I am Oobah, the weirdo who made TripAdvisor’s #1 fake Restaurant + other films/articles on VICE. I noticed people discussing my stuff on here. AMA

Are you going to come out with a video entitled "How I convinced the world my name is Oobah"?

Who is this and how did you get access to my personal details?

Hi, I'm Georgio Peviani, here's my business card.

Hi I'm man in a suitcase, feed me through my head hole.

Same

When Padme dies and the nursebot names the twins.

Remember being in the cinema and hearing that. Everybody looked at me. Fucked up

What is the trick you are most proud of?

The Shed has totally changed my life. So the Shed, I reckon

Heya, could you elaborate a bit more on how / what changed?

Well, yeah, I don't live in Shed anymore.

In a simple sense, I'm a guy from a family of 8 who grew up in a village with 700 people in it. I didn't leave the country until I was 16 as holidays with that many people are expensive. Well, now I've been all over the place, making new work and talking about my work. I'm no longer absolutely broke anymore, which is nice.

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But in a more meaningful way, I feel like I have a lot less to prove to myself now, as I've released some films/things that I'm really proud of.

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I'm just extremely lucky.

How likely is it that you will fake your own death?

I've thought about it. But I need somebody to play my dead carcass... Are you a dish-faced pasty guy with blonde hair and nothing better to do? If so, hmu

When did you decide to go through this path of (can I call this?) performative journalism? Making these kinds of "fake" stories, did you see something that inspired you to pursue this kind of thing or was this always part of your personality?

It took ages to find a path (see above/I'm still working on it) but I've always done strange things for no good reason. The most common question I was asked as a child was 'Why have you spent so much time on this?'... Or just 'Why?' and the answer was always 'Because it's funny'.

Did you get any real reviews from people who actually eventually went to the restaurant?

If so what did they say?

Not on TripAdvisor, but just with some of them trying to book again.

I actually had some weird shit I didn't include in the film/article. Like, when we were at #1, somebody actually left a 1* review on the grounds that they'd been and it was a bag of shite. Well, that obviously isn't true, as we never served a dish. I rang TripAdvisor and they removed the review on the grounds it was fake, ha. I have a video of all this. Loads of other stuff too

Lol!

What on earth did you tell TripAdvisor?

"This review is obviously fake as the restaurant is fake"

How much did you charge these people by the way?

On 6th December 2017, I sent them this:

Dear Sir / Madam,

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I've written an article for vice.com in which I created a page for a fake restaurant on TripAdvisor, got it successfully verified by TripAdvisor and subsequently got it to the number one spot on TripAdvisor's list of London's best restaurants by leaving positive reviews over the course of six months. You say on the "review moderation and fraud detection" page on your website that you "dedicate significant time and resources [to] ensuring that the content on TripAdvisor reflects the real experiences of real travellers". So can you explain how I was able to get the restaurant to the top spot? And can you clarify what processes you use to detect fraudulent reviews?

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I plan to publish the article at 11AM GMT on Wednesday, so please let me know before then if you would like a comment to be included.

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Cheers!

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Oobah Butler

I told them that I knew it couldnt be a legit review as we’re an appointment-only restaurant and I know every customer who came in. And this person never set foot in my establishment.

Would love to see some behind the scenes/outakes from the piece!

Same with Paris.

We have some funny stuff with the comedian Lolly Adefope (a friend of mine). She was a guest on the night (obviously in on the joke). One of the real customers was celebrating a birthday and he recognised her. I went over and told her (purposely quite loudly) that he was one of her biggest fans. So, later on, I took out a mug with a baptism candle in it and Lolly started singing Happy Birthday. When people joined in, she shushed them, and started again. People joined in again and she did the same. Eventually it was just her singing happy birthday alone. One of the hardest things not to laugh at.

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The footage was so, so funny but we had so much and Marta (editor) and Adrian (producer/director) made the call to take that specific joke out. It was the right one

With your track record of faking these sort of things, how can we be sure this is you?

https://imgur.com/a/2YMy7KS

Would tell you this is me, but you've seen through it. I'm actually just rudy giuliani via seven levels of deep fake tech

If you're gonna pretend, at least use a picture of the real Oobah Butler.

Absolutely love him. He played Raoul Moat in an ITV drama or reconstruction or something. That's why he brought up the serial killer thing

you are the most british looking person the wordl has ever seen

thanks. So are you too.

when you walk into a room do you announce that "your Oobah has arrived"?

Never thought about this. But I will try it if you like

I’m an aspiring restaurateur. Which frozen dinners should I serve to ensure my success?

Mac N Cheese is reliable

Why do I get the odd feeling this is feeding into an article titled "How I convinced Reddit I was doing an AMA"?

Thanks everybody. Reddit Oobah really enjoyed chatting with you all https://imgur.com/a/q2m1jac

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Were you worried about getting caught when you went to Paris Fashion Week? And did the real Georgio appriciate the publicity?

I didn't really worry about getting caught but - without sounding like a weirdo - I was really 'getting off' on the idea of how far I could take it. Whenever I had a buyer tell me the £20 were beautiful, I enjoyed it so much, but that made me more determined to get an influencer sharing Georgio's stuff etc etc. I never think I've got enough when I finish a project - always want more. Remember being devastated I'd not managed to get Jay Rayner to come and review the Shed on the night we opened. I'm an idiot, as he'd have probably seen through the whole thing and blew it up.

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Georgio really did appreciate the publicity. He's selling clothes all over the world and has wholesalers all over the place; fashion weeks who want him to come & present. I'm tempted to do a short follow-up film to update people on his progress

Dennis Reynolds is that you?

Did sound a bit weird reading that back...

A Peviani follow-up would be fantastic!

I'd love to make him bigger than Supreme.

What were you like in high school? Did you have the same devil-may-care approach to life back then?

Long greasy hair, tubby, but not really shy. High School was all about making each other laugh - I was good academically but misbehaved a lot

What's the most ridiculous thing that you've done that you haven't written up as an article?

The other day I did an interview for my book on Canal Plus (which is sort of like the french CNN or BBC). They wanted me to do it at 9am GMT, but I was in New York at the time, so it was 4am. Instead of rearranging it like a real human, I accepted the appointment and headed out to a printers late at night, getting a gigantic HD image of the Shed printed out. I pinned it up on the wall of my AirBNB, put plants either side of it, and conducted the interview stood in front of it. They thought I was in London. I look fucking insane: https://twitter.com/bonsoir/status/1074016042500919297

Who's running the Gorgio Peviani website and Instagram? Are you still contributing to his brand in some ways?

His daughter is running it. They still ask me questions and I make suggestions

So you can really purchase their good on the website, and it gets shipped and he benefits from it?
Do you get any comission for building his brand, or did you decide he just got lucky and this is his business now?

I don't get any commission. I don't deserve it. His products and nothing real about the brand has changed - I just covered it in bullshit. Which, in fashion, can lead to success

Thats what I like about you man. I knew that you were doing it to help out the lil guy and stick it to the man. Also (on a somewhat unrelated note), I used to live in elephant and castle. Yay.

Interesting story Georgio did tell me recently. He once had the police turn up at his store, acting all weird. Then they started to question him. They told him that they’d found a dead body and that they couldn’t identify the guy. The only clue they had on him, is that he died in a pair of Georgio Peviani jeans. All roads lead to Georgio.

why did you created the fake restaurant?

Hey 2104RSC. There's loads of reasons. I lived in a Shed at the time as I couldn't afford a proper flat (London is fucked). Also as a younger man, I'd worked in restaurants/behind bars/everything, and saw how seriously staff were made to take TripAdvisor (if a bad review was left, management would let you know it). Then, finally and probably most crucially, I was paid to write fake positive reviews for restaurants I'd never been to on TripAdvisor for a while. This, and working for VICE, became a perfect storm

I was paid to write fake positive reviews for restaurants

As in the restaurant you worked at paid you to write reviews or were you part of some agency that did this for restaurants for a fee?

Through third party websites that connect freelancers with work

At any point did you feel like you were in over your head?

Yeah. So many times. When people start waking you up at 7am on a Saturday when you've got a horrible hangover, calling to book a table at your non-existent restaurant, you feel in over your head; when people show up at your door and... Well, maybe better for a video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2fIZ4pr6eQ

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I always feel over my head, but that's probably when I know it's something worth doing

Who is one celebrity or company you’d like to prank? Anyone or anything off limits?

I generally have the rule of 'don't punch downwards'

So no one is off limits?

hahaha

Would you like a cheese omelette?

Omelette.... du... Fromage?

When you initially pitch your various ideas, do you have to fight hard to get them approved, or are your editors now like "Yeah it's ridiculous but you've pulled off all this other stuff, go for it"?

Different with every idea. I was doing the Shed for months on my own before I told Vice about it. Same with the lookalikes film. Others, they come to me with nuggets of an idea

Could you sign something you own and send it to me, so I can give it to my kids as an heirloom?

This is weird. So yes.

What was the most popular dish at your “restaurant”?

Ha. 'Comfort' (Mac n Cheese)

What's it like working for VICE?

They're really open to strange ideas, and feel very much like a home for me. Though I don't work for them technically - I'm freelance

What does your name mean and what's the story behind it?

It was my elder sister's nickname before I was born, then I came along, and I was given it. I was raised feral by my brothers and sisters, so the name is fitting.

What’s the #1 restaurant in Redditch?

Ha ha. Astwood Bank chip shop

Big fan of your work. Inspirational, groundbreaking stuff that not enough people see. Do you feel as if this is "your brand" so to speak now? As in, is this type of journalism/trickery/mockery what you'll be doing for the foreseeable future? Also, hints on future projects?

Thanks. This is definitely my path at the moment, and I love that because it feels very much like me when I think about it. None of my family are surprised at the ideas/things I do, for example, as they know me. But I also think that it's really important to keep developing the style / work

Are there any collaborations you would see fit for the further development of your style/work?

I'd love to work with John Oliver

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Have you thought about working with another guy like you, Nathan Fielder from Nathan For You?

Ha. I've never actually watched Nathan For You - he always seems five steps ahead of everybody. Though all of the friends I trust implicitly about TV have made me aware he's both brilliant and much better than me. Just from the stuff I've seen, absolutely love to work with him

Bit of a coincidence, I was watching your Shed from Dulwich video last night, had no idea this AMA was on.

Have you ever been in any legal trouble for your stunts/experiments? Or has it been scot free so far?

Thanks! One of the customers from the night of the Shed is blurred and I can't legally discuss them. Does that answer your question?

Been reading your articles for a while, how did you become so funny? Any predispositions as a kid?

I'm the last of 6 children (Irish catholic) and my two elder brothers are much funnier than me. Our dad made sure we never, ever took ourselves too seriously and is extremely silly.

Perhaps it's part of being from the Midlands (near Birmingham UK). It's such a shithole, and everybody in the country constantly let's you know that - whether it's your accent or whatever - you're the worst. So you can't take yourself too seriously. Heroes like John Oliver/Stewart Lee also from this part of the world

In a world of fake or misleading news, what's your advice on finding the truth?

I got grilled on Canadian TV the other day on this subject by Diana Swain. She hated me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8KGXIARboY

Hello, I made the post yesterday! Are there any similar projects you would like to work on? Faking a sports team and getting supporters?

Brilliant! Thank you for the post. I'm working on a TV show which will take a bit of time and have a book coming out in the US this February called 'How To Bullsh*t Your Way to Number 1'

Wanna go for a pint tonight ? I wanna discuss how your hair is so toned

Yeah sure

Did TripAdvisor and other companies blacklisted you on their site/events after this?

I still have a TripAdvisor profile. I'm not banned.

Did you get offers to turn The Shed into a real restaurant?

Yeah loads. Shed at Dubai, Shed at Brooklyn etc etc

Did you think about sending a fake person to respond to questions here?

Ha. For the lookalikes film (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMZ7BsoUAG8&list=PLDbSvEZka6GFOUX4HC8IdJ2rVcNOIe6Yt&index=3), I actually was chatting with a guy who writes jokes for Conan O'Brien's monologues and he was going to run my Twitter for the day as Funny Oobah. But then I felt like it wasn't exactly fitting the same themes (putting the values of the online world into the offline world, then seeing how fucked up they are)

I found it funny there was no criticism from your dining popup. Did you get any negative feedback for the food, environment, service etc?

Seems that ppl will agree with what the majority agree with.

How much money did you pull in that night? Btw, great work !

Thanks! I didn't charge on the night as I didn't want to get sued

Hi Oobah, how did you get your job at Vice?

Hi Spidermonn!

Well I don't actually work for VICE, I'm freelance. But I got going with them quite unconventionally. I didn't go to University, and was in a band for years. While I was in the band, I began writing. I started doing album reviews and festival reviews for free for websites like The Line of Best Fit, SupaJam, The Quietus, The 405 etc. After a while of being in the band and failing, I became frustrated with the music industry: It was so hard to sell anything. I remember thinking: Is music so unappealing in the modern age that it has become harder to sell than door to door religion? That thought really entertained me, so I came up with an idea based around that: Music vs door-to-door religion. So I wanted to covertly pretend I was joining the Jehovah's Witnesses, but really I was just building data on how many doors out of 100 let them in (something I was qualifying as a sale). From there, I wanted to outsell them.

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So with this idea, which I felt was pretty good, I found an email of an editor at VICE (Sam Wolfson) and pitched him blindly. I didn't know anybody there, but I just wrote it up well and sent him this email.

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'Is music harder to sell than Jehovah?

Hi Sam,

Great ‘ZZZap!’ piece last month on The Guardian site. You reminded me of this picture I used to have on my wall with Neil Buchanan’s borderline-appropriating Frenchman poking out of the corner: it still gets me. My name is Oobah Butler and I’m a freelance writer who’s written for The Quietus, The Line Of Best Fit and a number of publications over the past few years (My recent review of End Of The Road Festival ’15 on tQ: http://thequietus.com/articles/18746-things-learned-at-end-of-the-road-festival-review).

I want to write a piece called “Is music harder to sell than Jehovah?” in which I try to sell music in the same way a Jehovah’s Witness sells God. As you probably know, it’s harder in 2015 to sell a CD to the general public than a yo-yo or Digimon. But are people more likely to buy physical music if - like Jehovah - it arrives at their door? I want to interview multiple door-to-door Jehovah’s Witnesses and ask their experiences: ‘how many times have you had an earful of fucks and a faceful of wood’? ‘How often do people invite you in for a cup of their best? After speaking with a label and finding a brand new release I feel conviction for, I would then travel door-to-door trying my best to sell copies to the general public. I would ultimately compare my successes and failures with those of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’.

Let me know if you’re interested or would like more examples of my work,

All the best,

Oobah'

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That eventually turned into this: https://noisey.vice.com/en_uk/article/rq4ey5/is-music-harder-to-sell-than-religion

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What does your mum think of what you do?

I'm at home for Christmas. Let me ask her.

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"It's just typical," she said, bursting into laughter. Then just followed with, "oh dear."

Ha. What does that even mean?

Let me ask.

"Because he always liked to play tricks and tease"

She's now brought up an incident when I snuck into my Auntie's car boot and hid without anybody knowing because I wanted to go with her to stay at her house.

What did you think of all the negative criticism? I think it was on This Morning where the host was very unimpressed, which was hilarious.

Also, I think you said you got started in writing through writing fake reviews. When you said that I went back and deleted my two-year-old fake review for an awful hostel with bed bugs that I only wrote for the free t-shirt!! I felt bad.

I didn’t see it coming! But to be honest, I just couldn’t believe I was on the TV. I’d never been on TV before really like this before the Shed came out and then, all of a sudden, I’d been on loads.

I was more interested in the quite severe criticism after the lookalikes film. It was like it was fine when I was messing with normal foodies in a garden but, now I was poking at this different class, it was no longer cool. Bit strange but heavily interesting

Are you worried about people recognizing you for future fakes? Kind of like how everyone knows who Sasha Baron Cohen is now?

I'm quite flattered you think I'm that recognisable.

But I think generally that if your ideas can be pulled apart by somebody recognising you, they're probably not there yet

I look and sound absolutely nothing like you whatsoever...can I be your next double?

Fits my criteria pretty damn well.

How'd you get the name "Oobah"? It sounds like some rare classical instrument.

It was my elder sister's nickname and, by the time I came around, it became my first name

How on earth did you find that shed to rent out, and are you still living there?

Not living there anymore, unfortunately, but I found it on SpareRoom. I loved it for the first 2 years, the third year was pretty hellish.

Great stuff! What do you want to be when you grow up?

A wrestler.

Okey, I might be too late.
But can you congratulate me on my 30th birthday?

Yeah. What’s your name?

Susan

Happy 30th Birthday Susan!

When can I expect you on hot ones?

set it up

Do you have plans to come to America and pull one of your famous tricks?!

Filming a lot in America at the moment. The Director I'm working with on the show I'm doing is American too.

Big fan of your work, thanks for doing this! What are your plans for the future Oobah?

No problem! I'm a fan of your question. A load of things.

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I've just written a book about the Shed, and the bizarre philosophy I've taken away from it: It's the most successful thing I've ever done, yet I didn't really care about the outcome when I was doing it, I was just wholly enjoying the process. Seeing how far it could go. It's out on February 26th and is $5, if anybody is interested: https://www.amazon.com/How-Bullsh-Your-Way-Number/dp/1513643657?_encoding=UTF8&redirect=true

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I'm also working on a TV show, which is going to take a while, and is going to be harder to pull off than landing a drone on top of a boiled egg

What kind of a TV show oobah, if you don't mind me asking?

It'll feel similar to the stuff you know from me. Documentary. Stupidly ambitious/silly

Hi Oobah! Huge fan of your work, and very excited to hear you’re planning a TV show. I think you’ll kill it in that format. As a writer/screenwriter who’s worked in and around that industry in various capacities, I’ve learned that boldly asking people you admire for opportunities can oftentimes lead to interesting places. So here’s my question for you: how do you plan to go about hiring staff/writers for your TV show, and would you be willing to consider me (assuming my portfolio passes the smell test, of course)?

Sure! mail it on to [email protected]

I just wanna thank you for what you have created. You’re just about one of the only interesting content providers on Vice. You’re a smart guy who pulls these stunts off in a calculated and entertaining way without being crass and petty. You show how gullible and shallow people are these days, even though they have all the information in the world at their fingertips.

So I must ask, what has all this taught you about people and how they perceive the world these days/how they seek out truth?

Thank you. I don't think that people are any stupider in the modern age than they ever have been, however, I do feel like the tools for constructing realities are the most sophisticated they've ever been. I have about 40 Squarespace sites for companies I made in 10 minutes but, as far as the internet is concerned, are completely legitimate. It's a fun time to mess about. I think we'll come through it with a more sophisticated, educated analysis for things that come our way, so let's enjoy it for now

Thanks everybody so much for your amazing questions + time! Been a great 7 hours. Reddit Oobah really enjoyed chatting with you all: https://imgur.com/a/q2m1jac

Will try do some more tomorrow when I wake up

Any hints about what might be coming soon?

No. But if ever anybody was interested in helping me pull it off when the time comes, I'd massively appreciate that. Go on the /about section on my website and fill in the form at the bottom if you're one of those people: https://www.oobahbutler.com/about/

Hey Oobah, I'm not telling you how to live your life or anything but I think you should do something on the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Every year people come from around the world (Festival Wanks) and pay to watch dreadful comedy/plays. It genuinely gets worse each year. The new thing they do is say that the "show" is free but when it over the request money from the audience. They even have a card reader for poeple who don't have cash.

There are lots of legit performers who eventually make it but the amount of plays/acts that are dog shit is almost at the point of being unbearable.

Do people send you lot's of requests such as this?

https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/evvmbp/i-put-on-a-hit-edinburgh-fringe-show-in-just-one-day

Hi Oobah, do you think anything could be faked into or are there definite limits? How much of it is confidence and how much is luck?

I think that everything is fakeable. Apart from orgasms

What sort of projects are you working on now?

Book + TV show (book link here if you're into it: https://www.amazon.com/How-Bullsh-Your-Way-Number/dp/1513643657?_encoding=UTF8&redirect=true)

What is the motivation behind the stuff you do? Just to prank the hell out of people, or is there always a message you are trying to send? Do you start with the message first, or the prank first? (:

It changes. I think it's far more interesting not to slam meaning in people's faces today. I have never really said what the Shed is about, and that has left it open to vastly different interpretations: The Washington Post referenced me as the Donald Trump of TripAdvisor (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiBwb6w08XfAhUCqXEKHerTD24QFjAAegQIAxAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fnews%2Ffood%2Fwp%2F2017%2F12%2F08%2Fit-was-londons-top-rated-restaurant-just-one-problem-it-didnt-exist%2F&usg=AOvVaw1fJpHPBvx-45Smzg_qexzE) , whereas Rene Redzepi felt it was a critique of reviewing culture. On the other hand, Singaporean parliament used it to inform new laws on fake news (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOSxW7YeZg4)

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These interpretations are far more interesting than my own

Do you think after doing three big projects it would be hard to sneak into another place considering you are quite famous now?

If I dyed my hair, I don't think anybody would have a clue who I was

Do you ever write anything like plays or screenplays? I’m obsessed with you + your creative voice!!

I mean... Have you read my writing?

How do you come up with your ideas, is it like a random “AHA” or do you sit around and piece stuff together? I saw someone else ask about screenplays etc. any other aspirations for your writing?

Chat the nuggets of ideas through with mates. Start trying things out

Wolves just scored, that’s good isn’t it?

Yes.

Are you a boy or a girl?

No

I’ve watched those videos before (restaurant and fashion). What were your “second plans” if ever you got caught in both?

I never really considered them fucking up. I've had curve balls before in the past, and you just have to roll with it. Somebody tweeted in the week before I opened the Shed that one of the people enjoying their food in the TripAdvisor photo from the restaurant was a Vice photographer (my mate Chris Bethell). That absolutely terrified me

are u the real Oobah?

my god that’s so funny

I just have to know, what was the first epic prank that you have ever pulled, excluding the Shed, of course?

Well, I did a thing with Jehovah's Witnesses, which was the first thing I did for VICE: https://noisey.vice.com/en_uk/article/rq4ey5/is-music-harder-to-sell-than-religion

Something I really, really find funny was when I was about 9. There was one shop in the village I grew up in that sold sweets (candy?). One day, coming back from school, I went in to get some chocolate and saw this horrible, haggard old chocolate bar on the shelf. It looked so, so disgusting. I thought 'they can't let me buy this, surely', so took it up to the counter. I was trying not to burst out laughing, holding it in as they were looking at this chocolate bar, then they scanned it and I bought it. I burst out of the doors and cried with laughter - I couldn't believe they'd let me buy it. The next day, I sneaked it back in, put it on the shelf, and tried to buy it again. It worked. I did it the next day, and it got even funnier. I bought that chocolate bar every day for what felt like an eternity - they never realised what I was doing

Do you have any siblings and if so what are their names?

If you are an only child, what are one, or both, of your parents names?

James, Peter, Emma, John, Rebecca, Oobah

Parents: Vicky + Paul