Joey Skaggs

My art became very public.

Celebrations of anniversaries of disasters, such as nuclear power plant meltdowns or political assassinations, provide opportunities, as do holidays.

But I learned first-hand how the news media operates by watching how they interpreted, changed, and misrepresented my intentions.

Any journalist worth his or her salt wouldn't trust me.

When I create a false reality, I always try to create a plausible structure to help convince people.

Most important to any fake story is a plausible, realistic edge with a satirical twist that is topical.

But my favorite work is always my next piece.

I learned more complex ways to manipulate the manipulators, to bring attention to issues about which I felt passionate.

My challenge as a satirical artist is how to present ideas to people to enable them to question and reexamine their beliefs. My hope is, that my work provokes people to look at things in a new way.

If I'm successful in fooling a wire service, I don't really have to do anything else to promote the story.

Any deviation is looked upon as a perversion, is feared, and is usually a target of hatred and prejudice.

I've always been a fine artist.

What do we believe? Why do we believe it?

It is the fool who thinks he cannot be fooled.

The media's job is to question a premise.

Most reporters who come to me get their stories directly from press releases. Very few do what one would consider to be their professional duty.

We function in a pack mentality. This is our tribe. And this is how we are exploited - sold a bill of goods and a household of products.

It would make life much easier if I could have total faith and not question everything all the time, but I can't do it and I won't do it.