| One of my surprise favourites at the recent Calgary International Film Festival was a short documentary called Preacher of an Unknown God. The film follows Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping and his Stop Big Boxes Choir as they preach the evils of consumerism. With his evangelical stylings and in-your-face tactics, Rev. Billy is a force to be reckoned with.
His site at revbilly.com details his current campaigns for Stopping our Shopping, including retail interventions, neighbourhood defence and global and environmental justice. Past targets like Starbucks and Wal-Mart are infiltrated, with the Reverend asking God to silence the cash register or directing people to shop at non-franchised establishments. With a blond pompadour and cream polyester suit, Reverend Billy is warning consumers of the current "shopocalypse" and proclaiming "Change-a-lujah!" The site documents past demonstrations and upcoming events in addition to offering podcasts of the Reverend’s word. The Stop Shopping Monitor is an open forum to post on various events and musings of the Reverend, with everything from criticisms of Bob Dylan to musings on Hurricane Katrina.
You can also purchase The Reverend’s book of "basically honest" stories, titled What should I do if Reverend Billy is in my store?, or his CD/DVD of preaching and singing, with hot footage of the Republican convention hijinks.
"I have a loss of memory that comes from the aging process, Dutch Calvinism, alcoholism and sexual happiness." Preach on Reverend, preach on. |
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