…Exploring the role of the prankster as artist, activist and social observer and the significance of the prank in society.
Plaque on the wall at the Earlville Opera House, Earlville, New York:
“With Perpetual Gratitude, We Thank Artist, Activist & Cultural Visionary, Joey Skaggs for Saving the Earlville Opera House from Demolition in 1970…”
From the Vault:
55 years ago, Joey Skaggs came upon a derelict opera house in Earlville, New York destined to be torn down and turned into a parking lot. He bought it and donated it to a community group to insure that it would be used as a performing arts center in perpetuity. Check out the 6 minute film about this from the Oral History series “Joey Skaggs Satire and Art Activism”.
The heroism, courage and outrageous deception that helped the allies win WWII.
D-Day deception Operation Fortitude: The World War Two army that didn’t exist, by Taylor Downing, BBC, June 1, 2024
“When it came to planning for D-Day, the biggest amphibious operation ever launched, the need for a detailed deception plan was even greater. When discussing the invasion with Joseph Stalin at Tehran, Winston Churchill used the phrase, ‘In wartime truth is so precious that it should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.’ This perfectly summed up the Allied view of deception.” Read more here.
The Army That Never Was, Taylor Downing’s new book, is available now.
30 years ago, I perpetrated a media hoax called Dog Meat Soup in which, pretending to be a Korean entrepreneur, I solicited dog shelters for their unwanted dogs to be used as food for human consumption. My intent was to expose hostility and racism that permeates both the public discourse and the media’s coverage. As I expected, all hell broke loose, as gullible animal lovers spewed outrageous invectives against ALL Asians (they apparently couldn’t tell the difference between Koreans, Japanese, Chinese and others) accusing them of outrageous acts of violence against animals and telling all Asians to go back to their countries and cook their own babies.
This cultural intolerance is eerily like what’s happening now based on fake information perpetrated by politicians with an agenda, targeting immigrants and accusing them of eating family pets in Springfield Ohio. Prejudiced and biased opinions about this are dominating our news and social media platforms. Let’s not be fooled by reactionary politicians who have a political agenda to confuse and divide the public.
Check out John Tierney’s 1994 expose of the Dog Meat Soup hoax for The New York Sunday Times Magazine.
And watch the Dog Meat Soup segment of a 2003 ABC TV 20/20 interview.
JOEY SKAGGS SATIRE AND ART ACTIVISM,
1960s TO THE PRESENT AND BEYOND
A new series of short oral history films,
produced and directed by Judy Drosd and Joey Skaggs
ART OF THE PRANK, THE MOVIE:
Andrea Marini’s award winning feature documentary about
New York artist and activist Joey Skaggs
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