Famous Person You’ve Never Heard of Came to OKC

Yesterday afternoon, I was minding my own business, getting ready to grab a late-afternoon Scotch, when a Double-OG Ogle Mole sent me a text asking about something called an IShowSpeed.

I had no clue what he was talking about.

After a quick back-and-forth, the Mole told me that IShowSpeed is one of the most famous YouTube streamers on the planet, and was live-streaming in OKC as part of a road trip across America or something.

Always one to digest and document idiocratic culture for the zeitgeist, I hopped on Google and did some digging, and before you could say “Brawndo has Electrolytes,” I was watching some dude walk around the state fair while his security detail pushed star-struck onlookers of all ages.

Since it streamed, the nearly 12-hour video has been viewed almost 2 million times.

The most culturally relevant moment comes about halfway through, when the 20-year-old with nearly 25 million subscribers makes a pit stop at Braum’s. After ordering a pile of food and giving the burger a respectable 8 out of 10, he’s met with a Beatles-esque ovation from the crowd as he walks out the door.

Yep, that happened… at Braum’s. I wonder if he took home a sticky tray with ketchup stains as a souvenir?

Anyway, say what you want about today’s idiocracy that makes people who shouldn’t be famous famous, but this dude did more “real life” Oklahoma City stuff than just about any other celebrity who visits here.

Usually when an influencer-type visits Oklahoma, they do things that we normal folk don’t do, like ride the streetcar, go surfing at Riversport, or have dinner at Nonesuch. This guy went to the State Fair, had dinner at Braum’s, and then drove out into the country to race cars. That’s like Oklahoma 101! Next time he comes to town, he’ll have to grab a greasy breakfast at Jimmy’s Egg, pick up a new La-Z-Boy at Mathis Brothers, and – to the ire of David Holt – go cow tipping!

On the topic of cow tipping, Mayor McSelfie has yet to acknowledge Mr. IShowSpeed’s visit.

That’s kind of surprising. You’d think he would have tossed on his gold SGAs and tracked down the kid for 25 selfies to show how hip, cool, and relatable he is. Is something wrong with Holt’s celebrity-tracker radar? Should the police do a welfare check?

Actually, Mr. Holt was busy yucking it up with the liberal media elite, showing how cool, progressive, and oblivious a Republican mayor who’s extremely out of touch with the base of his party can be:

The demographics of your audience matter way more than the size of it, so I can’t blame David Holt for rubbing elbows and establishing connections with the media elite.

Unless ranked ballot voting becomes a thing (which is probably why he’s for it), his Oklahoma political career outside of serving as OKC mayor is shot, so becoming a professional pundit/podcaster could be in his cards.

Hell, maybe he can move to New York and join Toots and Jennifer’s on the I’ve Had It podcast?! In case you didn’t know, they’re now the IShowSpeed for liberalish affluent women who day-drink:

Yep, I’ve Had It has over 1 million followers. That’s pretty wild. Although I think Jennifer’s schtick is about as genuine and authentic as The Pioneer Woman, that’s a big accomplishment, and she and Toots should be proud.

It all just goes to show that if you have the heart, talent, passion, media connections, and financial resources to spend on production, PR, social media engagement, and algorithm manipulation, you too can become brand-famous if you do it right. 

Seriously, I wonder how long before you can buy I’ve Had It cooking pans at Target, or visit their Mercantile at Casady Square. When/if IShowSpeed ever comes back to OKC, maybe he and Mayor Holt should check it out.

Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.