Paul Zaloom
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Paul Zaloom | |
---|---|
Born | |
Occupation(s) | Puppeteer, actor |
Years active | 1979–present |
Paul Finley Zaloom (born December 14, 1951) is an American
Career
Born in Garden City, Paul Zaloom was educated at The Choate School (now Choate Rosemary Hall) in Wallingford, Connecticut, and began his entertainment career at Goddard College with artists in residence the Bread and Puppet Theater, a troupe specializing in self-invented, home-made theatre. One of their performance locales was Coney Island, where Zaloom is said to have given advice to the "unofficial Mayor of Coney Island", Dick Zigun, on how to bring in the crowds. In his solo work he utilizes found-object animation, in which he takes objects as varied as coffee pots and humidifiers and turns them into elements of political satire. His personal politics are liberal; he has referred to Elizabeth Dole and Margaret Thatcher as "right-wing nutjobs". He has also been a fierce critic of U.S. foreign policy since the early 1980s, having helped to lead a disarmament march during the Cold War.
In 1989, Zaloom appeared in
Paul Zaloom has produced two films; the first is a mockumentary titled In Smog and Thunder: The Great War of the Californias, recounting a fictitious war between Los Angeles and San Francisco, released in 2003. The second film, Dante's Inferno, is a retelling of the poet Dante's journey through hell, set in Los Angeles and performed in a style of puppetry called toy theater that uses paper cut-outs for puppets and sets. Zaloom co-wrote the script and was head puppeteer, and performed multiple voices for the film. Both films feature the artwork of Sandow Birk.
Zaloom has performed his work across the U.S. at many types of venues, including the
He has taught puppetry and
In 2016, Zaloom made a guest appearance in one of Captain Disillusion's videos, debunking "free energy" devices.[2]
Personal life
Zaloom is openly gay[3] and has a daughter, Amanda Yvette Finley Israel Zaloom, with his former wife Jayne Israel.[4]
He describes his ethnicity as "half Syrian and half W.A.S.P."[5]
References
- ^ "Megaplex 9 - Guest of Honor". 2010-08-11. Archived from the original on 2012-12-21. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
- ^ "BEAKMALLUSION: Free Energy Devices". YouTube. 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
- ^ Roberts, Chris (2007-07-20). "Paul Zaloom's puppets may push your buttons". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
- ^ Calta, Marialisa (1994-01-19). "At Lunch With: Paul Zaloom". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
- ^ Klein, Alvin (Mar 25, 1984). "The Lively Arts; One-Man Show Zalooms Along". The New York Times. Retrieved Jan 7, 2020.
External links
- Paul Zaloom - homepage
- Paul Zaloom on Twitter
- Paul Zaloom at IMDb
- Interview with Paul Zaloom at the Wayback Machine (archived October 20, 2002)
- Beakman Live! homepage