A toilet sculpted to look like Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has been acquired by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! for display in it’s Denmark museum. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the toilet was donated by its creator, Tampa, FL musician and artist Prince Midnight, to Ripley Entertainment’s headquarters in Orlando. At some point soon, it will be shipped to Ripley’s “Odditorium” in Copenhagen where it will be put on permanent display.
People first took note of the life-sized representation of Ulrich sitting with his drumsticks by his side back in November. In December, the toilet was functioning as both an art installation and a working toilet in the bathroom at the Brass Mug bar and music venue in Tampa. Ripley’s has assured admirers of the artwork that it will not suffer the same fecal fate it did at the bar. Said Ripley’s Entertainment representative Sabrina Sieck to the Tampa Bay Times, “Don’t worry, this will be featured in a gallery, not the bathroom.”
Before Ripley’s, Midnight had considered auctioning the toilet. However, both Christie’s and Sotheby’s declined to take the artwork. The sculpture was meant to be a tribute to one of his favorite bands. “This toilet was built by a Metallica superfan,” Midnight told the Tampa Bay Times. “They wrote the first songs that meant something to me.”
Midnight expressed a similar sentiment in an interview with Creative Loafing in December, saying, “I could have painted a picture or made a traditional sculpture, but no one would have even noticed, and really, that’s not the kind of art and performance I do. The first band I ever loved was Metallica. I even went to see them a couple years ago with Lamb of God, so the passion hasn’t waned.”
According to Midnight, Ulrich was the perfect member to represent as a toilet because “as a drummer, [he] is usually depicted sitting.” “I could have done a urinal with James (Hetfield), but that’s not where the creative spirit was leading me.” Midnight said during that same Creative Loafing interview that he also took inspiration for the piece from “painter Marcel Duchamp, sculptor Claes Oldenburg and performance artist Terence Koh.”
At least one member of Metallica is aware of the artwork. When bassist Robert Truijillo was shown the piece during an interview, he reacted, “Oh my god! You’re kidding. This is incredible, how come I didn’t see this? This is a work of art. I want one. Where can I buy em?… I’m sure [Lars will] hear about this when I see him.”
This isn’t the first time Midnight approached Ripley’s with some of his art. Last year, he offered up a guitar allegedly made from his uncle’s skeleton. The company declined to display it.
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