Comments on: Praising Abel, Raising Cain

Praising Abel, Raising Cain

jonp72 — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 14:30:21 -0800

Alan Abel is a self-described "professional hoaxer" active since 1959. His classic hoaxes include the Society for Indecency to Naked Animals, the 1964 presidential campaign of Jewish housewife Yetta Bronstein, a topless string quartet (slightly NSFW), and the wedding of Idi Amin. He also released two mockumentaries long before Spinal Tap was a gleam in Christopher Guest's eye. Now Abel's daughter Jenny has released a documentary tribute to her father, Abel Raises Cain, which has some great You Tube clips, including 1970s talk show staple, Omar's School for Beggars. (some clips may be NSFW)

By: piratebowling

piratebowling — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 14:54:15 -0800

"Is there Sex After Death" is one weird movie. My friend made me watch it years agobased on the title alone. Somehow right before i clicked on that link I thought that movie may have been one of his.

By: homodigitalis

homodigitalis — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 15:03:38 -0800

I love dadaist humor. We need more weird people who are not afraid of action.

By: Outlawyr

Outlawyr — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 15:05:54 -0800

Just for the record, Spinal Tap was directed by Rob Reiner.

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 15:10:17 -0800

I read one of his books. Apparently he wanted to have an old caboose as a playhouse for his daughter (Jenny) and there was some hold up so he took his daughter to the office of the folks holding up the works and had her cry on cue. He then 'explained' to her how it just wasn't possible and there were regulations and such. And here's this cute little kid and she's bawling away, and the bureaucrat ultimately relented. I thought that was a pretty cute story. Capone was right - you can get further with a kind word, and a gun, than you can with just a kind word. But Abel's better - a crying child is a Howitzer of situational leverage.

By: jonp72

jonp72 — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 15:10:36 -0800

Just for the record, Spinal Tap was directed by Rob Reiner. Yes, but Christopher Guest was the true auteur behind the film, as his subsequent work with Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind demonstrates.

By: sgt.serenity

sgt.serenity — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 15:38:09 -0800

agreed jon , as reiners subsequent work also demonsrates.

By: amberglow

amberglow — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 15:41:57 -0800

he was great--and way ahead of his time--a sorta-proto Ali G/Borat/Sasha Cohen.

By: hal9k

hal9k — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 16:01:00 -0800

He graduated from Ohio State University with a B.S. degree... No additional comment required.

By: Cranky Media Guy

Cranky Media Guy — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 16:58:52 -0800

Alan Abel has been a friend of mine since the late 70's. In fact, this past February, I flew to Nebraska to participate in his latest hoax. I pretended to be the winner of the largest Powerball lottery in American history. No sooner did I set up in a local diner and told the manager that I was paying for everyone's meals, when I was besieged with media. At one point, I had three TV cameras, two print reporters and a radio guy around me, all asking me questions all at once. It was great fun! By the way, you can see me in Abel Raises Cain if you look close. I'm the security guard in the background of the Idi Amin wedding scenes.

By: Cranky Media Guy

Cranky Media Guy — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 16:59:51 -0800

By the way piratebowling, Is There Sex After Death? IS Alan's first movie.

By: Meatbomb

Meatbomb — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 18:23:07 -0800

We need more weird people who are not afraid of action. Indeed.

By: madamjujujive

madamjujujive — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 20:35:43 -0800

Excellent post, most amusing! Thanks, jonp72 - I love the culture jammers, particularly when they pull a really ludicrous hoax off in the media. The HBO "shorty" story was very funny, although I can see why they fell for that. How many men would be willing to go on national TV claiming to have the world's smallest penis, even as a joke? Another culture jammer who has pulled some good hoaxes is Joey Skaggs.

By: MiltonRandKalman

MiltonRandKalman — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 17:21:52 -0800

Also check out the classic media hijinks of SF locals Coyle and Sharpe. True heros of getting Joe Public to believe the absurd. I myself joined the Bay Area Rotessiere Friends for the 4th Annual Pigeon Roast (the other, other white meat) in Union Square and handed out meat samples from East Bay's hottest new bistro Seoul Food, all dog-meat restaurant at the How Berkeley Can You Be Parade. I'm am nothing to this man, he even put Skaggs to shame. He may have a small penis, but huge balls.

By: Enron Hubbard

Enron Hubbard — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 08:10:54 -0800

"Omar's School for Beggars" joins the ranks of great-name-for-a-band tradition at Mefi. I had never heard of Abel before. Thanks.

By: Cranky Media Guy

Cranky Media Guy — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 18:28:43 -0800

"Omar's School for Beggars" joins the ranks of great-name-for-a-band tradition at Mefi. I had never heard of Abel before. Thanks." Back in the late 70's, when I first met Alan Abel, I played Omar's bodyguard for several media appearances. At the time, I was employed as a security guard for the Yankees, Mets and Madison Square Garden so I had a police uniform. I used it when I "worked" for "Omar," the explanation being that a "lot of people resent Omar's line of work and he carries a lot of cash on him so I walk him to the bank night drop." "He may have a small penis, but huge balls." I've never actually seen Alan's "junk" (as the kids say) but, yes, he has a HUGE pair of balls, metaphorically speaking.