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For Burgerheaven your curatorial purveyors of fine food, Scottish-based
artists Beagles and Ramsay, have plunged with abandon into the murky crypt
of the church of celebrity. For five weeks only Burgerheaven brings you
The True Taste Of Stardom, a real bite of celebrity with the
bitter aftertaste of minimum wage, bad health and globalization (and a
few nods to art historical forefathers Claes Oldenburg and Andy Warhol).
Utilising the latest food and flavour technology they have concocted a
perfect natural synthesis of your favourite dead superstars by fusing
together a composite of organic meats and selected (scarily unspecified)
ingredients. Each unique burger is manufactured to capture the essential
textures and flavours of such twentieth century sacred cows as John Lennon,
Kurt Cobain, Marilyn Monroe, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley and Princess
Diana.
Blasphemously invoking that most ancient Roman Catholic ceremony
the Eucharist -Beagles and Ramsay have traded shamelessly on the notion
of transubstantiation, for the fayre served at Burgerheaven is more than
mere gimmickry it actually purports to re-infuse the dead flesh
of the dearly departed with renewed life and vigour. Once risen, phoenix-like,
from the flames of the grill our beloved icons are once again cut down
in their prime, devoured by big business and ravenous fans.
Though cheap puns and greasy spoons are the mainstay of the proprietors
the references do not stop here. Cut through the grease and there, nestling
beneath the wipe-clean menu, lie soiled copies of Fast Food Nation and
No Logo, greedily consumed by low-paid teenage employees as they sit sulkily
through each statutory 15 minute break. These guys go flippin crazy,
bringing you service without a smile that only the most exploited can
perfect. Their skill in blending the dead celeb meat, however, is second
to none, with a cutting and mixing technique taught to them personally
by DJ Qbert. Thus, the Jimi Burger comes with a hot nspicy
chilli sauce, the Lennon Burger is naturally meat-free (Imagine
you could make love with your belly, not war with your bowels. Come together
for Instant Karma with this wholesome vegetarian grill. All We Are Saying
Is Give Peas A Chance) while the Cobain Burger comes with
a hint of cough mixture and smoky gunpowder (Tastes like teen spirit).
Poor size 14 Norma Jean, however, is reduced to a slab of
lard-laced white meat, a mere appetizer next to the meaty thighs of The
King Burger. Recommended is the Diana Burger, served rare,
with royal blue blood shining through the sinew. Once tasted, the Queen
of Hearts becomes the post-bulimic Queen of Stomachs.
In death as in life, the ill-fated stars are firmly branded, this time
by Burgerheaven's own snazzy logo and shiny packaging. Burgerheavens
mascot, the bete noire of Ronald MacDonald, is a finely honed, burger-headed
hunk who flexes and struts for the diners as they eat. The promotional
gifts are also impressive the battery operated Burgerkid
and King Burger toys are sure to be a hit. A continuation of previous
food-orientated explorations by the artists, Beagles and Ramsay continue
their empire-building quest for multi-national big business by clambering
up the greasy pole of corporate whoredom and cashing-in on the success
of the flagship Burgerheaven store in Eindhoven, Holland . Marketing ,
timing and location really are everything in business, and the opening
of the Toronto franchise has been cynically scheduled to coincide with
the 25th year anniversary of the King's passing and the 5th year anniversary
of our beloved Princess's untimely demise. They may have died young, but
they will live on forever in your stomachs.
Unsurprisingly, then, Burgerheaven will be excessively promoted and advertised
by underage employees in downtown Toronto. Both art aficionados and fast
food junkies will be very welcome to partake of the succulent flesh of
the famous, listen to a pirate copy of the dead stars favorite hits and
watch a well-built man with a giant hamburger head flex his well oiled
beefy biceps. After all, its all good, healthy, family fun, and,
as Mark Twain once sagely remarked, "Sacred cows make the best hamburgers".
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