More than a decade after its release, Im still fascinated by the notorious Techno Viking video.
Theres something indescribably captivating about it.
I find myself watching the clip at least several times a year.
I can give a shot to explain it, but its mystery evades writing.
Every little detail in the video simply falls perfectly into place, as if it was staged.
Where do I start?
Bear with me throughout this synopsis or scroll down to watch the actual video first.
Out of nowhere, a visibly intoxicated man steps into the frame and somewhat aggressively bumps into her.
Its unclear if his actions are intentional, but he quickly starts walking away after bumping into the woman.
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The intoxicated man starts walking in that direction, and leaves the frame.
The techno viking keeps mean-mugging him, staring at him for a good 10 seconds.
He opens the bottle and proceeds to drink from it.
A few gulps later, he returns the bottle to the guy.
Theres no telling if theres something in the water, but the techno viking seems invigorated.
The crowd that was lethargically dancing now follows him as he marches forward.
Another random gentleman emerges from the crowd and hands the techno viking a leaflet.
Again, without even turning his head, the techno viking picks up the leaflet, still lightly dancing.
The gentleman exits the frame.
Hes dancing throughout all of this.
They then flip the lens backto the techno viking whos still dancing.
The video fades to black and we see an intertitle reading Fuckparade, 2000. you could instantly tell theyre at best cheap replicas of the original.
Theyre clearly planned and choreographed, yet still seem less theatrical and choreographic than the real video.
Gone is the bizarre dynamism and unpredictability.
They also underdeliver as parodies, because theres nothing particularly comedic about them.
This didnt sit well with some hardcore fans, so they kicked off Fuckparade to celebrate these forbidden genres.
The techno viking was, presumably, one of these fans.
Indeed, the first few results on YouTube have nearly 40 million views combined.
Fritsch claims the video has further attracted over 700 remix versions and reaction videos.
Despite all this attention the video has generated, the identity of the techno viking remains a mystery.
Some have suggested the man in the video is actually former UFC fighter Keith Jardine.
All we know is the techno viking wasnt a huge fan of the Techno Viking video.
Thats also why theres a lawyer involved in this story.
Things took a turn for the worse when the techno viking took Fritsch to court in 2013.
The artist was also ordered to cease the use of the techno vikings image.
Im not one of these people to comment, Whos watching it in 2020?
Because Techno Viking will forever live on in the kingdom of memes.
Tell him everything you despise about his work onTwitter.
