The History of Pranks - The Art of the Prank

April 21, 2007January 15, 2019

Sà³lo La Verdad es Revolucionaria (Only the Truth is Revolutionary) [In Spanish]

Submitted by Mike Ibanez from ¡Zap! (Futura Ediciones, 1995) in Spanish.

But, first, a quick English summary:

In 1978, a pair of French nexialistas – third generation fantasy anarchist situationists – mounted a prank on the Spanish intellectual world. Planning to bring a manifesto of an old Italian anarchist in their luggage when visiting friends in Barcelona, and concerned that it might be questioned, they disguise it as a work of Sartre entitled “Jean Paul Sartre: My political testament”.

Act 1: They decide it will be great to take it to a left wing Spanish magazine called “El Viejo Topo” (the old stumbler). The magazine is surprised at the stated philosophy and tries to get in touch with Sartre or his publisher to verify. Unable to do so, they decide to publish it anyway, with a disclaimer that they are not sure Sartre would say these things.

Act 2: Two men show up at the magazine claiming to represent Sartre who, indeed, had not written the testament. They insist that the magazine has been hoaxed and must print a retraction. But — the two men are the same French guys who brought the story there in the first place…

El aà±o 1978, un par de nexialistas franceses –anarquistas de fantasàa, situacionistas de tercera generacià³n- montaron un buen prank, un bromazo en el mundo intelectual espaà±ol. Los dos nexialistas -les llamaremos Dupont & Dupont- venàan a Espaà±a para visitar Barcelona. En su equipaje llevan una soflama de un viejo anarquista italiano. La llevan, entre otro material, para enseà±ar a colegas de grupos anarcoides barceloneses. El anarquista de Catania, entre la broma y el afà¡n de difusià³n, ha titulado su texto Jean Paul Sartre: Il mio testamento polàtico. Continue reading “Sà³lo La Verdad es Revolucionaria (Only the Truth is Revolutionary) [In Spanish]”

April 18, 2007January 15, 2019

Coyle & Sharpe: The Imposters, Episode 4

Here’s The Druggist, episode 4 of the historic Coyle & Sharpe podcast series presented by Jesse Thorn of The Sound of Young America.

Listen to episodes 1, 2 & 3 here. New episodes will be posted each Wednesday as they are released by The Sound of Young America.

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 this podcast at The Sound of Young America or you can subscribe to the series in iTunes.

April 18, 2007January 15, 2019

Allan Kaprow – still “happening”

Allan Kaprow (1927-2006) died a year ago, but his inspiration and influence lives on…

“The trail-blazer of Environments and Happenings, Allan influenced Claes Oldenburg and Jim Dine, among others in the late 1950s. He was also a formative influence on subsequent Installation Art and Performance Art” – Irving Sandler

Three Eulogies by: Robert C. Morgan, Wolf Kahn, and Irving Sandler, from: The Brooklyn Rail

A biography compiled from Phaidon Dictionary of Twentieth Century Art; Claude Marks’ World Artists 1950-1980 via: UBUWEB

Interview from: The Journal of Contemporary Art

April 14, 2007January 15, 2019

Coyle & Sharpe: The Imposters Podcasts, Episodes 1, 2 & 3

Here are the first 3 episodes of a series of podcasts of historic Coyle & Sharpe satire presented by Jesse Thorn of The Sound of Young America.

Each podcast is 5 to 7 minutes long. We’ll put up new episodes every Wednesday as they are released.

Here’s a little history from Jesse’s blog at maximumfun.org:

In the early 1960s, James P. Coyle and Mal Sharpe roamed the streets of San Francisco, microphone in hand, roping strangers into bizarre schemes and surreal stunts. Today, their humor is a cultural touchstone for artists as varied as Henry Rollins and The Upright Citizens Brigade.

These recordings are from the Sharpe family archive, which is tended by Mal’s daughter, Jennifer Sharpe. You can learn more about Coyle & Sharpe on their Website or on MySpace.

You can also listen to these podcasts at The Sound of Young America or you can subscribe to them in iTunes.

April 13, 2007January 15, 2019

Alfred Jarry, the father of ‘pataphysics

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Alfred Jarry (September 8, 1873 – November 1, 1907) was a French writer born in Laval, Mayenne, France, not far from the border of Brittany; he was of Breton descent on his mother’s side.

Best known for his play Ubu Roi (1896), which is often cited as a forerunner to the theatre of the absurd, Jarry wrote in a variety of genres and styles. He wrote plays, novels, poetry, essays and speculative journalism. His texts present some pioneering work in the field of absurdist literature. Sometimes grotesque or misunderstood (i.e. the opening line in his play Ubu Roi, “Merdre!”, has been translated into English as “Shittr!”, “Shikt!”, and “Pschitt!”), he invented a science called ‘pataphysics.

Biography and works

A precociously brilliant student, Jarry enthralled his classmates with a gift for pranks and troublemaking.

At the lycée in Rennes when he was 15, he led of a group of boys who devoted much time and energy to poking fun at their well-meaning, obese and incompetent physics teacher, a man named Hébert. Jarry and classmate Charles Morin wrote a play they called Les Polonais and performed it with marionettes in the home of one of their friends. The main character, Père Heb, was a blunderer with a huge belly; three teeth (one of stone, one of iron, and one of wood); a single, retractable ear; and a misshapen body. In Jarry’s later work Ubu Roi, Père Heb would develop into Ubu, one of the most monstrous and astonishing characters in French literature.