August 6, 2002

8:35 AM

Pranks as an art form. Read about some of the exploits of pranksters Boyd Rice, Jeffrey Valance, Monte Cazazza, and especially Joey Skaggs Skaggs' classic pranks include The "Walk Right" campaign, the Bad Guys Talent Agency and the Campaign to rename the Gypsy Moth. Lots more in this book.a
posted by interrobang (13 comments total)

I've owned the ReSearch book for many years, it's a classic.
posted by MrBaliHai at 8:53 AM on August 6, 2002

my favourite prank is the recent and infamous 'renaming the two towers' petition.
posted by jcterminal at 8:54 AM on August 6, 2002

Interrobang? You let me down, there, guy. I was sure the first comment on this thread would be:

Where did that "a" at the end of my post come from?!!!? ARGHAGAHAA! Why does God hate me so?!!? Am I not a man?!?!

(Here's a :-) to denote good-natured ribbing.)

My favorite prank.
posted by Shadowkeeper at 9:12 AM on August 6, 2002

Boyd Rice, Monte Cazazza, haven't heard those names in a while. I remember picking up the RE/Search books years ago, the Modern Primitives books was great, just it all seems so tame compared to some of the stuff online nowadays.

Anyone know if the "Pranks! Tv Video" is worth checking out, they have it at my video store.
posted by bobo123 at 9:12 AM on August 6, 2002

In a similar vein, (though I think I first saw it in one of Simon Dwyer's Rapid Eye books), there's neoism.
posted by claxton6 at 9:17 AM on August 6, 2002

On a smaller scale, Toolz of the New School, a NY cable access show wreaked havoc around NY for about five years. Highlights include soliciting at the Jehovah's Witnesses headquarters, The Watchtower, handing out free appetizers and booze on the subway courtesy of Giuliani and then ticketing people for them, and my personal favorite, impersonating Stryper at March Metal Meltdown and a Sunday mass in New Jersey, then returning to Jersey to interview the actual band at their reunion show.
posted by Anonymous at 9:25 AM on August 6, 2002

Neoism, Rapid Eye, that brings back memories. Tempted to go to my closet and pull out those old issues of Maximum Rock and Roll, Answer Me! and Factsheet Five, throw some Skinny Puppy cassettes into the stereo, put on my cherry Docs, find a bbs to log into and completely confuse anyone under 24 or so.
posted by bobo123 at 9:34 AM on August 6, 2002

Thought you had us fooled? Do you actually expect anyone to believe this Post???
Sounds like a scam to me. It's just a prank you are trying to perpetrate on all the members.
Try again.
posted by flatlander at 12:14 PM on August 6, 2002

Jean Shepherd and "I, Libertine", the best literary hoax ever.
posted by flatlander at 12:39 PM on August 6, 2002 [1 favorite]

Bitchin' links, everyone. Thanks.
posted by D at 1:13 PM on August 6, 2002

One of the sellers on ABEBooks says this:

New York: Ballentine Books, 1956 1st. Near fine in wrappers (paperback) with light edge wear and a light binders crease to the spine. Scarce novel by Theodre Sturgeon under the name of Fredrick R.Ewing . Booksell er Inventory # 18352 Price: US$ 75.00.

Ted Sturgeon! What a great link. ThanksÒ
posted by interrobang at 1:49 PM on August 6, 2002

One of my favorite pranks is I, Faker.

RTMark.com is pretty active in the pranking field as well -- they're the folks behind VoteAuction and GWBush.com among other projects.
posted by cps at 6:00 PM on August 6, 2002

bobo123 - The video is mostly excerpts from the interviews that make up the book. There is some live SRL footage; but by and large it's people sitting down and talking about pranks they've done in the past rather than live footage of stuff they're currently doing. Only Mark Pauline, Karen Finley, Joe Coleman, Boyd Rice and Frank Discussion appear. I'd only consider Pauline & Rice in the "5 most interesting" from the book.
posted by swell at 7:48 PM on August 7, 2002