The Threee Geniuses has rightfully been dubbed

“The most intentionally psychedelic television show on cable TV.”

(LA Weekly)

It utilizes no pre-production, no post-production—just pure, unadulterated production. The show is conceived, written, acted, shot, sound-mixed and edited live, in “real-time,” so that in less than 30 minutes, another complete, fully realized, mind-blowing video masterpiece of Total Television Freak-Out is spontaneously generated.

Beginning

It all began humbly in May of 1996 when three geniuses—DAN KAPELOVITZ, JON SHERE and TIM (“Mr. X”) WILSON—decided to create a public access television show. Entering the TV studio with no idea of what to do—and without even a name for the show until mere seconds before air-time—they changed the entire course of Television History forever.

The public access technicians were stunned. They couldn’t handle such pure psychedelia, and The Threee Geniuses were actually banned from the studio for six months (although their banning probably had more to do with pepper spray being released during one particular, out-of-control taping than with any of the more mind-expanding aspects of the show). When they were finally allowed back into the studio, a new loophole in the cable company’s policy allowed—nay, encouraged—the 3 Geniuses to literally seize the means of production.

Look of the Show

The geniuses simultaneously became the cameramen and the subject matter of the camera. The wall between behind-the-scenes and the scenes themselves was forever blurred. TV became Reality and Reality became Television, years before those two words were ever uttered in the same sentence. The geniuses pushed the equipment to the extreme. Mr. X (so mysterious that no one’s really sure if he ever attended a The Threee Geniuses taping; or, for that matter, if he even truly exists) and BEAR turned the cameras on the other geniuses and on each other and pointed them directly into the monitors to create cosmic video-feedback vortices, while Shere and K-pelovitz rapidly and violently pounded the buttons on the massive analog switcher to produce the highest cuts-per-minute average of any show on television (many a non-epileptic has gone into epileptic convulsions from watching 3G, while rumors exist that at least one epileptic has actually been cured by viewing the show). The Three Geniuses even invented a top secret, never-before-used manual zooming technique that creates the ultimate in warped imagery.

Sound of the Show

The sound of the show is run through the cutting-edge of archaic audio gear by sonic surrealist Don Bolles (of Germs fame). Bolles’ live mixes usually included excerpts and edits from his world-infamous record and tape collection, comprising 1,000s of obscure albums from such out-of-the-way genres as Christian ventriloquism, privately pressed sound-effects records, field recordings, stereo demonstration records, found sounds and all sorts of other inexplicable random weirdness. Bolles then, using his hermetic technique known as “Hammer Imaging,” outputs the entire show, along with the cast’s otoacoustic emissions, back through his Revox A-77 Stereo 1/2 track open reel machine in order to create the ultimate in tape echo.

Talent

But the form of the show isn’t all that makes it psychedelicalistic. The Threee Geniuses’s “talent” roster is as mind-bending as its style. The show has featured such outré performers as STANGELYNE, the late, great transvestite bodybuilder with Tourette’s Syndrome, who flexes his steroid-produced muscles for all ofPublic Access TV Landia; haute couture cult fashion icon GO-GO GIDDLE PARTRIDGE, who literally and figuratively makes love to the camera; public access legend and long-hair fanatic FRANCINE DANCER, who cannot walk, but who can magically dance continuously for 30 minutes once the cameras start rolling; DAVID NKRUMAH UNGER LIEBE HART, irony-steeped anti-star of the “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” (the geniuses had him first, guys – sorry!—but feel free to keep him) and host of the Christian Science Church’s least favorite TV show, “The Jr. Christian Science Bible Lesson Show,” along with his puppets, DOUG THE DOG, ORANGEE THE CAT, MISTER GREY THE SPACE ALIEN, and Unger Hart’s alter ego, CHIP THE BLACK BOY. (The geniuses recorded, exclusive for this DVD, an audio commentary track featuring Unger Hart; however, they decided that the commentary track should be sold separately because everything on the DVD either speaks for itself or could never be described in any of your primitive Earth languages.)

Conclusion

Yes, dear friends, it’s true—at last, we can state unequivocally that the revolution has indeed been televised. And you likely missed it. But fear not, children, because now the revolution has also been digitized for your glistening and viewing pleasure. Dig, then, the newly reformatted analog video interdimensional time-travel sensation known to the masses as The Threee Geniuses. Experience now for yourself the birth, the death, the re-birth and, yes…“The Re-Death of Psychedelia.”

Intro

The Threee Geniuses (3G) is not only a television show and a revolutionary movement, it is pure psychedelia personified. It is the birth, the death, the re-birth, and the re-death of psychedelia. Each episode captures the essence of Reality. Because there is no pre-production or planning whatsoever, each and every episode is created anew by the Creator. While some hacks spend years writing scripts that are never produced, Threee Geniuses bypasses this dilemma by doing away with the script going directly to production. The narrative form is utterly useless and passé anyway.

Although relatively few people have seen or even heard of the Threee Geniuses, everyone who has seen it, has been inspired to produce his or her very own television program. This is why we say it is a movement. People are reclaiming the airwaves. The television revolution is being revolutionarily televised!

Belief System

The show and the viewer’s belief system and internal universe become one. It is at this level that the television is truly speaking directly to the viewer. As the name indicates, Threee Geniuses is not individual. Rather, it represents the individual self-proclaimed genius trying to freely express his or her individual artistic vision. Sometimes the collective effort supports the individual vision, but more often the collective destroys the vision. Nevertheless, egomania must be exploited as it drives all great art. And the collision of multiple megalomaniacs produces true dramatic conflict.

Dogma 3G:

The Vow of Psychedelia

1. Shooting must be done in a public access studio. Props must be gathered together at the last moment. The public access props must be utilized as much as possible (fake plants, desks, chairs) as well as items that are not intended to be props (ladders, fire extinguishers, traffic cones, etc.). Shooting may go out of the studio only if the camera chords reach that far (e.g.. into the control room, or a nearby bathroom). If a particular location is necessary, a videotape of that location may be mixed into the show live to tape.

   The sound can come from any source (records, videos, live my little pony radio feeds, live phone calls, musical instruments, audio cassettes, c.d.’s, revoxes, laughtracks etc.) as long as it is produced in real time while the show is being videotaped.

   Shooting must be done with three studio cameras on wheeled tripods that are switched and mixed live. The switching should be done at a break-neck speed. A non-studio camera may be used such as a pixelvision camera or any hand-held video camera but the image will be created by connecting the camera to a television monitor and then aiming one of the studio cameras at the monitor.

2. The show must be in bright psychedelic colors. Black and white footage can be mixed in if the footage itself is necessary. The lighting should be the studio lighting. Other lights may be brought in for effect including but not limited to strobe lights, black lights, and overhead projectors. If there is too little light for exposure either open up the aperture on the camera or turn on more lights.

3. Any special effect that the studio offers can and should be used including but not limited to chroma-key, luma-key, wipes, double exposure, triple exposure, trails, moir exploitation, character generator and video feedback. The show must go beyond FCC allowances for color. The show may also glitch out of control making it impossible to reproduce the show properly on videotape.

4. All action must be superficial. Gratuitous sex and violence is especially appreciated. Because there must not be any plot or pre-written dialogue, all action is superficial. There are no actors, the only characters are the real characters interacting with the cameras. How one mugs for the cameras is the window to one’s soul.

5. The show does not only take place here and now, it is here and now. All shows are shot live to tape in real time. All shows are 28 minutes and 30 seconds in length. There is no pre-production and no post-production, only pure unadulterated production. All editing must be done live. All dialogue and action must be made up on the spot as well as all camera work.

6. Any and every genre convention can and should be exploited.

7. The format must be 3/4″ video. You may dub the show down to 1/2″ VHS tapes for home viewing on VCR’s.

8. The director must not be credited, but “For More Info call (323) 980-7995” must be put at the end of every show.

Dan Kapelovitz
San Pueblo, California, 2000