Media Coverage of the Star Wars Kid

Posted by Andy Baio

The New York Times just posted an article about the Star Wars Kid and our fundraising efforts, with quotes from me and Ghyslain. Also: Wired News, The Globe and Mail, National Post story & interview, Cinescape, Chicago Tribune, the Lycos 50, and Yahoo’s Buzz Index. Listen to the radio interview from PRI’s The World. GeekCulture.com posted a great comic.

If you’re here for the first time, view the original video and the lightsaber and Matrix remixes. Then, read more about Jish’s interviews with Ghyslain and the fundraiser effort.

Comments

    Hey everyone, check out this HILARIOUS VIDEO! Hey everyone, STOP LAUGHING AT HIM! Hey everyone, what’s the price of a clean conscience? I know, we’ll buy him an iPod and call him a HERO without a trace of irony!

    these videos were definitely the funniest things i’ve seen in a long time. now, he only did what we have all done at some point in out lives, most of us just never got caught. i love laughing at it because it is like laughing at me…all of those time i could’ve been caught pretending. how embarrassing! anyway, i have developed an affection for this kid…he represents a part me that is still inside waiting to be caught…maybe attempting to run up a tree a la Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I am so touched that Andy has felt that same affection and helped to eliminate at least some of the vicious comments that a few bitter, cynical nitwits felt they needed to post under the anonymity of the internet. and doing something nice for this kid by raising money for an ipod? what a sweet gesture! hero or not, he represents something that is inside of all of us and i for one am glad that Andy and everyone else that has supported the effort are celebrating it. cheers!

    Hey everyone, check out this HILARIOUS VIDEO! Hey everyone, STOP LAUGHING AT HIM! Hey everyone, what’s the price of a clean conscience? I know, we’ll buy him an iPod and call him a HERO without a trace of irony!

    Hey, Fussbest, ever laugh with a friend who was embarrassed, not at them? It’s like that.

    I made one of those unnecessarily rude comments about Ghyslain, and I’m ashamed of myself. I did enjoy his little action video and the remake was great…but I forgot that a real person was behind it and I’m sorry he was hurt. Ghyslain does rock and I wish him well….now I’m off to make pennance in the form of a donation to his I-Pod.

    wtf…I just saved the image in the NYTIMES article to show someone..look at their filename for the image “19DORK.jpg” …how professional

    I shared this with my Harry Potter audience, since we’re all geeks too. Also, the Wired article has an animated GIF of the video, but is extremely slow to load. I copied it to my own server (please DO NOT link to it – it is already getting hit hard by my own audience).

    Click on my name below to see what was posted on my site (the Harry Potter Automatic News Aggregator), including the animated GIF.

    I just chucked in $10 bucks to help this kid. Sure he looks silly, but he isn’t the first that’s done something embarassing, just one of the few who got caught. I laughed, but mainly because I recognized myself at various points in my life.

    Get the kid a G4 laptop to go with his ipod. I’d love to see the look on the faces of those who digitized it when he shows up at school with some really cool toys.

    I just sent an email to the NYT editors to have them remove the word “DORK” from the URL to the GIF that accompanies the story. Perhaps you’d like to do the same?

    The only reason why that video got digitized was because some people were pissed at him for taping over a basketball game they were going to edit, so says the rumor. It would explain why there’s a frame or two of a basketball game following the unremixed video. Anyone know differently?

    I don’t see why the kid deserves an iPod though. So he got made a fool of. Take the punches and roll with it.

    Next thing you know people are going to track down funny money and chin2 to give them an IPOD..

    Has that been done yet? Hell, prolly

    You know, I’m surprised at how criticized this kid is… I mean, considering his size and weight restrictions, he actually does fairly well with that thing.

    This is a great clip. Why does the media consider it “humiliating”? I don’t think that there is anyone out there who hasn’t done something like this. There just wasn’t a camera around. God, I remember my solo sword fights in my room during my teens and my ripping air guitar riffs with incredible joy.

    I think what bugs people is that although everyone (of us guys) has done this sort of action fantasy (whether individual combat or air guitar riffs), the image of it doesn’t quit match what you though you were feeling at the time, but it doesn’t take away from the incredible high you felt when you’re done. Keep slashing, Star Wars Kid, the Force is indeed with you! Dave in Denver

    Suuuure you were “interviewed” and “quoted”… riiiight. As if we are supposed to believe something that was printed in the New York Times.

    I think the kid’s got style. Decent moves, and he’s just having fun. It’s about time that the tables are turned on the bullies and “in crowds” where the picked-on kid (do you honestly think he doesn’t get picked on because of his size on a day to day basis) ends up not only getting to rub their noses in it, but some cool gear too.

    This kid is so fucking cool. George Lucas should use him for the Clone Army ad campaign.

    Andy – just heard you on The World on KCRW when I was coming back from lunch. You’ve officially ‘arrived’.

    Hey! I thought I’d share some other movies. A friend of mine has been working on a “star wars” project for some time. As much as Ghyslain might have been a bit clumsy, these guys put more effort into it and I think it looks pretty damn good!! Ohhh and by the way, they are also from Quebec, maybe they should work together… what do you guys think? 🙂 the link is right here!

    alright, sorry to be the newbe, but even though i thought I had all the newest codecs (divx/mpg4/etc..) I can’t get the video to play. Neither BSplayer or DivXplayer run it, and Windows Media Player (8) plays it as a solid gray clip (sound, no video). thanks.

    As far as I know, it is divx 5 encoded. Maybe you just don’t have the v.5? You can get it at http://www.divx.com or on plenty of other download sites.

    It works fine here though, sorry I can’t help…

    Simon

    Kudos to you guys for helping bring the video to light and doing an fundraiser for the kid. The video IS cool, and he’s pretty damn good!

    LOL so funny cant stop laughing and im finally proud to be from quebec lol

    Tu merite genre 100 000$ pour sa ,sinon plus:)Si jaurai paypal jdonnerais cest sure.Inquiet toi pas plus tard sa va etre ton trophee de ton heure de gloire.

    What if this was all made up by this kid? Not that anyone, especially the New York Times, has had any problems with this lately…

    I am happy that someone has finally been awarded for something that they never dreamed of being awarded for… congrats are in order for this kid.

    I was actually meaning that top part to be somewhat funny, but then it just turned dumb. My apologies to all, especially Ghyslain.

    Well… since they have decided to force you to install warez that turn your machine into a hosting server, I guess I won’t ever see it.

    I won’t jepordize my network security for a giggle.

    I just watched the video as well as the “remix” version. Both are very cool! I also was a huge star wars fan when i was a kid and pretty often made some light-saber action moves, put my choreography was pitiful in comparison to that shown in the clip. Whoever can say he never was a “Star Wars Kid” during his younger years has my pity. Poor Bastards….

    BitTorrent is hardly “warez.” It’s currently the most popular hosting option for distributing large files, and it’s completely open-source.

    Besides, if you don’t want to use BitTorrent, you can just use the “alternate” links above.

    Does anyone know where this guy is from exactly? I work at a MOntreal TV station, and we’re trying to find him. Where did JISH track him down?

    thanks

    Morgan

    Anyone have this in another format? I use a TiBook with OS X and it doesn’t like the the wmv. Or let me know of a OS X player to view this thing. Thanks

    Hey, I still do things like that today, and I am 32. You go, kid. You’re the coolest.

    i wish i could still let go like him. hell, you’re my hero, ghyslain. never be embarrassed.

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