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Pranks 2
Despite the best efforts of intellectuals from Marshall McLuhan to Noam Chomsky, all their thinking and opining has done little to shake the masses out of hopeless complacency. Pranks offer a much more direct and stimulating approach. This inspiring all new volume collects some of the finest, most outlandish actions recently undertaken in the war against mass media. A worthy successor to their first investigation into the art of prankery, Re/Search Publication’s Pranks 2 focuses on provocations from the Suicide Club, Cacophony Society, the Billboard Liberation Front, and other secret collectives dedicated to upending the status quo. The book’s many illustrations include photographs of the artists in action, flyers and letters used in the pranking process, and the often unintentionally hilarious news articles and editorial responses to the happenings. Interviews profile Ron English, Joey Skaggs, Jeffrey Vallance, monochrom, Bruce Conner, John Waters, Jello Biafra, and other noted pranksters.
- GenresNonfiction
212 pages, Paperback
First published October 25, 2006
2 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
V. Vale
47 books112 followersJapanese-American writer and publisher. He also played keyboards for the later famous power trio Blue Cheer.
In 1977 he started to publish the punk fanzine "Search and destroy" In 1980, he began publication of RE/Search, a tabloid format zine focusing on various counterculture and underground topics.
RE/Search later became always a format for books, of which Vale is a regular contributor.
In 1977 he started to publish the punk fanzine "Search and destroy" In 1980, he began publication of RE/Search, a tabloid format zine focusing on various counterculture and underground topics.
RE/Search later became always a format for books, of which Vale is a regular contributor.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 21, 2025
The first prank in this book is its cover – I bought it fully thinking I had found a copy of the original RE/Search “Pranks” book, which was popular among my generation in the 1990s. The number “2” has been stylized into a series of images of a shark, a girl in a boat, and a clown, and I did not track it as a numeral – it still doesn’t look like one to me. I suspect that this book sold far more copies because the number “2” was more or less imperceptible (though it’s clear enough on the spine – obviously I wasn’t looking all that hard). Anyway, I can’t say how good or not good that volume is, because this is the only one I ever read, and I didn’t much care for it, and might never read it now.
What this is, in line with a lot of RE/Search projects, is a series of interviews by V. Vale, the founder and publisher of RE/Search and the older “Search and Destroy” punk fanzine, which established his “ethnographic” style of interviewing – let people speak for themselves within a subculture, rather than explaining them to an audience. In this case, a lot of the people interviewed would have been wise to remain silent. Especially the rock stars, which includes pretty much the entire first section on “culture jamming,” as well as the later interviews with Frank Discussion of the Feeders and Lydia Lunch, pretty much make idiots of themselves here. I though the worst was “Jihad Jerry,” a former (?) member of Devo who devotes his entire interview to a plea to buy his latest record, until I came to Lunch; for her sake, I hope she was wasted when she was interviewed. The others, which include Al Jourgenson and Jello Biafra, come across as Baby-Men, indulging in flinging literal poo at managers or former band members against whom they retain childish grievances. In a further parallel to Trump, Biafra also expresses admiration for JFK, Jr. It’s little wonder how we got where we are today if this was the state of our so-called “counterculture” in 2006.
The rest of the book is something of a reprieve from these worst parts, but only a few of the subjects (including John Waters and Ron English) do much to rise above Vale’s goading questions to talk about something substantive or interesting. One of the problem with most of the rest, as ethnography, is that Vale dominates many of these “interviews” to a large extent, leading his subjects to discuss things he already knows about and agrees with, though at least a few can talk about stuff he has little experience with. As a cultural marker, it’s an interesting reminder that at one time George W. Bush seemed far more sinister to the Left than he does now, when he’s remembered as sort of a mild bumbler who fronted for Dick Cheney, himself a “safer” more traditional kind of conservative than the lunatics running the asylum today. No doubt in 20 years, that statement will also appear naïve.
What this is, in line with a lot of RE/Search projects, is a series of interviews by V. Vale, the founder and publisher of RE/Search and the older “Search and Destroy” punk fanzine, which established his “ethnographic” style of interviewing – let people speak for themselves within a subculture, rather than explaining them to an audience. In this case, a lot of the people interviewed would have been wise to remain silent. Especially the rock stars, which includes pretty much the entire first section on “culture jamming,” as well as the later interviews with Frank Discussion of the Feeders and Lydia Lunch, pretty much make idiots of themselves here. I though the worst was “Jihad Jerry,” a former (?) member of Devo who devotes his entire interview to a plea to buy his latest record, until I came to Lunch; for her sake, I hope she was wasted when she was interviewed. The others, which include Al Jourgenson and Jello Biafra, come across as Baby-Men, indulging in flinging literal poo at managers or former band members against whom they retain childish grievances. In a further parallel to Trump, Biafra also expresses admiration for JFK, Jr. It’s little wonder how we got where we are today if this was the state of our so-called “counterculture” in 2006.
The rest of the book is something of a reprieve from these worst parts, but only a few of the subjects (including John Waters and Ron English) do much to rise above Vale’s goading questions to talk about something substantive or interesting. One of the problem with most of the rest, as ethnography, is that Vale dominates many of these “interviews” to a large extent, leading his subjects to discuss things he already knows about and agrees with, though at least a few can talk about stuff he has little experience with. As a cultural marker, it’s an interesting reminder that at one time George W. Bush seemed far more sinister to the Left than he does now, when he’s remembered as sort of a mild bumbler who fronted for Dick Cheney, himself a “safer” more traditional kind of conservative than the lunatics running the asylum today. No doubt in 20 years, that statement will also appear naïve.
December 4, 2015
As a fan of the transformative power of the prank, and a huge fan of the first book, I must say that while I liked this one, it does lack the power and fun of the first one.
This isn't a how-to, but more of a why-we-do-it. It has some good interviews, but few with the power of the Boyd Rice one (or countless others) in the first volume.
I don't blame the book for this. Pranks just aren't done the same way anymore, and that is perhaps something for a (hopefully) third volume to delve into.
This isn't a how-to, but more of a why-we-do-it. It has some good interviews, but few with the power of the Boyd Rice one (or countless others) in the first volume.
I don't blame the book for this. Pranks just aren't done the same way anymore, and that is perhaps something for a (hopefully) third volume to delve into.
November 21, 2008
My girlfriend's dad got me this as a gift because he actually thought it was about pulling pranks. Really it's just a bunch of interviews with "smash the state" types: anarcho-punks, old ex hippies, hackers, and (cringe) culture jammers. There's some impressively high profile interviews, John Waters being my favorite, but too much of it sounds like a crazy art or english teacher trying to "inspire."
July 12, 2009
Required reading for all independent creatives in these hypercritical times. Please read my interview with Search and Destroy founder and RE/Search editor, contributor and publisher V. Vale here: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-83...
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August 21, 2008Pranks rule, R/E Search rules.
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June 22, 2018001.95 P901 2006
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews