Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu --> Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Noel Godin, who made powerful people nervous around cream pies, dies at 80 For more than 50 years, Noel Godin went after famous and powerful people with cream pies. His targets included politicians, philosophers, filmmakers and, famously, Bill Gates. World Noel Godin, who made powerful people nervous around cream pies, dies at 80 August 30, 20265:01 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered By Connor Donevan , Jeffrey Pierre , Joel Rose Noel Godin, who made powerful people nervous around cream pies, dies at 80 Listen · 1:19 1:19 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5946807/nx-s1-9907081" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript For more than 50 years, Noel Godin went after famous and powerful people with cream pies. His targets included politicians, philosophers, filmmakers and, famously, Bill Gates. Sponsor Message Transcript
JOEL ROSE, HOST:
We're going to take a moment now to remember an artist who worked in an unusual medium. Some people paint. Others make films or sculptures. Noel Godin's medium was cream pies, and his canvas - the human face. Godin died this past week at the age of 80, according to his publisher, Les Editions Noir sur Blanc. Noel Godin was a Belgian anarchist, actor and social commentator, but he was best known for his entartage (ph). That's the French word he coined for his pie-ings (ph). We only attack the wicked, he told the LA Times in 1997 - the great and the wicked. Godin's pies found the faces of film legend Jean-Luc Godard, former French prime minister (ph) Nicolas Sarkozy and Bill Gates. But his favorite target was the French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, whom he and his collaborators pied no less than seven times.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking French).
(SOUNDBITE OF PIE SPLATTERING)
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: Oh. Oh.
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Speaking French).
ROSE: That was the second time in 1988, as seen on France 3.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking French).
(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "HOMO CINEMATOGRAPHICUS")
NOEL GODIN: (Speaking French).
ROSE: In an interview for the 1998 documentary "Homo Cinematographicus," Noel Godin opined, quote, "let's make our lives an action film, a burlesque comedy with nothing but highlights. It's up to us." Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. NPR does not offer or accept money for coverage or interviews. Anyone who makes such an offer or request is not an NPR employee and does not represent NPR. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{310:function(e,n,o){o.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([o.e(1),o.e(2),o.e(3),o.e(4),o.e(80)]).then((e=>{o(15),o(769),o(155),o(176),o(93),o(447),o(254),o(128),o(130),o(754),o(175),o(755),o(255),o(78),o(773)}).bind(null,o)).catch(o.oe)},782:function(e,n,o){e.exports=o(310)}},[[782,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();