It Was Fifteen Years Ago Today…

Of all the pranks I’ve been involved with, the one I’m most proud of is attaching the 700 pound ball and chain to the Hammering Man in front of the Seattle Art Museum on Labor Day, 1993 (That’s me with my arms raised above my head in the photo)– I was good friends with Jason Sprinkle and Rob Shealy, who built the giant ball and chain, and when Jason asked if I would help “install” his inspired creation, I gladly agreed– We did a practice installation without the ball in Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood the day before, and when it came time to do the real thing, it went very smoothly– Jason Sprinkle went on to create many other giant metal sculptures and illegally install them in downtown Seattle, and I helped with a few of those, too– Sadly, Jason was killed by a freight train in Mississippi in 2005– There should be a book, movie, or website documenting all his work, but unfortunately it hasn’t happened, yet– For more info, here’s an article from The Seattle P.I.