Pranks!

Pranks! is a collection of interviews with artists, activists, and provocateurs who use pranks as a form of creative expression and social commentary. Published in 1987 by Re/Search Publications, the book documents various forms of pranking from the 1960s through the 1980s. The interviews capture firsthand accounts from notable figures including John Waters, Mark Pauline, and members of the Yes Men and Survival Research Laboratories. The subjects discuss their motivations, techniques, and the public reactions to their acts of cultural subversion. The diverse pranks range from media hoaxes to elaborate performance art pieces to public interventions. Each chapter includes photographs and documentation of the events alongside the interviews. This anthology explores how pranks can function as tools for challenging authority, disrupting social norms, and creating moments of unexpected truth through carefully orchestrated deception. The book positions pranking as a legitimate art form with political and philosophical dimensions.

Readers describe this as a fun historical snapshot of 1980s pranking and culture jamming, with raw interview-style documentation of various pranksters and their methods. Readers appreciate: - First-hand accounts from the pranksters themselves - Details about the RE/Search publishing style and aesthetic - Documentation of pre-internet pranking techniques - Boyd Rice and Monte Cazazza interviews - Historical value as an artifact of counterculture Common criticisms: - Scattered, disorganized presentation - Some interviews feel unfocused or rambling - Dated references and cultural context - Print quality issues in some editions - Limited scope focused mainly on San Francisco scene Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (132 ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (12 ratings) Several readers note it works better as a historical document than a practical guide. One reviewer called it "an important time capsule of analog-era disruption tactics."

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🔸 The book was published in 1987 by RE/Search Publications, a San Francisco-based publisher known for documenting underground culture and alternative movements. 🔸 Many of the pranks documented in the book were carried out by artists and musicians, including members of bands like The Residents and Survival Research Laboratories. 🔸 V. Vale previously founded Search & Destroy, an influential punk rock magazine that documented the early San Francisco punk scene from 1977 to 1979. 🔸 The book includes interviews with notorious pranksters like Boyd Rice and Monte Cazazza, who helped pioneer the industrial music movement and were known for their provocative performance art. 🔸 Several pranks featured in the book were inspired by the Situationist International movement, which used disruptive actions to challenge social norms and consumer culture in the 1960s.