Waterboard Thrill Ride on Coney Island Gets Real

The artist behind that animatronic Waterboard Thrill Ride on Coney Island finally fulfilled his dream of making the simulation a reality last Friday night. A professional interrogator, Mike Ritz, wearing a black ski mask, black fatigues and combat boots, waterboarded Steve Powers and three lawyers for a small audience of invited guests (photo after the jump). Art Forum reports: "Ritz then stuffed a large black rag into Powers’s mouth, held the artist’s nose with one hand, and poured a steady flow of water onto the rag like a frat boy pours a pitcher of beer. After about eight seconds, Powers began to twitch and jerk on the table, and Ritz quickly removed the rag. Dazed and flushed, the artist was led out of the room... The woman, an assistant state attorney general, seemed to last the longest."

Photo by Sam Horine.

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By John Del Signore in News on August 20, 2008 4:29 PM

Comments [rss]

BryanynBrooklyn

Pretty smart. Gotta love Steve Powers.Too bad the whole thing is lost on Americans at large, the absurdity of the concept.

NannyState

In certain circles, on certain yachts, people pay good money for this kind of experience.

cucarachita

Wait. Where's the board in this waterboarding thing? I don't get it. Is it like the name for that other activity I probably shouldn't mention by name here, where it turns out there's no actual blowing going on? There's no board?

The Edge

Apparently some do feel bad when people whom they've never met that would love to shoot them in the face do get waterboarded.

Maybe Powers should make a ride where you get to have your head sawed off with a rusty knife -- just to balance things out, y'know?

jchez

Waterboarding lawyers is no way to make people feel bad about this. Wait! waterboarding terrorists is no way to make people feel bad about this either.