Self Slogan
SoulPancake had the opportunity to interview recent YouTube phenomenon and New York City political candidate, Jimmy McMillan. Jimmy went from stranger to worldwide celebrity faster than the time it takes to make ramen noodles. His motto (also his party name), "The Rent Is Too Damn High," is being repeated from coffee shops to wedding ceremonies. You've never heard of him? Have you ever heard of YouTube?!?!
Jimmy kindly and humorously answered a few simple questions. He also revealed a curious fact about himself that not even the almighty, all-knowing Wikipedia knows.
SP: You became a YouTube star, your video went viral with more than 5 million views... how does it make you feel?
JIMMY: It’s crazy! I have been trying to get attention from the media for more than 16 years of my life. I climbed bridges, tied myself to a tree, walked across the stage, and still I did not get much attention. Now, I feel great; it is a wonderful feeling. In a few days, I got what I have been trying to get for years… it’s a great feeling. Everybody knows me… the other day, a very attractive young lady riding a bike passed me, and I thought, "There is no way that attractive young lady will ever talk to me." But she turned around, came back, and said, “You are the Rent Is Too Damn High Guy... can I take a picture?” So no need to say, I love every second of it.
SP: You were also on a Saturday Night Live parody… have you seen it?
JIMMY: Yes, of course! They put me on the map! We all know that once you get on SNL, you became a celebrity. I’m well aware of what they’ve done. I’ve been trying for 16 years, walking, getting people to sign my petition, when all I needed was to get up on stage and say, “The rent is too damn high!” I’m speechless.
SP: What's one thing that you learned recently that blew your mind?
JIMMY: I never expected this to go global. I mean... people from Europe, China, Egypt, Australia, London… I didn’t think it would go that far. Now my goal is to get connections with them and get my kids to go out into the world, just like the Beatles did when they came here. They hit American soil with a new style, and I wanna do that. Now my agent needs to recognize that. And if he doesn’t see that, I need to let him go. The world wants to see me; he's gotta be creative and make that happen. I will be disappointed if people want to meet me, this guy they saw on tv, but they can’t.
SP: What would you literally chop off your little toe for?
JIMMY: What if it has been chopped off already? (laughs) I actually have one toe missing on my right foot, so my left foot would be even now!!! This way, one foot would not feel discriminated when he looked at the other foot and thought, “Why do I got five and he got four?!?” In all honesty, I would chop it off if you told me you would give me $50,000. If you told me you would give me enough food to feed the little children, the hungry homeless, I would cut off my little toe.
// interview by Glauco Lima
