Ricki Lake, Episode 5176

This was a big failure. On April 4, 1994 I went as an incognito guest on The Ricki Lake Talk Show, along with my friend Galadriel. Ricki Lake and the producers of the show were not aware of my intentions or our real identities. At the time I was reading a lot of Guy Debord and Elias Canetti, and overwhelmingly disturbed by the talk show culture. After 3 months of calling the hotlines for a number of talk shows, The Ricki Lake Show called me back.
I scripted a narrative for the show to highlight spectacle and crowd culture. But I was not prepared for the talent of the show’s editor. 20 minutes of filming us on stage became roughly 4 minutes aired. My intention of subversively highlighting that spectacle became nothing but another spectacle.