Hugh Gallagher (humorist)
Encyclopedia
Hugh Gallagher is an author and musician from New York
. He is best known for his satire, including his band Von Von Von, his award-winning satire on the college application essay, "3A Essay", and the novel Teeth.
's national writing contest in 1990 with a satiric
personal essay
titled "3A Essay".
The essay starts with "I am a dynamic figure", and contains many humorous
, hyperbolic
statements of his accomplishments, ending with the line, "But I have not yet gone to college
." The essay, which he did apparently submit to some colleges, has become an urban legend
among high school students undergoing the college admissions process. It also became a popular Internet phenomenon in the late 1990s. The essay was also recorded as a spoken-word piece by Gang of Seven Productions. A line from this essay was adapted by Full Contact Origami for the company's name.
Gallagher ultimately attended NYU. While there, he released a spoken-word/comedy album under the name Hugh Brown Shu in 1992, entitled "Bomb the Womb."
Since 2002, he has performed live as Von Von Von, a pop star holdover from the 1980s who hails from Antwerp. Some of Gallagher/Von Von Von's work has been produced by Grandmaster Ratte'
of CULT OF THE DEAD COW
.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He is best known for his satire, including his band Von Von Von, his award-winning satire on the college application essay, "3A Essay", and the novel Teeth.
Early life and work
Gallagher was born in New York City and grew up in Pennsylvania. While in high school, he won Scholastic Press, Inc.Scholastic Press
Scholastic is a global book publishing company known for publishing educational materials for schools, teachers, and parents, and selling and distributing them by mail order and via book clubs and book fairs. It also has the exclusive United States' publishing rights to the Harry Potter book...
's national writing contest in 1990 with a satiric
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
personal essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
titled "3A Essay".
The essay starts with "I am a dynamic figure", and contains many humorous
Humour
Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement...
, hyperbolic
Hyperbole
Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally....
statements of his accomplishments, ending with the line, "But I have not yet gone to college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
." The essay, which he did apparently submit to some colleges, has become an urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
among high school students undergoing the college admissions process. It also became a popular Internet phenomenon in the late 1990s. The essay was also recorded as a spoken-word piece by Gang of Seven Productions. A line from this essay was adapted by Full Contact Origami for the company's name.
Gallagher ultimately attended NYU. While there, he released a spoken-word/comedy album under the name Hugh Brown Shu in 1992, entitled "Bomb the Womb."
Recent work
In 1998, Gallagher published his first novel, Teeth.Since 2002, he has performed live as Von Von Von, a pop star holdover from the 1980s who hails from Antwerp. Some of Gallagher/Von Von Von's work has been produced by Grandmaster Ratte'
Grandmaster Ratte'
Grandmaster Ratte is one of the founders of the Cult of the Dead Cow hacker group, along with Franken Gibe and Sid Vicious. His official title in the cDc is "Imperial Wizard of ExXxtasy."Ratte' is originally from Lubbock, Texas, though he now resides in Harlem, New York City...
of CULT OF THE DEAD COW
Cult of the Dead Cow
Cult of the Dead Cow, also known as cDc or cDc Communications, is a computer hacker and DIY media organization founded in 1984 in Lubbock, Texas. The group maintains a weblog on its site, also titled "Cult of the Dead Cow"...
.