Thriller NYC! -With Zombie Papas: Jorge and Todd

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hello everyone and welcome to the New Yorkers Podcast, a podcast by New York City Cop. I am your host, Kelly Kopp, published photographer, NYC tour business owner, real estate content creator, podcaster, and above all else, a New Yorker. Ladies and gentlemen, the next Brooklyn found trained in Mount Biden. [00:00:18] Speaker B: Stand clear of the closing doors, please. This is the times square. [00:00:45] Speaker C: Is available to the shovel to grand. [00:00:54] Speaker A: With me today, everybody. I have zombie papas Jorge and Todd right here. They are the coordinators for the NYC Halloween Thriller Dance group in the West Village Halloween parade. Jorge is also a graphic designer, enjoys dance and learning new languages. And Todd is a psychotherapist artist and enjoys playing beach volleyball. But above all else, they are New Yorkers. Hey, Jorge and Todd, welcome to the show. How you doing today? [00:01:23] Speaker C: Doing good, Kelly. Nice to have you. Nice to have you. [00:01:25] Speaker B: Nice to be here. Yeah. [00:01:26] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:01:26] Speaker B: Thank you. [00:01:28] Speaker A: I like how we started. This is perfect, you know, thanks. You guys were. Jay and I are super excited that you're here because, you know, you guys are the Thriller guys, hence the T shirts, you know, and. [00:01:43] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:01:43] Speaker A: But close enough. Yeah. And you know, you're, you're the Thriller Dance and the. The West Village Halloween parade is one of the most iconic now, one of the most iconic events in New York City every year. So we'll get to get to all this in a second, but we want to hear about you two first. You know, where were each of you born? Where did you grow up? Were you born in New York City? And then if you're not, tell us how you got here. [00:02:09] Speaker D: Sure. [00:02:10] Speaker A: You want us to start? Yeah, I'll start. [00:02:11] Speaker C: This is Jorge. So, yeah, Jorge Escobar. I'm originally from El Salvador, but I've been living in New York for 38 years. [00:02:20] Speaker A: Wow. [00:02:20] Speaker C: Yeah, it's a long time. I came to the city, I wasn't too crazy about New York, but then somehow I fell in love with it. [00:02:26] Speaker A: Yeah, understandable. [00:02:28] Speaker B: And I was born in Brooklyn. [00:02:29] Speaker A: Oh, nice. [00:02:30] Speaker B: I am third generation Brooklyn. [00:02:33] Speaker A: Very cool. Well, Jorge, how did you end up in New York City then? You just went straight from. You were born, you said, in El Salvador? Yeah. What city? [00:02:43] Speaker C: I was born in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador. [00:02:47] Speaker A: And how did you end up here then? [00:02:48] Speaker C: Well, my mom was living here. [00:02:49] Speaker A: Oh, very. [00:02:50] Speaker C: Then I came here and I went to school and then, then I just got a job and got into graphic design and. [00:03:00] Speaker A: Yeah, nice. [00:03:01] Speaker C: Then I'm here. [00:03:02] Speaker A: Nice. And so you two are both living your lives here in New York City and then you meet. How's that happen? [00:03:10] Speaker B: Well, we met talk about it. No, we couldn't talk about it. We met down in Asbury park on the beach. We both love the beach and had a friendship and then decided to start dating about 10 years ago. [00:03:22] Speaker A: Nice. [00:03:23] Speaker C: Yeah. And we've been married for seven years. [00:03:25] Speaker A: That's so awesome. [00:03:26] Speaker D: But Asbury Parks in New Jersey as [00:03:28] Speaker B: beer park in New Jersey. Yeah, Very cool. Still like to go down there. [00:03:31] Speaker D: Nice. [00:03:32] Speaker A: And where'd you get married and what, what was that like, where was the venue? Little bit of details I'd love to hear. [00:03:39] Speaker B: Actually we had, we had a costume party wedding. [00:03:43] Speaker D: Wait, that's so cool. [00:03:44] Speaker A: Really? Yeah. [00:03:45] Speaker B: At a place called Little Field is a theater that they also rent out the space. So we hired a DJ to play 80s music at a taco bar and had a costumes required wedding. [00:03:58] Speaker C: And of course we had a Thriller moment in our wedding. [00:04:01] Speaker A: Did you? [00:04:02] Speaker B: Yes. [00:04:03] Speaker A: So, which is really interesting. So I'm assuming then that you know, this, this monster slash thriller theme is a commonality you both had, you realized, I guess, right, or something. Because you, you had a, you had a, you had a, you know what, like a costume themed wedding and everything, right? [00:04:25] Speaker B: Well, I had already, I started in Thriller when we started dating 10 years ago. So, you know, we got married a couple years later. So by that time Thriller was a part of her life. And we were already running it by that time. [00:04:39] Speaker A: Right? [00:04:39] Speaker C: Yeah, we're running it, so. [00:04:40] Speaker A: Oh, really? Really. [00:04:41] Speaker C: I guess, you know, a little bit like, you know, history. I've been dancing with thriller since 2010. [00:04:48] Speaker A: Right. [00:04:48] Speaker C: And then when Todd and I met, he out, he offered to make a costume for me. [00:04:56] Speaker A: Nice. [00:04:57] Speaker C: That's how we connected. And then I told him, I said, hey, you know, I do this really cool thing called Thriller. Would you be interested in being part of it? And to my surprise, my pleasant surprise, he said yes. [00:05:08] Speaker B: Well, the offer really was, how do you feel about being security? I was like, I want to dance. [00:05:14] Speaker A: Security. I want to dance. That's hilarious. I love it. So this. So I assume we're talking about the Thriller parade, correct? Yeah, I mean, Thriller parade, it's the [00:05:25] Speaker B: Village Halloween parade, right? [00:05:27] Speaker A: With the. [00:05:28] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. Or Thriller NYC is one of the [00:05:31] Speaker A: troupe, you know, so, you know, it's one of the most iconic, you know, well known events in New York City. And now it's one of the most iconic, well known events during Halloween in New York City around the world. [00:05:48] Speaker C: Yes. [00:05:49] Speaker A: So let's talk about how this all came to be like from the first idea, how to come to be what it is. Today. [00:05:59] Speaker C: Well, I can start with the. How it started. It started in 2004. Just a regular. [00:06:04] Speaker A: Oh, wow. [00:06:05] Speaker C: Regular group of New Yorkers that wanted to be part of the parade. One of the requirements and still is that the. You dress up to be part of the parade. So they had an idea of getting together in someone's apartment and they practiced. There were about like a dozen of them. And at the time they only carry a wagon with a speaker. [00:06:24] Speaker B: Well, it's like a boombox. [00:06:26] Speaker C: Pretty much over the time it evolved. And they rented a U haul. [00:06:32] Speaker B: With a speaker. With the speaker. [00:06:34] Speaker C: But 2009, that's when Michael Jackson passed away and that's when the popularity of Thriller really exploded. Exploded. I joined in 2010 and then however, in 2000, we took over operations in 2019. So that's seven years now. [00:06:56] Speaker A: Do you know how many years prior to you taking over they did the Thriller dance and the parade? [00:07:00] Speaker B: Yeah, from 2004, we had our 20th anniversary. [00:07:04] Speaker C: 26 years now. [00:07:05] Speaker B: Yeah, we had our 20th anniversary in 2024 and a couple of the people from the original group joined in with us. [00:07:12] Speaker A: That's pretty cool. [00:07:13] Speaker D: Was it Always Thrill, the song? [00:07:16] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [00:07:16] Speaker D: Oh, wow. [00:07:17] Speaker C: But funny I mentioned that because in 2009, because when he passed away, there was another Thriller group that was created and there was another group that. It was called the Beat, a group that did the choreography to Peter. And I joined that group because I couldn't join thriller in 2009. That's funny. In 2010, that's when it took over. But I was gonna say, I think because of social media. TikTok was introduced in 2018, but it really took a global appeal in 2020. And Kelly, thanks to you, I think that year you took a video of us and that video went global and [00:07:56] Speaker B: that was our first super viral video. [00:07:58] Speaker A: Oh, really? The video that I did? [00:07:59] Speaker C: Yes. [00:08:00] Speaker A: I didn't realize it was mine. [00:08:01] Speaker C: Yeah, that's when we realized that how. [00:08:04] Speaker A: That's pretty cool. Well, I love it. I was just blown away how amazing it was thanks to you guys. But go ahead. What are you going to say? [00:08:10] Speaker C: Yeah, that's when I realized, you know, how popular this group had become. And we had no idea that it was. Had become this like New York tradition at that point. Then when we saw it on social media everywhere. [00:08:24] Speaker A: Yeah. Now it's, it's, it's become this amazing, huge, you know, well anticipated event. But, you know, now as a creator on that side, for me it's become a challenge, you know, to even, you know, I'm surprised you and I saw each other in the parade this year, which is awesome. You know, I couldn't believe, you know, thousands of people were like, hey, what's up? You know, and you're wearing your costume and everything, you know, that was really cool. [00:08:51] Speaker B: Scary clown. Yeah. [00:08:54] Speaker A: But, you know, it's just, you know, it's very challenging to record it now. From my perspective, you know, it's just a lot. But I love it. You know, it's one of it. It is the highlight of the. Of the show. So how. How do people, you know, get into the. To being in the parade in the Thriller Dance? How does that work? [00:09:16] Speaker B: Yeah, so we have an open sign up every October 1st at noon, tickets go on sale and we sell the tickets until we're sold out. And because we've become so popular, it sells out in 60 seconds. [00:09:33] Speaker A: That's insane. [00:09:34] Speaker B: We crashed the system last year, so it took a couple of minutes to click on. And once it was on, everyone who happened to be online got a ticket and it was done. [00:09:43] Speaker A: And how many people are allowed to participate in the dance? [00:09:47] Speaker C: We had 160 this year. [00:09:50] Speaker D: Wow. [00:09:50] Speaker B: Yeah. And that's kind of the limit because we have one float with really loud speakers, but the people in the back can barely hear the song. There's only so many columns of people that we can have. [00:10:02] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:10:03] Speaker B: And so they're. We're kind of maxed at the limit [00:10:06] Speaker A: of what we can do. [00:10:07] Speaker C: Yeah. I don't think we can go any bigger and. Because bigger is not necessarily better. [00:10:11] Speaker A: Right, right. And then it's. It just replays over and over. Correct. You know, the song. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. There's just. Which I love. And I mean that in a very positive way, just to be clear, you know, I don't mean like over and over. [00:10:24] Speaker C: Here comes again. [00:10:25] Speaker A: Yeah. I'm like, is this over yet? I've heard this song before. No, I mean, [00:10:33] Speaker D: repeat. [00:10:34] Speaker A: It is. I love it. You know, I mean, the crowd goes crazy, you know, every single. [00:10:39] Speaker B: They really do. [00:10:40] Speaker A: It's. [00:10:41] Speaker B: Yeah, there's a couple of moments in the song each time we do it moving up 6th Avenue. Like the claws up or the initial. Yeah. [00:10:49] Speaker C: When you hear that. [00:10:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:10:51] Speaker C: People go crazy with that. [00:10:54] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. They really do. [00:10:55] Speaker C: And we do it somewhere around 20 or 30 times during the parade. And we do it back to back. [00:11:03] Speaker B: You know, it all depends on how fast the parade is moving, because sometimes we are at a standstill and just doing it in place and baking our movements forward. And at other times we have to haul Forward and really keep up with the flute. Otherwise then the people in the back really are not going to hear the music. [00:11:19] Speaker A: It's some good cardio, isn't it? It is, yeah. I mean, it's really amazing. I, you know, I hear the sound coming up and then, you know, I'm. And for, I think for us, the creators were waiting for it and, and we want to get that posted. We want to get out there. It's competition because, you know, they go viral like you said and. Yeah, yeah, I mean, I get my video on my. Trying to get service running to, you know, running a six, seven blocks away. [00:11:45] Speaker C: Yeah, we see the, the wall of photographers and yeah. Creators right in front of us when we start. [00:11:52] Speaker A: Jay, have you been to the West Village parade to see the Thriller? [00:11:55] Speaker D: I've been to the parade. I haven't specifically been to see the dance. [00:11:59] Speaker A: Yeah, it's truly incredible. [00:12:03] Speaker D: I'm definitely gonna have to go down this year. Check it out. [00:12:05] Speaker A: Do you have a lot of the same people in the Thriller parade every year? [00:12:11] Speaker B: We do have vets who come back year after year and not just from New York, from all over. People flying from France, Argentina to do the dance with us again. [00:12:21] Speaker A: My friend Viviana's in it. [00:12:23] Speaker B: Yeah, Argentina. [00:12:25] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:12:25] Speaker C: We had people from. Someone from Japan. We had Japan news come in to film us this time around. [00:12:32] Speaker A: That's pretty amazing. [00:12:33] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:12:34] Speaker C: And you know, we are kind of like victims of our own success because everybody that does it, they want to come back and we're like, we love you guys, but we can have a thousand people. [00:12:45] Speaker A: Right. There's understandable. Limited spots, but that's pretty amazing. Did you guys ever imagine it would become such a massive tradition? Like when you were doing it, were you thinking it would be, you know, it would be this massive, massive thing that we have right now? [00:13:02] Speaker B: No. In fact, when we tried to come back after Covid, it was really hard to fill even 50 spots. And we were scared that we weren't going to make budget. And basically I can segue into that. We're selling tickets, but we're not selling tickets. We're just splitting the cost for everything. And I thought that year we weren't going to make our really limited costs because we really pared it down knowing that there was not going to be that much interest and no one wanted to go rehearse together indoors. It was like 2021, right? [00:13:37] Speaker C: 2021. [00:13:38] Speaker B: And it was canceled in 2020. [00:13:40] Speaker C: And I think the Halloween parade, I remember that was the first big parade [00:13:44] Speaker B: in New York City. After Covid shut down, I remember that after that we were like, oh, maybe we're on the way out. And the next year, boom. [00:13:54] Speaker A: Yeah. Oh, I don't doubt you guys would be back, you know, so when you're in. When you're. I know you were in the parade. Are you in the parade, too? Every year, too? [00:14:02] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. This year, where we decided to lead from the back, we have some of our vets up front leading the way, and. And we really rely on, like, a core team to help put things together. So both of us just decided to enjoy the parade from the back and help run things, make sure everything's going smooth and really support the community of it. [00:14:25] Speaker A: Oh, nice, Nice. Nicely said. And do you. Do you enjoy seeing the reactions. Do you. Do you have any memorable reactions of seeing people in the parade as you're. You know, is thrillers coming by and are people, like, just going bonkers? Because that's what I see, people going bonkers in a good way. [00:14:42] Speaker C: You know, one of the reactions that always cracks me up when we come down the parade, that you see all the policemen along the side the parade, and there's always like one or two that takes out his camera and so I can know filming us. [00:14:55] Speaker A: Yeah, that's pretty funny. [00:14:57] Speaker B: It's pretty funny. [00:14:58] Speaker A: A lot of people dancing, too. You see people dancing on the sides or they're just. [00:15:02] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, people. And that's why we have the security people, because we really need to keep the lines in order and everyone's safe. No trip hazards because people want to jump in. Oh, yeah, people know this dance. It's so iconic. [00:15:16] Speaker A: And also, you know, the people in the parade that are kind of like the stars, you know, that are Michael Jackson and usually the female lead too, I see there. How. How do they get that part? [00:15:32] Speaker B: Yeah, we're a little loose with that kind of thing. We do ask if people are interested to come forward, but, you know, it's not actually that in demand from our ranks. So we have the people that are interested and we support them to hang onto it and try to mix up who's in the front. For sure. [00:15:52] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:15:52] Speaker B: Because it is really a community group. It is about being together. It's not about there being a star. [00:15:57] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:15:58] Speaker B: And like what, like why we're in the back this year, because we're not. [00:16:01] Speaker C: We don't need. We don't need to be the stars. You know, we open it up to the group and ask if anyone would like to take that leading role, because it's a very demanding Role and people step up and it's just part of being in the community. [00:16:17] Speaker B: Although we did try to have an Ola Ray character, the girlfriend from the video. [00:16:22] Speaker A: Right. [00:16:23] Speaker B: And people just didn't know who she was. So we did away with that this year or last year, people didn't know who she was. [00:16:30] Speaker A: Michael Jackson's girlfriend from the video. [00:16:33] Speaker B: Yeah. So we just have two support zombies right behind. [00:16:37] Speaker D: Yeah, I know. [00:16:38] Speaker A: You know, I mean, isn't she the one who's screaming in the video? What was that 1993 that came out? Do you guys know? I can't remember. The Thriller. The video. The video, like premiere. [00:16:50] Speaker C: It was 1983. [00:16:51] Speaker A: 1983, that's right, 1983. Gosh, that was such a big deal. Jay sadly doesn't know this moment in life. We do. And it was. I think it's one of the biggest premieres on MTV ever. Or the biggest. Right. It's such a part of history and culture for music, for, you know, the [00:17:11] Speaker C: country, in the world, you know, funny you mentioned that, because I think that's part of the appeal of Thriller because it's intergenerational. Like, we have zombies that are like a parent and a child. Like last year we were really touched with this mother and daughter that were part of the group that was part of their wish list that would be part. Because her mom was moving to another country. So it's really touching to see that. It's. I think it's going to last for a long time because. Yeah, grandparents, parents, children. [00:17:48] Speaker A: Right. [00:17:48] Speaker C: Know about it. [00:17:49] Speaker A: That's pretty awesome. [00:17:50] Speaker D: Yeah, that's really cool. [00:17:51] Speaker A: That's very moving. You know, I. You know, I do want to be in the parade one year myself, too. But come on, it's just so awesome recording it, you know, I love it. [00:18:01] Speaker D: I can record for you. [00:18:02] Speaker A: That's true. But, you know, I. I'll tell you something. I'm going to tell Snoop Dogg this. He shared my video, too, last year, and he never gave me credit. And I was, you know, I was. What did you say? [00:18:18] Speaker C: What a dog? [00:18:19] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, Snoop Dogg. I mean, any. I was messaging him and I said, this is my video. And other people were hopping on saying, you need to credit him. So to this day, I'm a little heartbroken that Snoop Dogg did that to me. [00:18:34] Speaker C: But we give you full credit. [00:18:35] Speaker B: Absolutely. You have supported us and boosted our popularity for sure. [00:18:40] Speaker A: Well, you guys are just become, you know, good friends to me, you know, over the years. And, you know, what I want to hear about, too, is the rehearsal process. You know, when does that start? So just how that works and how people, I guess the signing up stuff and everything. [00:18:59] Speaker B: Sure. So after people sign up and we have our 160, these zombies, we start sending out emails to organize everybody, make sure everyone understands where to go and where to meet us. But we do an indoor rehearsal where we teach all the new people how to do the dance in like a three hour session. We have a dance captain who does that for us and wow. That's where we're all first showing up and coming together. And that's usually two weekends for Halloween. Correct. Then the weekend before Halloween, we go outside so that we can learn to move forward as a group together. [00:19:37] Speaker A: Right. [00:19:38] Speaker B: And that's outside in a big space so that we can really have that experience of having to stop, having to rush forward, having to continue if the music goes out. And that's a lot of fun. And that's with everybody. And we, I think of 160, we had 150 there last year. Wow. There are very few people who couldn't make it. [00:20:00] Speaker C: I was gonna add that for that first rehearsal we asked of all the people that have done it for the first time to do it because just for them to get an idea and what we're about and the choreography as well. [00:20:13] Speaker B: Yeah. It is required for new people to come to both rehearsals. [00:20:17] Speaker A: Right. So do they get like not a kit, so to speak, but you know, information. And obviously they probably would get a video, I think to cut. Study. Well, I guess they could study Michael Jackson's video too. But you guys send them like a special video for them to practice. We do. [00:20:33] Speaker C: We have our website, Thriller nyc, where we have a tutorial of how they can start studying that before they come to rehearsal so they're prepared. [00:20:42] Speaker A: Nice. Have you ever noticed someone in the parade, like they didn't study that video? [00:20:49] Speaker B: Hopefully they came to the rehearsal. [00:20:50] Speaker C: Stop the parade. [00:20:51] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:20:52] Speaker A: They're like, this person did not do their homework. They're like, they're not doing this, they're [00:20:58] Speaker C: just doing this, you know, inevitably. Like when you are exposed to social media, you see some of the comments that, you know, people say, but yeah, you've seen that, I'm sure. But yeah, we don't. We take it over. I don't think anyone noticed. [00:21:12] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:21:13] Speaker B: And we certainly don't judge people for not knowing a few of the moves. Everyone's there to support one another. [00:21:20] Speaker A: Correct. [00:21:21] Speaker B: To be a big group. And we're not going to put you up for if you haven't learned the dance. We have our veterans that really have it nailed down up front. [00:21:28] Speaker A: Right. [00:21:29] Speaker B: And so we are surprised how people jump in and are giving each other a hand to get the choreography down pretty quickly. [00:21:39] Speaker A: You know, Go ahead. I'm sorry. [00:21:41] Speaker C: Oh, no. I was gonna say. And we encourage that in the group. We're here to support one another. We're here to be part of a family. [00:21:50] Speaker A: Makes me want to even jump in even more because I'd be the person at the back just doing this and. But, you know, you would think that after how many times, like, you know, does it cycle through? Like, you know, 20, 30 times? Even if you didn't practice it and know it, I think by, like, the 10th time, you would just get it, you know. Right. [00:22:10] Speaker C: At least you would get, like, the iconic moments. Like what going like that, or the. The key points on the song. [00:22:18] Speaker B: Full disclosure. My first year, I'm not much of a dancer. My first year, I was not confident with the footwork, and so I just wore a long gown. I went to my feet, covered over, concentrated on the hand movement. [00:22:33] Speaker A: Oh, that's pretty pristine. [00:22:36] Speaker B: And it's a tip that I offered to newbies. [00:22:40] Speaker D: Do you do the full song? Because it's a long song? [00:22:43] Speaker B: No, it's a two and a half minute version that we do, a real abbreviated version. It really only has the Thriller vocal part. [00:22:52] Speaker D: Okay. [00:22:53] Speaker B: No Vincent, no extra lyrics. [00:22:55] Speaker C: And also, I was going to mention the choreography that we do. It's pretty similar to the actual choreography. We tweaked it a little bit so we keep the flow of the parade. [00:23:05] Speaker D: Yeah, that makes sense about it. Like, the music video is long, like, even longer. And, like, the whole song is, like, really long. Like, 20 to 30 times is, like, a lot for. [00:23:16] Speaker B: We would make it up past Central [00:23:17] Speaker A: park if we knew. It's true. [00:23:21] Speaker C: But you know what's crazy? After doing, like, 20 or 30 times, we have the after party and they want to do it three or four or five more times. [00:23:28] Speaker B: We totally do. [00:23:29] Speaker A: Wow. Where's the after party? [00:23:31] Speaker B: It moves around. Yeah. [00:23:33] Speaker A: Invite only. [00:23:35] Speaker B: Yeah, we're pretty loose with the invites, but it's not public. [00:23:38] Speaker A: Yeah, I want to go this year. [00:23:41] Speaker C: I'll send you the invite. [00:23:42] Speaker A: No, I want to say thank you, too, for inviting me to the rehearsal. Yeah, I was. I loved it, so that meant a lot to me. So thanks, you guys. You know. [00:23:50] Speaker B: You're welcome. [00:23:50] Speaker C: Thank you. [00:23:51] Speaker A: It was great just to, you know, just to watch everybody. And the lead. I was watching the guy who was playing Michael Jackson, and I was like, gosh, he's good. He's really good. And he was really into it. And, and everybody else, though, was really good too, you know. So I was like, man, they really, people really practice and know what they're doing. [00:24:10] Speaker C: And I don't think if you notice, but like last year we had the Mr. And Mrs. Metz. [00:24:14] Speaker A: I did see that at the practice. [00:24:16] Speaker B: Yeah, they were in costume at the practice. They weren't zombified yet. They got into zombie at the parade. [00:24:23] Speaker D: The official mascots. [00:24:25] Speaker B: They are the official mascots. They gave us the call and wanted to join us for the year. [00:24:30] Speaker C: That's how we also realized this is getting bigger, right, than we anticipated. [00:24:35] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:24:35] Speaker A: Yeah. I thought that was pretty cool to see them in the parade. Did you see it, Jay? Yeah. [00:24:40] Speaker D: That's funny. [00:24:40] Speaker B: They were just in the middle of the group. Yeah, yeah. That was our agreement. There would just be another two people in the group. That's the funniest way to do it. [00:24:49] Speaker C: But no, I was gonna say because we really couldn't put them in the front because we had to do big bubbles, right? [00:24:53] Speaker A: Exactly. They're huge baseball heads. [00:24:56] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:24:57] Speaker A: But I thought it was smart because they're just New Yorkers, you know, they're just blending in the crowd sort of, and you can see them clearly. But I think the crowd that saw them, too is probably, probably like, that's really cool to see, you know, the Mets, you know, what are they called? [00:25:13] Speaker C: Mr. [00:25:16] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:25:16] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:25:17] Speaker A: That's pretty awesome. [00:25:17] Speaker C: And we had a, we were laughing, we had a discussion about them being part of it because you know, how they're going to see, you know, and then we realized they're professionals. They do this in the stadium. [00:25:27] Speaker A: Right. [00:25:27] Speaker C: And saying that that's the kind of like, celebrity that we want to be part of our group. [00:25:32] Speaker A: I was going to ask, as any celebrities, you know, requested to be in [00:25:36] Speaker C: the group, Mr. Mrs. [00:25:38] Speaker A: Mouse, aside from those two famous celebrities, [00:25:42] Speaker B: you know, not that we we've known, but hey, if someone wants to come incognito, we will help them with that. [00:25:49] Speaker A: Well, has anybody from that's connected to Michael Jackson reached out to you or talked to you all? [00:25:56] Speaker C: Bonnie, you mentioned that. Well, we haven't reached out to us directly, but we did get a shout out last year from the Jackson family. They posted a video of ours on their social media account. [00:26:11] Speaker B: Well, it was like a compilation kind of recognizing how Halloween is Thriller time. And I think the first one was an image of our group in the montage with a bunch of other ways. There are other people that do Thriller of course, it's in pop culture everywhere in all these different ways, so. But we kind of led the pack there. [00:26:33] Speaker C: It was extremely flattering. [00:26:35] Speaker A: I bet. [00:26:36] Speaker B: Apparently we were also in some exhibit in LA that was a Thriller or Michael Jackson exhibit because we saw some videos come. Was that two years ago? I forgot. [00:26:48] Speaker C: In a museum. [00:26:50] Speaker B: Yeah. And again, it was a big video screen with. [00:26:55] Speaker D: That's awesome. [00:26:55] Speaker A: That is really cool. [00:26:57] Speaker C: And I think I mentioned this to you and it's happened to both of us that, you know, sometimes when we are outside, people think that the people that produce this group is like a Hollywood director or is. [00:27:09] Speaker A: Right. [00:27:09] Speaker C: We talk like that and we're just too regular guys that sit in Brooklyn having coffee in the morning discussing how we're going to do this. [00:27:18] Speaker A: That's amazing. Is there. Do you guys ever sit around and think, wow, this is. This is a really amazing thing that we've done? I mean, this really happened. [00:27:26] Speaker B: Yeah, really happening. We shake our heads. It seems unreal time. Really so excited that we get to be a part of this community and to be able to put it together. That feels so rich and rewarding. And I'm proud of it for the two of us and to work on it together also as this creative effort that then brings people together. [00:27:49] Speaker C: It's awesome because it aligns with both of our values of creating community and creating a place that is safe. [00:27:55] Speaker A: I love you guys. How you guys have your. I didn't mean to interrupt. Go ahead. [00:27:59] Speaker C: Yeah, no, creating a place that is safe for people to come and have a good time. [00:28:02] Speaker A: I love it. You both have the same philosophy, you know, and. You guys ever get into fights about the Thriller? Oh, yeah. [00:28:10] Speaker B: Not about Thriller anymore. [00:28:11] Speaker C: Really? [00:28:12] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:28:13] Speaker C: It's a good test of a relationship. [00:28:14] Speaker A: Yeah, I was gonna tell you that. [00:28:15] Speaker B: Yeah, maybe I don't notice the fight. I thought we were just talking. [00:28:26] Speaker A: This has become a therapy session now, my friends. No, that's awesome. That's really funny. So how much are tickets again? And what experience do they get from that? [00:28:37] Speaker B: Yes, well, tickets, and I'll put that in quote, they cost $50. And what that is really is the person's share of our entire cost. And anything that's left over at the end, we donate to the parade. That is a nonprofit that always needs donations. That is our home and our platform to perform. And so when people are joining us, they're paying their share of the cost. And we like to let them know that it's a volunteer community group. We are not making any money from this. No one makes any Money from this. This is purely for the love of bringing people together. And at this point, the commitment to New York, because we think it's so special for New York to have this. So people come in sort of thinking, oh, what did I buy for $50? And then in the first rehearsal, as we're talking about who we are and what we would do with the money, and we were completely transparent with all of the budget and speaking about how people are bringing their own creativity and how we're supporting one another and moving our bodies together to create community. They realize, oh, I didn't, like, buy something. I don't, like, buy a service. I join something, and I'm here. I'm gonna create something with these people. And I just see people's expression, it changes. And I love that. That's what keeps me going. [00:30:07] Speaker A: I love that. [00:30:08] Speaker C: And I wanted to add to that. It's really easy to find things that divide us. It really takes a lot of work to find things that connect us. And Thriller is special that way. That really helps bring people together. [00:30:25] Speaker B: And we know how. We know how important that is as part of moving in space together in a group is because I play beach volleyball and he dances. And so we're both really aware in other communities that we have in New York City, how moving in space together is an incredible way to just be with other human beings. [00:30:47] Speaker D: Yeah, absolutely. [00:30:48] Speaker A: So well said, you two. I love that. I love how you guys think about that. That's really nice. So what makes the Thriller dance? Part of the West Village Halloween parade. So New York, we get asked that a lot. [00:31:05] Speaker C: And I think what makes it so New York is there's no other place in the world that you can bring a group of strangers to come together and move their bodies and just be part of this big community. Different people from people from all over the world. [00:31:22] Speaker B: And it's such a diverse group of random people. It's really incredible that. Just selling to the first 150 people, what a diverse group you get. And I love that New York, we [00:31:37] Speaker C: get people from all walks of life. Different ethnicities, different socioeconomic backgrounds, different ages, different body shapes. It really doesn't matter. [00:31:48] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:31:49] Speaker A: What's interesting is when you were both talking a moment ago, you know, about the community, you know, being together, and. And I was thinking that you are describing New York right there. This is. That's how we are. You know, that's what I love about. I think that's why we all live in general, living in New York City, too. [00:32:07] Speaker B: Yeah, for sure. [00:32:08] Speaker A: We're all a big Thriller parade every day. [00:32:11] Speaker B: We are. [00:32:11] Speaker A: Especially on the subway. [00:32:13] Speaker C: This is your slogan. [00:32:16] Speaker A: We're all a big thriller parade every day. [00:32:18] Speaker D: Do you have to accommodate for different languages or. [00:32:22] Speaker B: We're pretty good at Spanish, meaning Jorge is. He also speaks, which is helpful. [00:32:27] Speaker C: Yeah, I speak French too. [00:32:29] Speaker D: Okay. [00:32:30] Speaker C: So that's helpful as well. [00:32:32] Speaker B: But we do our best to welcome everyone and that would be a little challenging. But it's about moving their bodies. [00:32:42] Speaker C: Yeah, sometimes because it's about dancing. So it doesn't. This is body language. So people can just, you know, follow the video or follow the instructor. [00:32:51] Speaker A: Reminds me of the La Bamba back in the 80s. You guys remember that movie, whatever that week? [00:32:55] Speaker B: Sure. [00:32:56] Speaker C: I think we're around the same age. [00:32:58] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, we are. [00:32:59] Speaker B: We are. [00:33:00] Speaker A: Why do you think Thriller still connects with people after all these years? 40 years? [00:33:08] Speaker C: I think it's going back to what we were saying about the time when Thriller came out and Thriller came out in 1983. And you can remember. I can remember it. But then we have other people that have their parents remember it, have their grandparents remember it. And at the time that it came out, I think it broke a lot of barriers. It broke a lot of. It was help with integration. Like they were. Didn't matter what color you were. You really enjoyed the music. And then the videos like broke barriers of video cinema and just. It's. Has had a lasting effect and it's made it intergenerational. [00:33:46] Speaker B: Yeah. That barrier breaking really is such an important answer to your question. I think how it broke the barriers for what a video could be. How the color barrier on about how Michael Jackson did on mtv, how it crossed different music genres and then through generations, through cultures and, you know, it segues into a story that we also travel quite a bit. And we were. [00:34:13] Speaker A: I know we were in Africa. Yeah. Amazing. [00:34:17] Speaker B: On a family trip and in Mozambique. And when we. We're talking to people who work there, who live in the neighboring community, what kind of American music they like, the answer was Michael Jackson. Thriller. [00:34:31] Speaker A: Wow. [00:34:32] Speaker B: And we were like, well, we happen to know the dance. And so we did it in the back area near the kitchen with the people that work there. [00:34:42] Speaker A: Would you turn on the music and dance the Thriller? [00:34:45] Speaker B: Yeah. We were all over Mozambique TikTok. [00:34:49] Speaker D: That's incredible. [00:34:50] Speaker A: Mozambique Tick Tock. [00:34:51] Speaker C: We probably were. [00:34:52] Speaker A: That's pretty interesting. [00:34:53] Speaker B: That's a joke. I don't know. But they were filming us tonight and [00:34:57] Speaker A: look up Mozambique TikTok. Look for it. That's so funny. [00:35:00] Speaker C: But it kind of showed us the power of music, too, how you're able to connect with people in general. [00:35:06] Speaker B: And we're still friends through WhatsApp with these people. [00:35:09] Speaker D: That's so cool. That's so cool. [00:35:11] Speaker A: It's amazing, you know. You know, Michael Jackson to talk about him, you know, what. How he's broken barriers, like you guys have said. And, you know, little side note here, you know, have you ever seen the Warriors? You know, I think that the Thriller video is kind of the theme of. Not the Thriller. I'm sorry. Beat it. The Beat it video song. I think that's kind of Warriors. Ish. Oh, yeah, yeah, that's what it is. It's. You know, it came out a little bit after the warriors. And I think it's really cool how Michael Jackson also took that theme into his video. [00:35:47] Speaker B: Did you ever catch that Mercedes Rules in that movie? [00:35:50] Speaker A: I did. You know what's so funny? I just rewatched it a couple weeks ago. I love that movie. Have you ever seen it? [00:35:56] Speaker C: You know, I haven't seen it. [00:35:57] Speaker A: You've got to watch it. I mean, it's just. Have you seen it, Jay? The Warriors? As a New Yorker, you have to watch it. It's a little. It's a cult classic, that type of movie, and it's really good. I really. I really, really. [00:36:12] Speaker B: It's a little dated at this point, but I love it. [00:36:14] Speaker A: Yeah, it's. It's cool. But it's, you know, makes me. Yeah. You know, when I watch the Michael Jackson beat a video, I think of that. So he's. He's such a trendsetter in general. What does it feel like, you guys knowing something you created has become part of New York City culture, even, and world culture. [00:36:32] Speaker B: Wow. You know, it really is unbelievable to us. It's super humbling, and we also delight in it and feel super proud of what we can create together with these people that we now consider our zombie family. [00:36:49] Speaker A: There's zombie family. I love it. [00:36:51] Speaker C: Family. We are the zombie papas. [00:36:53] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:36:56] Speaker A: Did you, you know, what you call yourself as the zombie papas? [00:36:59] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:37:00] Speaker C: Yes, we're the zombie Papas. [00:37:02] Speaker B: And there is a zombie mama. You know, she doesn't come to rehearsals. She did this year, but she does do a lot of background stuff, like book all the floats and get the decorations and stuff like that. [00:37:13] Speaker A: That's pretty interesting. [00:37:14] Speaker C: But, yeah, to circle back to what you were saying about this being, like a world phenomenon. [00:37:18] Speaker A: Yeah, that. [00:37:19] Speaker C: That was. It's really humbling and, like, we just never realize how big this is becoming. And part of Our vision is that we hope that we can inspire other cities and other communities like in New York City or around the country or around the world to create something like this. [00:37:39] Speaker A: I think you are, aren't you, though? [00:37:40] Speaker C: We are. [00:37:41] Speaker A: So what other cities are doing this that you know of well? And do they ask you questions and what to do and how to do it and all that? [00:37:48] Speaker B: Yeah. Today we met with Toronto, a couple people in Toronto trying to put something together. And one of our leadership zombies is trying to put something together in New Orleans, which would be great. [00:38:02] Speaker C: And we had our zombie this year that is from Japan that she's thinking about maybe doing something in Japan and Tokyo. [00:38:08] Speaker B: Wow, that's so cool. [00:38:09] Speaker D: That's so cool. [00:38:10] Speaker B: We would love to see it in other cities, for sure. [00:38:13] Speaker A: That is pretty amazing. Random question, no segue. What's your overhead? [00:38:18] Speaker B: So we have the rehearsal studio, really nice one. To make sure that everyone can see themselves in the mirror and see our dance captain. We have the rental of the float and all the decorations. The sound system has to be rented as well as a dj, there's a permit and some insurance. [00:38:39] Speaker A: Right. [00:38:40] Speaker B: And our website cost. And then there's some things that I'm sure I'm forgetting. And again, anything left over we give to the village Halloween parade because they are always trying to raise money to make it happen. And so we're thrilled for them to get money from us. [00:38:58] Speaker A: You know, I do have my press pass, but I also get the. I always get the Halloween parade press pass just to support them. That's great because I think it's important too. [00:39:08] Speaker B: Right. It's such an iconic part of New York. [00:39:10] Speaker A: Yes, I agree. Do you use the same vendors every year, so to speak? You know, like the same person floats in the dj. Yeah, that's pretty cool. [00:39:16] Speaker B: We do. [00:39:17] Speaker A: I'm sure they're excited every year, but go ahead. [00:39:19] Speaker C: That that helps, you know, keep some of the costs down too, because we want to keep a price that is that anyone can. Can be part of it, Right? [00:39:27] Speaker B: Yeah. And usually people want to know also about the costumes and the makeup and everyone's responsible for their own costume and their own makeup. The only parameter we have is that we only have one Michael Jackson. Otherwise people have to be a zombie and some. Any type of zombie. We have had tennis players and Girl Scouts and astronauts and a Pikachu, you know, and I was a giant rabbit zombie last year. [00:39:55] Speaker C: So scary clown, as you saw. [00:39:57] Speaker A: Yep. [00:39:58] Speaker B: It's a good one. And we have a crew of people that are really good at Makeup that do some tutorials with their group after and during rehearsal week for people to learn how to really gore up with latex and toilet paper and fake blood. [00:40:16] Speaker A: Sounds fun. [00:40:17] Speaker B: It's super fun. [00:40:18] Speaker C: It's really amazing to see how creative people get each year. And each year, like they top the year before. [00:40:23] Speaker A: Yeah, I agree. I agree. Do you have a favorite costume you've seen over the years that someone did? You're just like, wow, that knocked out of the park. Or most of them are just in general, just awesome. [00:40:33] Speaker B: They're all awesome. [00:40:34] Speaker C: They're all awesome. [00:40:35] Speaker B: One of our frontline that number of years ago was quite pregnant by Halloween and she attached baby arms coming out of her stomach. [00:40:51] Speaker D: That's cool. [00:40:52] Speaker A: That's pretty smart. I love that. That's clever. I love that creativity. [00:40:56] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. And she was actually pregnant. It wasn't a costume. That part. [00:41:00] Speaker A: That's pretty funny. [00:41:01] Speaker D: That's cool. [00:41:02] Speaker A: So if Michael Jackson was at the West Village parade on top of a building overlooking the parade, what you think that what you guys are doing with the Thriller, what you think you would be thinking? What do you think he would say? [00:41:13] Speaker C: I think he would be proud of what we're doing because it stays in line with this message of building community and trying to make the world a better place. [00:41:22] Speaker B: Beautiful. [00:41:23] Speaker A: I think that's a lyric right there in one of his songs. The world better place. [00:41:26] Speaker B: That's nice. [00:41:28] Speaker A: That's really nice. Okay, you guys ready for some quick rapid fire questions? [00:41:31] Speaker B: I'm not sure. I'm scared. [00:41:34] Speaker A: Favorite Halloween costume you've ever seen at the at the Village Halloween parade. [00:41:39] Speaker C: Spice Girl Zombies. [00:41:41] Speaker A: Oh, nice. [00:41:43] Speaker B: I actually really love the Pikachu zombie. [00:41:47] Speaker A: I like that too. What's harder, doing the dance with 160 zombies or organizing 160 zombies? [00:41:56] Speaker C: Organizing it. [00:41:57] Speaker B: Yeah, I'll have to go for organizing. [00:42:00] Speaker A: Best place to grab food in the West Village after the parade. [00:42:05] Speaker C: I don't think we eat. [00:42:07] Speaker B: We don't eat after the parade. [00:42:08] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:42:09] Speaker B: Late. [00:42:12] Speaker A: Favorite move in Thriller. The Thriller dance. [00:42:17] Speaker C: Favorite move. [00:42:18] Speaker A: Yeah. I can tell you what I think mine is. [00:42:20] Speaker B: You could start a spell. [00:42:22] Speaker A: Yeah. Like when you start when the music going and then it goes and everybody in the whole parade goes like that. [00:42:32] Speaker C: I gotta agree with you because, you know, that's the moment that when you hear, like the crowd absolutely going. Crowd goes nuts. [00:42:37] Speaker A: Bonkers. [00:42:38] Speaker C: You hear the roar of the crowd. [00:42:41] Speaker B: We'll call them zombie hands. [00:42:42] Speaker A: Yes, Zombie hands. I like that. That's a good one. One word to describe the parade crowd. [00:42:49] Speaker C: Crazy. [00:42:51] Speaker B: Wild. [00:42:53] Speaker A: Good words. New Yorker or Tourist. Who dances better. [00:42:57] Speaker C: New Yorkers, hands down. [00:42:59] Speaker B: Sorry, Tourists, New Yorkers. It's a lady we like. [00:43:04] Speaker A: I like it. This is good. [00:43:06] Speaker D: Unfair question. [00:43:07] Speaker A: I like it. They both even did out, though. That's really cool. Okay, so this is the last of these rapid fire questions. One reason everyone should expect experience Halloween in New York City at least once. [00:43:22] Speaker B: It's the biggest party in New York. [00:43:25] Speaker C: Yeah. It's the biggest Halloween parade in the world. [00:43:29] Speaker A: Yep. [00:43:30] Speaker C: They need to experience it. [00:43:32] Speaker A: I agree. [00:43:33] Speaker B: And you really get to see New Yorker's creativity come out. I love making this with such a big group of people, such a diverse group of people. People. A thrill for me. [00:43:44] Speaker C: There's something empowering about just dancing in the streets of New York that everyone should experience. [00:43:51] Speaker B: Absolutely. [00:43:53] Speaker A: Yep. I agree. Even parade or not? Parade or not, you know? Yep. Okay, my friends, before we let you go, we here at the New Yorkers podcast want to know what it means to you, Jorge and Todd, to be a New Yorker. Who wants to go first? [00:44:11] Speaker B: You know, I'll go first. Other than living in New York, I'd have to say acceptance and tolerance. There was an old advertisement that used to stay judgmental. Love your shoes. Tolerant of everything else or something like that. Kind of think that Acceptance, intolerance. [00:44:32] Speaker A: Love it. [00:44:34] Speaker C: For me also like being part of this big melting pot and opening my eyes to different cultures and creating acceptance of people for who they are. [00:44:46] Speaker A: Beautiful, my friends. Nicely said. [00:44:50] Speaker B: Thanks. [00:44:50] Speaker C: Thank you. I love it. [00:44:51] Speaker B: We love this place. [00:44:53] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:44:53] Speaker C: We love being here. [00:44:54] Speaker A: There's no other place to live, is there? [00:44:56] Speaker B: No. [00:44:57] Speaker A: What were you going to say, Jay? [00:44:58] Speaker D: Nice. It's a great place to be. [00:44:59] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:45:00] Speaker B: It really is. [00:45:01] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:45:01] Speaker A: Yep. No city like it. You know, every time I, you know, every time I go on vacation, I miss it. I really do, you know? [00:45:08] Speaker C: Yeah, we do, too. We love, you know, we love traveling, but we also love coming home. [00:45:13] Speaker A: Yep, exactly. I missed the subway, actually. Do you guys have a car? [00:45:18] Speaker B: Only to get to the beach. [00:45:19] Speaker A: Yeah. Because, you know, I don't have a car, you know, living here, you know, and so you guys obviously take the subway everywhere. Thank you, my friends, for joining us today on this week's episode of the New Yorkers podcast. Why don't you tell everybody where they can find you on social media? [00:45:37] Speaker B: We're at thriller nyc. Thriller nyc.com on Instagram. Thriller nyc. [00:45:44] Speaker A: Nice. Email [00:45:48] Speaker B: through the website. [00:45:50] Speaker D: You can donate to the village Halloween parade. [00:45:53] Speaker A: Right. [00:45:54] Speaker B: I wish I had the actual. You can look it up. [00:46:00] Speaker A: Yep. Very nice. Once again, I'm your host, Kelly Cop. Also known as New York City Cop across all my social media. [00:46:08] Speaker D: Please like and subscribe to the New Yorkers Podcast and you can follow the New Yorkers on social media at the New Yorkers Podcast. [00:46:15] Speaker A: You can leave a rating or a comment to let us know how you are enjoying the show. We read through all your comments and DMs so please we would love to hear from you. Thank you. Thierry Tavernier, 546. I talk to Thierry all the time on Facebook, DKB Live and Loretta Smith for your kind words on the last episode. If you want to be featured at the end of an episode, leave a rating on Apple Podcasts or a comment on Spotify or on YouTube. [00:46:41] Speaker D: And thank you Kelly MC, Courtney Newman and Deborah Roberts Robinson for your comments on Facebook. [00:46:47] Speaker A: Kelly Mc in the House. I know Kelly well. He's a. He's a jokester. He's a good guy. Thank you everybody, truly for your comments. I really appreciate it. [00:46:57] Speaker D: Have a lovely day and we'll see you next time. [00:46:59] Speaker A: Goodbye my friends. [00:47:02] Speaker B: This is the last stop on this train. Everyone please leave the train. [00:47:07] Speaker C: Thank you for riding with MTA New York City Transit.