The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 692

CLIQUES THE WOR uenu like every-' where you turn these days, some body Is saying something Cacophony's spiritual leader, Alan Rcidenour, a computer animator who goes by the nom de guerre of Reverend Al. "We want to offer people an alternative to going to clubs, movies or generally spending a lot of money. Rcidenour launched the L.A. Cacophony Society last April when its year-old San Francisco counterpart was looking to expand. Besides dirowing fracture parties and creating close Lodged between a tarot reader and a quick-sketch artist on Venice Beach one Sunday were some odd fellows with a sign that said: "Free Casts Arms or Legs." "Feigning injury is in," they insisted, urging passers-by to plaster up and concoct heroic stories about their bad breaks.

These are the same folks who infiltrated a recent UFO conference at the LAX Hilton, handing out leaflets from the so-called Brotherhood nasty about the Disney empire- From the gloomy financial reports in the Hol lywood trades to recent articles in New York, Vanity Fair and GQ magazines, mouse bait ing has suddenly become a way of life. Our spies in the magazine-publishing world inform us that other publications have jumped on the bashwagon. Here's a small sampling of coverage we'd like to see: SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: "Inside the Disney Nine," a hard-hitting expose about the Disney softball team reveals that studio chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg uses a cork-filled bat, and company chairman Michael Eisner routinely scuffs the ball with sandpaper. Further investigation reveals that Eisner cut a secret deal with Tommy Lasorda to sell the Dodger manager's spaghetti sauce at Disneyland in exchange for playing tips. GUNS AMMO: In "Trouble in Frontierland," a reporter goes undercover to investigate Disneyland's Davy Crockett Shooting Gallery and proves once and for all that every rifle sight has been bent, making it nearly impossible to win a stuffed animal.

CAR AND DRIVER: "Under the Hood in the Magic Kingdom" proves that several top Disney executives have disconnected the smog devices from their Range Rovers, enabling them to rove back to the studio more quickly for their afternoon pitch meetings after those long lunches at the Columbia Bar Grill. PARENTING: "Disney Dearest" is the true-life account of growing up with a father who is a Disney production executive. The 6-year-old who was interviewed for this story reveals that the only time she saw her father was at screenings and claims she was forced to watch "Sleeping Beauty," "Cinderella" and "The Utile Mermaid" videos and give a 30-minute report on the distinctive characteristics of each prince. Andy Marx CALLAHAN encounters of a dubious kind, caco-phonists host poetry readings in odd venues and arrange offbeat field trips to such exotic locales as Grandma Prisby's Bottle Village in Simi Valley and the giant head of Elvis near Joshua Tree National Park. The group also publishes the Zone, a monthly newsletter that advertises Cacophony events and serves as a clearinghouse for local weirdness.

And anyone can host any kind of event as long as it isn't religious, political, profit-making or dangerous. "The goal," Reidenour says, "is chaos and fun." Mark Ehrman of Magnetic Light that spoke of the discovery of the Magnetic Christ, a sacred icon that would attract UFOs to Vista Del Mar Park on a certain evening. On that evening, following an elaborate ritual, a huge glowing some-thing-or-other did waft over the beach before bursting into flames. "Candid Nope, Cacophony. The Los Angeles Cacophony Society is a group of self-described "spelunkers of the unconscious" who prowl the urban landscape hellbent on sabotaging the mundane.

"We want to turn the city into a playground," says THE UEACE BEACH CHrisTms CHoij? Photograph: Dale Barman; illustration: Rick Morris, top left; John Callahan, left 14 LOS ANGELES TIMES MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 22, 1991.