Coyle & Sharpe - Audio Visionaries (CD)

All Music Guide

Audio Visionaries is the second CD collection of Jim Coyle and Mal Sharpe's "street pranks" -- more or less the in-person equivalent of the prank phone call -- from the 1960s. Basically, the two would stop innocent passersbys and regale them with surreal proposals or ridiculous questions, such as asking a man if he would allow a hole to be drilled in his head so that his thoughts could be recorded for a commercially released LP (from which he would receive none of the profits), or asking another if he would agree to work in a "living hell" with bats, snake, fire, and "maniacs" for long hours at insultingly low pay. The duo refuses to take no for an answer, and the way they manage to play dumb and keep a straight face while asking, "Would you care to become 'spherical'?" or commanding, "Come with us... be a moleman" accounts for much of the humor. The rest comes with the responses the duo gets, from people who alternately become confused, nervous, angry, or who, in a couple of cases, ac...tually go along with the offers. There may be one or two clinkers, but for the most part this CD is consistently funny, not to mention intelligent, and, at times (see "Maniacs in Living Hell"), nearly unbelievable. - William York, All Music Guide Read more Less