| P.F.F.R | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Brooklyn, New York, USA |
| Genres | Electro-Rock Experimental Neo-Psychedelia |
| Years active | 2001 - present |
| Labels | Birdman Records Birdman-A-Phone |
| Associated acts | Phiiliip Muckafurgason They Might Be Giants |
| Website | Official Website |
| Members | |
| John Lee Alyson Levy Vernon Chatman Jim Tozzi |
|
| Past members | |
| Dina Waxman | |
PFFR Forever Ltd., PFFFR (or Pre-natal Fighting Frightening Remembrances)[1] or (Pre-natal Fighting Frightening Forever Remembrances) traditionally known as PFFR (pronounced pea-eff-are) is a Brooklyn based production company/art collective/electro-rock band consisting of Alyson Levy, Vernon Chatman, Jim Tozzi, and John Lee. The group has been active since 2000.
Contents |
The group's portfolio of work includes 3 albums, a 7" EP and a download-only EP (plus a string of live performances as a band), various art exhibits such as An Attack On All Americans Or The Tyranny Of Weed shown at the LFL Galley in New York, and the script for the film Final Flesh.[2] In 2010 they held an exhibition/video screening of a selection of their work entitled PFFR Presents Legacy IIX which took place at the Synchronicity Space in Los Angeles, CA between April 3 and May 1.[3]
PFFR are also active in television comedy. They wrote, directed, produced and starred in the MTV2 variety show Wonder Showzen (2005–2006) and the Adult Swim CGI series Xavier: Renegade Angel. For both these shows, Chatman and Lee are the directors and main voice talent, whilst Tozzi and Levy are the animation/character designer and art director, respectively. Levy provides additional voices for both shows whilst Tozzi does only for 'Xavier'. PFFR are also responsible for producing, directing and co-writing Jon Glaser's Adult Swim show Delocated.
Chatman and Lee collaborated on Doggy Fizzle Televizzle, a short lived sketch show starring Snoop Dogg, although this was not an official PFFR production. Following this show, Snoop Dogg made a guest appearance on PFFR's 'United We Doth' LP as well as a second season episode of Xavier: Renegade Angel.
In interviews, the group have proven to be whimsical and flippant, often going off at random, nonsensical tangents to their own amusement. When asked about their inception and existence, the answer is often the same: "A shimmering gem crashed down from the heavens, black clouds exploded unto the Earth and PFFR was formed." The story's finer details are known to vary, but the basic premise is kept. In an interview given by Chatman and Lee for The Sound Of Young America radio show, host Jesse Thorn asks the duo about the beliefs behind Wonder Showzen, to which they partly reply "We believe in the power of a mythical gem that emanated from a dark cloud in the sky. 'God' queefed her light through it, and the refraction formed a dragon, a cougar and a sea beast. They together shat out a script and we printed it up and shot it." [4] The band's old website was equally outlandish, consisting of streams of garish, neon colours, a news column with such nonsense articles as "Goblins of Gob World Tour conceived. PFFR hospitalized after first grog. Hospital still under construction" and a 'cute' chipmunk that, when clicked, grows an enormous erect penis that ejaculates to display the sites menu options.
Chatman provided the voice for South Park character Towelie and worked as a staff writer/consultant on the show in 2004. He returned to the show in 2009 as a producer. He has written for Matt Stone and Trey Parker's short lived sitcom That's My Bush, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Chris Rock Show.
Levy directed the documentary film The Hands Of God about Christian puppeteers. She had a photography exhibition at Momenta Art, Brooklyn, in 2000 which featured a selection of photographs depicting various spoof sitcom scenes starring herself and friend Janeane Garofalo. She is also married to Lee.
Tozzi is an independent artist and has worked as a member of the production companies KanDoKid and T.H.E.M. directing a plethora of television commercials.
Lee was previously a member of the now defunct rock band Muckafurgason. He is known as a supertaster through the song John Lee Supertaster by the alternative rock band They Might Be Giants, with whom he is close friends.