That was a magnificent run for the enormous great white shark that tried for three days to devour the statue known throughout northern San Diego County as the "Cardiff Kook."
What might go down in history as the world's most drawn-out shark attack, albeit by a fake shark versus a bronze surfer, ended Tuesday morning when Encinitas work crews came to the rescue and removed a paper-made shark that had been poised in a vertical attack mode, with its jaws around the statue, since dawn Saturday.
Thousands of tourists took in the sight and many signed petitions hoping to "save the shark" and keep it up a little longer, despite the embarrassment this must have generated for the sculptor of the statue, whose pose is definitely kooky and somewhat effeminate.
But three full days is a long time for desecration of city artwork to be allowed to stand, so Tuesday was a good day to kill the shark and put this story to rest.
The full identity of the prankster, however, remains unclear, but a waiter named Eric has come forward to claim responsibility, according to NBC San Diego.
"I'm glad that people are having a good time with it," he told reporter Artie Ojeda, without revealing his last name. "I'm really happy. I've heard people say, 'We're taking pictures for our Christmas card.' It's great."
Eric said the covert mission was accomplished at 4 a.m. Saturday and that it required 13 people to get the giant, two-piece shark around the statue.
"We were laughing so hard. I couldn't stop laughing once I put it in," Eric recalled. "We were just in hysterics. Everybody was just in such a good mood. It was so funny."
Probably not amused is Matthew Antichevich of Hemet, Calif. He was commissioned to produce the statue in 2007. But then, he's probably used to pranks being played at the expense of his creation, which has worn bikinis, skirts, goofy hats and women's bras and panties.
Now the statue appears naked to the world, with the shark having been removed, like an open canvass, awaiting the next prankster to come along and grace it with his or her handiwork.Whenever that occurs it's unlikely to top the great white shark, which was crude but nonetheless awe-inspiring and, thus, a piece of art in its own right; and one that made the Cardiff Kook famous beyond his wildest dreams. Now if only he knew how to surf.
-- Pete Thomas
Here is an inside look at the artist behind the Cardiff Kook Shark Attack...
http://www.korduroy.tv/2010/behind-the-kook-attack-innerviews
Posted by: Cyrus | Jul 27, 2010 at 07:05 PM