September 17, 2010

Restore Sanity or Keep Fear Alive? Either way (or both), this is gonna be AWESOME.

Self-serving note: For ANYBODY who doesn't already know, in my late college/immediate post-grad days, I was a professional sidekick and wannabe protege to "Sweet" Dick Whittington, the greatest Stunt Stager in L.A. Radio history, responsible for everything from Giving an L.A. Suburb (that wanted to secede from L.A. city) 'Back' to the British (and, yes, that was me as Wendell) to a Mass Un-Marriage Ceremony (for couples who wanted try 'living in sin') to hanging a finger-painting in the Louvre (Mens Room) to dropping Alka Seltzers on an ocean site where military Nerve Gas had been dumped (to relieve the gas, naturally) to an Invasion (with a dozen small boats) of Catalina Island. So I know media stunts, and let me state without fear of contradiction that THIS is going to be the Greatest Stunt in modern media history! Not one, but two rallies on the same day, each perfectly themed for its host, and at the same location as Glenn Beck's embarrassing "Honor" rally. And just look at the timing: the Saturday before Halloween, the Election, the November Ratings Sweeps AND the debut of Conan's competing show. ABSOLUTE EVIL GENIUS. The Comedy Central pundits took the idea Reddit had been pushing on them and improved it 500%. I salute you, Stewart & Colbert, this is gonna be EPIC. (And thank you for announcing it on a day that I needed an enthusiasm injection badly)

posted by oneswellfoop 14 years ago
  • hanging a finger-painting in the Louvre (Mens Room) Foop, I was OK, nay, enthused about a finger-painting in the Louvre, until I read Men's Room---then I got a really bad feeling about it. Reason, one letter away from Treason I'm betting that catches on as the campaign slogan for a new election.
  • hanging a finger-painting in the Louvre (Mens Room) As with many of his projects (like the well documented Give the Valley Back to the British), he liked to plan and set up things to a certain point, then improvise the final step. So, he arranged to get himself and the picture to Paris and into the Louvre with no authorization to leave it anywhere. Equipped with an adhesive mounting thingy, he looked for an open space of wall where it would not be removed (and him with it) in 30 seconds. Failing to find a place in any hallways or stairwells, he put it in a mens room and decided it made the whole enterprise just THAT MUCH more absurd.
  • Oh, good. That's alright then. I was just hoping he didn't go in there and... improvise.
  • I love the concept of restoring sanity, but (and isn't the but just the most interesting conjunction?) - but the thing is, sanity for sanity's sake can blind one to the occasional truth of paranoia. I'm not going to weigh in on this one. Just not gonna do it! Stop it, stop it. No, I don't want to go with the nice men in white coats...
  • I will be there (in spirit) with bells on.