Jim Spagg; ran for mayor & performed nude
Hyfler/Rosner
The self-proclaimed artist known for his controversial
cable-access show was a Portland mayoral candidate
Sunday, May 09, 2004
Oregonian
Jim Spagg, who thought of himself as an artist but who
attracted attention from angry parents and shocked
legislators a decade ago for prancing naked on cable-access
television, died Saturday at his Portland home.
He was 64 and had leukemia, an associate said.
His real name was James Spagnola, but it was as Jim Spagg
that he ran with 22 other candidates for mayor in Portland's
current election. His filing said he planned to spend less
than $2,000 on his campaign and he was not regarded as a
serious candidate.
After gaining notoriety for his cable shows, Spagg told The
Oregonian in 1995 that he was delighted when he learned that
he could have his own program on public access cable and
that no matter what he did, the law required that programs
be carried at least once.
"I knew I wasn't going to be a famous movie star," he
recalled. "But when they tell you you can have your own TV
show, gee, you can make a star of yourself."
His nudity and sexual material brought hundreds of
complaints to cable companies and cable access officials and
prompted unsuccessful attempts in the Legislature to require
that explicit programs be shown only late at night after
younger children -- many fans were high schoolers -- were in
bed. Spagg, who greeted people with the words "Happy
Doodles," said his program was for "radical yowza bowza
wowza left-wing liberals who subscribe to the idea that
nudity is not dirty." He said his critics were taking life
too seriously.
Chris Rich, Spagg's agent, said Spagg was derided because he
believed in freedom of speech and the Bill of Rights. "All
Jim Spagg ever did was show himself nude, and the right-wing
wacko in Oregon couldn't take it." He said Spagg "was one of
the nicest people anybody could hope to meet" and as a
Marine had stood ready to defend his country.
"He was a veteran and a father, not just what everybody
thinks he was," Rich said.
After starting with tamer fare on cable in Atlanta, he
became a call-in host and added sexual content and
profanity. He came to Portland in 1991 and soon took
advantage of an Oregon law that classifies nudity as a form
of free speech, which meant Spagg could display all of
himself on cable even though shocked and outraged viewers
thought he should be arrested.
He told an interviewer he had been arrested for selling
pornographic material to an undercover officer in Georgia
and had fled the state. In 1992, he was arrested in Oregon
after a domestic incident, and the old Georgia case turned
up. Spagg said local officials who shared public dismay
about his program "begged Georgia to get me" on the
relatively minor misdemeanor. He served seven months in
Georgia, working in a county dog pound, but was back on
Portland cable in 1994 with "Jim Spagg's Sex Show."
He ended his cable programs in 1995, saying he had made his
point, and left Portland. He returned five years ago and put
his old shows on the Internet.
Spagg worked a number of jobs during his life. He had been
an art director, furniture mover and furnace repairman, his
election resume said, but was "an artist since 5 years old"
and did the other things "following the philosophy of being
an artist."
Spagg is survived by a son, Carl. Plans for a memorial
service are incomplete.
Brigid Nelson
> Jim Spagg, whose nudity riled state, dies
> The self-proclaimed artist known for his controversial
> cable-access show was a Portland mayoral candidate
> Sunday, May 09, 2004
I have a voter's pamphlet - here's his statememt. (I'm not an editor, I
have carefully reproduced this statement just the way Mr Spagnola wrote
it. All spelling and grammatical errors are his)
Jim (spagg) Spagnola
Occupation: None
Occupational Background: None
Educational Background: None
Prior Governmental Experience: None
Working on Cultural Problems
The problems of Portland OR, are the problems of the world, and the
problems of the world are the problems of Portland. The biggest problem
in the world is culture, and the biggest cultrual problem is that of
religion.
We must try to open the eyes of the world to the fact that we live in
two worlds, that of fantasy, and that of reality. In the real world,
there is no God. God is an idea, conjured up by man.
Many people are aware that there is no god, and they know that there are
many other people of the same realization, so they don't talk about it.
Some of these people Have had the good fortune of having had parents
who understood these truths, Others have learned through along process
curiosity.
Most people who espouse the concept of God as a real entity, do so on an
emotional level, and would be helped, if they could somehow be awakened
from this illusion. There are so many gods, ergo so many who are
potential people who might be awakened to the reality of things, and
help bring society back to the real world.
A main goal of this administration would be to try to awaken those of
the real world to the reality that there is no God.
All of my life I have been an artist, to me that's not just a matter of
skill, I have taken it to be an attitude and a philosophy which has put
me in pursuit of being unique, creative, and individual: most people
don't have time for that, I have developed it.
If elected Mayor of Portland, I would strive to serve the people
practically and in their best interests. Your support, of course, will
be both appreciated and accepted.
Sincerely,
Jim Spagg
Hyfler/Rosner
"Brigid Nelson" <irja...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:FuudnVk7zrl...@comcast.com...
> Hyfler/Rosner wrote:
> > Jim Spagg, whose nudity riled state, dies
> > The self-proclaimed artist known for his controversial
> > cable-access show was a Portland mayoral candidate
> > Sunday, May 09, 2004
>
> I have a voter's pamphlet - here's his statememt. (I'm not
an editor, I
> have carefully reproduced this statement just the way Mr
Spagnola wrote
> it. All spelling and grammatical errors are his)
Um, he made some sense. Sorta. Thanks for that!
Brigid Nelson
Now that he's dead he seems like the perfect Mayoral candidate. Or
maybe we'll have Scot (Extremo the Clown) Campbell. If Extremo does
somehow manage to loose the election perhaps he could step in as the
new AO moderator. He endorses public humiliation for repeat offenders,
I think he's the perfect choice.
I just love elections - so many interesting candidates, so few
responsible choices.
brigid