Tuesday, December 13 / 2 PM / Free

 THE FULL MOON SHOW

A Tom Murrin/Alien Comic Invention

As a special tribute to Tom Murrin, the late godfather of performance art, Howl! Happening presents its monthly series THE FULL MOON SHOW—performances, rituals, and blessings paying tribute to his moon goddess Luna Macaroona—an homage he delivered as a stage and street performer for nearly 50 years. Whether in the gallery or on the street, expect madcap performances by old friends and rising stars. The Tom Murrin/Full Moon series is curated by performance artist Salley May. Check back here for times and performers.

In her own inimitable style, she sez:
“i am doin a multidemsional full moon/solstice ritual complete with greek chorus consisting of salley may…..hapi phace and tony stinkmetal….divination…speakin in tonguez….prophecy and fruit sacrifice and more…..with everythang goin on now it it time for us all to become warriorz…this is an empowerment ceremony………….. I am a hag….hereditary intuitive and ritualist…active since politically and artistically since late 60z….u can also call me babycondor or KONDOR8 which is my tag….had scholarship with lindsey kemp…my only formal trainin….underground moviez with da kuchar brothers..todd verow and many otherz….pyramid performer….many showz and ritualz through da yearz…..i used to call what i do neo shaman a gogo now i step out and say it is time to emerge from da shadowz and do da do… my ritualz or my paintingz in motion….my paintz r vehicles of transformation…….”

About Tom Murrin and the Full Moon Show

Howl! Happening houses the archives of Tom Murrin. Murrin, aka the Alien Comic, is known as the Godfather of Performance Art. Every full moon, Tom performed the Full Moon Show in honor of his moon goddess, Luna Macaroona. When he had a club date that fell on the full moon, he’d wrangle his friends to perform as his guests—pushing the careers of such groundbreaking performers as David Cale, David Sedaris, Amy Sedaris, Blue Man Group, Ethyl Eichelberger, Lisa Kron and many others. If not, he performed on the street for passersby, transforming the pedestrian atmosphere with his madness and magic. Howl! Happening’s monthly series continues that tradition, with performances in the gallery and surprise pop up performances on the street.

About The Tom Murrin Archive

Howl! Happening is the repository of the Tom Murrin Archive comprising masks, costumes, scripts, correspondence, photographs, and tapes of performances going back to the early 70s. Murrin (February 8, 1939 – March 12, 2012) also known as The Alien Comic and Jack Bump, was a performance pioneer whose life and work inspired both artists and audiences for over 40 years. He was a member of the first generation of La MaMa playwrights. Tom wrote four plays performed through La MaMa and produced by John Vacarro’s Play-House of the Ridiculous, including the offbeat hit, Cock Strong, which toured with Ellen Stewart’s La MaMa Troupe to Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels.
Under the guidance of rock manager Jane Friedman, Tom began to perform under the name Alien Comic, opening for acclaimed punk bands in rock clubs such as CBGBs and Max’s Kansas City. He performed in New York City clubs and theaters as The Alien Comic, appearing in such venues as The Pyramid, 8BC, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Performance Space 122, Dixon Place, La MaMa, and more. Since the mid 80s, he created, performed, and curated a series of variety nights he dubbed The Full Moon Show at Performance Space 122, at the La Mama Experimental Theatre Club (where he started) and at Dixon Place. His plays Sport-Fuckers and Butt-Crack Bingo were produced at Theater for the New City and La MaMa and directed by David Levine. Tom was the first performance artist to appear on stage at the original Dixon Place location at 37 East First Street in 1986.