Ep. 101: Interview - Simpsons NFT Episode and the Bored Ape Yacht Club event disaster with Blake Finucane

[00:00] The Simpsons [00:02] My lip flam. [00:03] It's starting to impact my speed. Mine is just starting. I couldn't drink from a straw this morning and I was like, [00:09] Good things are coming. [00:30] Just boys club. Hi. It's our 101st episode. You know what? I was thinking about it. And we have some of Blake's podcasts on our feed. [00:40] So it's actually not our 101st episode. It's the 101st episode on this feed. I don't know that we want to diminish the glory. [00:47] Not diminishing the glory, it's just the Boys Club podcast has not had 100 episodes. Okay, I'm not sure that's true. We need to do a fact check. Fact check here. I'm not sure that that's the truth. It doesn't matter. No problem. 101st episode, potentially. It's maybe our 101st episode. Regardless, next week sometime, we're going to do a fun special episode that has some voice memos that people have been sending in. [01:12] Watch this space. About their favorite Boys Club memory. And man, the ones that we've gotten so far have been so great. So sweet. They've been so sweet and like so heartwarming. And let me explain what the prompt is first because maybe some people haven't seen it. So we asked folks in the Boys Club community from across the Boys Club community, you...

[01:30] are also invited to take part in this brief and encouraged please do we've asked folks to send us a voice memo [01:39] of their favorite boys club memory it could be something that happened to you at a party it could be you dm someone and you got a job it could be you dm someone you got a date it could be you had a weird encounter on the street when you're wearing the boys club hat it could be you had a fun dinner where it turned out that i don't know whatever you both listen to the boys club podcast any number of things it can take any sort of shape and we've had a real range of submissions [02:09] We would love to hear from you. It could be your favorite guest. Or you just have something fun to say. You could just send something fun in. If you just have a message to say to the Voice Club community, you can also... Send it through. Don't be weird, but send it through. Anyway, we're going to compile those at some point next week. Send them in to hihi.com. [02:30] at boysclub.vip. Yeah. And I got to tell you, sending a voice memo is very easy. People have gotten very overwhelmed by that as an ask. It's very easy. You go to your phone, you search voice memo, an app comes up that's preloaded on most Apple phones. If you don't have an Apple phone, I'm sure there's a Android equivalent, Android equivalent, and you just send it and we're also going to edit them. So don't someone sent us one last night and it was she was like, this is my

[03:00] It's sounding perfect. Don't worry, we're going to edit them. Don't stress at all. No stress at all. [03:04] Anyway, that is what we're doing next week. Very exciting. This episode was super fun. Very fun. We had our NFT correspondent, Blake Finucane, on the pod. NFT correspondent and Bored Ape Yacht Club correspondent. Bored Ape Yacht Club holder member. We all have our flaws. Oh. I'm just joking. We love Blake so much. Oh, couldn't love her more. Couldn't love her more. So that's a roast, a loving roast. We had Blake explain two things to us. The Simpsons NFT contest. [03:31] episode. [03:32] And... [03:34] The incident at the Bored Ape Yacht Club party in Hong Kong. [03:38] where some people got injured. And Blake filled us in on both things. And we're grateful for that and her and also grateful I wasn't at that party. [03:47] Very grateful. Give it a listen. If you like this podcast, if you listen and enjoy, please rate it. It really helps. Please subscribe. That also helps. And send it to a friend. [03:59] Thanks so much. Thanks. [04:29] Crypto trading involves risk of loss. Cryptocurrency services are provided to U.S. and U.S. territory customers by Payward Ventures, Inc. PVI, DBA, Kraken.

[04:40] Okay, so on today's show, 101st episode, full circle moment, we have on Blake Finucane, who is so many things to us, friend, mentor, mentor. [04:51] co-hosts. [04:53] Content creator, podcast host, art historian. Just... [04:58] fashionista venture capitalist um the fact that i just said fashionista is the most chuggy thing i could have ever said in the whole wide world but she's here hi [05:10] Hello. Thank you both so much for having me. It's an honor. I don't want to say, like, confirm this, but was I on the first episode? That's why I said full circle. I was going to close that circle in a second. But yes, you were on our very first episode. I closed too soon. I closed too soon. You closed too soon. But it's great. It's perfect. Full circle. First episode and 101st episode. And there is no one else in the world I'd rather have it be than you, Blake. Yeah. [05:36] That's it's I'm so excited to be here. Both of you know, I hope I tell you privately all the time how much you do mean to me personally from a professional perspective. People who, you know, have believed in me so much and I've started to believe what you believe. That's true empowerment. And that's what you always give to me. So it's an honor to be here. Thank you, Blake. That's so kind. What a nice way to start the day. [06:06] I understand as our NFT correspondent, what happened there? I also, as our Bored Ape Yacht Club correspondent as well. What a title. And I'll take it. I'll take it. I'd love to cover those two areas briefly. Let's start first with The Simpsons. What occurred? Okay, can't wait. So this recap...

[06:26] assumes I guess that people know about the Simpsons I don't know if Gen Z does but well it was funny because when when Dina was like let's have Blake on talk about the Simpsons episode I was like [06:37] Cool. All I know about The Simpsons is that... [06:40] It's the longest running television show in history. [06:43] its animated characters [06:45] And it's sort of edgy. Have you ever watched a Simpsons episode? No. When I think of Simpsons, I think edgy. So, you know. But it's like the South Park guys, right? Same. It's I guess it's similar vein. I think they came around at the same time. I mean, I grew up with an older brother. So like the Simpsons was on in our house all the time. But I was not a, I guess, a. [07:05] natural Simpsons watcher, but I grew up certainly with the Simpsons. You know, like Bart, Homer, Homer, March. Okay. So... [07:14] The Simpsons released an episode focused on NFTs. It was part of their Halloween. [07:19] episode series in in simpsons lore the halloween episode is very important they do three mini stories within an episode okay there's always very iconic episodes within [07:30] that episode each year. So that's important. It's the September issue of The Simpsons. Exactly. I mean, real Simpsons people might come at me for that. But in my experience, that's a very, very important episode. And basically it starts, Bart gets turned into an NFT and that NFT is worth 1.5 million. So [07:51] like leaves earth and goes into the blockchain, so to speak. So Marge freaks out and goes, oh my gosh, I need to rescue my son Bart. In order to do that, she obtains a cryptographic key. Okay.

[08:03] to enter the blockchain, I thought this would be relevant. The three people that hold the keys, [08:09] Kylie Jenner, Jimmy Fallon, and Rob Gronkowski. [08:13] So I wanted to mention that. That is a wild. Yes. Whatever the opposite of a nightmare blunt rotation is, that's what that is. That sounds like a great time. I don't know who the last guy is. He's a sports guy. He's a sports guy. He's like a really famous NFL player that played with Tom Brady. Yeah. [08:30] known for being sort of like big, dumb and stupid. [08:33] Fair. And handsome. Is he a himbo? [08:35] Um, no, because he's like wealthy. He's like, he's a very famous NFL player. One of the best ever in his position. [08:43] I, I, who's to say? Let's move on because they're going to move on. Let's move on. Okay. So once she gets the keys from Kylie, um, at Al, um, [08:52] She goes into the blockchain, which is visualized as a train. The Simpsons always has like actual elevated references, which is, of course, the train moving through the mountains in the snow, which is how it's visualized, is a snowpiercer reference. [09:05] So layered. The Simpsons is always layered. That's, I think, one of its brilliant qualities. I'm not a TV critic, but here we are. And there's three classes in the train and Marge starts in the lowest class and then works her way to the highest class. And this is where it kind of gets, I guess, interesting and funny. PFPs are in the lowest class, bottom of the barrel.

[09:35] but kind of the the big hypey nft collections there's like a doodle visualized it's like the rainbow coming out of its mouth so i have a question is it actual representations of these pfp projects that they got ip licenses to use or is it a version of it that's just referencing it but not clearly [09:55] It's very clear that they are the references. They're not like exact screenshots. They're kind of like cartoon-y eyes. Yesified. Yeah, yeah. And so she kind of like... [10:05] fights all of them and their value is put above their head. [10:10] in terms of price. So price is always really focused on. And all the trained employees are also board apes because obviously they need to work because there's no money in what they own anymore. And then she works her way up to middle class, which is CryptoKitties, which is kind of surprising because I don't find that they're particularly relevant at the moment or have been really since they dropped. Yeah. [10:34] They were like one of the first, right? The first ERC 721 standard. Okay. Invented here in Vancouver and built here. Well done. Congratulations. What can I say? You're welcome. Thanks, everyone. They were super cool. [10:50] culturally and technically important for, you know, everything has replicated them in terms of the actual technology. Super important. But from like an economic investment perspective, not at all. And they're not, excuse the term, mainstream in the way that all the other NFT collections are. So that would be a reference that I think a lot of watchers would like truly go over their head. But again, The Simpsons is layered. It was a deep cut. Yeah. And they're

[11:20] actually what made me feel good about the episode was that when Marge makes it to first class, it's all digital art, which is really prescribed the highest level of prestige, the highest level of value, [11:33] The features in terms of the art, again, like really legit grails are what Marge walks by. So some of the ones that are pictured, Ringer's number 879. Why I say the number is because it's kind of the most famous of the Ringer's collection, famously coined the goose. [11:52] Oh, the one that sold at Sotheby's? Okay. Nice. Yeah, for $6.2 million in June. Okay. [11:59] You know, The Ringer, it's one of the most important generative art collections, certainly ever. One of the most important crypto art collections. [12:07] It's a really central piece for the entire kind of crypto art ecosystem. So the fact that they're highlighting that, I love. I'm like, someone did do their research. So they're working over there. There's also Everydays by Beeple, which sold for $69 million at Christie's in 2021. $69 million? [12:29] $69 million. You could say that that's what really kicked off the bull run, Beeple certainly, but that sale, the kind of pinnacle of what was to come for the next year around NFTs. And Marge standing in front of that is kind of surreal. Like that's... [12:45] really like a specific message to the audience if you're watching that. There's also an X copy. X copy...

[12:54] is again one of the most important crypto artists. He kind of pioneered the one of ones. He's making work. It's not a collection. The Ringers [13:03] is a large collection. XCopy kind of did one-off pieces. He does have some small collections, but in general, he's a one-of-one artist. The fact, again, these are very specific crypto people, crypto creators. These are not people that got their start other places. They really made their name and continue to create in the medium of digital and crypto art. So again, they're being broadcasted on The Simpsons, which is a cultural institution, basically, [13:33] everyone. So I think that's a pretty big deal. And I think that's the most important thing to highlight. [13:40] And the other thing I would say is, [13:43] To me, the fact that they are ascribing crypto art as being the highest value, [13:48] demonstrates that [13:49] there is a clear product market fit between NFTs and art, and that it's able to be easily communicated to a general audience. [13:58] And I think that that's really positive. Thank you so much for the synopsis. What I'm hearing from you is that it was deeply researched and largely sort of accurate in how things were visually explained. I know that The Simpsons is satirical and they make fun of everyone. But would you say that it was generally... [14:19] unkind to NFTs? Or is just the fact of them doing it the act of kindness and the way that it's positioned, like doesn't even really matter? Curious your take on that.

[14:30] Yeah, I think the departing message is that NFTs are worthless. I will be honest. At the end, Homer turns himself into an NFT. And then it ends up the train stops, all the lights go out, and he's worth $0. I'm not a everyday Simpsons watcher. But I did hear that in another episode, Krusty the Clown, a deep cut for those Simpsons watchers, he's lost all his money on NFTs. And [14:56] Overall, The Simpsons isn't particularly kind to NFTs, but I don't think it's that damning. I think that, you know, they're pretty lighthearted. Everything is kind of in good fun. And, you [15:07] Yes, I don't think that in general they're like, let's spend all our money on a board ape. But I do think that relatively they gave a lot of play and kind of honored the crypto art side of things. So in that way, I don't feel that bad about it. I think that, of course, The Simpsons isn't as influential as it once was, but... [15:28] It's a really big deal to have that stage and have it be taken so seriously. It was so deeply researched. They did acknowledge a lot of the big artists. So I think that's a positive. That's a very positive way of looking at it. And I appreciate that. Like, I feel like another way to look at it is like, you know, when you're in high school and you have a guy that you're really into and he doesn't pay attention to you, but then like one day he makes fun of you and it's like so worth it because you're like, at least he knows I exist. Yeah. [15:57] That's a little bit what's happening. Yeah, I mean, NFTs have always been the girl that wants attention. You know what I mean? Big pick me energy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I think I think totally that that's that's the case, I think, because at least there's some positivity in how a certain person.

[16:15] like vertical of NFTs were represented, I'm like, oh my gosh, this is amazing. I'm so happy. Like, someone said something positive. Like, when you're... [16:22] crawling through the dust. At least there's like a cup of water, so to speak. [16:26] So I'm excited about that. So what happened with the market? Did anything pump? I mean, things have been pumping in general. It's been a fantastic kind of month for NFTs. [16:36] Why? What's the thought? I think in general, volume has been picking up. Interest has been picking up. We've had such a lull. We've had such like a dark time for, you know, this last year. What do you mean? [16:50] i i mean honestly couldn't tell you i've had a great time over here you know what i mean i haven't been stressed at all so and so i in general the etf impending approval is is a really big part of that i think you know the bitcoin happening happening in you know april ish is a really big deal i think just [17:13] positive sentiment is growing and that is being reflected in NFTs. Trickle down economics. Yeah, classic. Classic example. Okay, Blake, thank you so much for that. When you're first getting started with crypto, it can be scary. Am I doing this right? Is this just like my bank or trading app? How is it new and different? Well, that's why we love Kraken. They have a 24-7, 365 customer support team that's there to hold your hand all along the way. This isn't a nine to five Monday to Friday bank. This is crypto. [17:43] I do want to just get a quick briefing on what occurred last weekend at the Bored Ape party in Hong Kong. I was really surprised that you weren't there, Blake.

[18:13] To be honest with you. I mean, I was like, are they going to bring up that I've gone to several of the ApeFest before? It's a bit of a trek. Yeah, it's far. It's far for the best of us. For the listener, I do feel as though we need to disclose that you are a board ape holder. I think that that's an important aspect of the story. You're a board ape holder. You've been to ApeFest in the past. [18:43] You don't have to be defensive. Have you ever thought about... [18:46] especially recently selling or no? I mean, I guess I don't really, I'm not really a seller, you know, more of a buyer. I know horrible business strategy. She's a trader who doesn't sell anything. Exactly. Exactly. So, okay. So what happened in Hong Kong? [19:01] Over the weekend, ApeFest happens. It's a really, really key component of the community. So these formal gatherings provide a lot of value to owners. They're really essential to people meeting each other, to having these experiences, opening these quote unquote tickets keys to a really exclusive event. [19:31] with. [19:32] A Bathing Ape, one of the most iconic, important streetwear brands in history. They're based in Tokyo. And this was their kind of drop into really expanding into Asia, which, again, I think is a fantastic idea. I think it's really important for them to make their presence known there and understand that they're committed to building community in that part of the world. So...

[19:53] With that being said, [19:55] On Sunday evening into Monday morning, there began to be a couple of tweets circulating with a couple of the attendees having not just eye pain, but vision loss and sunburns, which is the exact opposite of what you want. Just leaving the house, let alone like going to a festival. Very alarming. So they got a lot of traction. Anyone that tweets something about Bored Apes, I mean, you're getting traction. People really care. Quick question. [20:24] How this traction is happening on Twitter is individuals with a PFP of a board ape, a few of them are saying my eyes are hurting or something. I had to go to the hospital. Okay. So they're kind of giving detailed... [20:37] accounts of, Hey, I woke up in the middle of the night. I started having this really extreme vision pain. I had to go to the hospital replies. Hey, I had the same thing. Um, and also then a couple separate tweets, um, [20:51] going, hey, I have really extreme pain. I had to go to the doctor. So that's upsetting. You wake up with eye issues. That's really, really, really upsetting. As an event organizer, this makes me feel nauseous. I feel sick. Me too. Yeah, like an actual nightmare. A couple days later, the Bored Ape official account put out [21:12] hey, we've heard that certain attendees have experienced eye-related issues. We're looking to get to the bottom of it. Basically, they didn't acknowledge that it was them. [21:21] They didn't acknowledge it was the UV lights.

[21:24] Late last evening, as I was wanting to give you the most up-to-date information that I could on this pod, they tweeted that there's been a, quote-unquote, comprehensive investigation, which they then officially acknowledged that it was the UV lights that were likely the cause of the virus. [21:44] the attendees eye issues. Okay. So basically it's like a rave or a party and there's like some weird lighting and the lighting that they used were UV lights. Yeah. That were so, yeah. Very extreme. Like what you would get in like a tanning pad. [22:00] Yeah. Oh my. UVA UVA. I mean, I'm going to be honest. I've never set foot in a tanning bed, so I don't know if it's good for you. That's why your skin looks like the way that it does. Natasha and I are both past tanning bed users. Now I'm having to go back to lasers. I went one type of lighting. [22:18] to get tan as I get older, I have to go back to a different type of laser to remove that. [22:23] The feminine circle closes and opens once again. [22:27] That is horrendous. It's, and I will say, they also made an official statement to Verge, the media publication, saying that, [22:37] Their estimates, they talked explicitly to 15 people, which represents less than 1%. [22:44] of the attendees having these type of issues, as there was over 2,200 people that attended. So another official statement was that it was less than 1%. [22:52] Nonetheless, [redacted address] too many to have vision loss, but they say it was less than 15 or 15 people. Isn't it like everybody had the exposure and some people had symptoms? They're not acknowledging any of that. They're not acknowledging that everyone had exposure. They're only focusing on those 15 people. And I mean, the board apes know how to have some legal speak.

[23:22] But also they didn't immediately take responsibility for [23:25] And that never bodes well, particularly when like a lot of people, as you're mentioning, you thought I might like people fly in for these things. These these assets mean a lot to people. The fact that you're experiencing like physical medical issues, medical issues is I mean, there's nothing that represents a failure of an event more than that. I do want to say I saw this tweet and I sent it to Tasha already that I think just really sums it up for me. [23:55] they say this has happened once before also in hong kong at a hype feast event fortunately [24:01] It can only happen at an event designed for people who think, quote, fluorescent colors glowing under blue light is the coolest thing ever. [24:09] Which is such a roast. That's exceptional. Oh, man. My spectrum of emotion around this is... [24:16] As an event organizer... [24:17] Absolutely horrified. Horrified. And like... [24:20] never want to throw an event again. Because if someone was like, I left your party, and now I have vision loss, I would not be able to recover. Shut it down. That's, that's one feeling. But then that's a, there's a fast follow with [24:33] Bored Apes is owned by Yugo Labs. Yugo Labs raised $450 million. [24:38] $450 million. [24:41] How can you not have some due diligence around the lighting you're using? That's also how much they raised on top of how much their treasury already had. You have... [24:49] unlimited essentially resources to make sure. And this is the only thing that they're doing. The only proof

[24:54] that they're still actively... [24:57] trying to provide value to their holders is these events. If you can't get this right, like throw in the towel. It's insane. I mean, I will not that I'm defending them, but I will say they do. They have done. [25:08] It's not the only thing. [25:10] that they do no worries like no worries if not no worries if not like i'm sorry i'm sorry i offended you as a whole you did it no you did it i'm just like for the listeners out there there is other things okay fair harsh but fair but but it's a very important a very important essential part and they did say i guess that they're committed again quote to supporting the [25:33] the people affected medically [25:35] I don't know if they didn't say that they're going to pay for the medical bills. They didn't say, you know, I don't know if that's emotional support. They're like thoughts and prayers. Airdrop. Yeah. Hey, yeah, that would be probably. It's like land in the metaverse. They're like, here you go. [25:49] But like, you're a good sport. Sorry. And thank you for letting us throw a sport apes. They're just such an easy target. No, exactly. And that's why I'm always like shy. Like, I don't want to be a defender. I just... [25:59] I just want to give the whole, like a tiny bit more of the picture. No, that's why you want me on. That's fair. [26:05] A little bit more of a rounded view. That's fair. Blake, just, we can't even maybe even cut this, but like, what's going to happen? Are these people going to recover or is it permanent? Yeah. [26:13] I mean, as a medical professional that I am. [26:17] I don't know how UV affects the eyes. So I hope that they will recover. [26:23] I don't know how that works.

[26:26] Okay. Wow. Well, Blake, thank you for the briefing. My pleasure. I hope that I could paint a bit of a picture. You did. You gave a very well-rounded, responsible look at both of these things. [26:39] Thanks for having me. Thank you so much for having me. [26:43] Friends, this is where we make an ask. We're in our call to action era. It's CTA times. Rate and review this podcast. Subscribe to our newsletter. [26:56] send it to one friend. Thank you for listening. We love you. Bye.