Techno Viking
Encyclopedia
Techno Viking is an internet phenomenon or meme
based on a video from the 2000 Fuckparade
in Berlin
.
The 4-minute video shot by experimental video artist Matthias Fritsch at the Fuckparade on 8 July 2000 begins with the title "Kneecam No. 1" and shows a bare-chested man wearing a Thor's hammer
pendant grabbing the arms of and pointing his finger at another man who has just shoved a woman, drinking from a bottle of water offered to him upside down by another man, then dancing down the street to techno
music. Fritsch intended it to raise questions of whether the action was real or staged.
Fritsch uploaded the video to the internet in 2001. It was posted on YouTube
and went viral
in 2007. After being posted on Break.com
, it peaked on 28 September at more than 1 million views per day and was watched by over 10 million people over 6 months. More than 700 responses and remixed versions were posted. It was the #1 clip on Rude Tube
s series-three episode Drink and Drugs. Mathew Cullen and Weezer
wanted to include Techno Viking in their compilation of Internet memes for the "Pork and Beans"
music video but were unable to. Techno Viking was also rendered in oils as part of a series on internet memes. By mid-2010, the video had generated over 20 million hits on YouTube alone. Techno Viking has a Know Your Meme page, which documents aspects of the meme, the simplest form of it being a picture of Techno Viking with his finger raised and the word "Obey".
Fritsch mounted an installation and the online Techno Viking Archive "to research the strategies of participatory practice in digital social networks" and presented lectures on the reception of the video. His Music from the Masses project was suggested by the Techno Viking experience: it explores web collaboration by providing silent films for artists to provide soundtracks. In response to legal action by the man featured in the video, access to the Techno Viking video itself has been restricted and annotations on YouTube blocked since late 2009.
Fritsch has not revealed the man's identity. Some have claimed he is a Munich
bodybuilder called Hans Schlepkopper. A man calling himself "Harry the old Teuton" appeared on the "Bodybuilding" broadcast of the German television show Raab in Gefahr
, and was interpreted by some to mean he was Techno Viking. Fans have claimed Keith Jardine
is Techno Viking.
Meme
A meme is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena...
based on a video from the 2000 Fuckparade
Fuckparade
The Fuckparade is an annual summer techno demonstration in Berlin. The event began in 1997 as a demonstration against the increasing commercialisation of culture and public life and the misuse of the right of assembly by purely commercial ventures, in particular the Love Parade...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
The 4-minute video shot by experimental video artist Matthias Fritsch at the Fuckparade on 8 July 2000 begins with the title "Kneecam No. 1" and shows a bare-chested man wearing a Thor's hammer
Thor's Hammer
Thor's Hammer may refer to:* Mjölnir, the hammer wielded by Thor in Norse mythology*Thor's Hammer , a garage rock band from Iceland*Thorr's Hammer, a death/doom band from Ballard, Washington...
pendant grabbing the arms of and pointing his finger at another man who has just shoved a woman, drinking from a bottle of water offered to him upside down by another man, then dancing down the street to techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
music. Fritsch intended it to raise questions of whether the action was real or staged.
Fritsch uploaded the video to the internet in 2001. It was posted on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and went viral
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
in 2007. After being posted on Break.com
Break.com
Break.com is a humor website founded in 1998 that features comedy videos, flash games, and pictures among other material. The chief executive officer of Break is Steve Boss...
, it peaked on 28 September at more than 1 million views per day and was watched by over 10 million people over 6 months. More than 700 responses and remixed versions were posted. It was the #1 clip on Rude Tube
Rude Tube
Rude Tube is a television show broadcast on Channel 4. The pilot aired on 16 February 2008. It listed the top 50 original videos on YouTube...
s series-three episode Drink and Drugs. Mathew Cullen and Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
wanted to include Techno Viking in their compilation of Internet memes for the "Pork and Beans"
Pork and Beans (song)
"Pork and Beans" is a song by the American alternative rock band Weezer, released on its 2008 album Weezer. It was released in digital form on April 24, 2008. The track debuted at number 19 on Billboards Modern Rock chart, and spent eleven weeks at number one. Critics generally liked the song,...
music video but were unable to. Techno Viking was also rendered in oils as part of a series on internet memes. By mid-2010, the video had generated over 20 million hits on YouTube alone. Techno Viking has a Know Your Meme page, which documents aspects of the meme, the simplest form of it being a picture of Techno Viking with his finger raised and the word "Obey".
Fritsch mounted an installation and the online Techno Viking Archive "to research the strategies of participatory practice in digital social networks" and presented lectures on the reception of the video. His Music from the Masses project was suggested by the Techno Viking experience: it explores web collaboration by providing silent films for artists to provide soundtracks. In response to legal action by the man featured in the video, access to the Techno Viking video itself has been restricted and annotations on YouTube blocked since late 2009.
Fritsch has not revealed the man's identity. Some have claimed he is a Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
bodybuilder called Hans Schlepkopper. A man calling himself "Harry the old Teuton" appeared on the "Bodybuilding" broadcast of the German television show Raab in Gefahr
Brainpool (company)
Brainpool TV GmbH is a German television production company located in Cologne. In 2001 it had become a subsidiary of VIVA Medien AG, until a Management-Buy-outs in January 2007.-Productions:*Die Harald Schmidt Show...
, and was interpreted by some to mean he was Techno Viking. Fans have claimed Keith Jardine
Keith Jardine
Keith Hector Jardine is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division and is best known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
is Techno Viking.
External links
- The Church of the TECHNOVIKING on MyspaceMyspaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Mikkael Kinanen, Matthias Fritsch: "Kneecam No. 1 (aka Technoviking)", Inter-Cool 3.0.
- Shinya Yamaoka making a statuette of Techno Viking (YouTube slideshow)