Dr. Tangalanga

Julio Victorio De Rissio, who the public knew as Dr. Tangalanga, was an Argentine comedian born in Buenos Aires on November 10, 1916, in the Balvanera neighborhood. His parents were Italian-Argentine immigrants, and he spent his formative years within that community. Initially, he worked in a shoe factory and later as a shoemaker, marrying at age 25. However, his career took an unexpected turn in 1958 when he began recording prank calls to entertain a friend who was ill. This accidental beginning would eventually define his professional life.

Dr. Tangalanga’s comedy centered around prank phone calls to strangers, often targeting businesses and feigning complaints that escalated into arguments and insults. His style frequently incorporated Argentine Lunfardo vernacular, absurd scenarios involving a fictional relative, and the use of vulgar language and double entendres. A particularly memorable call involved a football field owner, concluding with the phrase “Oíme, me hizo mierda este hijo de puta.” He released over 40 albums of these prank calls, beginning in 1989, and they sold over 250,000 copies between 1989 and 2013. Critics like Carlos Loiseau and Alejandro Rozitchner acknowledged his work. Notably, the album 'Dr. Tangalanga es mundial' (1998) featured Octavio for the first time.

While his career experienced a pause after 1965 following his friend’s death, Dr. Tangalanga resumed recording in 1980 during his recovery from hepatitis. His popularity grew through informal distribution networks in Argentina during the 1980s. Later releases included '40 Años Currando' (2004), which was exclusively released in Mexico, and a live recording from La Tristienda Club that appeared as an official bootleg in 2006. He also occasionally used the names Raúl Tarufetti or Licenciado Varela. Dr. Tangalanga died on December 26, 2013, leaving behind a legacy as, according to some, the most famous prank call artist in the Spanish-speaking world.