3 Mile Island - April 3, 1979

In the beginning of April, 1979, the 3 Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant was having major problems w/ its cooling towers & an explosion seemed possible. I was a member of the guerrilla performance group called "B.O.M.B." (Baltimore Oblivion Marching Band). We decided to go to riverside by 3 Mile Island & spontaneously perform some relevant action. The night before, we had a fervent discussion about whether this was wise or not. One fear we had is that by arriving there during curfew hours we wd be arrested & that we'd be in jail when the nuclear reactor wd blow. 6 of us went anyway: Doug Retzler (in the mylar suit), myself, Bob Dorsey (shooting super-8mm), John Ellsberry (shooting 1/2" VHS reel-to-reel using a PortaPak), Richard Ellsberry, & Grace Zaccardi (shooting 35mm stills). Our presence there was photographed by a newspaper person & then appeared in newspapers all across the US. Because we hadn't been interviewed, there was no accompanying text to go along w/ the photo so each newspaper made up its own explanation as a caption. This phenomenon then became the subject of a journalism study. - December 2008EV notes from tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• 3 Mile Island
• Three Mile Island
• nuclear accidents
• nuclear power
• B.O.M.B.
• BOMB
• Doug Retzler
• Richard Ellsberry
• John Ellsberry
• Bob Dorsey
• Grace Zaccardi
• guerrilla performance

[onesownthoughts]

I was part of a guerrilla improv group called "B.O.M.B." which stood for "Baltimore Oblivion Marching Band". We went to various events & did whatever. In this case we went to the 3 Mile Island visitor's center (on the bank of the river where the actual island is) during the height of TMI's nuclear crisis. Our performance was partially a parody of the assurance of those in charge that they had everything under control. They didn't. Did you notice the TV newspeople standing ON TOP OF an RV?

[CronikMunchables]

dude i dont get it was this supposed to just be trippy as fuck or show what actually happened or what? cause this is just WEIRD but crazy as fuck

[barackscat]

shite

[hmbpnz]

Very weird...very interesting.