Improv...EVERYWHERE! (If you live in NYC, mostly.)
I have to say that Improv Everywhere is fast becoming my favourite "useful waste of time" procrastination website these days. In one of those odd semi-viral, partially synchronicity-driven coincidences, I ran across or was sent the link to IE's "Frozen Grand Central" mission video four times in two days, and there were three different links to it. Two were YouTube links, one was the Improv Everywhere home site itself, and the third was a competing video site (NOT YouTube) that escapes my mind at the moment.
It's fantastic. Google it. The funniest thing, to me, is seeing all the flashbulbs going off as people took photographs of the frozen Agents, apparently not realizing that their audience experience would not translate well to a still image (duh!).
I tend to ignore videos I am linked to because when I am at home, I have dialup access, and loading a video often involves me going off to get a meal, taking a nap, reading half a novel, playing with the ferret, and then returning to see the requested video is still only 46% loaded. At school, where I can jam with some blazin' WiFi, I am usually in class or working on school stuff. I could not ignore the siren call of so many similar links arriving at the same time, though, so I waited until the end of one class where the professor LIKES that kind of distraction (he enjoyed the ScientoLOLjuuichi Albino Black Sheep video as much as I and my usual set of cronies did) and we watched a few of IE's videos together and LOVED them. Professor Davo is generally awesome like that.
Naturally, since I have a list of literally 65 things I must do before next week, all of which are time-intensive and BORING, I have been rebelling by reading IE articles and chuckling like crazy. I shouldn't even be writing this right now. Guys, I seriously have a metric fuckton of work to do. But I needed a break, I guess. (And a nap, please.)
What I am finding most hilarious is probably the unexpected negative responses in the comments sections from people who do NOT GET IT. Some of the funniest are in the "Redheads Protest Wendy's" Comments section.
Me? I think this sort of public performance art is grand.
The interesting thing about IE is that I find that I am asking myself "how would you react if you weren't in on the joke?"
To be honest, I'd end up amused, but depending on my mood when I ran into an IE prank, the amount of time it would take to adjust to the lunacy might vary.
I just can't imagine walking away with a negative reaction afterwards.
From what I have read and watched, IE performances typically do not inconvenience folks who are not in the know. Sure, someone might have to wait to use a listening station at Virgin ("Megastore"), and someone else might feel put out that they have been faced with yet another "tip or don't tip" situation unexpectedly ("McDonald's Bathroom Attendant"...best response here was from a group of British schoolboys who ran out to announce that "a butler just gave us sweets!"), but, frankly, IE missions don't hurt people. "Victims" always seem to have an "out", or the performances are very brief and don't force responses from viewers. I think that if that remains a standard feature of IE performance art, that "victims" can opt out at any time, or that performances are, by necessity, brief (e.g., a subway ride), a lot of the naysayers might eventually get a clue.
IE does a lot of subway-centric pranks, including a "Haunted House," their annual "No Pants" subway rides, "Surprise!" (a birthday celebration) and, in one rather sweet mission, Agents who happened to already be married "got engaged" in a subway car, with random strangers holding up "WILL YOU MARRY ME?" signs and getting joy from others' apparent happiness. Nothing wrong with that!
The underlying criticism of negative posts seems to be that "no one likes to be made to look like a fool," but it takes at least two parties for that to be the case. The prankster or artist, and the innocent bystander. If you choose to feel like it was personally directed at you and that you were "made" to react foolishly, that is your choice and I disagree with it but honor your right to embrace your negative reaction.
I like clever pranks, myself, though I think the thrill would wane if, for instance, I had to work with a prankster and s/he never took a day off and continued to invade my workplace with his or her style of fun. That's the beauty of IE...no one is "trapped" and I daresay that very few non-Agents have been lucky enough to witness more than one performance.
All in all, it's a fascinating look at social engineering and psychology. We're all so programmed to be suspicious and look for hidden agendas ("do they want my money?" or "am I on a hidden camera show?" or even "is this some kind of cult?") because, sadly, things out of the ordinary often do have a hidden catch we DO NOT WANT (see my blog icon for this post: "Broccoli Dog!!").
It's also interesting how, in many pranks, initially negative responses ("Synchronized Swimming", "Even Better Than The Real Thing") change into positive ones. In the latter, people booing "Fake U2" eventually decided to cheer and have fun, and VH1 apparently featured this as one of the "best pranks of all time" or some such. (I think VH1 is now the "Shows that Countdown Random Things" channel.)
In contrast, there was only one snotty response (from a disgruntled Frenchman who hated American entertainment) to their "Amazing Stuntmen!" prank, which involved two guys in heavy protective jumpsuits and helmets doing DEATH DEFYING stunts like Running With Scissors and Mixing Pop Rocks with Coke, to the delight of the growing crowd of spectators. (Isn't this better entertainment than "Jackass"? Come on!)
If IE is sure to always give negative "victims" an emotional or physical exit strategy, I bet you'll see a lot fewer angry people who lack a sense of fun storming in to piss all over these inspired bits of calculated lunacy. Unless they lack reading comprehension skills (and this, sadly, seems to be the case, OFTEN, in their Comments section) or listen to This American Life on NPR faithfully and take it as gospel without being critical of what they just had aurally spoon-fed to them, I guess.
TAL had a show all about IE stunts, and were rather snottily dismissive of them. One stunt, "Ted's Birthday" involved showering a confused stranger with $250 in gift cards, a delicious cake (om nom nom nom), lots of free booze, hugs and good will. "Ted" was initially confused, then, after much ethical wrangling and being egged on by his buddy, "Ted" bowed to the inevitable and rolled with it and had a blast. Alas, either he had a change of heart later (after using the giftcards, notably) or TAL twisted things around (this is my guess), but it seems that "Ted" no longer feels it was fun. That's a shame.
The other story TAL covered was "Best Gig Ever!!" where IE "Agents" (improv actors and assorted in-the-know conspirators) chose a relatively unknown non-NYC-area band playing in a terrible time slot (Sunday at 10PM, $8 cover) and decided to show up in droves, complete with fake tattoos and homemade t-shirts with the band's logo or name on them, and really have a blast, be supportive and enthusiastic, cheer, dance, egg the band on, and, all in all, really give the band a great gig. (And, yes, the paid the cover fee, and with only three non-Agents there, probably kept the gig from being canceled altogether). The band LOVED it! (Search for "Ghosts of Pasha" and see for yourself.) Somehow, TAL ignored the response from the band, dismissed many reports from Agents who admitted they ended up digging the show, and glossed over the fact that, yes, over 100 people paid the cover fee and genuinely enjoyed themselves and, like "Ted's Birthday," they implied that the Ghosts of Pasha / "Best Gig Ever!" Mission was, in some way, cruel or wrong.
The usual criticism is that it is a type of social engineering that uses innocent bystanders as playthings. I almost see their point, but, somehow, it fails to convince me. I've been the butt of a prank before, and it can be embarrassing, but, for fuck's sake, stop taking yourself so seriously, people.
I got caught out when some little kids were playing "fortune teller" on a bus. I was in high school and oh-so-indulgently gave them the time of day when they insisted I play with them. The fortune telling involved drawing circles around a quarter with a pencil, picking it up, and then rolling it down your nose, eyes closed, and putting it on the pad and repeating the process.
Of course, drawing around a ridged coin like a quarter deposits graphite into the grooves, and rolling it down your face leaves grey streaks.
I suspect that the fortune was "expect a surprise later in the day!" but I can't remember.
I was going to a piano lesson, and my piano teacher took one look, tut-tutted at me, and sent me to the washroom to soap the dirt off my face, which is when I realized I'd been had. And, sure, for about two seconds, I was FURIOUS. Then I felt like I'd brought it on myself to a degree by "indulging" the children. and THEN I thought it was fucking hilarious. Come on, that's brilliant. I was completely trolled, but good.
I'm sure some people would have just stayed angry, and some would have sworn vengeance, and still others would have been beating themselves up for being gullible for weeks, if not months. Me, I knew I'd been "got" but good. If you can't laugh at yourself, you are a miserable human being in my opinion, and need to lighten the hell up.
Another classic IE prank was "Meet A Black Person!" which they held in Aspen, Colorado. Along with "Free Snowcones!," which was just IE Agent Todd with a sign and some empty plastic cups standing next to a pile of dirty snow ("Vanilla! Chocolate! Swirl!" = Snow! Dirt! Dirty Snow!), this prank was geared specifically towards the venue. Aspen is 94.4% White, and 0.44% Black (and, for maths buffs, we can assume the remaining fraction are Other).
They set up a booth with the "Meet A Black Person!" sign, and had a handsome young African American gentleman man the booth, and he proceeded to shake hands, pose for pictures, and spread good will. One of the best exchanges between audience and actor occurred when a white fellow announced proudly that he had, indeed, met a black person before. The actor gave him a cheerful thumbs-up and told him to "keep up the good work!" Another classic moment was when either another improv actor, or a total stranger, approached, and shouted back over his shoulder, "HEY, MOM! There's a real black person here!" He was quite excited and impressed.
I LOVE that mission. It's fun, light-hearted, and fits the venue perfectly. And who wouldn't want to meet such a pleasant, friendly Black Person?
Maybe someone should have a "Meet A REAL Blonde!" booth someday. Though, to keep it surreal, it might be funnier if the "blonde" had dyed red or brown hair. No, see...honestly, I can't top the Aspen goof. Not without a little more thought.
As for IE, I'd love to see more long-range events, such as trying to "viral market" a new phrase or hot hobby or fad. Sure, it's been done, and IE touched on this with “Woddy Doddy Ding Dong” (a fake rap song from a fake band that merely repeats the song title / name of the fake rap group in a faux-gangsta-style accent over and over as the sole lyrics, which several "strangers from Boston" all discovered they liked, with a clueless subway rider audience marveling at the coincidence), but has it been done really WELL yet? Has "viral marketing" ever been used to harness the power of Good, rather than lining some business' pocket or attracting attention to someone's personal agenda? I wonder. If Hallmark can invent holidays just to sell stuff, what's stopping IE from inventing a holiday or trend that has as its only goal "Make More People Happy?" There's not a darn thing wrong with chaotic joy.
They come close with their annual No Pants Subway Rides, which should be a holiday, but I suspect the brilliant and devious mind of Charlie Todd could come up with something even funnier and more surreal.
Or maybe this is a job for "Dad's Garage" in Atlanta. I love those guys, too.
Another thing this reminds me of is a game some friends and I used to play called "Rampage," which really needs to be done with a large group of people. Your first destination is set. Armed with only an entertainment section and a lot of spare cash and time, your group enjoys the fun to be had at location #1, and then chooses, by vote, the next entertaining destination.
A two-person Rampage can be done by simply saying "yes" to every offer that doesn't involve anything that can get you arrested for nudity in public. On one notable Rampage, we said "yes" to three beggars wanting our spare change, "yes" to a guy offering horse and buggy rides, "yes" to fliers offering club entertainment, "yes" to a busker who danced (poorly) to a Tone Loc song (and "yes" to joining in, also dancing poorly), "yes" to performing karaoke, and, finally, "yes" to a round of drinks bought by total strangers. We also had to be careful about voicing whims, because we also said "yes" to "I wonder where this stairwell goes?" and found ourselves on the roof of a tall hotel, and then "yes" to "Shall we ride in those glass elevators?" and found ourselves paying for overpriced cocktails in a revolving restaurant...and then "yes" to making out like fools for an hour or two, until the restaurant staff started pointedly looking at their wristwatches.
Life is short. There's nothing wrong with occasionally saying "yes". There's nothing wrong with a little surreality added to your day. And there's nothing wrong with being surprised by art in unexpected places.
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It's fantastic. Google it. The funniest thing, to me, is seeing all the flashbulbs going off as people took photographs of the frozen Agents, apparently not realizing that their audience experience would not translate well to a still image (duh!).
I tend to ignore videos I am linked to because when I am at home, I have dialup access, and loading a video often involves me going off to get a meal, taking a nap, reading half a novel, playing with the ferret, and then returning to see the requested video is still only 46% loaded. At school, where I can jam with some blazin' WiFi, I am usually in class or working on school stuff. I could not ignore the siren call of so many similar links arriving at the same time, though, so I waited until the end of one class where the professor LIKES that kind of distraction (he enjoyed the ScientoLOLjuuichi Albino Black Sheep video as much as I and my usual set of cronies did) and we watched a few of IE's videos together and LOVED them. Professor Davo is generally awesome like that.
Naturally, since I have a list of literally 65 things I must do before next week, all of which are time-intensive and BORING, I have been rebelling by reading IE articles and chuckling like crazy. I shouldn't even be writing this right now. Guys, I seriously have a metric fuckton of work to do. But I needed a break, I guess. (And a nap, please.)
What I am finding most hilarious is probably the unexpected negative responses in the comments sections from people who do NOT GET IT. Some of the funniest are in the "Redheads Protest Wendy's" Comments section.
Me? I think this sort of public performance art is grand.
The interesting thing about IE is that I find that I am asking myself "how would you react if you weren't in on the joke?"
To be honest, I'd end up amused, but depending on my mood when I ran into an IE prank, the amount of time it would take to adjust to the lunacy might vary.
I just can't imagine walking away with a negative reaction afterwards.
From what I have read and watched, IE performances typically do not inconvenience folks who are not in the know. Sure, someone might have to wait to use a listening station at Virgin ("Megastore"), and someone else might feel put out that they have been faced with yet another "tip or don't tip" situation unexpectedly ("McDonald's Bathroom Attendant"...best response here was from a group of British schoolboys who ran out to announce that "a butler just gave us sweets!"), but, frankly, IE missions don't hurt people. "Victims" always seem to have an "out", or the performances are very brief and don't force responses from viewers. I think that if that remains a standard feature of IE performance art, that "victims" can opt out at any time, or that performances are, by necessity, brief (e.g., a subway ride), a lot of the naysayers might eventually get a clue.
IE does a lot of subway-centric pranks, including a "Haunted House," their annual "No Pants" subway rides, "Surprise!" (a birthday celebration) and, in one rather sweet mission, Agents who happened to already be married "got engaged" in a subway car, with random strangers holding up "WILL YOU MARRY ME?" signs and getting joy from others' apparent happiness. Nothing wrong with that!
The underlying criticism of negative posts seems to be that "no one likes to be made to look like a fool," but it takes at least two parties for that to be the case. The prankster or artist, and the innocent bystander. If you choose to feel like it was personally directed at you and that you were "made" to react foolishly, that is your choice and I disagree with it but honor your right to embrace your negative reaction.
I like clever pranks, myself, though I think the thrill would wane if, for instance, I had to work with a prankster and s/he never took a day off and continued to invade my workplace with his or her style of fun. That's the beauty of IE...no one is "trapped" and I daresay that very few non-Agents have been lucky enough to witness more than one performance.
All in all, it's a fascinating look at social engineering and psychology. We're all so programmed to be suspicious and look for hidden agendas ("do they want my money?" or "am I on a hidden camera show?" or even "is this some kind of cult?") because, sadly, things out of the ordinary often do have a hidden catch we DO NOT WANT (see my blog icon for this post: "Broccoli Dog!!").
It's also interesting how, in many pranks, initially negative responses ("Synchronized Swimming", "Even Better Than The Real Thing") change into positive ones. In the latter, people booing "Fake U2" eventually decided to cheer and have fun, and VH1 apparently featured this as one of the "best pranks of all time" or some such. (I think VH1 is now the "Shows that Countdown Random Things" channel.)
In contrast, there was only one snotty response (from a disgruntled Frenchman who hated American entertainment) to their "Amazing Stuntmen!" prank, which involved two guys in heavy protective jumpsuits and helmets doing DEATH DEFYING stunts like Running With Scissors and Mixing Pop Rocks with Coke, to the delight of the growing crowd of spectators. (Isn't this better entertainment than "Jackass"? Come on!)
If IE is sure to always give negative "victims" an emotional or physical exit strategy, I bet you'll see a lot fewer angry people who lack a sense of fun storming in to piss all over these inspired bits of calculated lunacy. Unless they lack reading comprehension skills (and this, sadly, seems to be the case, OFTEN, in their Comments section) or listen to This American Life on NPR faithfully and take it as gospel without being critical of what they just had aurally spoon-fed to them, I guess.
TAL had a show all about IE stunts, and were rather snottily dismissive of them. One stunt, "Ted's Birthday" involved showering a confused stranger with $250 in gift cards, a delicious cake (om nom nom nom), lots of free booze, hugs and good will. "Ted" was initially confused, then, after much ethical wrangling and being egged on by his buddy, "Ted" bowed to the inevitable and rolled with it and had a blast. Alas, either he had a change of heart later (after using the giftcards, notably) or TAL twisted things around (this is my guess), but it seems that "Ted" no longer feels it was fun. That's a shame.
The other story TAL covered was "Best Gig Ever!!" where IE "Agents" (improv actors and assorted in-the-know conspirators) chose a relatively unknown non-NYC-area band playing in a terrible time slot (Sunday at 10PM, $8 cover) and decided to show up in droves, complete with fake tattoos and homemade t-shirts with the band's logo or name on them, and really have a blast, be supportive and enthusiastic, cheer, dance, egg the band on, and, all in all, really give the band a great gig. (And, yes, the paid the cover fee, and with only three non-Agents there, probably kept the gig from being canceled altogether). The band LOVED it! (Search for "Ghosts of Pasha" and see for yourself.) Somehow, TAL ignored the response from the band, dismissed many reports from Agents who admitted they ended up digging the show, and glossed over the fact that, yes, over 100 people paid the cover fee and genuinely enjoyed themselves and, like "Ted's Birthday," they implied that the Ghosts of Pasha / "Best Gig Ever!" Mission was, in some way, cruel or wrong.
The usual criticism is that it is a type of social engineering that uses innocent bystanders as playthings. I almost see their point, but, somehow, it fails to convince me. I've been the butt of a prank before, and it can be embarrassing, but, for fuck's sake, stop taking yourself so seriously, people.
I got caught out when some little kids were playing "fortune teller" on a bus. I was in high school and oh-so-indulgently gave them the time of day when they insisted I play with them. The fortune telling involved drawing circles around a quarter with a pencil, picking it up, and then rolling it down your nose, eyes closed, and putting it on the pad and repeating the process.
Of course, drawing around a ridged coin like a quarter deposits graphite into the grooves, and rolling it down your face leaves grey streaks.
I suspect that the fortune was "expect a surprise later in the day!" but I can't remember.
I was going to a piano lesson, and my piano teacher took one look, tut-tutted at me, and sent me to the washroom to soap the dirt off my face, which is when I realized I'd been had. And, sure, for about two seconds, I was FURIOUS. Then I felt like I'd brought it on myself to a degree by "indulging" the children. and THEN I thought it was fucking hilarious. Come on, that's brilliant. I was completely trolled, but good.
I'm sure some people would have just stayed angry, and some would have sworn vengeance, and still others would have been beating themselves up for being gullible for weeks, if not months. Me, I knew I'd been "got" but good. If you can't laugh at yourself, you are a miserable human being in my opinion, and need to lighten the hell up.
Another classic IE prank was "Meet A Black Person!" which they held in Aspen, Colorado. Along with "Free Snowcones!," which was just IE Agent Todd with a sign and some empty plastic cups standing next to a pile of dirty snow ("Vanilla! Chocolate! Swirl!" = Snow! Dirt! Dirty Snow!), this prank was geared specifically towards the venue. Aspen is 94.4% White, and 0.44% Black (and, for maths buffs, we can assume the remaining fraction are Other).
They set up a booth with the "Meet A Black Person!" sign, and had a handsome young African American gentleman man the booth, and he proceeded to shake hands, pose for pictures, and spread good will. One of the best exchanges between audience and actor occurred when a white fellow announced proudly that he had, indeed, met a black person before. The actor gave him a cheerful thumbs-up and told him to "keep up the good work!" Another classic moment was when either another improv actor, or a total stranger, approached, and shouted back over his shoulder, "HEY, MOM! There's a real black person here!" He was quite excited and impressed.
I LOVE that mission. It's fun, light-hearted, and fits the venue perfectly. And who wouldn't want to meet such a pleasant, friendly Black Person?
Maybe someone should have a "Meet A REAL Blonde!" booth someday. Though, to keep it surreal, it might be funnier if the "blonde" had dyed red or brown hair. No, see...honestly, I can't top the Aspen goof. Not without a little more thought.
As for IE, I'd love to see more long-range events, such as trying to "viral market" a new phrase or hot hobby or fad. Sure, it's been done, and IE touched on this with “Woddy Doddy Ding Dong” (a fake rap song from a fake band that merely repeats the song title / name of the fake rap group in a faux-gangsta-style accent over and over as the sole lyrics, which several "strangers from Boston" all discovered they liked, with a clueless subway rider audience marveling at the coincidence), but has it been done really WELL yet? Has "viral marketing" ever been used to harness the power of Good, rather than lining some business' pocket or attracting attention to someone's personal agenda? I wonder. If Hallmark can invent holidays just to sell stuff, what's stopping IE from inventing a holiday or trend that has as its only goal "Make More People Happy?" There's not a darn thing wrong with chaotic joy.
They come close with their annual No Pants Subway Rides, which should be a holiday, but I suspect the brilliant and devious mind of Charlie Todd could come up with something even funnier and more surreal.
Or maybe this is a job for "Dad's Garage" in Atlanta. I love those guys, too.
Another thing this reminds me of is a game some friends and I used to play called "Rampage," which really needs to be done with a large group of people. Your first destination is set. Armed with only an entertainment section and a lot of spare cash and time, your group enjoys the fun to be had at location #1, and then chooses, by vote, the next entertaining destination.
A two-person Rampage can be done by simply saying "yes" to every offer that doesn't involve anything that can get you arrested for nudity in public. On one notable Rampage, we said "yes" to three beggars wanting our spare change, "yes" to a guy offering horse and buggy rides, "yes" to fliers offering club entertainment, "yes" to a busker who danced (poorly) to a Tone Loc song (and "yes" to joining in, also dancing poorly), "yes" to performing karaoke, and, finally, "yes" to a round of drinks bought by total strangers. We also had to be careful about voicing whims, because we also said "yes" to "I wonder where this stairwell goes?" and found ourselves on the roof of a tall hotel, and then "yes" to "Shall we ride in those glass elevators?" and found ourselves paying for overpriced cocktails in a revolving restaurant...and then "yes" to making out like fools for an hour or two, until the restaurant staff started pointedly looking at their wristwatches.
Life is short. There's nothing wrong with occasionally saying "yes". There's nothing wrong with a little surreality added to your day. And there's nothing wrong with being surprised by art in unexpected places.
.