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Beyond the Shopocalypse (Part One)

Reverend Billy

In this video, Jonathan Talat Philips, director of Evolver.net, talks to the Reverend Billy (aka Bill Talen) and his wife Savitri D. about the "revelatory experience" of "radical instability" that's created by visionary activism. The Church of Life After Shopping stages actions in "contested spaces" like Starbucks and uses a singing, dancing choir to deliberately confound the expectations of onlookers while inspiring them to resist "the dominant culture of our nation" and become more mindful of their personal consumption. This video was directed and edited by Tony Torn, one of the founding directors of the Church.

Billy Talen is a playwright and actor who invented “a new kind of American preacher” who took to the streets of Times Square in the early 90's specializing in exorcisms of sweatshop companies, and opposing the Disneyfication of the neighborhood. “Moral soap operas,” also called "Retail Interventions” were staged inside the chain stores, principally Disney, the GAP, Nike, and Starbucks.  The preacher was soon accompanied by singers, and began staging whole “Worships” in the tradition of ritual-based interactive plays.  The Reverend's developing theology became the “Church of Stop Shopping,” founded on a resistance to consumerism and a defense of independent shops, community gardens and local economies.

Under the direction of Savitri D., the Reverend and Choir have toured in Europe, Africa, South America and throughout North America. Bill Talen has won the OBIE Award, The Dramalogue Award, The Historic Districts Council's “Preservation” Award (for leading demonstrations to save the Poe House at 85 W 3rd Street) and has been jailed more than 50 times.

 

Related Links: 

Reverend Billy and the Church of Life After Shopping

Reverend Billy on Evolver.net

 

 

Comments

HAH typical first comment is consumer SPAM!!!

Submitted by zezt on Mon, 05/24/2010 - 05:35.
I LOVE what your doing!!I t has great humour and yet is also very serious. One thing I have learned from my personal experience of sacred msuhrooms is JUST that---that you can see extraordinarily deeply into what is *real*, and yet STILL be giggling your arse off! What happened to organized religion--one of the things--was losing sense of HUMOUR, most like at same time they swapped real sacraments for bogus ones, though I am sure there may have been entheogen brotherhoods which brainwashed seriouslness into their intiates--I couldn't imagine that though cause the mopre serious I was forced to become the worse I would get lol************************************** This consumerism trip goes very deep. We all by now must have heard of Edward Bernays and the (m)AD men, and how it was deliberately conspired to affect the unconscious of the 'masses' SECRETLY to shop till they drop for crap they dont want.************* That is a good idea for a choir thing. Hmmm you could begin introducing preacher style about Eddy Bernays, and as you explain that he made you 'SHOP--till--you--drop--to--buy--CRAP(or SHLOCK)--you----don't--WANT, then the choir starts chanting that in Gospel style, and you go into ecstatic preeacher mode---but this time as you say the real preacher is planet EARTH, and you could say how consumerized civlization is destroying nature--example from 1970--2006 mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and fish have gone down by a THIRD!!!. It'd be amazing But whatever, THANKS so much for what your doing. I am real glad I have just found out about you.

myth of consumerism

Submitted by zezt on Mon, 05/24/2010 - 12:48.
it is no point pointing to totalitarian regimes who 'ban consumerism' as some form or 'warning' about how we should protect consumerism. The so-called 'free markets' has greatly fucked with MANY small businesses, etc, selling their wares. THAT is what is killing every thing--the pomotion of mass consumerism of useless junk that ALSO has been made by people and children slaving away out of sight in the 'developing' countries to keep all the gadgets cheap for westerners! (The 'Toysperiod' site wont download for me when i went to check it out) ************************** Where is all the materials COMIN from for all this junk that people throw away when they are bored for the latest junk, and which is all orchestrated by mass media which is EVERRy fukin where now. Even on the street people's attention fixed on their mobiles. As I sais in first post this manic consumerism has been created by the mad mind men manipulating the subconscious, and this black magic needs undoing! There can be other ways to live which we need to explore that doesn't rape the earth and peoples minds and bodies for PROFIT.

greatest myth of consumerism

Submitted by Businessgallery on Sat, 05/29/2010 - 05:34.
that there is no point pointing to a totalitarian regime that bans''consumerism as a reminder of how we should protect the consumer. Called''free market has been very chaotic with many small businesses, etc., to sell their wares. it is to kill every thing that pomotion useless waste of mass consumerism that has also been made by the people and children to work hard from the sight in parts of states to keep all the gadgets cheap to the west.