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Joey Skaggs, The Ultimate Hoax MeisterBy Alex in Bathroom Reader on Oct 12, 2009 at 8:22 pm

The following is reprinted from The Best of The Best of Uncle John's Bathroom

Reader. Think everything you read in the newspaper or see on the news has been

checked for accuracy? Think again. Sometimes the media will repeat whatever they're

told ... and Joey Skaggs is the guy set out to prove it.

Photo: Joey Skaggs MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO Joey Skaggs' career as a hoax artist

began in the mid-1960s when he first combined his art training with sociopolitical

activism. He wanted to show that instead of being guardians of the truth, the media

machine often runs stories without verifying the facts. And in proving his point, he

perpetrated some pretty clever hoaxes. HOAX#1: A CATHOUSE FOR DOGS In 1976

Skaggs ran an ad in New York's Village Voice for a dog bordello. For $50 Skaggs

promised satisfaction for any sexually deprived Fido. Then he hosted a special "night in

the cathouse for dogs" just for the media. A beautiful woman and her Saluki, both clad

in tight red sweaters and bows, paraded up and down in front of the panting "clientele"

(male dogs belonging to Skaggs' friends). The ASPCA lodged a slew of protests and

had Skaggs arrested (and indicted) for cruelty to animals. The event was even

featured on an Emmy-nominated WABC News documentary. But the joke was on them

- the "dog bordello" never existed. (The charges were dropped.) HOAX #2: SAVE THE

GEODUCK! It's pronounced "gooey-duck" and it's a long-necked clam native to Puget

Sound, Washington, with a digging muscle that bears a striking resemblance to the

male reproductive organ of a horse. In 1987 Skaggs posed as a doctor (Dr. Long) and

staged a protest rally in front of the Japan Society. Why? Because according to "Dr.

Long," the geoduck was considered to be an aphrodisiac in Asia, and people were

eating the mollusk into extinction. Although neither claim had the slightest basis in fact,

Skaggs' "Clamscam" was good enough to sucker WNBC, UPI, the German news

magazine Der Spiegel, and a number of Japanese papers into reporting the story as

fact. HOAX #3: MIRACLE ROACH HORMONE CURE Skaggs pretended to be an

entomologist from Columbia named Dr. Josef Gregor in 1981. In an interview with

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WNBC-TV's Live at Five, "Dr. Gregor" claimed to have graduated from the University of

Bogota, and said his "Miracle Roach Hormone Cure" cured the common cold, acne, and

menstrual cramps. An amazed Skaggs remarked later, "Nobody ever checked my

credentials." The interviewers didn't realize they were being had until Dr. Gregor

played his theme song - La Cucaracha. HOAX #4: SERGEANT BONES AND THE FAT

SQUAD In 1986 Skaggs appeared on Good Morning, America as a former Marine

Corps drill sergeant named Joe Bones, who was determined to stamp out obesity in the

United States. Flanked by a squad of tough-looking commandos, Sergeant Bones

announced that for "$300 a day plus expenses," his "Fat Squad" would infiltrate an

overweight client's home and physically stop them from snacking. "You can hire us but

you can't fire us," he deadpanned, staring into the camera. "Our commandos take no

bribes." Reporters from the Philadelphia Enquirer, Washington Post, Miami Herald, and

the New York Daily News all believed - and ran with - the story. HOAX #5:

MAQDANANDA, THE PSYCHIC ATTORNEY On April 1, 1994, Skaggs struck again with

a 30-second TV spot in which he dressed like a swami. Seated on a pile of cushions,

Maqdananda asked viewers, "Why deal with the legal system without knowing the

outcome beforehand?" Along with normal third dimensional legal issues - divorce,

accidental injury, wills, trusts - Maqdananda claimed he could help renegotiate

contracts made in past lives, sue for psychic surgery malpractice, and help rectify

psychic injustices. "There is no statute of limitations in the psychic realm," he said.

Viewers just had to call the number at the bottom of their screen: 1-808-UCA-DADA. In

Hawaii, CNN Headline News ran the spot 40 times during the week. When people called

the number (and dozens did), they were greeted by the swami's voice on an answering

machine, saying, "I knew you'd call." Skaggs later revealed that the swami - and his

political statement about proliferation of New Age gurus and ambulance-chasing

attorneys - was all a hoax.

The article above is reprinted with permission from The

Best of the Best of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader.

The Bathroom Reader Institute handpicked the most eye-

opening, rib-tickling, and mind-boggling articles from

everything they have written over the last ten years and

carefully crammed them into 576 pages of the book.

Since 1988, the Bathroom Reader Institute has published

a series of popular books containing irresistible bits of

trivia and obscure yet fascinating facts. Check out

their website here: Bathroom Reader Institute.

BONUS: BULLSH*T AND BALLS, a document about Joey Skaggs.

[YouTube Clip] More: Joey Skaggs website | Art of the Prank | Article at

Wikipedia

Peter Rabbit -

Storybook Zoobie

I'd Hit That (Golf)

School Supplies Erasers Mario Bling Bling Hat

Ted Williams Recording AKRAFT Macaroni & Cheese

Commercial

Peter Rabbit -

Storybook Zoobie

I'd Hit That (Golf) Teach A Man To Fish

Johnny Cat

Oct 12th, 2009 at 9:19 pm

Wow, Skaggs is my new hero. Never heard of him before, but what a great service

he's doing. Reminds me of the Snopes article on Mr. Ed being a zebra.

Geoduck

Oct 12th, 2009 at 10:11 pm

Since my name came up...

Geoducks actually are quite popular in Asia, although just as food, not an

aphrodisiac. And yes, there are genuine worries about over-harvesting.

Dax

Oct 13th, 2009 at 5:13

am

My kind of MK (missionary kid)

greg @ ferret finder

Oct 13th, 2009 at 6:18 am

Funny Practical Jokes

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Tags: hoax, Joey Skaggs, prank

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ok now im a huge fan... that is crazy

Seanette

Oct 13th, 2009 at 10:12 am

Didn't the writer of this article use spell-check? Typos abound.

Tim Giachetti

Oct 13th, 2009 at 10:50 am

"With a name like Skaggs! It's got to be good!"

Mouserz

Oct 13th, 2009 at 12:11 pm

Haha that guy is awesome. On an unrelated note, my last name is Meister.

Alex

Oct 13th, 2009 at 1:00 pm

Boy that was bad - sorry for the tyops this was typed up late at night. Most should

be fixed now.

greg @ skunk cosutme

Oct 14th, 2009 at 1:23 pm

hahah yeah this guy is deffinatly the true hoaxter...

Movie

Dec 17th, 2009 at 9:33 am

ok now im a huge fan... that is crazy http://mytrailer.net

Ricardo

Apr 12th, 2010 at 10:00 am

America needs this guy to screen politicians! They are great artists at deceiving

people!

4/12/10

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