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Joey Skaggs

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Joey Skaggs
Born1945 (age 78–79)
United States
Other namesKim Yung Soo, Joe Bones, Joseph Bonuso, Giuseppe Scaggoli, Dr. Josef Gregor, Joseph Virgil Skaggs, Dr. Richard J. Long, Dr. Joseph Schlafer, Dr. Joseph Chenango, Baba Wa Simba, Joseph Bucks, Jojo the Gypsy, Joseph Howard, and the Rev. Anthony Joseph.
EducationHigh School of Art and Design
School of Visual Arts (BFA)
Occupation(s)Artist, prankster, writer, teacher
Websitehttps://joeyskaggs.com/

Joey Skaggs (born 1945) is an American multi-media artist, activist, satirist, educator and prankster whose work has been widely exhibited, disseminated and discussed internationally.[1][2][3] Skaggs pioneered the use of the media as his artistic medium and is one of the originators of the phenomenon known as culture jamming.[4] In a career spanning six decades, he has produced scores of works, including paintings, sculptures, guerrilla theater,[5] performance art, socially revealing hoaxes, media pranks,[6] films,[7] and other projects.

Artistic career[edit]

Joey Skaggs’ art has a history of challenging and disrupting the status quo, examples being his most notorious pieces the Crucifixion,[8] Cat House for Dogs,[9] Solomon Project,[10] and Metamorphosis.[11] Fostering social change, cultural understanding, and individual empowerment are key elements of his activism through art. His work employs guerrilla theater and public relations strategies for social critique, continuing the legacy of theatrical satire with modern communication tools, all while adhering to the law and ethical practices.[12]

Skaggs’ projects are meant to reveal the media’s susceptibility to hype, hypocrisy, and misinformation, highlighting the public’s vulnerability to media manipulation by corporate conglomerates prioritizing profits over integrity. His art underscores the dangers of power misuse, conflicts of interest, and the blurring of entertainment and news.[13]

In interviews and on his website, Skaggs advocates for media literacy, critical analysis, questioning authority, using multiple information sources, and challenging preconceptions.[14][15][16][17][18]

According to Skaggs’ website, his artistic process frequently unfolds in stages he calls the hook, the line, and the sinker. First he crafts an absurd premise through press releases, brochures and/or staging an event or theatrical fabrication with actors and props, leaving obvious clues. Then he documents the hoax’s impact, recording media and public reactions, and tracking the narrative’s evolution. Finally, he unveils the truth, points out media irresponsibility, and begins a discussion about the underlying issues.[16]

Films[edit]

In 2017, "Art of the Prank", Andrea Marini's award-winning feature documentary about artist Joey Skaggs, was released internationally on television and streaming platforms.[19][20][21][22]

In 2020, production began on a series of short oral history documentaries featuring Skaggs and materials from his archive titled, “Joey Skaggs Satire and Art Activism, 1960s to the Present and Beyond”.[23]

Select pranks[edit]

Crucifixion (1966-1969):[edit]
  • On Easter Sunday, 1966, Joey Skaggs carried his life-size sculptural depiction of a naked and decayed Jesus Christ on a cross to Hoving’s Hill in Tompkins Square Park on the Lower East Side in New York City. When he erected it, onlookers attacked and partially destroyed it.[8] After repairing the sculpture, he continued to both exhibit it and bring it to public protests for three more years. It was featured in the 1967 New York University exhibition, Angry Artists: Artists Against the War in Vietnam, and became a center piece in the 1967 and 1968 Be-ins in Central Park. In 1969, anticipating further damage, he built a duplicate sculpture and dragged it through the Easter Parade up to the doors of St. Patrick's Cathedral (Midtown Manhattan) on 5th Avenue, where the church closed its doors, denying entry. A brigade of police then dragged him away. According to Skaggs, the piece represented the hypocrisy of the Church and man’s inhumanity to man.[24]
Cathouse for Dogs (1976):[edit]
  • Skaggs placed an ad in New York’s Village Voice newspaper and sent out a press release announcing a “Cathouse for Dogs” where for $50 you could get your dog sexually gratified. When the news media requested to visit the facility, he organized a group of 25 volunteers and 15 dogs and staged an evening in a dog bordello.[25] WABC News included footage in a documentary on animal cruelty which won an Emmy.[26] Skaggs was subpoenaed for illegally running a whorehouse for dogs, for which there was no law. In a press conference he held at the Attorney General’s office, he revealed the hoax, explaining that television is not necessarily reality. WABC did not retract the story.[9]
Celebrity Sperm Bank (1976):[edit]
  • In July of 1976, Giuseppe Scaggoli (Skaggs), owner of the so-called Celebrity Sperm Bank, announced an auction of rock star sperm in New York City. Celebrities whose sperm Scaggoli claimed to have were Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Jimi Hendrix.[27]  On the day of the event, Skaggs’ volunteer actors crowded the street in front of a building on Waverly Place, some to bid on the sperm and others to protest the concept. Scaggoli appeared and announced that the sperm had been stolen and read a ransom note purportedly from Abbie Hoffman to the crowd. The cancellation of the auction caused disappointment and outrage. News of the event was published in print media and aired on television.[28]
Wall Street Shoeshine (1979):[edit]
  • Skaggs, as "Joseph Bucks", acted like a rich Wall Street investor who had originally been a shoeshine man. To celebrate his success, he arrived on Wall Street in a limousine and set up a luxurious shoeshine stand where he charged $5.00 per shine, about ten times the going rate.[29] Skaggs recruited people from his School of Visual Arts media class to form an initial crowd, which prompted passersby to join the line to get their shoes shined.[30]
Metamorphosis (1981):[edit]
  • On May 22, 1981, Dr. Josef Gregor (a.k.a. Joey Skaggs), an entomologist who had created a strain of super-roaches immune to all toxins known to man, held a press conference and claimed that by extracting a hormone from these insects he had produced a miracle cure. He was accompanied in his fake laboratory by friends, colleagues and students from his courses at the School of Visual Arts. He announced that he and his followers were now immune to acne, anemia, menstrual cramps and nuclear radiation and offered his discovery for free to the world.[31] The story went out on the UPI wire service and other news sources, and Dr. Gregor was featured on WNBC TV’s Live at Five with Jack Cafferty and Sue Simmons. It was a nod to Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, but none of the media picked up the clue. This satire was meant to expose the media’s role in promoting charlatans and the public’s need to question the sources of their information, as well as to the public’s responsibility to seek worthwhile solutions to problems.[11]
Gypsies Against Stereotypical Propaganda (1982):[edit]
  • On June 15, 1982, JoJo, the King of the New York gypsies, (a.k.a. Skaggs), called for a city-wide, weeklong gypsy work stoppage (no fortune telling and no reading of horoscopes, tarot cards or palms) to protest the use of the term gypsy moth, an insect that had been decimating hardwood trees in the Northeast. He formed Gypsies Against Stereotypical Propaganda, or G.A.S.P., and said, “Call it the Ayatollah moth, call it the Idi Amin moth, call it the Hitler moth. But never again the Gypsy moth.”[32] This protest was reported by Clyde Haberman in The New York Times.[33] 39 years later, in 2021, The New York Times reported that the Entomological Society of America changed the name of the gypsy moth and the gypsy ant because they are “offensive to a community of people.”[34]
Windsurfing from Hawaii to California (1983):[edit]
  • At noon on January 15, 1983, Hawaii windsurfer, J.J. Skaggs (a.k.a. Joey Skaggs) set out to become the first person to cross the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to California on a sailboard. After a Hawaiian blessing and a send-off party complete with a rock-and-roll band, a man said to be Skaggs departed equipped with enough water, snack bars and Dinty Moore stew to last for the estimated 30-day trip where he would encounter over 40-foot waves. His board sail said CAL OR BUST.[35] The windsurfer was not actually Skaggs but J.J. Jones, a world-class windsurfer who had cut his hair and mustache to resemble Skaggs. J.J. set sail, but once out of sight, he rounded the point and came ashore, making his way to a local bar to secretly rendezvous with Skaggs and friends. When there was talk of a Coast Guard rescue mission, Skaggs revealed the hoax. UPI and the TV networks never retracted the story.[36]
Fish Condos (1983):[edit]
  • Outraged by the degradation of our natural resources as well as New York’s burgeoning gentrification, Joey Skaggs decided that soon fish would need better homes.[37] He created Fish Condos, working aquariums that depicted kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, and bathrooms, for upwardly mobile guppies.[38] These aquatic sculptures were published in New York Magazine’s “Best Bets” and became an instant sensation, appearing in museum and gallery exhibitions, publications, and on television around the world. What began as a satire became so popular that in 1996 they were featured in the Neiman Marcus Christmas Catalog for thousands of dollars.[39]
Bad Guys Talent Management Agency (1984):[edit]
  • To help his friend Verne get an acting job, Skaggs created the fictitious Bad Guys Talent Management Agency featuring bad guys, bad girls, bad kids, and bad dogs. Skaggs designed a wanted poster for Verne and sent it to casting agents.[40] This landed Verne a role in Berry Gordy’s feature film, The Last Dragon.[41] After media coverage from People Magazine and other outlets, Skaggs enlisted scores of friends and wannabe actors to join, amassing more than 300 "bad" actors. Some were cast in commercials, print ads and movies. Skaggs did not want to manage the business, and he passed the agency to Sara Jones, one of the original bad girls.[42]  
WALK RIGHT! (1984):[edit]
  • In December of 1984, Joseph Virgil Skaggs (a.k.a. Joey Skaggs), had had enough of the outrageous behavior exhibited by inconsiderate, unconscious, hostile pedestrians in New York City. Satirizing vigilantism, Skaggs formed WALK RIGHT! — an ad hoc group of sidewalk etiquette enforcers who patrolled the streets to make New York a better place to live and walk. The group proposed 66 rules for walking, such as no short people with umbrellas, no squeaky wheels on strollers and no wearing sunglasses at night.[43][44]
The Fat Squad (1986):[edit]
  • Joe Bones (a.k.a. Joey Skaggs), an ex-U.S. Marine drill sergeant, formed the Fat Squad, an organization created to help wipe out fat. Bones’ Fat Squad Commandos would, for $300 a day and a 3-day minimum, keep clients from eating anything not on their diet. The company’s motto was, “You can hire us, but you cannot fire us, our commandos take no bribes.” This was a satire about America’s obsession with diet fads. The Philadelphia Inquirer and Washington Post were among the first media establishments to fall for this hoax. The story then made a wire service and was published in Japan, Australia, England, Italy, Germany and France.[45][46][47]
April Fool’s Day Parade (1986):[edit]
  • Organized by Skaggs since the mid-1980s, the annual April Fool's Day parade features elaborate floats, performers, and participants who mock current events with absurd commentary.[48] Each year, the parade route begins at 5th Avenue and 59th Street and ends at Washington Square Park, attracting both spectators and media attention with its creative and provocative displays.[49][50]
Save the Geoduck Campaign (1987):[edit]
  • Joey Skaggs, using the alias Dr. Richard J. Long (or Dick Long), posing as a marine biologist, oceanographer and environmental activist, launched an international campaign to save the geoduck, a species of clam found in the Puget Sound in Seattle, Washington. He claimed this species was being over-harvested by commercial fishermen to satisfy Japan's insatiable appetite for aphrodisiacs.[18] The Chernobyl nuclear accident had rendered Lapland reindeer antlers radioactive and no longer suitable. He organized a protest in front of the Japan Society in New York. UPI wire service, U.S. News and World Report, WNBC, Der Spiegel, The Fisherman’s News and more fell for the hoax, reporting on the protest. The purpose of this thinly veiled phallus joke was to highlight Americans' racism and tendency to blame others rather than themselves for their own problems.[51] At the time, protestors were destroying Japanese cars and electronics as retribution for the loss of jobs, and exacerbated trade imbalances.[52]
Comacocoon (1990):[edit]
  • In the fall of 1990 Skaggs launched Comacocoon, a vacation service that induced clients into a controlled dream-state simulating their ideal vacation. He used the alias Dr. Joseph Schlafer, a made-up German anesthesiologist. He claimed that the service could help participants quit smoking, have elective surgery, learn a foreign language, and get tan. When Dr. Schlafer refused an interview request by the Globe tabloid, the reporter alerted New York City police that the organization could be a front for hallucinogenic drugs.[53] When detectives visited, Skaggs said it was a conceptual performance piece. The hoax continued until a subpoena from the Department of Consumer Affairs, headed by Mark Green. There were 17 charges related to the company’s purported drugs and BioImpression computer system. Skaggs was deposed, at which point the hoax was cheerfully revealed to be a satire about mind control, the environmental effects of vacation travel, and self-help and alternative medicine industries.[54][55]
Hair Today, Ltd. (1990):[edit]
  • Joey Skaggs created "Hair Today, Ltd.," a fictional company that claimed to offer a revolutionary hair restoration treatment. The service involved transplanting hair from cadavers to live clients who were balding or experiencing hair loss. Skaggs posed as a Native American surgeon named Dr. Joseph Chenango, and created a marketing campaign, including brochures, advertisements, and even a storefront office. The brochure was sent to 1,500 journalists, as if they were potential clients, claiming that the procedure was safe, effective, and FDA-approved.[56] The hoax was a satirical commentary on the vanity and desperation associated with hair loss, the lengths to which people would go to restore their hair, and the extremes of the beauty industry. This underscored the gullibility of both consumers and the media, highlighting the need for more critical examination of grandiose claims.[57]
Dog Meat Soup (1994):[edit]
  • Skaggs portrayed Kim Yung Soo, an entrepreneur who wanted to purchase unwanted dogs for human consumption. His purpose was to bring to light issues of cultural bias, intolerance and racism, as well as to demonstrate the media's tendency to be reactionary, gullible and irresponsible.[58]
The Solomon Project (1995):[edit]
  • Joseph Bonuso (Skaggs) claimed to have created a computer program that would work as both judge and jury and announce sentences. It pronounced O. J. Simpson guilty.[10]
The Final Curtain (2000):[edit]
Bigfoot & The Tiny Top Circus (2014):[edit]
  • Bigfoot, the world's most illusive and terrifying creature, was captured and put on display by the Tiny Top Circus in New York City's Washington Square Park. The creature (Joey Skaggs dressed literally as a big foot) made a daring escape and disappeared into the West Fourth Street subway station.[59]
Trump's Golden Throne (2017):[edit]
  • For New York City's 32nd annual April Fools' Day Parade, after 31 years promoting a parade that didn't exist, Joey Skaggs orchestrated a real one. He held a Trumpathon, the world's largest gathering of Trump look-alikes, and together they paraded a golden outhouse, featuring President Donald Trump tweeting on his phone as he sat on his throne, to Trump Tower on 5th Avenue.[60]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Yapp, Nick (1995). Great hoaxes of the world : and the hoaxers behind them. London: Robson Books. pp. 42, 168, 218. ISBN 9780860519683.
  2. ^ Marzo, Jorge Luis (2002). En el lado de la televisión [On the TV side] (in Spanish). Espai d'Art Contemporani de Castelló. p. 27. ISBN 9788448232429.
  3. ^ Kitty, Alexandria (2005). Don't Believe It!: How Lies Become News. Disinformation. ISBN 9781932857061.
  4. ^ DeLaure, Marilyn (February 28, 2017). Culture Jamming and the Art of Cultural Resistance. NYU Press. ISBN 9781479806201.
  5. ^ Rudolf, Ake (2008). Urban Guerrilla Protest. Mark Batty Publisher. ISBN 9780979048692.
  6. ^ Gourley, Catherine (1999). Media Wizards: A Behind-the-scene Look at Media Manipulations. Twenty-First Century Press. ISBN 9780761309673.
  7. ^ Skaggs, Joey. "Feature Film: ART OF THE PRANK". Joey Skaggs.
  8. ^ a b "Calvary Again". No. 10. The East Village Other. April 15, 1966.
  9. ^ a b Skaggs, Joey. "Cathouse for Dogs". Joey Skaggs.
  10. ^ a b St. John Warren, The talk of the town – Jury tampering, in The New Yorker, Feb.5, 1996, pp.24–5
  11. ^ a b Skaggs, Joey. "Metamorphosis, Cockroach Miracle Cure". Joey Skaggs.
  12. ^ Wien, Gary (January 21, 2017). "An Interview With Joey Skaggs". New Jersey Stage.
  13. ^ Brinton, Jessica (March 13, 2013). "Joey Skaggs - the most notorious socio-political satirist talks to Jessie Brinton". Run Riot!.
  14. ^ Skaggs, Joey (November 29, 2016). "Fake News: The Relentless Pursuit of Mind Control". HuffPost.
  15. ^ Skaggs, Joey (October 10, 2017). "Roach Vitamins Hailed as Miracle Drug. Bon Appétit!". HuffPost.
  16. ^ a b Skaggs, Joey. "Manifesto". Joey Skaggs.
  17. ^ Nigrin, Al (February 10, 2021). "Joey Skaggs: Satire and Art Activism 1960s to the Present and Beyond New Jersey Film Festival Video Q+A". New Jersey Stage.
  18. ^ a b Martínez, Demófila; Platypus, Luis (October 26, 2019). "Joey Skaggs: Fool is a fool, no matter what their political leaning is". Homo Velamine.
  19. ^ Razi Syed, The Art of the Prank Unmasks Joey Skaggs, Father of Fake News, in www.BedfordandBowery.com, Sept.28, 2017
  20. ^ Weisblum, Vida (June 8, 2016). "Watch Out, New York City: Hoax Master Joey Skaggs Is in Town". Observer.
  21. ^ Roth-Rose, Spencer (June 13, 2016). "If You're Reading This, You've Already Been Conned: Joey Skaggs Doc Premieres in LES". Observer.
  22. ^ Froelich, Brinley (January 24, 2016). "Slamdance Film Review: Art of the Prank". Slug Mag.
  23. ^ Justin Almodovar, Joey Skaggs: Fish Condos screens at the Spring 2022 New Jersey Film Festival on February 11, in newjerseystage.com, Feb.10, 2022
  24. ^ Skaggs, Joey. "Crucifixion". Joey Skaggs.
  25. ^ Hoaxes and deceptions. Alexandria, Va: Time-Life Books. 1991. pp. 82–83. ISBN 9780809477159.
  26. ^ Wang, Wallace (2006). Steal This Computer Book 4.0: What They Won't Tell You About the Internet. No Starch Press. ISBN 1593273436.
  27. ^ Plotz, David (2006). The Genius Factory: The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank. Random House Trade Paperbacks. ISBN 9780812970524.
  28. ^ Skaggs, Joey. "Celebrity Sperm Bank". Joey Skaggs.
  29. ^ Medina, David (May 17, 1979). "Wall Street meets a man with polish". Daily News. Daily News.
  30. ^ Skaggs, Joey (10 January 2014). "Wall Street Shoeshine". Joey Skaggs.
  31. ^ Boese, Alex (2003). The Museum of Hoaxes: A History of Outrageous Pranks and Deceptions. Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated. pp. 169–170. ISBN 9780452284654.
  32. ^ Skaggs, Joey. "Gypsy Moth Protest". Joey Skaggs.
  33. ^ Haberman, Clyde (July 2, 1982). "Cloudy Crystal Ball For Gypsy Rights Group". The New York Times. The New York Times.
  34. ^ Imbler, Sabrina (9 July 2021). "This Moth's Name Is a Slur. Scientists Won't Use It Anymore". The New York Times.
  35. ^ Ho, Ray (January 18, 1983). "3 to make ready". Garden Island News. p. 5.
  36. ^ Skaggs, Joey. "Windsurfing from Hawaii to California". Joey Skaggs.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  37. ^ Skagss, Joey. "Fish Condos". Joey Skaggs.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  38. ^ Hoaxes and Deceptions. Time-Life Books. 1991. ISBN 9780809477159.
  39. ^ "The Age of Aquariums". Neiman Marcus: the 1996 Christmas Catalog (1996). 1996.
  40. ^ Skaggs, Joey (October 17, 2010). "Verne "Bulldog" Williams (1935-2010), RIP". Art of the Prank.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  41. ^ "Verne Williams". IMDb.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  42. ^ Skaggs, Joey. "Bad Guys Talent Agency". Joey Skaggs.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  43. ^ Skaggs, Joey. "WALK RIGHT!". Joey Skaggs.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  44. ^ Rutherford, Glenn (December 16, 1984). "Your leg is being pulled if you WALK RIGHT!". The Courier-Journal. pp. B 14.
  45. ^ Boese, Alex (2003). The Museum of Hoaxes: A History of Outrageous Pranks and Deceptions. Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated. pp. 169–170. ISBN 9780452284654.
  46. ^ Pfeiffer, Robert (May 2, 1986). "Policing the Pounds". The Washington Post.
  47. ^ Skaggs, Joey. "Fat Squad". Joey Skaggs.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  48. ^ Skaggs, Joey. "April Fools' Day Parade". Joey Skaggs.
  49. ^ Levine, Alexandria (April 1, 2016). "New York Today: A Fools' Parade". The New York Times.
  50. ^ "New York April Fool's Day Parade". TimeOut. March 30, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  51. ^ Skaggs, Joey. "Save the Geoduck". Joey Skaggs.
  52. ^ Lindsay, Robert (April 6, 1982). "RESENTMENT OF JAPANESE IS GROWING, POLL SHOWS". The New York Times. pp. B 12.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  53. ^ Wulff, Stan; Robinson, Terri (December 18, 1990). "Exposed! Con man gets rude awakening when GLOBE busts dream vacation scam". Globe.
  54. ^ Martínez, Demófila; Platypus, Luis (October 26, 2019). "Joey Skaggs: Fool is a fool, no matter what their political leaning is". Homo Velamine.
  55. ^ Skaggs, Joey. "Comacocoon". Joey Skaggs.
  56. ^ Harper, Jennifer (December 25, 1997). "40 Million U.S. Men Deal with Baldness: Some Proud of the 'Chrome Domes'". The Washington Times.
  57. ^ Skaggs, Joey. "Hair Today, Ltd". Joey Skaggs.
  58. ^ John Tierney, The Big wasCity: Falling For It, in The New York Times Magazine, July 17, 1994, p.16
  59. ^ Lee Speigel, Bigfoot Unveiling Turns Into Huge Toe Job, in Huffington Post, June 7, 2014
  60. ^ Lincoln Anderson, Scoopy's Notebook, Week of April 6, in The Villager, April 6, 2017

External links[edit]

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