ANDY KAUFMAN'S 99cent TOUR

Prankster Alan Abel participated in a panel discussion about the role of the hoax in Andy Kaufman's work last night at the Participant Inc. gallery in NYC. The informal talk was hosted by Slycraft Hour creator and hoaxer, Bob Pagani, with Slycraft collaborator Albin Sadar and artist Cory Arcangel.

Cory Arcangel, Alan Abel, Bob Pagani and Albin Sadar

The evening was part of a weeklong series of screenings and talks titled, "ANDY KAUFMAN'S 99 cent TOUR," staged in conjunction with “On Creating Reality by Andy Kaufman,” on view at Maccarone organized by Jonathan Berger in collaboration with the Estate of Andy Kaufman, Lynne Margulies, Bob Zmuda, and Tony Clifton.

Two reviews about the show appeared in The New York Times and Art in America.

Alan as 'Omar the Beggar' on THE MIKE DOUGLAS SHOW

Alan's 'Omar the Beggar' character might be a distant relative of Tony Clifton's. Although Omar was not as offensive as Andy's alter ego, he definitely pissed people off along the way. There are similarities in style between Andy and Alan. They both stayed in character to the end, it's difficult to differentiate between the character and the reality and sometimes there is no point to the act except the expression itself. Alan Abel, like Andy Kaufman, was simply born to perform and test the boundaries of absurdity in the process.

ABEL RAISES CAIN On Screen In Person!

Meet legendary cultural icon and modern American satirist, Alan Abel, in the award-winning documentary, ABEL RAISES CAIN, playing one night only at the following locations, as part of the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation's On Screen/In Person series. A discussion with the filmmakers, Jenny Abel and Jeff Hockett - along with special guests - will follow each of the screenings:


Oswego Cinema - Oswego, NY
Tuesday, MARCH 5th, 2013 at 7:00pm


Firehouse Theatre Project - Richmond, VA
Wednesday, MARCH 6th, 2013 at 7:30pm
(Tickets available through Modlin Center for the Arts)

Taubman Museum of Art - Roanoke, VA
Thursday, MARCH 7th, 2013 @ 7:00pm

Movies at Midway Upstairs Screening Room - Rehoboth Beach, DE
Saturday, MARCH 9th, 2013 @ 7:00pm

Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts - Annapolis, MD
Tuesday, MARCH 12th, 2013 @ 7:00pm

Pollak Theatre @ Monmouth University - West Long Branch, NJ
Thursday, MARCH 14th, 2013 @ 7:30pm

Taylor Little Theatre @ Mercyhurst University - Erie, PA
Friday, MARCH 15th, 2013 @ 2:15 and 7:15pm

Before Stephen Colbert, there was Alan Abel. A master of deadpan, Alan founded the Society for Indecency to Naked Animals with Buck Henry in the 1960s, a zany cause that lured even Walter Cronkite, the most trusted newsman in America. Their motto was, "A Nude Horse is a Rude Horse." A silly idea that caught like wildfire, news of the phony organization landed the front pages of newspapers across America.

Realizing the power of satire, Abel soon carved a niche for himself by rousing the public and poking fun at the media with other zany causes that were just believable enough to be true. For fifty years, he wreaked havoc on the world stage with such hoaxes as a Professional School for Panhandlers, Females For Felons, the KKK Symphony Orchestra, Running a Jewish Grandmother for President, Euthanasia Boat Cruises, among countless others.

ABEL RAISES CAIN is the true life story of hoaxer Alan Abel and his wife Jeanne, told through the viewpoint of their daughter, Jenny Abel, who was also an unwitting accomplice to some of Abel's pranks.

This is a night you won't want to miss! Urge fellow faculty, staff, colleagues, family and friends to attend a special screening of this unflinchingly intimate, compelling and humorous portrait of America's most notorious media prankster.

"Long before Borat hauled his mustachioed mischief across the Western Hemisphere, Alan Abel was giving interviews in the guise of ridiculous characters and whipping the world into an outraged lather... Narrated and co-directed by his daughter Jenny, ABEL RAISES CAIN is a sweet film...a loving portrait of an eccentric father." - THE SEATTLE STRANGER

"An impressive debut, featuring a story that's almost too perfect to be true, the film will keep you talking, telling others about this hilarious man who's still pulling the wool over the eyes of an unsuspecting media." - MINNESOTA DAILY

"Like a reverse Jon Stewart, Abel has been creating fake news...preying on mainstream media's insatiable thirst for the lurid, the perverse, and the wacky" - PBS POV BLOG

For further information about Alan Abel and the documentary, ABEL RAISES CAIN, please visit: http://abelraisescain.com

ABEL RAISES CAIN Goes Back on the Road!

We are pleased to announce that ABEL RAISES CAIN will be participating in the On Screen/In Person tour in March 2013! The film will screen before audiences in Oswego, NY, Richmond, VA, Roanoke, VA, Rehoboth Beach, DE, Annapolis, MD, West Long Branch, NJ and Erie, PA. Stay tuned for precise venue locations and further details. We are really excited to be a part of this special screening series!

The On Screen/In Person tour is funded through Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program.

Amateur Hour No. 2 : HOAX! Featuring Alan Abel Hosted by Joshua Foer

As you may know, Alan Abel has been tricking the media into covering his ridiculous proposals for more than fifty years. Finally, the original master of the mass-market hoax will remove his hood and reveal his secrets!


Please join Institute Library members and host Joshua Foer for a conversation with Mr. Abel Tuesday, September 11, at 7:00 p.m.

The Institute Library, Main Floor
847 Chapel Street
New Haven, CT 06510

Tuesday, September 11, 2012 @ 7:00 p.m.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Library Members $5 Admission,Non-Members $10

Tickets available at http://amateurhourtwo.eventbrite.com

Light refreshments will be provided by Atticus Bookstore and Cafe, and limited editions of posters signed by Alan Abel and Josh Foer will be available for sale following the event.

Amateur Hour, the Institute Library's new monthly series curated by Joshua Foer and Jack Hitt, explores the passions and pursuits of America's most inspiring fanatics, obsessives, tinkerers, and collectors.For more information, please email 'home AT institutelibrary DOT org' or call (203) 562-4045.

Happy April Fool's Day 2012!

You know how your to-do list grows and grows and you never get around to doing the really important things? Well, I've been meaning to update our website for about two years now and AT LAST! It's finished. It's a complete overhaul and simplification effort to organize all of the content from our site, ABEL RAISES CAIN.com and my dad's site, ALAN ABEL.com. The two sites are now one and the same and our plan is to continue updating the archive and photo galleries with all of the stuff we prepared and scanned for the documentary. We literally have thousands and thousands of files to add, in fact! So I hope everybody enjoys poking around on the new site. Feel free to contact us if you have any ideas or suggestions.

ALSO, in honor of this special day, NPR's Snap Judgement did a segment on my dad that's airing nationwide this week. Special Thanks to Pat Mesiti-Miller for producing the piece. Please take a listen here:



Happy Hoaxing, everyone!

Sincerely,
the Abels