1
00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:02,920
I started Improv Everywhere
about 10 years ago

2
00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:06,456
when I moved to New York City
with an interest in acting and comedy.

3
00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:09,456
Because I was new to the city,
I didn't have access to a stage,

4
00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:12,856
so I decided to create
my own in public places.

5
00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:15,256
So the first project
we're going to take a look at

6
00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:17,176
is the very first No Pants Subway Ride.

7
00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:19,176
Now, this took place in January of 2002.

8
00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:21,136
And this woman is the star of the video.

9
00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:22,896
She doesn't know she's being filmed.

10
00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:24,856
She's being filmed with a hidden camera.

11
00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:26,816
This is on the 6 train in New York City.

12
00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:28,936
And this is the first stop along the line.

13
00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:30,216
These are two Danish guys

14
00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:32,640
who come in and sit down
next to the hidden camera.

15
00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:35,896
And that's me right there in a brown coat.

16
00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:37,576
It's about 30 degrees outside.

17
00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:40,136
I'm wearing a hat. I'm wearing a scarf.

18
00:00:40,160 --> 00:00:42,280
And the girl's going
to notice me right here.

19
00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:47,600
(Laughter)

20
00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:52,496
And as you'll see now,
I'm not wearing pants.

21
00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:54,960
(Laughter)

22
00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:58,576
At this point --

23
00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:00,096
at this point she's noticed me,

24
00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:02,736
but in New York there's weirdos
on any given train car.

25
00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:04,215
One person's not that unusual.

26
00:01:04,239 --> 00:01:07,656
She goes back to reading her book,
which is unfortunately titled "Rape."

27
00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:09,960
(Laughter)

28
00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:14,576
So she's noticed the unusual thing,
but she's gone back to her normal life.

29
00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:16,536
Now, in the meantime, I have six friends

30
00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:18,896
who are waiting at the next
six consecutive stops

31
00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:20,576
in their underwear as well.

32
00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:22,936
They're going to be entering
this car one by one.

33
00:01:22,960 --> 00:01:25,456
We'll act as though
we don't know each other.

34
00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:28,496
And we'll act as if it's just
an unfortunate mistake we've made,

35
00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:30,696
forgetting our pants
on this cold January day.

36
00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:34,240
(Laughter)

37
00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:48,200
(Laughter continues)

38
00:01:57,280 --> 00:01:58,536
So at this point,

39
00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:00,896
she decides to put the rape book away.

40
00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:02,976
(Laughter)

41
00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:06,336
And she decides to be a little bit
more aware of her surroundings.

42
00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:09,336
In the meantime, the two Danish guys
to the left of the camera,

43
00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:10,576
they're cracking up.

44
00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:13,576
They think this is the funniest thing
they've ever seen before.

45
00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:16,280
And watch her make eye contact
with them right about now.

46
00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:20,920
(Laughter)

47
00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:25,096
And I love that moment in this video,

48
00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:27,696
because before it became
a shared experience,

49
00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:30,496
it was something
that was maybe a little bit scary,

50
00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:32,776
or something that was
at least confusing to her.

51
00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:34,896
And then once it became
a shared experience,

52
00:02:34,920 --> 00:02:37,336
it was funny and something
that she could laugh at.

53
00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:40,960
So the train is now pulling
into the third stop along the 6 line.

54
00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:56,960
(Laughter)

55
00:02:58,200 --> 00:02:59,896
So the video won't show everything.

56
00:02:59,920 --> 00:03:02,016
This goes on for another four stops.

57
00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:05,296
A total of seven guys
enter anonymously in their underwear.

58
00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:08,056
At the eighth stop,
a girl came in with a giant duffel bag

59
00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:10,536
and announced she had
pants for sale for a dollar --

60
00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:13,776
like you might sell batteries
or candy on the train.

61
00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:16,856
We all very matter-of-factly
bought a pair of pants, put them on

62
00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:19,616
and said, "Thank you.
That's exactly what I needed today,"

63
00:03:19,640 --> 00:03:22,816
and then exited without
revealing what had happened

64
00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:24,656
and went in all different directions.

65
00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:27,656
(Applause)

66
00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:28,880
Thank you.

67
00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:32,416
So that's a still from the video there.

68
00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:34,416
And I love that girl's reaction so much.

69
00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:36,440
And watching that videotape later that day

70
00:03:36,464 --> 00:03:38,776
inspired me to keep doing what I do.

71
00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:41,336
And really one of the points
of Improv Everywhere

72
00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:43,376
is to cause a scene in a public place

73
00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:45,616
that is a positive experience
for other people.

74
00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:49,096
It's a prank, but it's a prank
that gives somebody a great story to tell.

75
00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:50,496
And her reaction inspired me

76
00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:52,536
to do a second annual
No Pants Subway Ride.

77
00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:54,465
And we've continued to do it every year.

78
00:03:54,489 --> 00:03:57,176
This January, we did
the 10th annual No Pants Subway Ride

79
00:03:57,200 --> 00:03:59,536
where a diverse group of 3,500 people

80
00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:01,816
rode the train in their
underwear in New York --

81
00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:03,896
almost every single
train line in the city.

82
00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:06,296
And also in 50 other cities
around the world,

83
00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:07,536
people participated.

84
00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:09,696
(Laughter)

85
00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:13,136
As I started taking improv class
at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater

86
00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:16,416
and meeting other creative people
and other performers and comedians.

87
00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:18,495
I started amassing
a mailing list of people

88
00:04:18,519 --> 00:04:20,495
who wanted to do these types of projects.

89
00:04:20,519 --> 00:04:22,456
So I could do more large-scale projects.

90
00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:24,816
Well, one day I was walking
through Union Square,

91
00:04:24,840 --> 00:04:28,376
and I saw this building,
which had just been built in 2005.

92
00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:31,216
There was a girl in one of the windows
and she was dancing.

93
00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:33,416
It was very peculiar,
because it was dark out,

94
00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:35,656
but she was backlit
with florescent lighting.

95
00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:36,936
She was very much onstage

96
00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:39,176
and I couldn't figure out
why she was doing it.

97
00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:41,376
After about 15 seconds,
her friend appeared --

98
00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:43,216
she had been hiding behind a display.

99
00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:45,376
They laughed, hugged
each other and ran away.

100
00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:47,136
Maybe she had been dared to do this.

101
00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:48,456
So I got inspired by that.

102
00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:51,416
Looking at the entire facade --
there were 70 total windows --

103
00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:52,816
and I knew what I had to do.

104
00:04:52,840 --> 00:04:54,376
(Laughter)

105
00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:56,296
So this project is called Look Up More.

106
00:04:56,320 --> 00:04:57,896
We had 70 actors dress in black.

107
00:04:57,920 --> 00:04:59,536
This was completely unauthorized.

108
00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:01,696
We didn't let the stores know
we were coming.

109
00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:03,616
And I stood in the park giving signals.

110
00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:07,136
The first signal was for everybody
to hold up these four-foot tall letters

111
00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:08,736
that spelled out "Look Up More,"

112
00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:10,000
the name of the project.

113
00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:14,280
The second signal was for everybody
to do jumping jacks together.

114
00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:17,016
You'll see that start right here.

115
00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:19,496
(Laughter)

116
00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:21,736
And then we had dancing.
We had everyone dance.

117
00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:23,096
And then we had dance solos

118
00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:26,336
where only one person would dance
and everybody would point to them.

119
00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:29,560
(Laughter)

120
00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:34,736
So then I gave a new hand signal,

121
00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:38,136
which signaled the next soloist
down below in Forever 21,

122
00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:39,440
and he danced.

123
00:05:40,280 --> 00:05:42,056
There were several other activities.

124
00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:45,496
We had people jumping up and down,
people dropping to the ground.

125
00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:47,976
And I was standing
just anonymously in a sweatshirt,

126
00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:51,256
putting my hand on and off of a trashcan
to signal the advancement.

127
00:05:51,280 --> 00:05:54,456
And because it was in Union Square Park,
right by a subway station,

128
00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:57,616
there were hundreds of people by the end
who stopped and looked up

129
00:05:57,640 --> 00:05:59,160
and watched what we were doing.

130
00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:03,176
There's a better photo of it.

131
00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:06,976
So that particular event
was inspired by a moment

132
00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,336
that I happened to stumble upon.

133
00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:10,856
The next project I want to show

134
00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:13,696
was given to me
in an email from a stranger.

135
00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,056
A high school kid in Texas
wrote me in 2006

136
00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:18,536
and said, "You should get
as many people as possible

137
00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:21,136
to put on blue polo shirts and khaki pants

138
00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:23,416
and go into a Best Buy and stand around."

139
00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:25,856
(Laughter)

140
00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:28,136
(Applause)

141
00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:32,656
So I wrote this high school kid
back immediately

142
00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:34,336
and I said, "Yes, you are correct.

143
00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:36,856
I think I'll try to do that
this weekend. Thank you."

144
00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:38,256
So here's the video.

145
00:06:38,280 --> 00:06:39,776
So again, this is 2005.

146
00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:42,296
This is the Best Buy in New York City.

147
00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:45,096
We had about 80 people
show up to participate,

148
00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:46,416
entering one by one.

149
00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:48,917
There was an eight-year-old girl,
a 10-year-old girl.

150
00:06:48,941 --> 00:06:51,976
There was also a 65-year-old man
who participated.

151
00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:53,976
So a very diverse group of people.

152
00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:55,136
(Laughter)

153
00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:57,816
And I told people,
"Don't work. Don't actually do work.

154
00:06:57,840 --> 00:06:59,056
But also, don't shop.

155
00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:01,496
Just stand around
and don't face products."

156
00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:03,336
Now you can see the regular employees

157
00:07:03,360 --> 00:07:05,856
by the ones that have
the yellow tags on their shirt.

158
00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:07,616
Everybody else is one of our actors.

159
00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:09,496
(Laughter)

160
00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:11,976
The lower-level employees
thought it was very funny.

161
00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:14,976
Several of them went
to go get their camera from the break room

162
00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:16,256
and took photos with us.

163
00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:19,336
A lot of them made jokes
about trying to get us to go to the back

164
00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:21,976
to get heavy television sets
for customers.

165
00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:24,936
The managers and the security guards,
on the other hand,

166
00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:27,256
did not find it particularly funny.

167
00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:28,896
You can see them in this footage.

168
00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:31,536
They're wearing either
a yellow shirt or a black shirt.

169
00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:33,376
And we were there probably 10 minutes

170
00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:35,896
before the managers decided to dial 911.

171
00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:38,176
(Laughter)

172
00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:39,976
So they started running around

173
00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:43,576
telling everybody the cops were coming,
"Watch out, the cops are coming."

174
00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:46,216
And you can see the cops
in this footage right here.

175
00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:49,736
That's a cop wearing black right there,
being filmed with a hidden camera.

176
00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:52,416
Ultimately, the police
had to inform Best Buy management

177
00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:56,016
that it was not, in fact, illegal
to wear a blue polo shirt and khaki pants.

178
00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:58,336
(Laughter)

179
00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:01,856
(Applause)

180
00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:03,096
Thank you.

181
00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:04,816
(Applause)

182
00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:09,256
So we had been there for 20 minutes;
we were happy to exit the store.

183
00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:13,336
One thing the managers were trying to do
was to track down our cameras.

184
00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:16,856
And they caught a couple of my guys
who had hidden cameras in duffel bags.

185
00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:18,785
But the one camera guy they never caught

186
00:08:18,809 --> 00:08:21,016
was the guy that went in
just with a blank tape

187
00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:23,256
and went over to the Best Buy
camera department

188
00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:25,416
and just put his tape
in one of their cameras

189
00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:26,680
and pretended to shop.

190
00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:30,656
So I like that concept of using
their own technology against them.

191
00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:32,376
(Laughter)

192
00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:35,096
I think our best projects
are ones that are site-specific

193
00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:37,296
and happen at a particular
place for a reason.

194
00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:39,273
And one morning, I was riding the subway.

195
00:08:39,297 --> 00:08:41,416
I had to make a transfer
at the 53rd St. stop

196
00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:43,456
where there are
these two giant escalators.

197
00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:46,936
And it's a very depressing place
to be in the morning, it's very crowded.

198
00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:48,856
So I decided to try and stage something

199
00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:51,520
that could make it as happy
as possible for one morning.

200
00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:55,896
So this was in the winter of 2009 --
8:30 in the morning.

201
00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:57,456
It's morning rush hour.

202
00:08:57,480 --> 00:08:59,216
It's very cold outside.

203
00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:00,856
People are coming in from Queens,

204
00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:03,776
transferring from the E train
to the 6 train.

205
00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:06,896
And they're going up
these giant escalators

206
00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:08,840
on their way to their jobs.

207
00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:23,320
(Laughter)

208
00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:33,336
(Laughter)

209
00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:37,560
(Applause)

210
00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:41,216
Thank you.

211
00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:44,256
So there's a photograph
that illustrates it a little bit better.

212
00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:46,936
He gave 2,000 high fives that day,

213
00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:49,336
and he washed his hands
before and afterward

214
00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:50,776
and did not get sick.

215
00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:52,800
And that was done also without permission,

216
00:09:52,824 --> 00:09:54,936
although no one seemed to care.

217
00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:56,256
So I'd say over the years,

218
00:09:56,280 --> 00:09:59,496
one of the most common criticisms
I see of Improv Everywhere

219
00:09:59,520 --> 00:10:01,416
left anonymously on YouTube comments

220
00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:04,576
is: "These people
have too much time on their hands."

221
00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:07,536
And you know, not everybody's
going to like everything you do

222
00:10:07,560 --> 00:10:10,856
and I've certainly developed a thick skin
thanks to Internet comments,

223
00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:12,536
but that one's always bothered me,

224
00:10:12,560 --> 00:10:14,896
because we don't have
too much time on our hands.

225
00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:17,016
The participants
at Improv Everywhere events

226
00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:19,696
have just as much leisure time
as any other New Yorkers,

227
00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:22,616
they just occasionally choose
to spend it in an unusual way.

228
00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:24,376
You know, every Saturday and Sunday,

229
00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:26,456
hundreds of thousands of people each fall

230
00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:29,176
gather in football stadiums
to watch games.

231
00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:32,256
And I've never seen anybody comment,
looking at a football game,

232
00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:35,736
"All those people in the stands,
they have too much time on their hands."

233
00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:37,016
And of course they don't.

234
00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:39,896
It's a perfectly wonderful way
to spent a weekend afternoon,

235
00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:41,776
watching a football game in a stadium.

236
00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:43,976
But I think it's also
a perfectly valid way

237
00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:47,176
to spend an afternoon
freezing in place with 200 people

238
00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:48,856
in the Grand Central terminal

239
00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:51,176
or dressing up like a ghostbuster

240
00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:53,456
and running through
the New York Public Library.

241
00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:55,576
(Laughter)

242
00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:58,816
Or listening to the same MP3
as 3,000 other people

243
00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:00,976
and dancing silently in a park,

244
00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:03,176
or bursting into song in a grocery store

245
00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:05,416
as part of a spontaneous musical,

246
00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:08,856
or diving into the ocean in Coney Island
wearing formal attire.

247
00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:10,296
(Laughter)

248
00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:12,256
You know, as kids, we're taught to play.

249
00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:14,656
And we're never given a reason
why we should play.

250
00:11:14,680 --> 00:11:16,896
It's just acceptable
that play is a good thing.

251
00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:19,656
And I think that's sort of
the point of Improv Everywhere.

252
00:11:19,680 --> 00:11:22,976
It's that there is no point
and that there doesn't have to be a point.

253
00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:25,016
We don't need a reason.
As long as it's fun

254
00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:27,256
and it seems like
it's going to be a funny idea

255
00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:29,576
and it seems like the people
who witness it

256
00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:31,056
will also have a fun time,

257
00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:32,456
then that's enough for us.

258
00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:34,496
And I think, as adults, we need to learn

259
00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:36,976
that there's no right
or wrong way to play.

260
00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:38,216
Thank you very much.

261
00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:41,040
(Applause)