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He’s the gook in the “I Said ‘Jesus is Gay’ on National Television” chapter. He’s also this guy…
First Posted: 02/ 2/2012 5:55 pm Updated: 02/ 3/2012 6:57 pm
Since the company announced its decision to go public on Wednesday, Facebook employees and early investors must be bouncing off the walls over staggering reported earnings. (Mark Zuckerberg’s reported pull? $28.4 billion with a B.) But our favorite member of the Facebook IPO instant millionaire club is undoubtedly San Jose graffiti artist David Choe.
Expressing brilliant foresight, Choe reportedly opted for stock options instead of payment in 2005 for covering the walls of Facebook headquarters with spray-painted murals. (Check out the video below of Zuckerberg spray-painting stick figures with Choe.)According to his website, Choe has since been homeless, “wandering the earth, making good art and bad music.” The sum the art-school dropout stands to make come May: a cool $200 million.
On his blog, Choe expressed his excitement and disbelief over the news:
“F*ck, have you had the dream where you ARE this guy?!? And then some kind of happy accident happens, and as you’re in the middle of this glorious car crash you stop to realize that there is actually no such thing as an accident, and no chance encounters, and that everything has a direct purpose? [...] then I get up and see my picture on the cover of the New York Times and I find out that I’m the most highest paid decorator alive.”
According to Daily UK Mail, Choe was asked to paint the Palo Alto offices and was given a payment option by then-President Sean Parker: a few thousand dollars or the equivalent in stock options. According to the New York Times, Choe originally thought the idea of Facebook was “ridiculous and pointless,” but he fortunately still chose the latter. “Always double down on 11,” said Choe in his art book, quoted by the Times. “Always.”
In fairness, Choe’s living situation may be more of a personal choice than a financial one. (Choe’s work is a regular fixture at San Francisco’s Upper Playground and is displayed in major museums.) But we can only imagine what Wednesday morning must have been like.
Check out Choe and Zuckerberg spray-painting the Facebook headquarters in this video:
He did a Podcast which was weird, amateur, and funny at the same time. “Koreans Gone Bad” I think it was called. It wasn’t edited at all so there’s a lot of filler but the good parts are worth it. Lots of stories, which I’m a fan of (including yours McInnes.) A lot of eating hooker’s asses, interviews with porn stars, he talks about being in Japanese prison, explains going to Colombia in the jungle and tripping on Ayahuasca, that type of thing. I listened to it on flights and while waiting in the airport.
The Japanese prison story (the 3-hour version) is quite possibly the most interesting story of all time and that includes the time Pepper from Corrosion of Conformity had to shoot at pirates from a billionaire’s yacht off the coast of Somalia.
where do i find this japanese prison story?