entered my building, and there are all these children hanging out on the porch of my building. And they all knew me; they knew I had a bunch of animals. So they saw me coming and said, ‘Hey, did you see that VMA thing with Britney Spears? She had a snake! The whole neighborhood already knew about this thing. And I tell them, ‘Yeah, I just did this job. I have the snake right here on my shoulder in this cooler. They didn’t believe me… and I actually took the snake out for them to check. They couldn’t believe it. Hano, who was only the wrestler and not the actual owner of the snake, said last year the original banana was still alive and residing “somewhere in upstate New York”, well that at an estimated age of 23, she would either “get up there” in years. However, he and Snake again worked together on a fashion photoshoot about six or seven years after Spears’ performance, and at that point he was shocked at how much bigger the python was. “The snake had gotten a lot bigger. [and heavier] since 2001, but the owner didn’t tell me, and when I picked up the snake on my way to work and realized how grown it had grown, it was too late to look for another ” , Hano remembers. Fortunately, at this job the models were completely covered in oily black body paint – which I hadn’t been told about either – so the decision was made to hang the snake from the pipe structure behind them, instead of drape it over their bodies. ”As for Spears, who has been on an“ indefinite work hiatus ”from her Las Vegas residence since January 2019, she may never return to the MTV Video Music Awards stage again. Her last VMA performance was in 2016, when this appearance was actually highlighted by a promo featuring a slippery Banana lookalike. But Hano wishes Spears the best of luck in his ongoing conservation battle, admires his talent, and focuses on #FreeBritney. “Regarding his professional career or his career in entertainment, I have no idea or feeling about it,” Hano says. “But I would say she’s already accomplished a lot. I hope she can get out of this and enjoy her life. She’s worked hard and she’s had a lot of success, and she deserves to enjoy it. And if she’s working again, hopefully it’s just because it’s something she wants to do, and not for someone else and not for money. She should be able to do whatever she wants. Learn more about Yahoo Entertainment: Rose McGowan looks back on the transparent and scandalous dress of the VMAs: “I had never really dealt with the shame of the world media” “I tell you, it’s sabotage”: the Beasties Boys recall their two most controversial VMA moments Nirvana manager recalls the VMA feud between Kurt Cobain / Axl Rose: “They would be friends if Kurt was alive today” Garbage, the most stolen video in VMA history Follow Lyndsey on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Amazon, Spotify.
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