Opening reception: Friday, April 11, 6 – 9 PM

Howl! is thrilled to present this spontaneous, playful, comprehensive exhibition of the art, performances and life of Tom Murrin ‘The Alien Comic’ (1939-2012) at Howl! Happening 6 East 1st Street. Tom often performed in this space when it was the La Mama Galleria, making it the ideal venue for his first expansive show in 11 years. On display will be over 200 performance masks, props and costumes (many never shown before), plus select flyers, posters, scripts, photos and press from performances in New York City, across the USA and around the globe.

“I’m talking about the political scene of the day, I’m talking about the weather, I’m talking about a dream I had, I’m talking about breaking up with a girlfriend, I’m talking about whatever I feel like talking about, but I’m making the props and the visuals fit along with it in some way, and then changing the visual as fast as I can.”
– Tom, from an interview with Jim R. Moore.

By the 1970’s Tom who was already in experimental theatre groups in Seattle, roamed the world as a performance trailblazer; traversing Asia, and staging daily shows in both outdoor public spaces, and indoor theater spaces. Our exhibition shares documentation & visuals from his early years as ‘Tom Trash’ along with a cornucopia of items from his archive illustrating his range of performance and street theater that covers four decades.

As a member of the first generation of La MaMa playwrights, Tom had four of his plays produced by John Vacarro’s Playhouse of the Ridiculous, including the offbeat hit, Cock Strong, which toured with Ellen Stewart’s La MaMa Troupe to Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels. His plays Sport-Fuckers and Butt-Crack Bingo were produced at Theater for the New City and La MaMa and directed by David Levine.

From the mid ’70s onward, Tom was part of, and curated The Full Moon Show, his monthly lunar celebration in which he and other artists thanked the moon goddess ‘Luna Macaroona’ for shining good fortune upon the world. It rotated among downtown spaces, then continued in his honor at Howl! Happening for six more years. Our exhibition intentionally opens on the Pink Full Moon weekend!

Under the guidance of close friend, rock manager Jane Friedman, Murrin began to perform under the name Alien Comic, opening for acclaimed punk bands in rock clubs such as CBGBs, Max’s Kansas City and Irving Plaza. He appeared in such downtown venues as The Pyramid, Mudd Club, 8BC, Dixon Place, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Performance Space 122 (PSNY), Chandalier and Darinka. He was also the first performance artist to appear at the original Dixon Place.

“His frenetic shows fashioned kooky narratives out of found objects and homemade masks and made him a longtime favorite in the downtown avant-garde arts scene.”
– Bruce Weber, NYT.

Beginning in 1999, Murrin, continuously active, began writing a riveting monthly column in PAPER Magazine that ran for 16 years. He covered the performance and stage scenes, individual actors, dancers, playwrights and directors, and upcoming theater works. Selections from his column, which brought attention to many up and coming artists, are included in the exhibition. Tom lived his motto “Performance Is Anything Done With Purpose And Style” until shortly before he passed.

We hope you are inspired to visit and make time to view a selection of Tom’s live performances which will play on a large monitor along with live photos from 2011 and an enlightening 2008 interview. A bench will be positioned for comfortable viewing.

About Tom Murrin and our Tom Murrin Archive Exhibition:
Howl! is the repository of the Tom Murrin Archive comprising handmade masks, costumes, scripts, correspondence, photographs, and tapes of his performances going back to the early 1970s. Murrin (1939 – 2012) also known as The Alien Comic and Jack Bump, was a pioneer whose life and work inspired both artists and audiences for more than 40 years. We look forward to seeing you at this celebratory show.