WRITING & PERFORMANCE REVIEWS
“a quirky, witty writer, with a knack for the provocative twist… grotesquely comic… kinky… hilarious” San Francisco Examiner
“two of the better representatives of the 90s shout-it-out school of poetry are (Reg E.) Gaines … and Hank Hyena, who must have fun in a live room doing “William, I Giggled with Your Girlfriend” New York Press (10/27/99)
“shocking, inspired…nortorious Brat Icon…absurdist humor, with a cogent political analysis” San Francisco Weekly
“perversely charming… delightfully outrageous… amusingly graphic… an appealing performer… San Francisco’s performance art bad boy.”San Francisco Chronicle
“Hank Hyena is an original media performer stamped with the charm of authenticity… He uses elaborate props and sculptural additions to describe what can happen when modern living and bodily functions careen out of control…. a Dadaist one-man-band intermedia.” Artweek
“giddy agit-prop cabaret… raunchy” Wall Street Journal
“Hank Hyena is fun to watch…” Oakland Tribune
“infantile glee and political savvy… trenchant and witty… charming… his manner on stage is eminently comfortable” San Francisco Bay Times
“Hyena plunged the audience into a primitive, anarchic world… pithy, grotesque, breathtaking… a master practitioner of the slideshow form…” High Performance
“Hank Hyena is a very amiable, unpretentious performer… he presses doggedly at the most primitive taboo boundaries… had the audience screaming for mercy (and for more)” Daily Californian (UC Berkeley)
“I squirmed and squealed, laughed and leered, and nearly wet my pants on three separate occasions… very real anxieties about bodies and emotions took on comic proportions… amazingly funny and hip.” Cal Aggie (UC Davis)
“MIRACLES OF THE FLESH” by Hank Hyena is a superb collection of funny short stories, written with brains and balls. The one about the fruit fly was so funny, with such a joyous happy ending, I read it thrice. Nine out of ten stories are terrific… Damn fine writing. — ZINE WORLD, spring 1997
“Hyena’s slideshow skits and songs leave you howling hysterically and stunned in horror.” THE CITY
“MIRACLES OF THE FLESH… a great collection. In the style of Eric Bogosian these stories capture the dark side of human nature — all sorts of weird fetishes and bizarre fantasies infect this book. It’s sure to disturb and delight. ” — FACTSHEET FIVE
“Nobody’s more whacked out than Hank Hyena” Sexreporter.com
‘DRINK! DRINK MY COLOSTRUM! DRINK!’ That’s Hank Hyena’s maniacally pregnant wife taunting him just before breast-feeding class, and he’s not quite sure whether he’s grossed out or turned on. Hyena manages to pass on some worthwhile tips for expectant mothers before succumbing to a severe case of what he calls breast-feeding envy. As always, his essay for SFGate.com is hilarious. – Health Daily
“Hank Hyena’s ‘The Lonely Bottom’ is a particularly colorful account of hankering for a prostate massage.” — Paramour Fall/Winter 1998
“Hank Hyena was insanely funny and would do — and write about — anything you asked. Literally, anything. The man drank his own urine for us. I thought he deserved a medal.” Gettingit.com editor Matt Honan interviewed by greenmagazine.com
“Hank Hyena, Daniel Ferri, and Patricia Smith offer up quality poems…: Jack Magazine
“ The Lonely Bottom by Hank Hyena, about a man educated in Catholic Schools and his repressed desires, was hilarious!” -Amazon.com
“everything that is wonderful about dada – Hank Hyena’s brilliant baby-doll short, Anarchist’s Vomit, about an Italian peasant who will do as he pleases or retch in your face” — San Francisco Weekly
“Hank Hyena read a delightfully campy tale about an attention-starved male nipple” — Spectator.net
“Hank Pellissier relates, with touching humor, the story of impregnating both his wife and a lesbian friend and the emotional turbulence the pregnancies evoke.” — Publishers Weekly
FAN LETTERS
Hank, I do enjoy Salon magazine tremendously, and your article was unusual and fascinating. I forwarded it to a lot of my friends. I also enjoyed one of your other stories from last year: “A Husband’s Revenge”. I forwarded that one to a lot of people, also. Weeks later, a divorced female friend of mine mentioned to me she kept thinking about it. Must have really struck a nerve with her. so, keep up the good work. — Charles Matthews
Hank Hyena’s article on circumcision was a rarity — informative and extremely funny. Salon needs more writers like him… Mr. Hyena’s contribution was a refreshing break from your usual stuff – Heather Swanson
Dear Hank Hyena: Your article is one of the most intelligent reports that I have seen on the subject of Tibet. A decent report on Tibet is sadly so rare. I am amazed how so many people choose to embrace Hollywood fantasies while ignoring all historians. I admire your courage to tell the truth, even at risk of “ruining” your own vacation. Sincerely – Wenjing
Dear Hank, I enjoyed your refreshing and ballsy article about your travels in/near Tibet, putting Tibet and Tibetans in perspective. As someone who has spent alot of time around Tibetans in India and in the Bay Area I am fed up with the zombie-like idolatry that we westerners exhibit whenever Tibetans are mentioned. Yours truly – MII
Subject: Turkey baster baby — Maybe I shouldn’t have laughed, but this tickled my funny bone. The HERO of the whole thing is such a wonderful guy. I don’t know of ANY male of my knowledge who could go through this and be so gracious about it all. Good luck to all and may fortune smile on them — Holly D
Hi Hank, Very good Salon travel piece where on your trip to Europe you switched over from the Dark Side and became a more lefty-leaning person. Regards – David
Re: “Swallowing pig sperm…” — Hank, you are a genius. Thanks for the best laugh I’ve had in weeks! My first thought, after I stopped laughing, was how much fun you must be at parties. Cheers – Rearwood
“Anti-wankers want to ban book in Virginia high schools” must have been one of the funniest things I’ve read in salon. Took me about two paragraphs to get it, though. “lightly fingered” seemed like an odd word choice, but “jerked off the shelf” cinched it. Bravo. – Johan
I found your article on the worldwide penis-slashing epidemic positively hilarious, notwithstanding the horrific subject matter (ouch!). I hope you’ll be writing more articles in the near future. Sincerely – HJR9257
it takes courage to write about sex trade. I commend you for putting your ass on the line, so to speak. Hope you can continue to shine light on the sexploitation story. good luck to you – Trout
Good job on the AIDS’ story in Salon. I read the national and local press every day, and this is the first story I’ve seen on it. One has to wonder if the media has ignored the story because of its controversial nature. Keep up the good work – GILGEO
Subject: Zen Flirting. Hank–Hilarious column. Thanks for getting my day off to a good start. – Jay Bartos
That was a great article! IT WAS FUNNY! made me laugh. And well crafted, like, control, like, like a fine canned beer! Give Hank control of the whole enchilada. — – Wise Fool
Hank, you crack me up. Great stuff. – Matassa
Dear Mr. Hyena, I just wanted to tell you I thouroughly enjoyed your article. I am a Wisconsinite, but am soon to be relocating to San Francisco. I look forward to reading your column in the future. – A Tourvil
I really enjoyed your recap of the Folsom Street Fair, and look forward to reading more from you. I quite enjoyed your archive. – Crusso
great article on the Grateful Dead – J Murphy
Hello! Your article this morning is really funny especially to another pregnant woman who’s husband is awed by her huge hooters. Have a great day! – Lynanne Bradshaw
your article on the church of johncoltrane was very interesting. my compliment – L Amauric
I really did enjoy your pieces I read at the Gate. From the woman who taught folks how to marry well to well, the physical manifestations of a mammel toward the end of her period of gestation, you alwyas managed to be very interesting, frequently genuinely funny and of such impact that I’d laugh with joy when I saw your name. From Houston, I send my best to you. –Edward Shaw