As if it weren't disappointing enough that Paris Hilton's album "Paris" sold a lackluster 75,000 copies in its first week of release, a British guerrilla artist named Banksy has taken it upon himself to add insult to her injurious pop foray.
Earlier this week, he staged an elaborate practical joke-cum-art piece lampooning the socialite-heiress' debut musical offering — as well as the disposable nature of pop idolatry itself.
The mysterious graffiti commando and social satirist (who does not reveal his name or show his face in photographs) tampered with 500 copies of Hilton's album, altering its sleeve photos and text and replacing her CD with a "remix." Then he surreptitiously put them into circulation, slipping the discs onto shelves at 48 record stores across Britain where shoppers might purchase them, unaware they were part of the joke.
In a photograph in the altered package, Hilton's head appears atop the body of a mannequin above the words "Thou shalt not worship false idols." The message "Life wasn't meant to be fair" appears next to another photo of Hilton. And a sticker affixed to the front of the album touts several fictional songs: "Why Am I Famous?," "What Have I Done?" and "What Am I For?" Calls seeking comment from Hilton and her record company, Warner Bros., were not returned.
http://www.calendarlive.com/music/cl-wk-parisprank7sep07,0,5817783.story?coll=cl-weekend