…Exploring the role of the prankster as artist, activist and social observer and the significance of the prank in society.
From Steffani Martin:
Author JT Leroy
Warren St. James, of The New York Times exposed the hoax (see article below) as did New York Metro.com writer Stephen Beachy (also available from Susie Bright’s blog). Susie Bright discusses the hoax further here. Continue reading “The JT Leroy literary hoax”
Submitted by Erin Clermont:
I was obsessed by Clifford Irving back in the day. And I happened to be working at CBS News, so I got the dope on a daily basis. My obsession was based on my unerring (IMHO) instinct that he was lying, from day one, so it was a fantastic experience watching the whole thing unravel, over months, at a network news organization. My boss, Walter Cronkite, wasn’t as interested.
No more than two years later I was working at a literary organization. We didn’t have a receptionist, so whoever was closest to the door answered it. That day I answered a knock and a presentable though borderline seedy guy said, proudly, “I’m Clifford Irving!” I was speechless. All I could think to say was “I always knew you were lying!”–so I passed on the hello.
That face-to-face ranks as one of the most celebrity non-thrill sightings of my life. I still have no respect for Irving. He was a swindler, which is not a “prank” — he went for major bucks, which was $1 million in those days, though it sounds like chump change now. Seeing “The Hoax,” I now realize Irving was fresh out of jail when I met him. Ha. OTOH, the movie made me reasess the quality of the Hughes bio he wrote, which, after all copies were destroyed, has never been reissued. Irving was rather brilliant as a hoax biographer and, using investigative reporter techniques, fashioned a credible biography of the reclusive Hughes.
Gere may have topped his career with this performance. He’s terrific as Irving. Cast in the role of Nina Van Pallandt, who turned her Irving sexual liaison into a Hollywood career, is the delicately beautiful and talented Julie Delpy. Unlikely choice–Nina was a big Nordic beauty. And wasn’t she in Gigolo with Richard Gere? Ironic.
Lots of great, early ’70s decor and props in this film. So-called stock footage is used for a scene of a Washington demo against the Vietnam War. Front and center is a guy who looks just like Joey Skaggs. Coincidence?
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]”
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.
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