This is the Story Of
This is the story of one of counterculture’s most cherished figures, who has been an inspiration for over six decades and counting. Tuli Tuli Tuli is a portrait of poet, rock star, performer, radical pacifist, cartoonist, street smart NYC patron saint, cable TV host and media activist, TULI KUPFERBERG. Co-narrated by alternative rock icon and author Thurston Moore and Tuli himself in his posthumous puppet incarnation, the film is an homage to his legacy and a quest for its traces and resonances within the cultural and social context of today.
Moving from documentary to mockumentary, Tuli Tuli Tuli turns original footage into a live, action-packed piece of contemporary commentary. As subversive as its subject, the film resists classification and gets as eclectic and creative as can be.
At Ben’s Pizza in SoHo, a parade of compelling and amusing characters, as well as some staple figures from NYC’s Lower East Side present Tuli and his legacy in a collection of SKIT & CHAT scenes, all with a classic NYC indie anthology feel.
A montage of contemporary news clips opens the film in timely resonance with the history of American social dissent. From the Wobblies to the East Village Bohemians; from the birth of Protest Rock to the Youth and Anti War movements; from Media activism to Occupy Wall Street, we follow Tuli’s story with awareness of our current times.
Thurston Moore Photographed by Andrea Urbez for Document Journal.
A NOTE FROM DIRECTOR DAVID LIVER
Tuli Tuli Tuli is a film on dissent. In times when truth and sense of priority seem to be slipping away and reality itself seems to be merely fiction, some forgotten cultural influences are perhaps more vital than ever. We need to tap into their resonance. In the past years I have found myself revisiting Tuli Kupferberg’s fresh assaults on reality over and over again. Diving in his prolific work, I rediscovered his lively bits, and was reminded of the disruptive force of joy.
A MESSAGE FROM SAMARA KUPFERBERG
My dad loved to share the 60s quote “don’t trust anyone over 40… unless it’s Tuli”. He was a cherished mentor and father figure to many generations of free thinkers and rebels, and we believe he’s still got so much to share with present and future generations. There is a certain art to being aware of the injustice and sorrow in the world and continuing to fight against it, growing your knowledge and power, while also allowing yourself the grace to enjoy the life you’re living and create joyful harmony with fellow beings.
Call for DONATIONS
We are on a mission to bring Tuli to everyone out there. We want it to be fun, compelling and absolutely inspiring!
The film is currently in pre-production. The preliminary creative process has been achieved, and the archives have been mostly digitized.
A second film session is planned soon, on Tuli’s 100th birthday in the Fall of 2023! We’ll have 4 months of post-production following AND WE HOPE to release the film in the Fall 2024.
We need your help!
With:
Samara Kupferberg
Ratso Sloman
Jeffrey Lewis
Thelma Blitz
Sylvia Topp
Yuko Otomo
John S. Hall
Kramer
Aliah Rosenthal
Norman Savitt
Sparrow
Tuli Kupferberg
& many others…
THE STORY OF THE INSANELY INFLUENTIAL FIGURE, FINALLY TOLD!
Born in New York in 1923 to Jewish migrants, Naphtali « Norman » Kupferberg grew up during the Great Depression. At the time, Manhattan’s Lower East Side was a hub for Jewish immigrants; a vibrant neighborhood where Jewish radicals played a significant role in the U.S. labor movement, in anarchist and anti-fascist activism, and in the flourishing of Yiddish cultural and literary outlets of the time. Tuli was a direct recipient of the political ideologies born in the Lower East Side, and they encompassed his entire artistic oeuvre.
Today, Tuli is most remembered for his seminal proto-punk songs from the 60’s with his band The Fugs such as « Kill for Peace », the enchanting pop hit « Morning Morning », and his masterpiece anthem « Nothing ». But he was so much more than that, and his story goes way beyond his musical career with the Fugs : pacifist, anarchist, artist, poet, absurdist, contrarian, street hawker, talking-head, husband & father, cartoonist, publisher, bohemian, song-writer, beatnik, hippie, punk, historian, rock star, FBI target, elderly pioneer Youtuber and gleeful dissenter.
Above all he was a figure and a mentor for anyone seeking purpose. As journalist Benito Vila said, « Tuli is the present tense personified. To call him a creative force is to call a hurricane a wind. To suggest he is a bit player in counterculture expression is to overlook the people who appreciate him most — those attuned to his social commentary and its cadence — fans that include “big” names, like Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, Hal Willner, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Thurston Moore and the Coen Brothers. To point out that what he has to say is still relevant today is right on target. »
Tuli didn’t use politics to create poetry but instead used poetry and songs to shape politics. He explored the intricacies of convention, sexuality, gender and class distinctions with humor, all the while, holding dear his belief in human dignity.