Drummer Joe Russo is one of the many musicians out of work for the foreseeable future as the concert industry remains on indefinite hiatus due to the ongoing health crisis. As a result, a number of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead shows and festival appearances scheduled throughout the spring and into the early part of summer have been postponed, leaving Russo’s schedule now open to pursue other creative endeavors for the foreseeable future.
While JRAD fans stay occupied with the band’s weekly Tuesday evening “Rad Night In America” archival webcast series, Russo will be occupying his time with a solo foray into the world of his other lifelong passion—fine art forgeries. In a press release shared on Tuesday, Russo announced the forthcoming launch of Joe Russo’s Almost Authentic, an online series in which he’ll explore the best—and worst—forgery attempts he’s seen in the art world.
The series’ first season will be comprised of twelve 30-minute episodes during which viewers will follow Russo and co-host/well-known belligerent JRAD fanatic, Jimmy Fallon, as they sneak into Brooklyn, NY’s various art museums in the dead of night to assess the authenticity of their collections. The two will explore the halls and galleries in search of paintings that look fake and educate viewers about the telltale signs of fine art forgery.
“You’d be surprised how many museums are currently displaying forged works of art—even the most well-respected ones,” Joe explains in the press release. “Last year, I spotted a ‘Jeff Koons sculpture’ on display at the Brooklyn Museum that was actually just a balloon animal left over from a birthday party in the gallery the previous weekend.”
On Joe Russo’s Almost Authentic, any work that doesn’t pass the Joey Russo Authenticity Test ® will be ripped from the wall and sent to friend/collaborator Dave Harrington to be re-worked as a pocket kerchief for his personal collection.
As Russo added, “If there are two definite facts I’ve learned from playing Grateful Dead music for the past decade, they’re: a) Never underestimate Tom Hamilton‘s ability to slide into even the tightest of skinny jeans; and b) I know bulls—t when I hear/see it.”
April Fools!