> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://theparnassian.com/en/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# A Friday evening to all, as good as the one enjoyed by Burroughs and Mr. Peanut
- URL: https://theparnassian.com/en/vsem-takogo-zhe-vechera-piatnitsy-kak-u-berrouza-i-mistera-arakhisa/
- Published: 2025-10-31T19:15:50.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-01T05:28:13.000Z
- Author: Alexandr Radayev
- Tags: Art, Society, People, Humour

In 1974, one of the most surreal events in the history of modern art took place in Vancouver, when Mr. Peanut, an anthropomorphic groundnut in a top hat and monocle, stood for mayor of the city.

Behind this persona stood the artist Vincent Trasov, a member of the art group Image Bank. His campaign was pure performance, a parody of politics and of the aesthetics of advertising. The slogan of the PEANUT platform stood for Performance, Elegance, Art, Nonsense, Uniqueness, Talent.

Mr. Peanut himself never uttered a word in public, communicating only through dance and silence, playing something halfway between a politician and a living sculpture.

William Burroughs officially endorsed Mr. Peanut's candidacy, declaring that he stood on a platform of art, and that art is the creation of illusion.

> Since the logic of reality has produced only insoluble problems, it is time for illusion to take power

Mr. Peanut did not win the election, gathering about 3.4% of the vote, but he became a legend of the art world and one of the symbols of the 1970s.