We don't bully government regulators. We just tease them because we like them so much.

September 13, 2010 12:40 PM

The Awl interviews Josh Simpson, the man behind @BPglobalPR.
posted by Rory Marinich (17 comments total)

It is kind of depressing that something as simple as a twitter stream of jokes required a team of 15 people.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 12:50 PM on September 13, 2010

Good interview.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:55 PM on September 13, 2010

wankerfilter
posted by timsteil at 12:59 PM on September 13, 2010

Capping an oil well in a barrel...
posted by Artw at 1:18 PM on September 13, 2010

@BPGlobalPR: I was alarmed because I didn't expect it to blow up like it did.

Spoken like a true BP executive!
posted by chavenet at 1:45 PM on September 13, 2010 [10 favorites]

Threeway Handshake: "It is kind of depressing that something as simple as a twitter stream of jokes required a team of 15 people."

Sorry the Internet decided to hand you well-crafted, free, pertinent social satire that several people actually care enough about to do without getting paid.
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 1:53 PM on September 13, 2010 [11 favorites]

It is kind of depressing that something as simple as a twitter stream of jokes required a team of 15 people.

It doesn't. Unless you want the jokes to actually be funny.
posted by delmoi at 2:11 PM on September 13, 2010

Sorry the Internet decided to hand you well-crafted, free, pertinent social satire that several people actually care enough about to do without getting paid.

OMG it also isn't opensource and doesn't play ogg!

My actual shock is more along the lines of the Lonelygirl15 videos. You take something like Twitter, or a youtube channel of a girl on a webcam in her room where it appears that it is authored by a single person, and it turns out this is a "pro" operation and there is more of a dozen people working on it.

It doesn't make it funny or not funny, it just changes the perspective. Here, I thought it was just some random noname person and this organically just happened to hit it "big."
posted by Threeway Handshake at 2:26 PM on September 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

Here, I thought it was just some random noname person and this organically just happened to hit it "big."

It seems as if that's more or less what did happen, though, except that the random person wasn't exactly no-name and he had some funny friends (and a funny father) who pitched in.
posted by kenko at 2:45 PM on September 13, 2010

It started out funny, then stopped being satire. Seriously. It was snarky little bits of sarcasm and pissed off "humor," nothing ever played remotely straight. Would've worked better if it had been played straight, but with a slight wink.
posted by raysmj at 3:09 PM on September 13, 2010

Oh, so the mistake was feeling guilty and going to NOLA, then getting all earnest and po'd, if he was going for satire. If he wanted to do something, he was better off discarding the would-be satire, for I couldn't handle reading the BP GlobalPR excuses for satire after a few weeks. I live in NOLA, and was already disturbed enough, thanks.
posted by raysmj at 3:14 PM on September 13, 2010

Here, I thought it was just some random noname person and this organically just happened to hit it "big."

That is what happened. He just had his friends help with one-liners.
posted by delmoi at 3:15 PM on September 13, 2010

I've seen Josh perform a few dozen times, and actually done a few scenes in random improv workshops with him, although I'm fairly certain he has no idea who I am. I'm happy to see him brought up here -- he seems like a good dude.

At any rate, most of the people who helped him are fellow performers at the Los Angeles chapter of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

There are so many talented writers and performers in that community, and they help each other out with creative projects ALL THE TIME. It's just what they do, and the results are almost always reflective of the quality and creativity in that pool of talent. "You help me write my new sketch, I'll star in your next funny online video, and he'll spend all night editing it for us."
posted by adamk at 6:26 PM on September 13, 2010

The Sockington twitter feed continues to be done by a solitary cat.
posted by jscott at 2:46 AM on September 14, 2010 [1 favorite]

This is Josh Simpson, not Josh Simpson (previously).
posted by plinth at 3:28 AM on September 14, 2010

SELF-FACILITATING MEDIA NODE
posted by kcds at 4:25 AM on September 14, 2010

BP and partners say most victims not yet entitled to sue
posted by homunculus at 9:58 AM on September 14, 2010