Bill Talen's voice gently spills from his mouth. It's as polite and reserved as a librarian's.

That wouldn't be an anomaly unless you factor in that Talen is a guerilla instigator — a protest artist with a blonde pompadour and cleric's outfit who created his alter-ego Rev. Billy to speak out against corporate consumerism. Talen, a 57-year-old performance artist from New York, began using the character Rev. Billy 10 years ago as a way to protest what he calls “shopocalypse,” or Americans' obssession with buying and possesing material goods.

Talen's one-man show has grown to include the Church of Stop Shopping (revbilly.com). He also now stars in a film called “What Would Jesus Buy?”

He spoke to 210SA from his home in New York recently, and here's what the man behind the pulpit has to say about himself and his beliefs.

You're known for playing this Billy Graham or Jerry Falwell-type character. Why do you play a reverend as a means of spreading your message?

When I started the Rev. Billy project 10 years ago, my neighborhood was being destroyed by big boxes and chain stores. I tried to find creative ways to respond. I lived near Broadway (in New York), and I lived near Times Square. The people who were speaking up about various things, the people who were shouting in the public space were the sidewalk preachers. And I joined them. I became a sidewalk preacher for years. Eventually, I set up my pulpit in front of the front door of the Disney Store and (said), “Mickey Mouse is the anti-Christ, child,” and “Don't bring your children in here. They got sweatshop products on the walls.” I tried to have a way to have a one-person boycott against this big company.

Since then, the Rev. Billy character has gone through different steps of evolution. After 9-11, I became not so much just a rabble-rouser but a pastor because many people in New York City wanted a pastor, and some of them had not been going to church.

How do you approach people in stores and identify yourself?

When we're going to be disruptive, you know what we always do? We go up and we talk to the workers and apologize to them ahead of time. We tell them we're only here for a little while. We're going to criticize this company and then we'll leave. We won't damage anything. We believe that the freedom of expression should extend into the super malls and big boxes that pretend they are public space.

There are places like Starbucks where you are supposed to stay a certain distance away.

In California, the Los Angeles Superior Court has ruled that I cannot come within 750 feet of the edge of Starbucks property. The Starbucks company made a corporate rule that I'm banned from all Starbucks in the world. And the Disney Company has done the same thing.

How does it feel to have these corporate bans on you?

I'm honored. In my world, that's like winning the Oscar. These are companies that really need to change their behavior in the world. And I know that I'm being joined by so many Americans and so many people in the world who are pulling back from consumerism.

What about people who say they shop at places like Wal-Mart because it's convenient and affordable? How is it feasible that these people not shop at somewhere like Wal-Mart?

My clothing comes from thrift stores and from friends and from trades with my family and local shops — ma-and-pa stores. With Wal-Marts, the sticker price is high. You think it's cheap, but actually, the cost is very high. You're destroying your neighborhood. You're spending time in your car. If you've seen (“What Would Jesus Buy”), you've got 13-year-olds sleeping with their heads against the sewing machines because they're working 20-hour shifts. This is slavery. And we really need to stay away from Wal-Mart, because that pain and suffering is in the things that we buy there.

How do you fight that battle? Because there was a Wall Street Journal story last year that reported one-third of Americans visit Wal-Mart each week. That's obviously a lot of people.

The great thing is that Americans know how to change. Think about the change that took place at the beginning of this country. The British Empire was dominating as Wal-Mart is now. ..... Americans know how to change. We can change this time.

You said you used to be a rabble-rouser, and now you seem to be more of an optimist. Is that so?

I'm a rabble-rousing optimist. I'm using the old principles of civil disobedience that come to us from Jesus, that come to us from the Boston Tea Party, that come to us from civil rights. I'm using an old idea of rabble-rousing for peace, for love and for trying to build up our local economies again, which have been decimated by companies like Wal-Mart.

Emily Messer | 210SA