The Evil Twin Booking Agency organizes club, campus, and festival tours for today's most mind expanding speakers and performers. Our issue and action oriented events are super entertaining, educational and fun for troublemakers of all ages. We can show you how easy and rewarding it is to set up consciousness raising events at your school or in your town focusing on social and economic justice, media, environmentalism, outsider art and the metaphysical. The Evil Twin Booking Agency is all about creating personal connections between passionate minds.
We're in Copenhagen for the climate conference with The Yes Men, Vandana Shiva, Chris Paine and DJ Filistine. Take a peek at the schedule of fun stuff happening around Copenhagen. More to be announced soon. Yay! Tuesday 15 Dec: 8:00 pm Chris Paine screening Who Killed the Electric Car? UN Environmental Chief presenting, @ Danish Film Institute
7:45 pm The Yes Men open for Gogol Bordello @ Hopenhagen, by the globe
Monday 14 Dec: 7:00 pm The Yes Men host the launch of *HQ with Avaaz.org Climate Action Factory, Thierry Geoffroy and Ms Actionaid @ Gallery Poulsen, Frederiksholms Kanal 4, st th 1220 Copenhagen K
7:30 pm Reclaim Power Party Naomi Klein & Michael Hardt talk, 9:30 Filastine live, @ Fredens Eng, Christiania, Copenhagen
Sunday 13 Dec: 10:00 am Vandana Shiva presents The Third Pole, new film about the Himalayas and climate change @ Klimaforum Green Hall
1:00 pm Vandana Shiva and Caroline Lockhart on the panel on the Manifesto on climate change and food security @ Klimaforum Orange Hall
Saturday 12 Dec: 10:00 am Vandana Shiva speaks on Organic Solutions w/ Shumei International @ Klimaforum Green Hall
12 noon Vandana Shiva speaks at Climate Bottom meeting @ Christiana, Meadow of Peace
1:00 pm Vandana Shiva speaking at the big march in Christianborg, Parliament Square
1:15 pm Vandana Shiva speaking at Talk at Meat panel: Holland Climate House, Bella Center
Friday 11 Dec: 9:00 pm: The Yes Men and Survivaballs on the Stubnitz
11:15 pm The Yes Men Fix The World screening at the Grand Theater
Tuesday, November 24th 2009
We have some very exciting news. The long wait is over and we should finally be launching our new website sometime in the beginning of next year. it'll be a fantastic tool for folks who organize events through Evil Twin Booking, so Please keep checking back.
Also, We've just added some fantastic new speakers, performers, and films to our roster, so take a second to examine further.
WILL THE REAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PLEASE STAND UP? Business as usual; Chamber is its own parody
Contacts: people@theyesmen.org, info@beyondtalk.net, 202-596-2357 Complete comments: chamber-of-commerce.us News reports: Fox Business Network, CNBC, Washington Post Video and other updates: Please visit theyesmen.org/chamber
TOMORROW: SurvivaBall rally, 10:30am, on the Capitol lawn, northeast corner, across from the Dirksen Senate Office Building
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a dramatic announcement at the National Press Club today, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reversed its position on climate change policy, and promised to immediately cease lobbying against the Kerry-Boxer bill.
Not.
Within minutes of the Chamber's dramatic announcement, it was revealed that the "Chamber spokesperson" was an impostor, and the press conference an elaborate hoax designed by activists to draw attention to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's "troglodytic" fight against climate change legislation. At the close of the news conference, a visibly rattled Chamber of Commerce spokesperson (Eric Wohlschlegel) barged into the room and declared the event a fraud. (Video here.)
The stunt was pulled off by the Yes Men, the activists best known for posing as corporate executives in order to reveal how corporate greed negatively influences public policy. Recently, the Yes Men have focused their attention on the urgent need for action on climate change. Today they sought to highlight relentless corporate lobbying of elected officials aimed at derailing domestic climate legislation and a much-needed global climate accord.
The group of reporters at the Press Club listened closely as U.S. Chamber "representative" "Hingo Sembra" (Andy Bichlbaum of The Yes Men) asserted that the Chamber would put its full weight behind supporting the Kerry-Boxer bill, while working with Senators Kerry and Boxer to strengthen the bill.
"We believe that climate legislation currently being considered by the U.S. Senate is a great start towards a bill that will spur American innovation, create jobs, and give us all a good chance of survival," he said. To the visible delight of reporters in the audience, he added, "We at the Chamber have tried to keep climate science from interfering with business. But without a stable climate, there will be no business."
The Chamber has recently come under fire for launching multi-million dollar advertising campaigns designed to derail climate negotiations. Their position has been so controversial that Apple, Exelon, PNM Resources, PG&E, PSEG, Levi Strauss & Co, and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce have all left the U.S. Chamber, and Nike very publicly stepped down from the board.
"The Chamber's position against climate legislation is completely troglodytic," said Bichlbaum. "The rest of the world sees the need for urgent action on the climate. The rest of the world's rich countries have pledged large emissions reductions. With scientists saying if we don't reduce carbon emissions, then sooner or later we're doomed, the Chamber represents corporate America at its most backwards."
"An entity claiming to represent the public good, but that opposes action on the climate, is obviously illegitimate," Bichlbaum added.
News outlets were quick to jump on the story, including a Reuters story which was reprinted in the New York Times and elsewhere. The Chamber's "about-face" was also reported on Fox Business Network and CNBC before the anchors were forced to retract in mid-sentence.
At the end of Sembra's remarks, Eric Wohlschlegel confronted Bichlbaum. In the stand-off, both accused the other of being a fraud. The standoff ended with Wohlschlegel dispensing his business card to reporters in the room, and attempting to field a number of pointed questions about the Chamber's real stance on climate legislation currently in Congress, which the real Chamber opposes. (Video here.)
"Mr. Wohlschlegel was feeling defensive," added Bichlbaum. "He should, what with the Chamber's ridiculous stance in the face of all science."
International climate talks are currently stalled, largely because the U.S. negotiators won't make any promises that Congress can't keep. Breaking the gridlock in negotiations will require the passage of ambitious U.S. legislation within the next 2 months.
An official response from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce read: "These irresponsible tactics are a foolish distraction from the serious effort by our nation to reduce greenhouse gases."
"The only irresponsibility and distraction here is the Chamber's doublespeak," said Bichlbaum. "They're pretending to support the idea of legislation while opposing actual proposed legislation."
The Yes Men collaborated on this action with activists from BeyondTalk.net, the "Climate Pledge of Resistance," which calls on citizens to risk arrest in the interest of creating pressure for sane climate legislation, and received tactical support from the DC Climate Action Factory, a semi-autonomous group of climate activists sponsored by Avaaz.org.
The Yes Men will be holding a rally tomorrow at 10:30am on the Capitol lawn, northeast corner (across from the Dirksen Senate Office Building), to kick off the 350.org Day of Climate Action by showcasing a fleet of SurvivaBalls, an alternate solution to climate change that protects America's most valuable citizens from the ravages of climate change.
The Yes Men's award-winning new documentary film, The Yes Men Fix the World, opens at the Avalon Theater in NW Washington this Friday, Oct. 23.
10.19.09 Did The Yes Men Fix the US Chamber of Commerce?
http://www.chamber-of-commerce.us/090118tjd_prosperity.html CNBC, Reuters and FOX ran the news delivered by spokesman "Hingo Sembra". News outlets around the world picked it up and some rejoiced while thinking it was too good to be true. (Note to news orgs: This is what happens when you downsize your news departments and hire interns to replace seasoned reporters.) Apparently the Chamber of commerce is calling it a hoax. We wish it wasn't . more as the story develops.
10.01.09 THE YES MEN AWARDED ANNENBERG PRIZE FOR ART AND SOCIAL CHANGE - HUGE CONGRATULATIONS!
The Yes Men have received the first Leonore Annenberg Prize for Art and Social Change, presented to artists or artist groups whose work reflects a commitment to social change. The Yes Men will give an interactive lecture Oct. 23 during the opening ceremony for the Creative Time Summit: Revolutions in Public Practice at the New York Public Library. Amy Goodman, the host of the award-winning program Democracy Now!, will introduce and MC.
Huge congratulations to everyone!
- Elizabeth-Jane Cole and Scott Beibin
9.24.09 ANDY BICHLBAUM OF THE YES MEN SPRUNG FROM CLINK - NYC REJOICES!
"Balls Across America" direct-action campaign launched NYPD abuse of authority big factor in arrest
Andy Bichlbaum, co-founder of activist group the Yes Men, emerged after 26 hours in New York City's central lockup with all charges against him dismissed.[1]
"The judge just laughed," said Bichlbaum. "The police had a less well-developed sense of humor - and, it turned out, much less regard for the law. But all in all, I'm ecstatic that they arrested me."
At 10am Tuesday, Bichlbaum was arrested and charged with trespassing, after he and 21 "Survivaballs" gathered on New York City's East River and announced they were to going to "take the UN by storm" from the water, since all the land approaches were sealed. Once at the UN, they would supposedly use the Survivaballs to blockade the negotiations and refuse to let world leaders leave the room until they'd agreed on sweeping cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, as Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has demanded.
The event was a "scenic and mediagenic way to call attention to what our leaders need to do in the run-up to Copenhagen," said Bichlbaum. It was also the official inauguration of the Yes Men's "Balls Across America" series of civil disobedience actions, inspired by the call for direct action on climate change by website http://BeyondTalk.net.
Minutes after the balls began wading into the water, law enforcement swooped in on the protesters by land, sea, and air. In order not to harm their attackers, the balls admitted defeat and waddled out of the water and off the beach. Seven participants were given tickets for trespassing, and one - ringleader Bichlbaum - was whisked away to "the Tombs," New York's central processing facility at 100 Centre Street, due to an unpaid ticket for bicycle riding through Washington Square Park.
Bichlbaum's arrest led to hilarious prime-time coverage on CNN.
"Sleeping on concrete was a challenge, but I met a lot of interesting people, and my arrest meant major prime-time news coverage we wouldn't have otherwise had," said Bichlbaum. "That's the whole point of civil disobedience. Thanks to my momentary discomfort, our symbol of the stupidity of not taking action on climate change was seen by tens of millions of people. It all worked out great, and I remain grateful to the NYPD for having accidentally made our event successful beyond our wildest dreams."
Despite Bichlbaum's gratitude, one thing stuck out for his attorney, Wylie Stecklow: in filing his report, the arresting officer had lied through his teeth.
"The officer said he'd seen Bichlbaum jump over the fence, which was obviously impossible, since the police arrived after the Survivaballs had all entered the beach," said Stecklow, who defended Bichlbaum at his arraignment yesterday morning. "And the officer said there were prominent signs posted to the effect that entering was forbidden - also untrue."
"Perhaps the NYPD thought that if an officer did not swear that he saw Andy climb a fence, AND that there were signs providing notice that this area was off-limits, a judge might have dismissed the case," said Stecklow.
According to Stecklow, officers swearing to facts they couldn't possibly know is an all-too-common occurrence. "Often, during mass arrests, we see a Supervising Officer assigning junior officers to write up the paperwork. But these junior officers end up becoming the 'arresting officer,' requiring them to swear to facts that are not within their knowledge. This leads to constitutional violations and wrongful arrests, and undermines the confidence that citizens should have in the criminal justice system," said Stecklow.
The NYPD has, in recent years, been found guilty of making numerous unconstitutional arrests in cases of political protest, and then falsifying their statements to fit the arrests. There have in particular been several well-known cases involving the tackling and arrest of bicyclists, with false excuses then written into police reports.
"My case doesn't matter in itself," said Bichlbaum. In fact, I'm really happy it turned out as it did. But I hope we can help expose the systemic and nefarious culture of lying within the NYPD, that has had the effect of criminalizing protest in New York City."
"The police have to be told very clearly that they can't lie and expect to get away with it," Bichlbaum added. "The stakes are far too high."
"We need to strengthen oversight of the police by those who empower them in the first place - you and I, the citizens of New York City," said Stecklow. "Right now, at a bare minimum, that means giving teeth to the formerly well-intentioned, now powerless body of the Civilian Complaint Review Board."
"Unfortunately, even when we have video proving police statements to be false, no one seems interested in investigating," added Stecklow. "That's got to change."
After reading the arresting officer's complaint against him, Bichlbaum decided to file a complaint with the CCRB in order to hold this officer accountable for his false statements."It's not much, but at least this guy will have to explain his story under oath. And then next time, maybe he'll think twice before filing a false statement to make the crime stick."
The Yes Men hope their next actions won't depend on police misconduct to make them a success. "With 'Balls Across America,' our goal is to get arrested fair and square, all across this fair land of ours," said Yes Men co-founder Mike Bonanno. "It's a great way to get attention for a crucial issue."
[2] The Survivaball (http://survivaball.com) made its first appearance in 2006, when "Halliburton representatives" attended a conference on catastrophic climate change and demonstrated the functionality of the large inflatable suits which keep corporate managers safe from global warming (http://theyesmen.org/hijinks/survivaball). That hoax, and many more like it, are documented in the new award-winning documentary film, The Yes Men Fix the World (http://www.theyesmenfixtheworld.com), which opens theatrically in New York October 7, before opening nationally October 23.
The Yes Men are at it again. A day before a U.N. summit on climate change, NYC was flooded with copies of a perfectly reproduced and exhaustively researched version of the New York Post. The headline "WE'RE SCREWED!" is close enough to the real NY Post to probably fool the causal reader, but what's between the covers is 100% true and 100% scary reporting on global warming, plus ads helpfully listing names and phone numbers for elected officials and activist groups.
Update! update! New York Post and NewsCorp have zero sense of irony.
Gawker and Daily Finance are reporting that volunteers handing out papers outside News Corp's building are being detained and their papers confiscated. We wonder when News Corp's people will also be busted for distributing fake news.
The Evil Twin Booking Agency organizes club, campus, and festival tours for today's most mind expanding speakers and performers. Our issue and action oriented events are super entertaining, educational and fun for troublemakers of all ages. We can show you how easy and rewarding it is to set up consciousness raising events at your school or in your town focusing on social and economic justice, media, environmentalism, outsider art and the metaphysical. The Evil Twin Booking Agency is all about creating personal connections between passionate minds.
What happens when creative tinkering goes collective?
Scott Beibin has his eye on today’s garage scientists, and the rise of maker culture within the DIY movement. As it gets easier and cheaper to prototype new things, a new generation of tinkerers and experimenters are creating new things that are beneficial to all — as art, as design, as sustainable technologies.
Says Scott, “As it becomes clear we’ve reached the end of the era of proprietary intellectual property, it becomes apparent that all things are possible when tapping into the collective consciousness surrounding creativity.”
The new scientists aren’t just about physical objects though. They operate within a new framework of sustainability, and they explore the porous boundaries between science and art.
According to Scott, “A rockstar scientist is a person who researches and creates with regards to where things come from and go to with regard to their environmental and social impact.”
To explore these new boundaries between “hard science, social science, metaphysics and art,” Scott created the multimedia narrative SCIENTISTS ARE THE NEW ROCKSTARS — an interactive spoken word, video curation, and gadget show-and-tell that spans generations of scientific tinkerers, from Buckminster Fuller to Theo Jansen.
Hear more about Scott’s experiments in ars technica (”the art of technology”) at DIY DAYS in Philadelphia on August 1, where Scott is a featured speaker.
To book SCIENTISTS ARE THE NEW ROCKSTARS with VJ Scott Beibin please visit
Finally the long awaited hour is upon us that we can announce the addition of some new super exciting offerings on the Evil Twin Booking roster [ Booking now for summer and fall 2009]
SCIENTISTS ARE THE NEW ROCKSTARS http://eviltwinbooking.com/events.cfm?view=PERFORMERS&artist_id=180 An ALL NEW live multimedia spectacle hosted by VJ Scott Beibin of the Lost Film Fest which explores the fuzzy and quarky lines between hard science, social science, and metaphysics with hands-on examples of environmentally sustainable art and technologies. [The SATNR official launch is in Fall 2009, however a special preview is available as part of the Lost Film Fest VJ program.]
MR. LIF http://eviltwinbooking.com/events.cfm?view=PERFORMERS&artist_id=179 Tired of clichés, a culture in crisis, and a floundering economy, Lif stands apart as a new breed of MC appealing to listeners wary of the trivialities of hyper-consumerism and egomania that have infested hip hop culture and society.
AMERICAN HARDCORE ROADTRIP http://eviltwinbooking.com/events.cfm?view=PERFORMERS&artist_id=181 Picking up where the documentary film AMERICAN HARDCORE left off, filmmakers Paul Rachman and Steven Blush hit the road with a multi-media event featuring rare film clips, audio samples, slide shows, and unseen material from the golden era of Hardcore (1980-1986). Included in the presentation are stories and Q+A's as well as a "show and smell" of early punk rock artifacts.
get in touch!
Scott + Liz
Evil Twin Booking Agency
ps. Soon we'll be launching a new version of the Evil Twin Booking Agency website designed by Scott, Peter, and Fluffy which will enable you to better plug in and get involved with the project. yay! Stay tuned...
INTERVIEW CONDUCTED, CONDENSED AND EDITED BY DEBORAH SOLOMON
In your new book, “Race Course: Against White Supremacy,” you and your wife, Bernardine Dohrn, describe your long struggle against racism and social injustice. Do you think Obama’s victory has put America on a new course? The election of Obama is an important strike against white supremacy. On the other hand, if you claim we’re in a postracial society, how do you explain the fact that 40 percent of black kids under 5 live in poverty? As a ’60s militant-turned-academic living two blocks from the Obama homestead in Hyde Park, you became newly famous last year, after Sarah Palin accused Obama of “pallin’ around with terrorists.” I did send her a note after the election. I suggested that we have a talk show together called “Pallin’ Around With Sarah and Bill.” I haven’t heard back.
Were you surprised last month when customs officials in Toronto refused to allow you into Canada and put you on the next plane back to Chicago? The nice thing about being detained in Canada is it’s like being in a Days Inn; it’s very clean and very nice. I said, “I’m an American, where are the chains and whips?” But they don’t do that in Canada.
THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD premiering at Sundance 2009!
For the past few years you may have seen short clips by The Yes Men and hints of what was to come in the Lost Film Fest with vj show. Finally the new feature documentary THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD will premiere Sunday Jan 18th at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. At the premiere we will have a ton of special surprises awaiting. Yay! The new film is full of loads of great culture jamming including the fake New York Times 'special edition' prank which both Scott Beibin and Liz Cole from the Evil Twin Booking Agency participated in (yay!), Dow chemical's Bhopal debacle, Halliburton's Survivaball, The HUD scandal in New Orleans, Vivoleum and so much more. The film should be in theaters later this year.
Scott Beibin from Evil Twin Booking Agency / The Redefinery is the publicist for the film, so if you're with the press and would like to interview Mike Bonanno or Andy Bichlbaum from The Yes Men, or cover some of the other shenanigans we have planned in Park City, please contact us. Additionally we're halding an evening party for the premiere on Jan 18th so if you're in Park City, try to track us down. We may be able to help you out with an invite.
If you're interested in booking Andy or Mike from The Yes Men to appear at your school or festival or club or cave or wherever please get in touch with us asap as open dates for 2009 are filling up fast. If you're interested in screening the film later this year, or you are looking to help out with the grassroots outreach for the film get in touch, so we can figure something out.
~Scotty and Liz
Enjoy the preview/sneak peek here:
THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD (dir. Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, 2009) is a film for our times. Part screwball comedy about the Apocalypse, part call to arms, it follows two hapless hucksters as they find out how funny the unregulated free market can actually be... and then find the fix.Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno are two guys who just can't take no for an answer. They have an unusual hobby: addressing big business conferences as the corporations they hate the most. Posing as representatives of Halliburton, Exxon, and other big baddies, they parody their corporate nemeses in ever more extreme ways. In quick succession they deploy an exploding golden skeleton, stinky human-flesh candles, and a giant six-foot orb meant for saving corporate CEOs from the fruits of their depredations. The speeches in which they present these inventions are as excruciatingly silly - and disturbing - as the inventions themselves.But the truly disturbing thing in the picture is how the business people react. Trying to make sense of this, the two burrow deep into the twisted underworld of the free-market think tanks, finding unexpected (and raucous) comedy in the bowels of the mindset that's destroying our planet.Those who watch documentaries in order to learn something won't be disappointed. As our heroes appear on the BBC before 300 million viewers, or before 1000 New Orleans contractors alongside Mayor Ray Nagin, the layers of lies that we're used to are unpeeled to reveal the raw heart of truth - a truth that gives hope as well as pause.Hope explodes at the end of this film with a power that may take audiences straight out of the theater and into the streets. A word of warning to theater owners: make sure your seats are securely screwed down.(Note: this film has one of the very few underwater ballet scenes you will ever see in a vérité documentary.)
For press inquiries and speaker booking for Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno of THE YES MEN please contact Scott Beibin and Liz Cole from the Evil Twin Booking Agency and The Redefinery. www.eviltwinbooking.com Email: Info [at] eviltwinbooking.com Tel: 215-473-0308
THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLDARTE FRANCE / ARTICLE Z / RENEGADE PICTURES UK / BRITDOC / CHARNY-BACHRACH / PRESENTWRITTEN, DIRECTED AND PRODUCED BY Andy Bichlbaum and Mike BonnanoCO-DIRECTOR Kurt EngfehrPRODUCED BY Doro Bachrach Ruth Charny Laura NixEXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Patrice Barrat Alan Hayling Jess Search Juliette TimsitSPECIAL APPEARANCE Reggie WattsEDITOR April MerlANIMATION Patrick LichtyORIGINAL MUSIC Neel Murgai NoisolaPUBLICITY Scott Beibin Liz Cole
The film is a follow up to their previous documentary (The Yes Men 2004- dir. Dan Ollman + Sarah Price + Chris Smith), and will feature amazing pranks of the past few years including the Fake New York Times, vivoleum, the survivaball, BBC's Bhopal gaffe, wishful thinking for post-Katrina New Orleans, countless spoofed shareholder meetings and newscasts, plus much much more. We won't spoil the surprises, but you should definitely see this film when it comes out in 2009.
Mike Bonanno and Andy Bichlbaum in The Yes Men Fix The World
Liz Cole and Scott Beibin from Evil Twin Booking / Lost Film Fest with Andy Bichlbaum of The Yes Men
Greg Palast, investigator of financial fraud and author of bestsellers Armed Madhouse and The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, discusses Blagojevich revelations on CNN Headline news, and Bill Ayers, educator, author and activist, debates Chris Matthews on Hardball.
Educator, author and activist William Ayers is enjoying the last laugh, greeted with an overwhelmingly positive media blitz and packed houses in support of his reissued book "Fugitive Days: Memoirs of an Antiwar Activist". Ayers on Good Morning America:
And, The Yes Men continue to make headlines with the spoof NY Times forecasting real hope and change. Clip from CNN prime time:
11.12.08
The Yes Men, Evil Twin Booking and headlines of real Hope and Change.
INTERVIEW CONDUCTED, CONDENSED AND EDITED BY DEBORAH SOLOMON 
