Who Ya Gonna Call? Improv Everywhere Spooks Up New York Public Library A video
by Luke McKinney 11,193 112 05/19/2010 08:25 AM 2375 views
When it comes to public pranks there's Improv Everywhere, and there's everyone else. Oh, and there's a big gap between the two.
Living up to the world's only joyous mission statement, "We Cause Scenes," they recently played with the opening of one of the world's funniest movies in the original location: The New York Public Library. (You either know what's about to happen, or you had a deprived childhood.)
The best bit is the restraint they show: where others might have charged screaming through the library, these entertainment experts built it up beautifully with multiple "ghosts" gradually infiltrating the crowds. They drew attention before the stunt even started, gathering smiles and wonder, perfectly priming the audience. When the Ghostbusters finally arrived, it was a spectacular success.
Think about it. How many people can get an ovation in a library?
You mean poor Huey Lewis and the News! Listen to I Want A New Drug and try to imagine how Ray thought he was going to get away with such an obvious ripoff. PROTIP: He didn't, and eventually had to give them all the money.
(And thanks, I didn't catch that priceless screen!)
There's no shame in pop, rock or folk music for ripping off someone else's riff. It's been going on since the first caveman hit a rock with a stick. There is shame, however, if the group you choose to rip off is as lame as Huey Lewis and the News.
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