The Family Fang Page #2

It really hurts.

Perforated eardrum.

You'll be fine

in a few weeks.

No flying for a while,

though.

Did you say no flying?

That's what I said.

You'll feel better

when your people get here.

[chuckles]

- What does that mean?

I don't have any people.

Well, we went through

your wallet.

Standard procedure.

The doctor called your parents.

They're driving up to get you.

- [chuckles]

- No, no.

No, no. Miss?

Miss?

[jazzy bass music]

Caleb and Camille Fang

are most known for creating

improvised public events

that incorporate their own

children into the artwork.

The results are often

as unsettling

as they are arresting.

In one of their

earliest works,

Caleb Fang walked through

a crowded roller skating rink

carrying his infant daughter.

Suddenly, a series of homemade

flare-like devices

he had taped to his back

began to discharge.

Camille captured the event

from the rink's second level.

The Fangs simply throw

themselves into a space

as if they were

hand grenades,

and wait for the disruption

to occur.

- Candace Cane!

Give it up!

[audience cheers and applauds]

- Whoo!

They seemed to have

no expectations

other than to willfully

cause unrest.

[inaudible]

[audience gasping]

This kind of event

is so rudimentary,

so unencumbered

by the traditions

that have come before it,

that it almost

strains the notion

of what constitutes art.

- The Fangs.

That's just a gimmick.

- That's all that is.

- [laughs]

You can... that's not fair.

I mean, you know, whether or not

you like the Fangs' work,

you can't deny

the artistry, certainly.

- What? Of course I can.

That's my job.

Look, the Fangs

pass off these hollow pranks

as if that's enough.

You can say the same thing

about the diggers,

or the situationists,

or the Dadaists for that matter.

But if you care to look

a little deeper,

you'll find that the Fangs

transcend what...

They're not transcending

anything.

- It's just tricks.

- If...

in the... in the pageant piece,

they challenged gender

stereotypes.

In the restaurant piece,

they ask us to look at food

not as sustenance,

but as status or style.

- In some of the early...

- Oh, come on!

Just because... just because

you attach a statement

doesn't make it art,

you know?

You can call it art

but real art requires

an aesthetic intelligence.

- But that ambiguity

is what makes it

interesting.

Is it art or is it a joke?

Is it profound or is it a prank?

Are they geniuses

or charlatans?

These are the questions

that they want us to ask.

Well, they're not

too hard to answer.

And the Fangs are challenging

the very nature of art itself.

I don't think they are.

They embrace everything

that's wonderful about art,

and they subvert it

at the same time.

They are deeply serious

class clowns who celebrate...

"Clowns" is right, yeah.

I'm sorry.

What were you saying?

I... I think what they're doing

is wonderful.

Well, I guess... I guess I just

don't get it.

Well, that's pretty obvious.

So the truth is

making a movie is really...

it's a strange process,

you know?

Always requires some sort

of degree of weirdness.

Is that why

you took off your top?

I took off my top

because...

well, because I wanted to prove

to myself that I could do it.

I've never done a nude scene

before, so what the hell, right?

[laughs]

Did Sally tell you

that this was...

[sighs]

This is a very important

article for me.

- No, she didn't. I know.

Yeah.

They say I'm in a bit of a...

I don't know.

Precarious position

right now career-wise,

and then I have to,

I don't know...

but I'm not stable.

You don't have to worry

about that.

- [whispering]

Thank you, but I do.

Obviously I do.

Well, you can relax,

because I don't care

about your meltdowns.

I'm actually more interested

in your family.

[glass shatters]

It's okay.

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

- I'll get you another.

- Thank you very much.

- [sighs]

Um...

you're not going to put that

in the article, I hope.

- How could I leave it out?

- Oh, sh*t.

Are you always so jumpy when

someone mentions your parents?

It doesn't come up often,

actually.

- Really?

But they're famous.

Well, not really.

In certain circles, I suppose.

But...

I wrote my thesis

on their work.

You're kidding.

Wow.

Great.

That's why I wanted

to do this story.

Huh.

Do you think you'll ever do

another piece with them?

No.

God no.

[laughs]

Thanks.

It must have been fun, though.

Come on.

Being child A?

- Yeah, of course.

But I'm not a child anymore.

Anyway, your readers don't want

to hear about this.

They don't want to hear

about weirdo performance art.

Look, I think you're

a great actress.

But the artist you are,

don't you think she was

already there in child A?

The emotion? The joy?

The anarchy?

It's too bad

none of your directors

have known how to channel all

that the way your parents did.

When I was 9 years old...

child A was a role.

It was a role I played.

It's not who I am.

Hey, Baxter.

How are you doing, buddy?

I'm terrible.

Where are you?

I'm in upstate New York.

Mmm, yeah, that is terrible.

What are you doing up there?

I got shot in the head.

What did you say?

- I got shot in the head.

But I'm okay.

I'm...

well, I'm not okay.

I'm in a hospital.

But, you know,

I'm not dying, so...

You got shot in the head?

I did.

- Well, who?

Who shot you in the head?

- Just this guy.

And it was a potato.

Baxter...

It's not why

I'm calling, though.

- Come on, are you on drugs?

Are you?

Yeah. Percocet, mostly.

- Mm-hmm. Would you call me back

when you're lucid?

- No, no, Annie.

Don't hang up.

- Come on, Baxter...

- The doctors

will not let me leave.

And Mom and Dad are bringing me

home to recuperate.

- What?

- Yeah.

Mom and Dad are on their way.

You got to come get me.

Look, I'm in my pajamas

and I'm 3,000 miles away.

- I can't do that.

- Well, I can't go back home.

I can't go back home

by myself.

All right. Um...

I'm going to help you out,

but I'm just... I need a day

to sort a few things out.

I'm in a really weird place

right now.

Are you in a weird place,

Annie?

I almost got killed

by a potato.

- Would you just relax?

I'm sending you a plane ticket.

You can come

and stay with me.

No, no, I can't fly, Annie.

So tell them you can't go.

Just stand up

to them, Baxter.

When have I ever done that?

No answer, right?

Because I've never done it.

Thanks a lot, Annie.

The point is,

I call in a favor.

I line up this guy

from "Esquire."

And you decide

to nail him?

- No, I didn't decide it.

Just... it happened.

That's the problem, Annie.

These things shouldn't

just happened.

- I know.

- You could get away with this

a few years ago, okay?

Everybody likes a little

shoplifting with their starlet.

A little DUI here and again.

It's kind of cute.

- Come on, I stopped that.

Done.

Yes, there was a nice lull

in the middle years, you know?

Nice and quiet.

But things are starting

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