CURMANO SWIMS FOR CLEAN RIVER

When Billy Curmano decides to take on a cause, nothing -- not even a "dead" performance from six feet under -- seems out of the question.

Curmano, accompanied by two canoes and four volunteers, swam from Trail of Tears to Riverfront Park in Cape Girardeau Thursday, a four-hour trek, to raise public awareness of pollution in the Mississippi.

Judging from a few areas where his skin was scraped raw, his cause has brought some pain to go with the gain.

"I scraped my arm and chest on some rocks," he said. "When I swim near dams I have a lot of trouble with that. But when I go South of St. Louis it's the current. It can do some crazy things," said the 45-year-old self-proclaimed performing artist.

Curmano insists he's only seeking publicity to help feed his cause rather than his ego. "I want people to think about what a beautiful river this really is and why it's important to protect. This river looked absolutely beautiful today."

He also said he doesn't consider himself an extremist who is obsessed with stopping industries from using the river for waste removal.

"I'm not trying to shut down industries that use the Mississippi to get rid of waste, but I think there can be a balance among wildlife, people, profit and planet," said Curmano, who started his "Swimmin' The River" campaign from Lake Itasca, Minn., in 1987.

"I tried to swim down from St. Louis last year but had to stop at Chester, Ill., because of the flood," said Curmano. "I ended up helping out with the sandbagging and decided I needed to come back to try the restaurants here. Cape Girardeau really has some nice restaurants."

His ultimate goal is to reach the Gulf of Mexico, completing a 2,552-mile swim some time in the next few years. "It's not like a race or anything," he said.

The longest stretch he swam without a break was an 11-mile trek on Lake Winnibigoshish, which took nine hours and 15 minutes. His best mileage day was an 18.5-mile trek that took nine hours and 14 minutes July 27, 1987.

"When I first started this, I thought I could swim as far as I wanted, but it turns out I can't," he smiled, brushing his hand against his beard. "If I get a good crew to work with me, I can go a pretty good distance," he said. "The next one I'm going out with in a couple of weeks is my Gonzo crew. They'll push me."

Asked how he got started on this and other adventurous causes, he said, "I'm a performing artist who likes to use his body to express concerns for certain issues. I'm not much different than a painter who uses a canvas to express himself. I once buried myself alive, breathing out of a tube, for four days to make people more comfortable with having to let go of loved ones."

Asked if the experience was worth the trouble, he replied, "I had a few hallucinations. I saw my father, who died just before that, and also a B- movie. I probably projected the movie in my own mind, though."

He already have covered 1,300 miles, from the drought of 1987 to the flood of 1993. "Thanks to Mark Twain, the Mississippi is a famous river," said Curmano. "People in St. Louis were telling me that they never go down to the banks and just stare at it the way people here do. I think it has to do with how you're brought up. Some were telling me their parents said `Don't go by the river or you'll drown. Others felt like there were so many pollutants and contaminants in the river, it was already too far gone to save."

He covers himself with Dermoguard cream to keep any cuts or sores from getting infected. "I've developed this solution I call Billyguard," he said. "It's not available in the stores or anything, though."

When he is through swimming, he uses antibacterial soap as yet another preventative measure to guard against infection or disease. "There are things in the river that are nasty, but there's still a lot of beauty to it," he said. "I'd like to make sure it stays that way."

Anyone interested in becoming part of the Swimmin' ON The River project may reach Curmano by writing in care of : Art Works USA, Route 1, Box 116, Rushford, Minn., 55971 or by calling (507) 864-2716.