He’s not saving souls — he’s saving the planet!
An anti-consumerist preacher and his choir of activist performance artists will hold an early Earth Day concert and book launch in Bushwick, in order to spread the word about bad shopping habits that are destroying the environment. The group’s charismatic frontman says that a light-hearted song-and-dance is the best way to hammer home a life-and-death message.
“We’re bringing humor and music to the fight for the Earth’s health,” said Reverend Billy Talen of Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping. “There’s nothing like a good song to open up people’s souls, and a little laughter goes a long way.”
The Windsor Terrace reverend and his choir will perform the show “The Earth Wants You,” at the Market Hotel concert venue on April 10, and also release a new album and a book with the same name.
The multi-media message about the evils of consumerism has a special Mother Earth-theme — cutting down on plastic consumption and curbing gas-guzzling vehicles are important steps towards environmental salvation, said the reverend.
“There is a very short list of primary causes for the Earth’s crisis, but consumption is always one of them,” he said.
The choir’s ultimate mission is to exorcise the insatiable desire to buy and consume, which may give the Earth a fighting chance.
“We’re constantly hypnotized by the incredible marketing of corporate culture,” said Talen. “We’re constantly led to the next product.”
But the anti-shopping advocate says that he has no problem if the next product someone buys is a copy of his book.
“There’s no conflict there. We’ve always used the phrase ‘shopping’ in the sense of supermalls and extravagant consumerism and fossil fuels. The book is $14 and the album is free to most people,” he said.
The choir has brought its religious fervor to the environment of Brooklyn’s parkland, objecting to the use of toxic herbicide spray with protest songs in Prospect Park last August, and meeting twice with department honchos to make its harmonies heard, said Talen.
Another protest from the preacher at Grand Central Terminal last year ended in his arrest by Metropolitan Transit Authority officers, and he later sued the city agency for violating his rights — a suit that was settled for $58,000, said Talens.
“The Earth Wants You” at the Market Hotel (1140 Myrtle Ave. between Jefferson and Troutman Streets in Bushwick, www.marke
