TV220 Collection

TV220 averaged two episodes a month within a standard half-hour time slot, though the duration fluctuated based on the content received. This collection consists of an incomplete set of over 90 TV220 episodes, originally airing 1996 to 2004. TV220 was produced by AS220 and distributed by Cox Communications as a Public, Education & Government (PEG Channel) cable-access television program from 1996-2004. This collection consists of videos of the program, digitized from VHS tapes. Initially the program was edited at the Cox Cable studios, but AS220 purchased used S-VHS equipment and a Commodore Amiga S-VHS Video Toaster to produce and edit in-house and then deliver the final recording to Cox Cable.
This collection is part of Providence Public Library Digital Collections, hosted by Providence Public Library.

Items in this collection

TV220 Episode 33

TV220 Episode 33

Providence Public Library

Contents include miscellaneous collaged footage (0:00); a musical performance by Ho-Dee Skinny (1:55); a musical performance by the Polyplush Cats (2:57); music video of Mister Slug and the Legion of Doom performing "It's not pop" (6:24); "Atlas: King of Atlantus," an experimental short film (9:56); footage from an AS220 gallery show in New Orleans called "Action Object Orchestra" at the Waiting Room Gallery (15:05) ; miscellaneous footage of downtown Providence (24:31); and footage of a unidentified musical performance (27:08).

TV220 Episode 32

TV220 Episode 32

Providence Public Library

Contents include Septimania with Jonathan Thomas and Paige Van Antwerp performing "Ice without a fuss" on pans and other household items (0:51); footage from "Happy Holidays from AS220," an evening of gospel sponsored by the Jones Foundation (3:55); footage of posters and prints in AS220 (7:41) EPTV's Search for Santa (8:50); mixed footage, including more footage from "Happy Holidays from AS220" and "Christmas in Japan" (11:07); "Learning to Fly" by Jamie Verinis, film footage of two people making contraptions and trying to fly (14:07); Clean and friendly (with the Cranston senior tappers) performing "Tootsie Roll" (16:06); more footage from "Happy Holidays from AS220" (19:16); and behind-the-scenes footage from "Happy Holidays from AS220," featuring the Tri-Steppers (29:18).

TV220 Episode 31

TV220 Episode 31

Providence Public Library

Contents include an introduction by the host of the episode (1:30); the rest of the show is footage from Episode 1 of TV220, directed by Richard Goulis: footage of Vicente Paratore going grocery shopping and cooking a meal while being chatting (4:23); footage of a panel on 920 WHJJ about technology and its impact (7:48); footage of Vicente Paratore making stencils and using them to paint (15:48); footage from another panel discussion on the power of stories, art, and technology; "Crappy's Shit Shack," a recurring skit and fake children's show about a plumber who lives in an outhouse (22:17); and miscellaneous footage of the TV220 studios (26:44).

TV220 Episode 30

TV220 Episode 30

Providence Public Library

Contents include a short skit introducing Richard Crowell as the new director of video production for TV220 (0:00); Free TV, a 16mm film by Kelly Riley that shows old TVs being destroyed (1:20); Mary Fleming performing at PS122 with a giant puppet full of dead fish, wine, and other materials for a "date" (8:38); The See-Thru Rendezvous, an animated cartoon about two bears going on a date, who are sometimes drawn as if being looked at through x-ray vision (14:55); and clips of the band Vida performing their album "In Bloom" at the AS220 café (20:00).

TV220 Episode 3 Return to Providence

TV220 Episode 3 Return to Providence

Providence Public Library

Contents include footage of the jazz band "UM" performing live (0:00:14) and footage of the 10th annual AS220 Fools Ball parade.

TV220 Episode 3

TV220 Episode 3

Providence Public Library

Contents include a short film called "A Cat's Tale," in which director Jenee Mateer splices audio from different movies with an orchestra score and plays it over footage of a woman doing everyday activities, as well as found footage. The film includes a voiceover about a cat who chases his own tail and eventually bites it off, in addition to repeated visual and audio references to a Cinderella narrative (02:11); a description of AS220 and its mission (14:52); footage of an interview with Dr. Joe Chazan, an art patron, collector, and nephrologist (15:33); Greg Gemma and Chris Adams performing "Honeysuckle Rose" (25:39); The Rhythm Party performing "It Ain't Enough" from the album "Live at Lollapalooza" (27:37).

TV220 Episode 29

TV220 Episode 29

Providence Public Library

Contents include opening music by Miles Davis layered with audio clips from the Cantonese news; "Chris Chandler & Avoiding Godot," a tongue-in-cheek documentary about a spoken word poet who lives on the road (0:37); "Liar," a rock-n-roll music video by Polyplush Cats (9:25); video clips from Tim Release and the Weird Mole Circus (13:25); "A Self Portrait" by Thomas A. Marino, featuring film footage of the artist posing nondescriptly, childhood photos, and a final shot of him in a fetal pose; "Move Chairs" by Andrew Freiband, excerpted from "26 movies," in which chairs are personified (19:28); and a horror-esque excerpt of "Night of the Living Trucks" by Maurice Method and Margie Montano (27:03).

TV220 Episode 28

TV220 Episode 28

Providence Public Library

Contents include opening music by Jonathan Thomas; the conclusion of a travelogue-style documentary, "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" by Marc Israel (0:25); the conclusion of a documentary about environmental issues in Mendocino, CA by Josh Morsell (13:28); and footage of actors in elaborate monster costumes during Creature Creation 1998, by Big Nazo Studios and RISD (26:31).

TV220 Episode 27

TV220 Episode 27

Providence Public Library

Content warning: Depiction of sexual acts in final segment beginning at 0:21:41. Contents include opening music by Jack Murdurian; the song "Look Back" by Mike Ladd, played over footage of a drive on a gray winter day (0:16); a tour of the "Woolworth Show" at Mission Providence, featuring graffiti art and other contemporary visual work (4:43); footage from the 1998 Youth Arts Conference, a series of workshops for youth spanning several months (8:38); a short photo collage-y film called "Pop-prov" by Lana Germano; "How I spent my summer vacation," a travelogue by Marc Israel, documenting his travels across the US (Part VI) (13:50); the pixelated soap opera, Velvet Bleu (excerpt) by Frank Giffurd (21:41). This segments includes depictions of sexual acts.

TV220 Episode 26

TV220 Episode 26

Providence Public Library

Contents include "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" Part V, a travelogue by Mark Israel that follows his journey hitchhiking across the US (1:18); "Mendocino" Part II a documentary about Mendocino, CA by Josh Morsell (18:19).

TV220 Episode 25

TV220 Episode 25

Providence Public Library

Contents include part IV of "How I spent my summer vacation" by Marc Israel about a road trip across the US (1:24) and part II of "Mendocino" by Josh Morsell about environmentalism in Northern California (16:10).

TV220 Episode 24

TV220 Episode 24

Providence Public Library

Contents include Part 3 of the film "Dark Night in the Ultraviolet City" which was directed by Guy Benoit for the lounge music group Combustible Edison (1:38); part 3 of "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" by Marc Israel, a travelogue of a New Yorker who hitchhikes across the US (11:38); and part 1 of "Mendocino, CA" by Josh Morsell, documentary footage that centers the poet Leonard Cirino (18:20).

TV220 Episode 23

TV220 Episode 23

Providence Public Library

Contents include Part 2 of the film "Dark Night in the Ultraviolet City" which was directed by Guy Benoit for the lounge music group Combustible Edison (0:44); footage from AS220's Fools Ball (parts 2 and 3) (16:25); and a travelogue, How I spent my summer vacation (part 2 of 4) by Marc Israel (22:54).

TV220 Episode 22

TV220 Episode 22

Providence Public Library

Contents include Part 1, or the "Opening Act", of the film "Dark Night in the Ultraviolet City" which was directed by Guy Benoit for the lounge music group Combustible Edison (1:03); footage of AS220's Fool's Ball, which includes an auction and a parade (7:44); and "How I Spent My Summer Vacation," a film by Marc Israel that documents his travels and his grappling with the passing of friend Allen Ginsberg (15:11).

TV220 Episode 21

TV220 Episode 21

Providence Public Library

Contents include opening music, "Mercenary" written and performed by The Smoking Jackets; excerpts from The Casiothon, featuring musical performances by Steve Dubois (0:52) and John Grey (2:26); "The Rose Village" by Matt Malsky, a 16 mm film in which footage of two women performing quotidian, domestic activities is overlaid, played backward, and otherwise distorted (3:53); Kneel and Dimples in "Hon-Knee-Moon in Lower Manhattan" by Pat Oleszko and David Robinson, music by "Blue" Gene Tyranny, a film that portrays two knees with drawn-on faces who explore Manhattan as newlyweds (13:49); excerpts from the play, America de Facto, by Garland Farwell (19:31); footage from the 1998 Fool's Ball (28:04).

TV220 Episode 20

TV220 Episode 20

Providence Public Library

Contents include opening music by His Panic Band; "Pho Pee" by Neil Salley, a mock commercial for an odor-blocking underwear (0:57); a mock children's show called "Crappy's Shit Shack" (1:30); "Septimania," an experimental musical performance using pots, pans, and other household items (7:07); footage of a live performance of the song "Providence Cold," performed by Example: None (10:13); Gerard & Joseph Heroux, an adult playing a trumpet alongside a baby playing the drums (13:08); The Smoking Jackets performing "Mercenary" at the Pork Chop Lounge on November 2, 1997 (13:27); layered footage of Shawn Wallace playing the trumpet in three different outfits (17:37); Carl the Plastic Man in "Internet Love for a Dummy," a short about a puppet trying online dating (18:34); a mock commercial for jumbo size Stouffer's by Neil Salley (20:04); "The Liver Dance" by the Meatball Fluxes, in which bare chested men with livers hanging from their mouths dance to accordion music (20:36); footage of a Colonel Sanders impersonator with a cane and an Elvis Presley impersonator with a walker performing "One Night With You (22:28); a mock commercial for Liquid-Plumr by Neil Salley, in which a mother describes dislodging her son's pet hamster from a drain (25:37); and Patrick Murphy performing the song "Baby I Want You to Know," Written by B. Carter (26:08).

TV220 Episode 2

TV220 Episode 2

Providence Public Library

Contents include TV220 intro (0:00); footage of Everett Dance Theatre performing "Body of Work," a play about wage labor (1:37); AS220's First Annual Absurd Games Ping Pong (4:45); "Caressa," a short video montage, including footage of a girl dancing and a woman being "shot" with a toy gun (6:09); footage of Shawn Wallace performing a song about Ohio from the series "Hello America" at The Pork Chop Lounge (08:12); "Artists in Recovery," a documentary film that features interviews with artists living in recovery from substance use disorders (10:57).

TV220 Episode 2

TV220 Episode 2

Providence Public Library

Contents include "Filmmakers in the House: Selected Student Video Work 1999-2000" consisting of "Don't Let the Rope Get Empty", a short film of actions and movements of silhouetted people against a white backdrop set to rhythmic percussion, clapping and jump rope songs; "Beautiful Children", a series of still images of young people making faces; "What's for Dinner", a series of still images of a black Barbie doll riding and falling off of a toy bike; "Fly Baby", a series of still images of a baby doll flying through the air, set to the music of the Star Spangled Banner; "Aw Man!", a series of still images of two action figures; "Lost", a series of still images of a young black person with dreadlocks wandering through the street, a mall, and a wooded area; "Crash", a short stop motion animation pixelation of two groups of young people moving around and crashing into each other; "The Battle of Gorzilla and Spark Dino"; a short video of a wind-up toy ape and lizard fighting each other while pigeons look on; a promotional segment for AS220's 10th Anniversary of the Fool's Ball (May 18 - 22, 2004) featuring footage from prior events in 1995, 1997, and 2001, notable faces include AS220 community members / artists Princess Pearl, Gerry Heroux, Pamela Murray, Jonathan Wisehart, Jill Colinan, Lizzie Araujo, Richard Goulis (as The Fool), former Rhode Island TV personality Karen Adams, former Providence Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci, and the inflatable Fatso the Cat (0:09:39); "Hazardous Materials", a short video featuring various action figure dolls, settling one wearing a hazmat suit, with voiceover narration about the job duties and life of a hazardous materials worker (0:14:08); "What You Don't Know (About Cockfighting)", a narrated documentary about the filmmakers experiences in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, as she studies woodcarving and painting, and attends a cockfight at a Hindu temple during the holiday of Galungan (0:19:00). Segments are sometimes bookended by TV220 promos consisting of footage and / or audio of Charlton Heston movies (Planet of the Apes, The Ten Commandments) juxtaposed with images and / or audio of former President George H.W. Bush.

TV220 Episode 19

TV220 Episode 19

Providence Public Library

Content warning: This video includes depictions of nudity and themes related to sexual harassment in the short film 'The Doctor'. Contents include "Eight Days a Week" performed by Bob Jordan, Kevin Maul, and Bruce McLean as opening music; George Sampson reading from Edgar Allen Poe's "The City in the Sea"(0:00:57); a video montage paired with ambient sounds (0:01:26); excerpts from the Pork Chop Lounge, a weekly variety show at the AS220 café, recorded March 1, 1998 (0:04:30); an advertisement for AS220's Fool's Ball on April 3, 1998 (0:14:12); a black and white film called "Hey Tiger" by Martha Colburn, starring Meduza performed by Joe Medusa, who undresses in a striptease while rock music plays (0:14:46); three short animated films by Joel Frenzer—"The closet," "Silly-Circus Boy, and "A Drawing of a Bolex Camera" (1997) (0:17:25); "The Power of One," an inspirational short about the ability of one person to make a difference, from the Earth Communications Office in Washington D.C. (0:19:27); "The Doctor," a short film by Meatballs Fluxes which depicts a doctor sexually harrassing a patient about his penis size (0:21:10); "Invasion of the Egg Planet Plant People," an animated film about eggplant aliens by Joel Frenzer (0:22:55); music performed by Mark Marinello (0:28:18).

TV220 Episode 18 Return to Providence

TV220 Episode 18 Return to Providence

Providence Public Library

Contents include AS220 Spotlight on Lizzie Araujo, director and producer of the Pork Chop Lounge, a comedy variety show at AS220 (1:02); "Unseen Buds: The Art of Amy Cohen," a short documentary about the ecologically-inspired painting and textiles work of Amy Cohen (7:52); an interview with the blues band The Smoking Jackets, including video footage of their rehearsals and performances and discussion of their first album "Bammo!" (13:03); segments of The Continuing Adventures of Dead Elvis and the Colonel called "The Colonel goes in search of some 'After-Dinner Mints' for Dead Elvis" and "Dead Elvis and the Colonel talk about 'Old Times'" (22:40); footage from "Harwood Art Center/AS220 Art Exchange: Phase II" at the Harwood Art Center in Albuquerque, NM on January 15, 1998 (26:20).

TV220 Episode 17

TV220 Episode 17

Providence Public Library

Contents include opening music: "Don't You Go Upstairs" performed by The Smoking Jackets, courtesy of AS220 records; footage of SEPTIMANIA (Jonathan Thomas and Paige van Antwerp) performing "Ice Without a Fuss," a song played on tin cans and other household items (0:00:51); poetry written by Robyn Ramos and read over found images and video footage (0:03:58); footage of Jon Campbell performing "Federal Hillbillies" at the First Annual New England Chowder Hour Reunion, held at AS220 on December 20, 1997 (0:08:49); Ellen Santaneillo and Ruth Eiselberg from "Zorgina" performing "Ach, Wie Ist's Moglich Dann?," a traditional Austrian folk song, at the First Annual New England Chowder Hour Reunion (0:10:34); a profile of Sheri Van Antwerp, AS220 Publicity & Development Coordinator (0:12:27); "Hanging Harwood," a video documenting Phase One of a two-part gallery exchange program between the Harwood Art Center in Albuquerque, NM & AS220, shown at AS220 from November 20 through December 13, 1997 (0:18:50); a short film called "Your son is with us" by Andrew Freiband, excerpted from "26 Movies" (March 4, 1997) (0:23:30); and closing music from "Jack Mudurian Downloading the Repertoire," performed by Jack Mudurian.

TV220 Episode 16

TV220 Episode 16

Providence Public Library

Contents include a recording of "That's the Day I Stopped Believin' in Santa Claus," a comedic song written and produced by Victor Axel (0:00:47); a short film called "Days Before Christmas" (1992) by Media House Films (0:03:42); a clip of Carl the Plastic Man in "Internet for a Dummy" by Keith Munslow and Richard Goulis, in which a puppet searches for a girlfriend online (0:14:31); a conversation between Umberto Crenca (Artistic Director of AS220) and Pam Brown (third floor resident of AS220) about Pam's painting practice and living at AS220 (0:16:04); footage from First Night Providence, a New Year's celebration involving a parade and various performances (0:21:25); a clip of "Blood From a Turnip" from the Late Night Puppetry Salon with Jeremy Woodward and Vanessa Gilbert (0:27:08)

TV220 Episode 15A Return to Providence

Contents include "What's On?", a film by Martha Colburn about television culture (0:57); an advertisement for an exhibition called Uke Expo 1997 presented by AS220 and the Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum (2:40); "Asthma," a film by Martha Colburn about the effects of smoking cigarettes (4:59); "The Rat Circus," a video by James Verinis in which a rat is forced to walk across a string attached to the ceiling (6:48); "AS220 Minute" with Umberto Crenca, who interviews Joseph Auger, the AS220 House Manager and supervisor of the AS220 records label (9:15); a film by Martha Colburn about the consumption of meat and fast food (14:56); "I can't keep up!" a film by Martha Colburn about change and generational differences (15:48); Excerpts from a performance piece called "The Final Cabaret of the Oddly Normal" feat. (19:25); The Smoking Jackets performing at the Pork Chop Lounge (22:50).

TV220 Episode 14

TV220 Episode 14

Providence Public Library

Contents include footage of "Capital Head," a performance piece of a person wearing a model of the capitol building on their head during a protest with a sign saying "Sensitive Material" (0:54); footage of an Elvis impersonator and a Colonel Sanders impersonator performing a musical number and dancing with audience members (1:49); footage of artistic director Umberto Crenca talking about the AS2000 project, a proposal to acquire the Packet building in Downtown Providence for studio spaces and more (4:57); "Spike Man," a video of a man being attacked by a kid in a monster costume (9:15); a mock advertisement for "Dork Peppermint Patties" (10:57); a sketch about an experiment to replace coffee with freeze-dried feces at a coffee shop (12:03); a sketch about a judge and a lawyer criticizing each other's outfits (13:36); an interview with Michael Verna and Gustavo Albero, the creators behind 5 Films (14:07); distorted footage of an office tour (17:18); footage of Alvaro performing "The Chilean with the Singing Nose" on voice and keyboard at the Worcester Artist Group on November 10, 1990 (19:54); and "Leopard's Leap," footage of a dancer modeling elaborate costumes created by Judith Rauchfuss (23:47).

TV220 Episode 13

TV220 Episode 13

Providence Public Library

Contents include an interview with Vincent Marzullo, State Director of AmeriCorps, about VISTA volunteers at AS220 (0:54); footage of His Panic Band recorded at The Call, September 7, 1997 (7:13); a series of short black and white films of eery domestic scenes, including The Champaign Tapes (12:18), Summer Heat (13:06), and Insomnia (15:44); an advertisement for the AS220 Building Box, a box of prints whose proceeds go towards a new building for AS220 (18:09); a series of short features of the artists whose work is sold in the AS220 Building Box, including the sculptor Howard Ben-Tré (19:05), painter and printmaker Leslie Bostrom (20:43), painter and printmaker Ruth Dealy (22:24), painter Alfred DeCredico (23:33), and photographer Denny Moers (22:57); and Roger Manning performing "Anti-Folk Hero" on voice and guitar (27:06).

TV220 Episode 12

TV220 Episode 12

Providence Public Library

Contents include "Block," video footage of a team of people casting Richard Goulis's head and hands in large blocks of plaster and wearing them for twelve hours (0:40); "Burial," video footage of a performance piece in which Richard Goulis is buried in a gas mask below a sign that says "I am buried in front of you…If you speak into the microphone I will hear you, but I can only respond with a red, yellow, or green light" (14:18); an excerpt from "Diary of a Madman," a play about King Ferdinand VIII of Spain performed by Ismail Kanater in 1987 (15:18); footage of Joe Auger singing and playing guitar, spliced with found footage (19:14); a video by Andrew Frieband of an animated street sign showing two figures falling in love (24:35); and a short video about the different spaces at AS220, including the café, gallery, performance stage, dance studio, and perishable theater co. (25:46).

TV220 Episode 11

TV220 Episode 11

Providence Public Library

Contents include a video by the band Emergency Broadcast Network (EBN) about the future of television which includes spliced and repeated clips of news broadcasts and other found footage (0:51); Lori Laliberte and Cathy Hamilton performing a duet on voice and banjo (13:17); "Exchange," a short film by Andrew Freiband about the offering of a gift (15:07); "Verbs," a video diary by Andrew Freiband (15:59); a talk show discussion about television by EBN (18:33); more footage of Lori Laliberte and Cathy Hamilton performing (21:19); an advertisement for a wrestling match between puppets by Big Nazo (24:03); a short clip of found footage of a ship (25:16); "Sensitive One," a short film about an emotionally sensitive computer by Andrew Freiband (25:40); "Run Away: A Film Fragment" by Andrew Freiband with Ben Coccio, featuring two people running away from an unnamed entity (27:33).

TV220 Episode 10 Return to Providence

TV220 Episode 10 Return to Providence

Providence Public Library

Contents include an interview with Umberto Crenca about AS220, its past and its future (0:55); "Alex's Waltz," a music video featuring accordion, french horn, etc. (7:03); "7 Seconds Of," a comedy sketch of short seven second segments (10:45); "The Symphony of Found Sounds," a performance of people screaming (11:19); a collection of fake advertisements by Meatballs Fluxus, including for "Liquid Plumber" and "Pho Pee" (12:19); Bob Jordan performing the song, "Man-O-War" (14:24); Shawn Wallace performing the song, "Ask Me About Being a Leper" (16:18); Greg Gemma and Chris Adamson performing "My Girl" (18:32); a short documentary of the painter Vicente Paratore (21:23); and footage from an exhibit of the drawings and paintings of Erminio Pinque in 1997 (26:40).

TV220 Episode 10

TV220 Episode 10

Providence Public Library

Contents include a series of skits with marionette puppets by artist Xander Marro

TV220 Episode 1

TV220 Episode 1

Providence Public Library

Contents include a parody Madonna infomercial set to "Like A Virgin", by Al Gomes (0:00:38); a short film "The Hunted Hunter?", using music from "The Raiders March" by John Williams, by Al Gomes (0:01:34); a short film "Steven's In This Movie (and ed's not)" using music from "Rhapsody In Blue" by George Gershwin, by Al Gomes (0:04:34); a parody commercial for "Central Falls Vice Squad" set to a parody of Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight" by Al Gomes (0:07:19); a parody commercial "Jell-O, The Choice of a New Generation" using footage of Lionel Richie performing and overdubbed with a Jell-O parody song based on Lionel Richie's "Hello", by Al Gomes (0:08:02); a parody commercial for "The Odd Couple: The Animal Kingdom Version" featuring Felix the Cat and Oscar the Grouch, by Al Gomes (0:09:32); a parody commercial for "Impulse" fragrance in which a man is driven to chase and accost a woman who turns out to be a cop, and includes footage of the Providence VA Medical Center, Nathanael Greene Middle School, and Davis Park in Providence, and uses music from "Let's Go Away For A While" by the Beach Boys, by Al Gomes (0:10:09); commercial footage of John McEnroe for Sports Illustrated with overdubbed dialog, by Al Gomes (0:11:13); a short film "I Spry", using music from "Misirlou" by Dick Dale, by Al Gomes (0:13:06); "Gumby Finds A Plot", a live stop-motion short film featuring Gumby, Smurfs, and Barbie toys and accessories, by Al Gomes (0:15:48), credits for "The Home Team Video" that may or may not correspond with previously mentioned segments (0:18:34); "8 Letters", a parody of the movie "8 Mile" centered around a spelling bee, by Bus 27 Films (0:19:31); "Indecision", a short film featuring a woman talking to her diary about new beginnings, staying focused, getting organized, and who eventually attends a class on "Getting Your Life Organized" where she meets and leaves with a young man, features footage of The Coffee Mill in Pascoag, RI, by Mary DeBerry (0:21:07)