R.I.P., Rest in Pieces: A Portrait of Joe Coleman

R.I.P., Rest in Pieces: A Portrait of Joe Coleman (1997, directed by Robert-Adrian Pejo) at UbuWeb Film & Video. "...A lot of people say they are weird, or seem moderately eccentric, but few truly are. And sadly, when we do find people that are far from the path of the supposed norm we don’t celebrate those people, we run from them, hands in the air, shrieking like banshees. Well, consider this documentary nothing less than a love letter to the oddball, and to one in particular – artist Joe Coleman. The documentary focuses mainly on the many artistic endeavors of Mr. Coleman. Known in his early years as a provocative performance artist, Coleman was not a stranger to controversy. Drawn to the world of sideshows, Coleman took the idea of becoming a ‘geek’ to new levels – biting the heads off of live mice, wiring his body for explosives, and basically pushing people into a place where they had no choice but to confront his art."