HEY! That's illegal!

October 11, 2002 2:12 PM

HEY! That's illegal! Aw, yeah the motherlode of illegality. The organizers of this exhibit seem to get it all right. The website doesn't skimp on the source material either. Wanna see George Bush wreak havoc on the Teletubbies bunnies? It's here . Wanna see Wally Wood's (Of The Realist and Mad ) version of a Disneyland orgy? It's here . Public Enemy sampled the Beatles but pulled the song because the licence fees were insane, listen to it here . Also, don't skip over the "contract" that pops up when you enter the site, it's classic.
posted by jeremias (15 comments total)

The Website is also protected by United States Copyright Law and a group of big, scary goons who will happily beat you until you're ejecting teeth like a winning slot machine.

Like jeremias said, don't skip the contract. (Or those goons will come after you...)
posted by languagehat at 2:17 PM on October 11, 2002

Luckily, someone out there is protecting our right to see naked naked barbie art . Sadly, nobody protected the band Barbie's Gun from the Cease and desist of corporate thug Mattel.
posted by answergrape at 2:42 PM on October 11, 2002

Great link. Thanks.
posted by mikrophon at 2:52 PM on October 11, 2002

Johnny Law moves swiftly: it appears to be down now? (Or maybe it was Johnny Traffic)
posted by D at 3:35 PM on October 11, 2002

Excellent post. One notably being Kembrew McLeod's Conceptual, 1998 found here.
posted by plexi at 6:00 PM on October 11, 2002

Cool!

Incidentally, Harlan Ellison (briefly!) worked for Disney, made a joke in the cafeteria about a porn film featuring Mickey & Minnie et al, was overheard by the wrong folks: his office was empty and he'd been fired by the time he got back from lunch. Great anecdote--it's in Stalking the Nightmare. The Moral, according to Harlan: Don't f*** with the Mouse. (The Wally Wood pic made me think of that.)
posted by Shane at 6:13 PM on October 11, 2002

Wow - lots of very interesting stuff in there. Thanks for the link.
posted by youhas at 6:48 PM on October 11, 2002

This is an excellent link, jeremias. T he story of Bunnyhop Magazine really saddend me--I knew Matt Groening ever so slightly when I was writing for the Rocket here in Seattle and he was just starting out with Life In Hell. Somehow, I think the Matt Groening I barely knew then would have some contempt for the one I don't know now. I certainly do--his excuses are pathetic. He's a fucking millionaire, for christ's sake--and this is some tiny zine. Shit, he came out of--or at least was once allied to--zine culture. Dis-gusting. Work Is Hell--pfft! He's one of the owners, now. What a fucking asshole.

In a similar vein was Dan O'Neill's Air Pirates Comics, which I just loved at the time. I wish I had bought a copy. Now they go for what? *Googles* $25-$50... That's not too bad... Sir Real's a comix collector who's scanning the covers of his collection and his Air Pirates #1 provides a table of contents, which'll give you the flavor. Hope he scans the whole comic some day.

I didn't see Air Pirates at Illegal-Art.Org, though.
posted by y2karl at 10:02 PM on October 11, 2002

Oh, the typos!--and just to clarify, Matt Groening lived in Portland then, by the way, and he knew my name from the masthead but that's about it. And this was way pre-Simpsons. I was a big fan of LiH, wrote him a fan letter and he wrote back once--and autographed various Life In Hell books for me for keepers and gifts to my nieces when he was in Seattle for such events. It's not like I ever hung out or partied with him or anything. He was a big buddy of Lynda Barry, the Rocket's other big cartoonist, who I did know before she became famous. A little bit.
OK, namedropping over--back to anonymity...
posted by y2karl at 10:14 PM on October 11, 2002

I have to add this comment from the contract:
"At the end, you will be asked to accept this agreement and provide this Website with a warm, lingering, creepy hug. "

I just love a good turn of phrase.
posted by Salmonberry at 10:14 PM on October 11, 2002

A marvelous site! I'm off to smear it in mustard on the side of a white or off-white panel van right now...
posted by taz at 10:41 PM on October 11, 2002

Hitler's moustache! What a great link. Thanks.
posted by UKnowForKids at 11:08 PM on October 11, 2002

There were quite a few other items the exhibit could have included as well, but I'm sure they couldn't fit everything. Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel (not sure I'm remembering the title correctly) comes to mind.

(y2karl, I used to write for the Rocket too.)
posted by litlnemo at 2:48 AM on October 12, 2002

And I've been to Slumberland--Ha! Serendipity.
posted by y2karl at 6:52 AM on October 12, 2002

Y'all might want to check out Stay Free! from the same publisher (Carrie McLaren.) I've been a big fan of Carrie's for a long time now (dating back to when we both lived in NC...now we both live in NYC, and no, I'm not stalking her) and was thrilled to see her new project go live.
posted by Vidiot at 9:23 AM on October 12, 2002