Category: The History of Pranks

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Alfred, We Hardly Knew Thee!

A comprehensive, although theoretical, exhibition of the history of Alfred E. Newman, Alfred, We Hardly Knew Thee! continues through Feb. 7 in the Ford Gallery in Ford Hall at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti. Ford Hall is north of Cross Street at the intersection of Normal Street. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon. and Thursday.; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday. Information: 734-487-0465.

Mad for Alfred:
A new exhibit shows Mad magazine’s poster boy has a shadowy past
by Tahree Lane
The Toledo Blade
January 20, 2008

Mad for Alfred ExhibitionMad magazine’s lovable poster boy is as emblematic of the last half of the 20th century as any cartoon character.

But the face we know as Alfred E. Neuman has a storied past that reaches back 200 years and has its roots in discrimination.

“The image is fluid and flexible and has been with us from George Washington to W. Bush,” says John E. Hett, publisher of the intermittent The Journal of Madness. Continue reading “Alfred, We Hardly Knew Thee!”

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  2. New Doc About the Church of the SubGenius Screens at SXSW
  3. Fakes, Lies, and Forgeries Exhibition
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Pranks, Pranksters, Trickster & Tricks: An Online Class by RU Sirius

[Editor’s Note: Joey Skaggs will be dropping in to RU Sirius’ online class during the week of February 18, 2008 (Note new date). So, if you’re registered, you’ll have an opportunity to ask questions and share comments with him.]

An invitation from RU Sirius: I’ll be teaching a 6 week online course at the Maybe Logic Academy February 11 – March 23, 2008 (Note new dates). Join us!

Pranks and Pranksters, Tricksters & Tricks, an online class at the Maybe Logic Institute Pranks and Pranksters, Tricksters & Tricks

The brilliant ones open up a space in the world for magic(k), ambiguity, and novelty. They encourage us to question authority and better still, they cause us to question reality.

In this course, we will discuss the history of pranks and pranksterism in the contemporary world. We will examine mythical and world historic tricksters like Coyote, Bugs Bunny, Crowley, Puck, Heyoka, Papa Legba, Lucifer, and more. And we’ll explore and discuss the role pranksters and tricksters play in cultures. I will also discuss some of my own pranks and tricks and legendary pranksters Mark Hosler of Negativland and Joey Skaggs will be dropping in on the course to answer questions.

Finally, we will plan pranks, make pranks, and maybe even leave the course with a dedicated prankster cabal. No fooling.

Course texts:

  • Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth and Art by Lewis Hyde
  • Pranks 2 by V. Vale

    • Check here for information about the Maybe Logic Academy and an explanation of how their online classes work.

    RU Sirius is co-editor of 10 Zen Monkeys and author of Counterculture Through The Ages: From Abraham to Acid House. He was a Yippie! in the early 1970s, Editor-In-Chief of Mondo 2000 in the early ’90s, and is currently hosting two attempts to create political organizations — QuestionAuthority and Open Source Party at MondoGlobo.net.

    Related posts:

    1. Catch It While You Can…”Joey Skaggs: Fish Condos” at the New Jersey Film Festival
    2. How (Not) to Fake Your Own Death
    3. Pranks, Pranksters, Trickster & Tricks: Class is in Session!
    4. Destiny Interviews RU Sirius
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    George C. Parker, King of the NY Con Men

    Meet The King Of NY Con Men
    November 25, 2007
    New York Post

    new_york_city_brooklyn_bridge_-_currier__ives_1877-200.jpgNew York City has been home to some of the cleverest con men in history – but no flimflam artist was a greater scoundrel than George C. Parker.

    In his upcoming book, The Modern Con Man: How to Get Something for Nothing, Todd Robbins recounts the astounding chutzpah of Parker as he merrily ripped off countless numbers of residents and tourists – “selling” them city landmarks over and over again.

    “He was one of the ballsiest grifters ever,” Robbins writes. “He sold the Brooklyn Bridge on an average of twice a week for years and it was not unusual for buyers to begin construction of their own tollbooths before police broke the news to them.”

    Following this great tradition, Joey Skaggs once sold the Brooklyn Bridge too (see The Brooklyn Bridge Lottery hoax). In 1992, he faked an inter-office memo from then Mayor David Dinkins, purporting that the City was planning a lottery to sell the Brooklyn Bridge. In addition to a million dollar prize, the winner would have the bridge named after him or her for five years. The proceeds would help to pay for the restoration of the decaying bridge.

    To continue the Post story about George C. Parker Continue reading “George C. Parker, King of the NY Con Men”

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    The Avant-Garde: From Futurism to Fluxus

    Vilnius, Lithuania – The Jonas Mekas Visual Arts Center (JMVAC) in Vilnius, Lithuania proudly announces its premier exhibition, The Avant-Garde: From Futurism to Fluxus, which opens to the public on November 4, 2007 and runs through February 3, 2008.

    futurism-425.jpg

    The exhibition highlights the history of the avant-garde through some of its most pivotal figures and a wide array of mediums including film, film stills, installation, Fluxus objects and documents, sculpture, video, and poetry, which cooperatively stimulated new ways of thinking about art, culture, and society. Furthermore, the exhibition represents a celebratory homecoming for two of Lithuania”s most prolific artists: pioneering avant-garde filmmaker Jonas Mekas and George Maciunas, the impresario and “Chairman” of the 1960″s international art movement Fluxus. Continue reading “The Avant-Garde: From Futurism to Fluxus”

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    Coyle & Sharpe: The Imposters Podcasts, Episodes 16 through 20

    Coyle & Sharpe, The ImpostersHere are Episodes 16 through 20 of the historic Coyle & Sharpe podcast series presented by Jesse Thorn of The Sound of Young America.

    In Episode 16, Coyle & Sharpe practice vocal projection. In Episode 17, they try to convince a truck driver to run them over. In Episode 18, Mal tells the story of how they pranked Dizzie Gillespie. In Episode 19, they discuss turning your head into a human sugar bowl. And, in Episode 20, tires are food too.

    You can listen to the earlier episodes here:
    Episodes 1, 2 & 3
    Episode 4
    Episode 5
    Episode 6
    Episodes 7, 8 & 9
    Episodes 10, 11, & 12
    Episodes 13, 14, & 15

    These recordings are from the Sharpe family archive, tended by Mal’s daughter, Jennifer Sharpe. More about Coyle & Sharpe is available on their Website or on MySpace.

    You can also listen to these podcasts at The Sound of Young America.

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    1. Catch the First Four Joey Skaggs Oral Histories at the (Virtual) New Jersey Film Festival Friday
    2. Before Banksy
    3. April Fools’ Day 2018: Stunt Roundup
    4. The Great Modernist Poetry Prank

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