Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

TAGS: 

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Rick-Adams/100000053021803 Rick Adams

    Holy shit that’s awesome. The built-up tension caused by some of the more aggressive panhandlers is the perfect thing to exploit for comedy.
    Hilarious…

  • Andy

    This is SO SO SO good. oh man.

    • gamophyte

       feels good too man!

  • SomeGuyNamedMark

    So how much money did they get?

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/65CSAR3QATRNKJW4NYNB2BESZE JohnQPublic

    “We lost a lion. They’re blaming me.”  Best line

  • Gulliver

    I don’t know whether to be sad or elated that this was more entertaining than all three Transformers films combined. I’m gonna miss New York when it’s under water.

    • http://www.facebook.com/matthew.urso Matthew Urso

      damn, we’ve stolen californias “thing” haven’t we…

      • Robert Janca

        But the mean spirited edge is not something we do here out west…you guys can keep it.

        • http://www.facebook.com/people/Rick-Adams/100000053021803 Rick Adams

          The west actually excels in being mean-spirited. It’s just that we do it with passive-aggression and sarcasm. Most New Yorkers are nicer than I would’ve expected. They’re just a little more honest because they don’t have the time for extra bullshit.

          • wrybread

            As an ex longtime New Yorker now living in San Francisco for 12 glorious years, I’m feeling compelled to have you define “the west”. I’d say here in San Francisco we mostly lack mean spiritedness, whether of the passive-aggressive or aggressive variety. Sure we dip our toes into irony, but its generally with a smirk. At least compared to those neurotic passive-aggressive L.A. people down south…

  • otterhead

    This is brilliant. I do kinda wish the businessman hadn’t pulled out all the f-bombs and ‘dickheads’ and such, myself. Does that make me an old fogey?

    • EH

      Yes.

    • spacedoggy

      He is what I imagine President Romney would have solved the economic shortfall.
      “Hey listen up for 47% dickheads, get back to work in the factories i’ve closed you god-damned bums!”

    • justonpayne

      Yes.

      • otterhead

        Gee thanks!

        I guess that crazy madman swearing isn’t as funny to me when there’s little kids sitting there.

        I’m kind of a fogey that way.

  • SuperMatt

    It was so funny that…

    …I forgot to laugh.

    • Kenmrph

      Nice one. Mind if I borrow that some time?

      • SuperMatt

        No problem, but I think the copyright belongs to Tom from my elementary school, around the 3rd grade…

        • http://cobramcgiantballs.tumblr.com/ Xploder

          Tom must have stolen it from MY buddy Mark when I was in second grade…unless, of course, you’re older than I (52 soon, dammit all).

  • LinkMan

    The candy-seller was so fake.  All real candy sellers sell peanut M&Ms and Starburst.  Not Welch’s fruit snacks. 

    • retchdog

      speak for yourself. of the ones i see, about half have exclusively welch’s. i suspect the bulk price is lower (buy case of 144 and split).

      • Sam Piip

        That and no one wants them, they’re there as the comparison. People are more likely to buy X when presented the option of X and the inferior Y, than when presented X alone.

        • retchdog

          but i like welch’s fruit snacks. :(

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=8834925 Chauncey Scott

    Not that far from reality. Candy sellers are my pet peeve. Dude your 6’3 and 38yrs old, you don’t have a bball team. 

  • Kenmrph

    Oh man, just when I thought I didn’t want to see another flash-mob no-pants improv-everywhere whatever video… that was BRILLIANT!  And they actually managed to pull off the near-impossible, which is to end a sketch comedy bit on a truly funny note.

    • Kenmrph

      (I had some sense of what was coming with the last guy, but that didn’t really detract from it)

    • http://www.nathanhornby.com/ Nathan Hornby

      Exactly – normally there’s likely an awkward moment after the fade. This was very well ended (even if a little predictable).

  • Robert Cruickshank

    “Surreal spectacle”? Uh, no.

    • wrybread

      /quibble