Before social media and smartphones existed, in 1998, music videos were pop culture. Boy bands were bigger than ever, Will Smith was doing Gettin' Jiggy wit ItGreen Day was having the time of their lives, and another California band with roots in punk, the Offspring, was building a passionate fan base by turning catchy tunes into music videos that didn't make you want to change the channel.
The biggest hit and their most iconic video is Pretty Fly (For a White Guy). Directed by McG, it poked fun at the decidedly uncool types who tried to look cool by copying hip hop style with backwards baseball caps, oversized jerseys and gold chains. The character was embodied by a certain Guy Cohen so irresistible that he became an ironic and almost mythical figure for fans. The song may be a commentary on cultural appropriation, but the deliberately kitschy video and the light-hearted approach to performing it live, sometimes having the actor come on stage for his awkward dances, were pure fun.
With nostalgia for the '90s running wild on social media, Cohen is back to reliving his Fly Guy days. In August he took the stage again with the Offspring at the Kia Forum, in October he did it again at the When We Were Young festival in Las Vegas, recently at the BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach. We caught up with the “pretty fly guy” – yes, his real name is Guy – to talk about the video, the fame it brought him and what he's been up to for the last 28 years. “It's amazing how long this thing has lasted,” he says. «The character is one of the symbols of the 90s perhaps because he remembers a better time, when we had fun and watched MTV, before social media. It brings joy.”
How did you end up in the video?
It was about six months after I started acting, when I was 18. At the time, towards the end of the 90s, music videos were a great way to start gaining experience because you didn't have to be a union member. It was a bit like being an extra. I had already participated in the filming of Alanis Morissette's video Thank U. It's the one where she stands there naked while people walk past her. Well, I was one of those blurry figures. Then came the Offspring video, it became one of the greatest ever and changed my life.
Where did those moves come from? Was it a joke or did you take it seriously?
I didn't take anything seriously. To me the video and the character were a mockery of the era and those white people who would like to be part of another culture. And there were some of that kind at the time. It was all a joke. I'm not a professional dancer, I invented the movements. There was a move called “Molly Ringwald” that McG, the director, wanted to do and showed me, but I invented almost all the rest. I was being silly, I was having fun.
A new generation is discovering the song and the band, have you noticed that too?
Never seen anything like it: three generations at concerts together, children, parents and grandparents. And there are guys who dress like the character in the video. At Offspring concerts there are always 20 or 30 people dressed like me.
You have remained practically the same as then…
I was 18 and now I'm 46. I think it's genetic, but it's true that I don't drink or smoke. I wear sunscreen every day along with face cream. I livestream full time, so I spend a lot of time indoors and out of the sun.
Here, tell me about your livestreaming I'm Really Important.
I'm talking about politics. I debate with people for a couple of hours on TikTok in the morning and in the evening I review the news trying to give a positive reading on YouTube or Twitch. I try to make politics more attractive and educate people a little.
But your followers know you're the type PrettyFly?
I couldn't say what percentage of them know it, but it's not something I hide. It doesn't come up often anyway. And when that happens it's kind of Easter eggs. There are fans who come to my channel for the band, but now I'm recognized more for my new career. Of course, if I walked around dressed like in the video I would be stopped everywhere.
Before BeachLife did you go on stage with the Offspring?
Very rarely. I've stayed in touch with Dexter Holland, we talk maybe once every two years, with a message. He's very busy, I try not to disturb him, but he's always been very kind to me. Once every ten years he invites me to a concert and I go to say hello and maybe go on stage. Last year he wrote to me: «I have a crazy idea, let's do a great show at the Forum and we would love for you to come. Do you still have your shirt?”. I still have it, but it's framed, so they made me a new custom one. It was so much fun. Since then they have asked me to go when they have big concerts. They played in the biggest indoor arena in Paris and they called me there too. Then to Montreal. We also did When We Were Young in Las Vegas last year. I went to the first American stop of the tour in Bakersfield. And then obviously BeachLife… I'm a bit of a cheerleader for the band. They are not much social friendlythey're a little older than me, they shoot clips and content when I'm around. And they work very well on their social media.
They also have those inflatable puppets on stage like air dancer that look like you. Are they new?
They've been using them for a while. They have my face, it's funny. Years ago I went on tour with them. I was 18, 19, and I don't know how my parents let me, but I was traveling on tour buses and private planes, and it all culminated in Woodstock '99. I lived that life, it's fun to do it again 30 years later.
The song makes fun of a certain type of person, but at the same time it also seems to celebrate it. Being white yourself, did you ever have any reservations? Was anyone offended?
No one has ever stopped me and said: “Shame on you, you're a monster” (laughs). But, I tell you, I liked hip hop. My favorite show as a kid was In Living Colorwith a predominantly black cast. So I understood that culture and appreciated it. I simply recognized that there were people who tried to look like that at all costs and we made fun of them. I think everyone understood it and got the joke, without getting offended.
You seem like a positive-spirited guy, but you talk about politics and I imagine you have to deal with a lot of negativity. How do you do it?
Half the time during live broadcasts I do some sort of psychological support therapy for people, because it's difficult to stay positive. As things stand today, whatever your political views, there are a lot of terrible things happening in the world. I try to underline the things that work and make people understand that even good things can come from negative situations.
From Rolling Stone US.
