Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/John Hassel

Article John Hassel listed on WP:VFD Apr 28 to May 6 2004, was then redirected to User:John Hassel and the redirect deleted. Discussion:

Appears to be vanity. Google test (yes, I know it's not always reliable) shows nothing. --ALargeElk 20:12, 28 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * Errrr... Bunboy (apparently by the same author) provides context, but I'm not actually recommending anyone look at it. A google search for "bunboy + restaurant" confirms the reality and relevance of the restaurant chain. As for Hassel, not sure if he's notable or not.  Isomorphic 20:58, 28 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * Oh, sweet kidneys of Christ, I looked. And right after lunch.  As a longtime desert dweller, I can vouch for the existence of Bun Boy and not "Bunboy" as listed.  So can anyone who's done the trip on I-15 from Southern California to Las Vegas.  The food is good, the fresh strawberry pie out of sight and they have about a gazillion billboards posted all over the Mojave Desert, or so it seems.  All part of the travel experience, IMO.  On the other hand, this individual is simply not notable and the entry should be deleted as vanity.  Ditto with that photo on the Bun Boy article.  Might do that myself, in fact...if I can bear to look.  I freely admit, however, that I wouldn't photograph much better m'self. - Lucky 6.9 21:27, 28 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * Either verify, or delete. --ZeLonewolf 21:58, 28 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * OK, I've gone ahead and fixed the "Bun Boy" article as best I could, though it isn't up for deletion. I added a few things about the place, especially the strawberry pie and of the area.  Baker was not on US 66, but rather US 91.  Baker is a well-known "jumping off" spot for tourists heading to Death Valley.  The Bun Boy website's a little bit blah, but it helped.  Oh, and the photo's gone.  :^)  And, I might go and add something of note that I just remembered.  The country store next door to the Baker restaurant has had more California Super Lotto winners than just about any place in California.  Question:  Is the Bun Boy article worth keeping in any form, even with the changes, or is it just too regional?  - Lucky 6.9 22:06, 28 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * Keep. I went and re-added info on the artist (and his popular name). His performance artwork is quite well known in the Southern California area, and he has appeared at Universal City Walk as well as the Santa Monica Promenade, as well as having been profiled (along with other performance artists in those locales) in the L.A. Times. His Bunboy "work" is only his most famous.  - Kritik 22:25, 28 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * Wrong, O Anonymous One. You are, however, correct in pointing out that standing in the buff in front of the entrance to a restaurant does not qualify as work, as indicated by your quotation marks.  I am a lifelong native of Southern California, and I've never heard of the guy.  If he is notable, then I'm all for the photo being featured on his article and not a site of general interest. - Lucky 6.9 00:03, 29 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * So as a lifelong resident, that means you've heard of everything and everyone in Southern CA..in particular performance artists? Come on. Regardless, in the course of a performance artist, that is his "work". I am using that term correctly I believe. I'm no fan of this guy, however If you live in Southern CA though, I'd suggest going down to the Venice boardwalk almost any weekend and you are liable to see him there. In that he is one of the more well known performance artists in the area, and I've read about him, I only suggest that he is notable and worth keeping. --Kritik 00:42, 29 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * Please scroll down the page to read my earlier comment. If your man is notable and can be backed up as such, keep him and keep the photo.  A write-up in the Times and weekend performances on the Venice Boardwalk don't ring the bell.  And, your comments on the Bunboy page are extremely point-of-view.  That alone is reason to get it bumped.  Not everyone is interested in seeing your pal's backside.  That's not only point-of-view, it's vanity.  That's another reason to get it bumped.  I've nominated the entire Bunboy article for deletion at this point since I patently refuse to get in an edit war over a chain of restaurants consisting of two locations in the Mojave Desert.  Lack of notability is also grounds for deletion.  And no, I have not heard of every artist in Southern California, and I'm sure that I can come up with a few locals that no one outside my area has heard of.  That doesn't mean they're deserving of an article. - Lucky 6.9 01:43, 29 Apr 2004 (UTC)


 * Jeez, if the guy wants an article in Wikipedia, he should do it the old-fashioned way: get a website and apartment, declare it a nation, and call his bare-ass photo an artistamp. And then baby-sit the article, reinstating any NPOVing...but it looks like he's got that part down. - Tweak 00:14, 29 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * Don't forget being mentioned in various respected publications. anthony (see warning)
 * If you're being sarcastic, right on. If not, then with all due respect, so what?  And Tweak, you hit the nail on the head!  Bun Boy is now a micronation!  Seriously, I've alerted administrator Raul654 about a potential edit war.  If the guy is notable, then I'll withdraw my vote to delete and Hassel can moon the world from there.  The photo belongs there and not on an article about a moderately famous restaurant. At the very least, the comment is POV. - Lucky 6.9 00:30, 29 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * My 2 cents to this discussion are that the restaurant appears to be historic in it's own right and therefore should be kept. With regard to the "artist" I would posit what is the Wikipedia standard for notability? I did a Lexis search for performance artist and John Hassel and returned what appears to be a half page "Calendar" section from June 2000 on performance artists (not just from LA as I read)that profiles him and about half a dozen others in relation to the Universal Studios CityWalk mall attraction. Further, Lexis returns 16 other clippings, everything from some community college newsletter (Cabrillo College) to a New York Post gossip column mention? --Tremaine 03:09, 29 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * Ooooh, look! A sock puppet!  Let's all act like we're surprised.  Isomorphic 03:13, 29 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * Comment: LOL!  Personally, I'd like to see the restaurant stay.  Just a personal observation since I've been there numerous times and this is the first time I've ever voted to delete a page after I've contributed to it.  But NOT with that photo.  BTW, if you check the "Contributions" page for Kritik, guess who wrote both of these articles in the first place?  Mr. Hassel, if you wanted to defend your work, why didn't you just come out and say so instead of referring to yourself as a third-person observer? - Lucky 6.9 03:57, 29 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * I hope the sock puppet comment wasn't directed to me? I just registered tonight and would hate to get off on the wrong foot for offering mho? --Tremaine 04:06, 29 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * It appears so. If you're for real, please chalk it up to bad timing.  And welcome to the discussion. - Lucky 6.9 04:40, 29 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * My apologies. I thought Kritik had created himself an ally. Isomorphic 06:40, 29 Apr 2004 (UTC)
 * I have tried to salvage the restaurant listing one final time. Once again, the photo and the POV commentary have been removed, but the boilerplate deletion notice has not.  I've also listed Kritik on the "vandalism in progress" page.  This is just about as much effort as I'm going to expend on this idiocy.  If that ridiculous photo turns up again, I'd appreciate someone who is in agreement with me to reverse it.  The reversions come up so fast that I have a sinking feeling the article's being babysitted.  If a naked photo of one's self at the entrance to a public place is the zenith of an artistic career, I pity this individual, especially in light of his service to his country. - Lucky 6.9 20:59, 29 Apr 2004 (UTC)

I AM THE BUNBOY!!! I am John Hassel, no really. I am not a performance artist, I am a financial advisor. I did NOT post this entry or the picture. Rick Law, who has his own vanity entry here, posted it. If someone keeps reposting it, it's him. He's the only other person in the world who has a copy of it and hangs out here. The photo was taken sometime after midnite during a spontaneous Vegas run in 1996 or 97. No alchohol was involved, but I was about to be shipped off to Bosnia with the Army and simply feeling frisky. I don't know when this entry was created, but I only became aware of it myself a couple weeks ago. I just did it as a joke between friends, and am quite amused to see it attract such attention. Especially from Kritik who said I've appeared at Citywalk and the Santa Monica Pier! Sure, I've been to both places, but not in my Bunboy uniform. Take it down, I don't care.


 * Bunboy, Got any compromising photos of Rick? - Tweak 21:31, 29 Apr 2004 (UTC)

No, and you don't want any. He's about 90 pounds and subsists on a diet of chips and Coke.


 * LOL! Now that's what I call metabolism.  And we now have another vanity page to delete!  Mr. Hassel, I salute you for your bravery on all fronts.  And rears. :^) Thanks for helping settle this. - Lucky 6.9 23:00, 29 Apr 2004 (UTC)

I (John Hassel) have been watching the Bunboy page today and am amazed Rick Law keeps putting my ass up on the site after it keeps getting taken down. I'm sure some of you are thinking I'm just pulling a stunt or lying about my identity, but I'm not. I can't prove it, but I guarantee you he is the only one doing it. He monitors wikipedia like crazy, especially his own page. I tried making minor changes in it just to joke with him and they were always corrected within minutes. It's funny looking at his page because he makes himself seem like some mover and shaker in the entertainment biz, but he's really only good at making himself look semi-famous. I've known him for about 10 years, and he's on the fringe of the fringe of the entertainment industry.--Badsponge 01:35, 30 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Dear Sirs, Please be informed that our firm represents the artist known as Bunboy, and that any and all references to him on this site are unauthorized, and subject to legal action. As per our acting for the copyright holder (please see copyright violation) we request all references and images of him or his work be immediately removed from this site. The person representing themselves here as Mr. Hassel (aka Bunboy) is in no way connected to our client and has no authorization to speak on his behalf. Under certain statutes be advised that these communications could be considered both libel and slander, and could be actionable. Having notated this, this is our formal request that all references and images (and these discussions) be removed within 5 days from today's date (4/30/04) or we will consider further action. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Jeremy Havanshaw Dunn, Crutcher, and Finn Attorneys At Law

If you want such a request to be effective, it should be directed to Wikipedia's designated agent. - Nunh-huh 02:32, 30 Apr 2004 (UTC)

This is one of the strangest debates ever, and something makes me think that maybe Bunboy/Hassel is trying something akin to "performance art" here with all this. Has there ever been this much discussion about a nobody? --Lick-my-ankles 04:31, 30 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Jeez, you said it. The Bun Boy article (I redirected it due to the misspelling) is as I left it, but John Hassel is back as a vanity stub. I've had it. Two billion websites to choose from and I wind up using an irreplaceable chunk of lifetime debating over a photo of some guy's butt while some other anonymous toady passing himself off as a lawyer weighs in. All the while, some computer geeks with no discernable life of their own are wetting their pants over this. I couldn't give a tinker's damn over what happens from here. - Lucky 6.9 05:52, 30 Apr 2004 (UTC)

This debate is even stranger when it's your own arse that's in the middle of it all. I (John Hassel) am not any kind of artist. However, I am not a "nobody," Licker of Ankles. Just because you've never heard of me doesn't make me a nobody. But I'm not famous in any way, just a guy who pulled a nudey prank several years ago, and now someone else who has the picture is playing his own prank. Lucky, you nailed it with your last assessment. I don't know how I can prove my identity to you all, I'm just as incredulous as you are. I don't want a vanity stub anywhere, I didn't post it, delete it all!--Badsponge 06:13, 30 Apr 2004 (UTC)


 * John, if it's any consolation, this will probably go away on its own in a day or two once it rotates off of the list. As for being a nobody, I believe that service to your country in a decidedly unfriendly area of the world makes you far from being a nobody.  If it's any consolation, that makes you a hero.  Someone's having a laugh at our expense, plain and simple.  OK, so they got us.  Let the babies have their bottles.  I've taken a deep breath...returned to center...feeling better now.  If this gets any more out of hand, the administrators can block the offending IP addresses.  Poof.  Done.  At least we have IMO a serviceable article for Bun Boy as a result but I'll tell you, I'll never think of the place in the same way again! - Lucky 6.9 07:14, 30 Apr 2004 (UTC)


 * Not to be contrary but is service to your country an automatic qualifier for notability? I think there are a lot of dead Republican Guard and Viet Cong that would beg to disagree on this issue. --Lick-my-ankles 16:38, 30 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Listen you greasy little punks, I am the REAL DEAL, John Hasel, not this other sorry prig trying to say he is me. I am telling you it is that evil Christian pig Rick Law that is behind all this. I DEMAND you take that entry down and anything having to do with Scientology, as they continue to persecute me I have instructed my attorney to vigorously investigate anyone who infringes on my rights, especially the screwed up little punk who is posing as me and keeps referring to me as a stub. Unfortunately you geeks have no better life than to sit here before your glowing little computer screens discussing my arse. Get a freakin life already!!! I mean it. I am getting really pissed. I AM BUNBOY! FEAR ME!

This is crazy. Now I have someone trying to imitate me (John Hassel), who can't even spell my name right, nor can they approximate my writing style. Lick-my-ankles, being in the service is not an automatic qualifier for notability. Some of the stupidest, most worthless, morally bankrupt people I've ever met were in the Army. Not everyone wearing a uniform is a noble warrior worthy of lionization. However, I've also met some of the most intelligent, selfless and amazing people in the Army who deserve utmost admiration. Getting back on topic, delete this damned thing!--Badsponge 23:38, 30 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Does anyone else think Mr. Hassel doth protest too much? --Lick-my-ankles 00:47, 1 May 2004 (UTC)

Delete. Pointless, and a tedious argument. DS 11:38, 1 May 2004 (UTC)

Keep. I am not as pointless or tedious as some others who shall remain namelss, lest I be banned for being abusive to those allied against my arse. --Badsponge 4:22, 1 May 2004 (UTC)

I've redirect it to User:John Hassel. Now we can delete the redirect, which I will list on the Redirects for deletion page. RickK 23:27, 1 May 2004 (UTC)


 * You are a busy beaver K. Now we can redirect the redirect to another redirect, which we can then redirect to the first redirect, and it'll be a redirect party. --Badsponge 23:55, 1 May 2004 (UTC)

After reading throught this whole, um, discussion, I realize that I am blessed in living just about as far away from Southern California as possible and still remain on the North American continent. My question is, why does the restaurant's sign look like it says "Bum Boy", and does it have anything to do with the proliferation in this, um, discussion about naked male posteriors? Denni 05:19, 2004 May 2 (UTC)

Your persecution of me belies your fanaticism for my nudeness that is not shared by the others who did complain. Your ceaseless prattling like a madman all about me (John Hassel) is sickening. How would you like it if I pointed out something you did in error of dispute and exploited it to maker me feel better about myself, by trying to wipe you out? That's what you have done, which is a condemnable behaviour according to most societies at least in the "Western World". Relentless persecution, witchhunting and McCarthyism is despicable. You are acting indiscretely yourself, which isn't what the others are doing. You are in a fantasy that all the others are 100% sharing your same convictions and will back up everything you say and do in regards to me or other people. You are disguising your fears about your past by trying to use my unrelated circumstance to do it. Once you had seen me in all my naked glory you flipped. It is of no difference to the other Chippendales dancers of the world, except you feel that you have ultimate conviction in "getting me"; you want to take out your unresolved feelings onto me and my bare arse. Why don't you just bend me over and paddle me like a discontent child? In effect, you are trying to victimise me for your "sore loser" attitude about situations here in regards to those other concerns of your relational interest. I am a victim that fights back, and you know you're out of line, that's why you struggle so hard to try and fight the truth. I AM BUNBOY!!! FEAR MY WRATH!!! --Badsponge 06:32, 3 May 2004 (UTC)

End discussion