Ed Anger, R.I.P.

February 20, 2004 8:02 AM

Eddie Clontz, longtime editor of the Weekly World News, creator of Ed Anger, Bat Boy and other semi-real totems of society's fuzzy underbelly, is dead at 56.

The fact that I had to find this out in The Economist, of all places, makes me madder than -- than -- than George S. Patton at a Peace Rally.
posted by chicobangs (26 comments total)

Wow, sad he's dead that young...but I hereby volunteer to take over the editorial tasks of the WWN. I promise to feed BatBoy, continue the quest for Middle Earth in the swamps, and will promise page time to all and any aliens, monsters, and good photoshop entries. I will even let Eddie's ghost write the headlines. I love the WWN and promise to keep the insanity quality as high as Eddie did.
posted by dejah420 at 8:08 AM on February 20, 2004

I once applied to work for the Weekly World News, but alas, never heard from them. It's still my favorite newspaper ever.
posted by greengrl at 8:08 AM on February 20, 2004

The fact that I had to find this out in The Economist, of all places, makes me madder than -- than -- than George S. Patton at a Peace Rally.

I think you mean Pig Biting Mad.

R.I.P. Dawg.
posted by Scoo at 8:12 AM on February 20, 2004

Yeah, well, I wasn't that angry.

I wonder if they'll change their editorial stance on things at all. A bit more compassion, maybe the occasional ethnic Page 5 girl, ... perhaps a third Psychic Sabak Sister?
posted by chicobangs at 8:18 AM on February 20, 2004

I really hope this doesn't mean death for the WWN. It's a national treasure, a modern monster comic book masquerading as reality TV. It'd be sad to see it go.
posted by eyeballkid at 8:53 AM on February 20, 2004

Man, I grew up on Ed Anger.


I bet the pinko-fluoridated fruit-loop peaceniks are behind this somehow. I'm madder than a Real Man in San Francisco.
posted by adamgreenfield at 8:55 AM on February 20, 2004

And just BTW, I *knew* Bill Clinton had a lock on the '92 election when the Space Aliens endorsed him.
posted by adamgreenfield at 8:55 AM on February 20, 2004

I read somewhere that a lot of those stories were made up.
posted by jpoulos at 9:23 AM on February 20, 2004

My favorite WWN story was the exclusive that covered Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein's lavish gay wedding. There were photos of Saddam in a wedding gown and Osama in a tuxedo, so it *had* to be true!

It was in the same issue that announced the surprise huge oil field found under the White House.
posted by jasper411 at 9:30 AM on February 20, 2004

Thanks jpoulos, that was beautiful.
posted by wobh at 9:31 AM on February 20, 2004

this is a hoax, right?

I mean, he's just hanging out with elvis in that hotel room somewhere or on some really dangerous assignment to investigate the glow-in-the-dark cannibal-terrorist-zombie ant-eaters of iceland, right? right?


shit.
posted by jann at 9:34 AM on February 20, 2004

I wish I had a copy of one of my favorite covers ever. The headline was something like: "Bat Boy Steals Mini Cooper, Lead Police on Three State Chase."
posted by mikeh at 9:34 AM on February 20, 2004

That was a good one jasper.

But i dont think it tops the follow up where Osama cheated on Saddam with a clone of Adolf Hitler...
posted by Dreamghost at 9:35 AM on February 20, 2004

Odd thing about that Mini Cooper Batboy cover, I think it was done in cooperation by the Mini's Ad Agency and WWN for some well played marketing.
posted by Stan Chin at 9:41 AM on February 20, 2004

I once applied at the National Enquirer, greengrl. (Slightly OT). Sitting in the reception area, a little taken aback at all the plaques on the walls congratulating the Enquirer on their work on behalf of various diseases etc. Who knew? Then two staffers stroll through chatting. One goes, "How's that piece you're doing on tit cancer?" and the other one goes, "I think I've got a good GRIP on it," making that "squeezing two grapefruits" gesture.

I sat back, relieved. I was home. (didn't get the job, though.)
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 9:46 AM on February 20, 2004

maybe the occasional ethnic Page 5 girl

Apparently you missed Bianca. "She calls Virginia home, but she's been to Japan."
posted by delapohl at 9:51 AM on February 20, 2004

Man, I'm so moved by this. Although we all know he faked his death.
posted by readymade at 10:27 AM on February 20, 2004

"Hold me, BatBoy
Touch me, BatBoy
Help me through the night

Love me, BatBoy
Save me, BatBoy
Make it all turn out alright..."

-- BatBoy: The Musical (a wonderful Off-Broadway show based on the Weekly World News stories).
posted by Asparagirl at 10:42 AM on February 20, 2004

Shine on Eddie, you're with Jesus and Elvis and the Aliens now! ...I can't wait for your return, re-incarnated SURELY ON PAGE ONE!

(i really love the weekly world news, its impact on journalism is unquestioned, now we only have the Onion and Fox news to give us the false balogna -I appreciate that metafilter - for my internet connection's attempt at the site, anyway- had a day of silence to recognize this great man's untimely passing.)
posted by Peter H at 11:43 AM on February 20, 2004

actually let me edit that down to a more somber comment:

Now we only have the Onion and Fox News.
posted by Peter H at 11:49 AM on February 20, 2004

.
posted by Peter H at 11:49 AM on February 20, 2004

WEEKLY WORLD NEWS EDITOR FAKES OWN DEATH!!!
posted by me3dia at 1:01 PM on February 20, 2004

I love the site's page 5 girls. I don't know if it's a joke or not. Bikini clad, nasty.... BTW another ethnic page five girl: eden

And It's probably the technology that killed him (if he's really dead)
posted by Imocrep at 1:49 PM on February 20, 2004

Ed Anger's dead? Nooooooooooo!

I even have a book of his collected columns - Ed Anger's America, I think it's called. I'll have to break it out this weekend for old time's sake.

And I can top you all: I actually had a freelance story printed in the WWW. It was years ago, and bizarrely, it was true. The facts anyway. Guy got mad at his roommate, killed his kitten, baked it and fed it to him. I covered the lawsuit. Even got the recipe, which featured lots of garlic salt.
They took my copy, spiced up the language, added some bangers and put someone else's name on it, but I was so pleased I almost kept the check to frame.
posted by CunningLinguist at 3:58 PM on February 20, 2004

People who read The Blog of Death are usually a few days ahead of weeklies like The Economist. Heh.
posted by davidmsc at 6:23 PM on February 20, 2004

Ed Anger's dead. Sniff....that frothing at the mouth, mad cow ridden, vein popping cesspool of right wing paranoid fury madder than a bull with it's nuts in a vice tightened by sadistic nannying liberal sadists - we'll miss him.
posted by troutfishing at 7:50 PM on February 23, 2004