Improv Everywhere are (kinda) world famous

[burns1]

I went out today to buy 'The Guardian', just like I do every Saturday. I was reading one of its supplements, 'The Guide', because it is my favourite part of the paper (It's the bit that deals with entertainment, rather than real news), and on page 43 I came across this:

'IMPROV EVERYWHERE (www.improveverywhere.com)

A couple of months ago a semi-employed actor, codename Agent Todd, entered the gents toilets of a New York McDonald's wearing a black tuxedo and proceeded to arrange the room with cologne, shaving supplies and the all-important mints on a silver tray in the manner of an upmarket lavatory attendant. Customers, including the manager, thought Todd was part of a strange new Big Mac promotion but he was taking part in one of a series of "missions" intended to give New Yorkers a surreal buzz. All the stunts - including a birthday party thrown for a stranger, synchronised swimming in a fountain and re-enacting the same argument Groundhog Day style 12 times in a Starbucks - are filmed and documented for posterity here. Strangely it's rather uplifting'



That is it, in full. It was in their weekly review of the best of 'The Web'.

For the record, this is what else was mentioned.

www.sincitythemovie.com

www.drownedinsound.com

and a small article about celebrity deaths (which has given away where I get my 'obscure death notices' from, for anyone that reads my journal)

 

[burns1]

42 people have read this. And not one of you is impressed enough to comment on the fact that they have been mentioned in one of the major british papers on the second biggest sales day of the week (after Sunday)?

 

[Antny]

In the UK would it have to be called Impro Everywhere?

 

[burns1]

In the UK would it have to be called Impro Everywhere?

No.

We have the letter 'V' too. (We just use it less often than we use the letter 'U' )

 

[dggoldst]

I have read it and I hereby state that it is impressive as all hell and people should be talking about it more. People should also be talking about how John Gemberling is in a freakin' feature film for heaven's sake. I don't know what is wrong with people. I feel sometimes it takes a "Why is nobody talking about ..." thread to get people talking about something , and then it doesn't even always work.

bye!
Doug

 

[goldfish boy]

Why do people need to talk about it more? I think burns1 did an excellent job of reporting it. What more needs to be said? Now, does it need to be bumped? Why, yes, it does need to be bumped. Bump.

 

[ctodd]

Hey Burns! Thanks for posting this. Someone mentioned it in my guestbook the other day, but I couldn't find the mention on The Guardian's website. Now I see Michelle linked to it in another thread (thanks Michelle!)

Is there anyway you could mail me your copy? (if you still have it) I can PM you my mailing address.

I'm surprised they didn't make mention of the hilarious british kids we encountered that day. They were so excited about our butler in the loo giving out sweets!

 

[burns1]

Mentioned in todays Metros - the free newspaper given out across most of our major cities every morning: http://theridiculant.metro.co.uk/2009/02/high-five.html

Also, two friends of friends I had never met before and who don't know each other have, separately, in the last week asked if I have heard of Improv Everywhere.

 

[icouldbewrong]

Yay, Charlie!!!!!!

:banana:

 

[Fred Garvin]

Sam - btw the proper English would be "Improv Everywhere IS Famous", not ARE - get with the programme.