Dr. Tangalanga

Julio Victorio De Rissio (10 November 1916 – 26 December 2013), better known by the stage name of Dr. Tangalanga, was a popular Argentine comedian known for his humorous prank phone calls to unsuspecting recipients.

Career

Born in the Balvanera neighbourhood of Buenos Aires to Italian Argentine immigrants, De Rissio worked in a shoe factory during his early years. He began making and recording prank calls in the mid-1960s to provide comic relief for a bedridden friend. Since 1989, he has released over 40 albums of collected calls, having sold over 250 thousand copies, arguably becoming the most famous prank call artist ever in the Spanish speaking world. He made extensive use of Argentine Lunfardo vernacular, and his tapes have been praised by critics as varied as humorist Carlos Loiseau and philosopher Alejandro Rozitchner.

Style

The general format of his jokes is to make a polite call requesting information about some product or service, to then randomly insult or otherwise antagonize the person on the other end in order to produce a verbal altercation or exchange of insults. Part of the humor is to use crude language in absurd contexts, exploiting the reactions of his victims and provoking their often agitated response.

In other cases, he begins the call with a fictitious complaint (although often based on real life anecdotes), regarding things that have supposedly happened to "his nephew." For example: "My nephew went to get two matafuegos (Spanish for fire extinguisher; literally: fire-killer) for the car, but they didn't kill the fire, they didn't even injure it."

Octavio Saga

Since 1998, Tangalanga made various calls to a gym management named Octavio, the first was in Dr. Tangalanga es mundial, then Octavio apparenced in severals compilations. The Octavio calls are 12 in total, with the last performed live in 2011.

Discography

• Los llamados telefónicos del Dr. Tangalanga vol. 1 (1989)
• Los llamados telefónicos del Dr. Tangalanga vol. 2 (1990)
• Los llamados telefónicos del Dr. Tangalanga vol. 3 (1990)
• Los llamados telefónicos del Dr. Tangalanga vol. 4 (1990)
• Los llamados telefónicos del Dr. Tangalanga vol. 5 (1991)
• Los llamados telefónicos del Dr. Tangalanga vol. 6 (1991)
• Los llamados telefónicos del Dr. Tangalanga vol. 7 (1991)
• Los llamados telefónicos del Dr. Tangalanga vol. 8 (1992)
• Los llamados telefónicos del Dr. Tangalanga vol. 9 (1993)
• Los llamados inéditos del Dr. Tangalanga vol. 1 (1994)
• Los llamados inéditos del Dr. Tangalanga vol. 2 (1995)
• Los llamados inéditos del Dr. Tangalanga vol. 3 (1995)
• Los llamados inéditos del Dr. Tangalanga vol. 4 (1996)
• Dr. Tangalanga: Cuentos con amigos (1996)
• Los mejores llamados telefónicos del Dr. Tangalanga vol. 1 (1996)
• Los mejores llamados telefónicos del Dr. Tangalanga vol. 2 (1996)
• Los mejores llamados telefónicos del Dr. Tangalanga vol. 3 (1997)
• Los llamados de oro del Dr. Tangalanga (1997)
• Dr. Tangalanga es mundial, first Octavio's appearance (1998)
• Dr. Tangalanga en vivo (1998)
• Dr. Tangalanga: Llamados violentos (1998)
• Dr. Tangalanga: Cuentos con amigos (1998)
• Dr. Tangalanga: Colección privada vol. 1 (1998)
• Dr. Tangalanga: Colección privada vol. 2 (1998)
• Dr. Tangalanga: Colección privada vol. 3 (1999)
• Dr. Tangalanga: Colección privada vol. 4 (1999)
• De parte de Tangalanga (2000-2001)
• Tangalanga ataca de nuevo (2002)
• ¿En qué sentido me lo dice? (2002)
• ¿Me da su teléfono? (2003)
• WANTED (por matar de risa) (comp. 1980 - 1999) (2003)
• 40 Años Currando - Solo editado en Mexico - Para el show del Hard Rock Cafe, only released in Mexico (2004)
• Tangalanga en México (2004)
• Maestro 2005 (2005)
• 10 de noviembre de 2006 La Trastienda Club (Official Bootleg) (2006)
• Noventa pirulos y todavía te rompo (2006)
• Rioplatense (2006)
• Te sobra un número (2007)
• ¿Me puedo tomar confianza? (2007)
• ¡Olé, olé, olé! ¡Doctor! ¡Doctor! (2008)
• Mil gracias Uruguay (2008)
• Dr. Tangalanga: Colección privada vol. 5 (comp.) (2009)
• Dr. Tangalanga: Trapisondas (2010)
• Dr. Tangalanga: cuentos con amigos 2 (2010)
• Dr. Tangalanga: Tejemanejes (2011)