Alex Grossman

Alex Grossman

Posted: January 27, 2010 12:39 AM

Interview With Bob Patel, Creator of "Doppelganger Week" on Facebook

What's Your Reaction:

ALEX:
Bob, let's jump right in-- what is "Doppelganger Week"?

BOB:
It's the week when everyone on Facebook replaces their profile photo with a celebrity that looks like them.

ALEX:
So fun. And you came up with this?

BOB:
Yeah. It all started when the guys at work started teasing me that I look like Tom Selleck. They're like, "Hey, Tom Selleck, what are you doing?" Or, "Yo, Tom Selleck, we're talking to you."

ALEX:
Pretty on the nose, huh?

BOB:
I.T. is a notoriously ruthless department.

ALEX:
Forgive me for not seeing the resemblance, but you look like you're about 19 years old. And Indian if I'm not mistaken?

BOB:
I don't know, maybe it's the mustache. In any case, that's when I decided to turn the joke around on them and came up with Doppelganger Week.

ALEX:
Fascinating. By owning the insult you put the power back in your hands. And has it been a success?

BOB:
Big time. Everyone's doing it. It's way more popular than "Post a Profile Photo of Your Favorite Norse God Week." Way more.

ALEX:
Wow, it's stuff like this that makes Facebook so incredible, isn't it? On any given day you can find something so vital to your life.

BOB:
There's something for everyone. My Commodore 64 club is up to two dozen members from around the world. We're trying to organize a get-together in Las Vegas next year. My uncle gets a sick rate at The Excalibur Hotel. Sherwood Forrest Level.

ALEX:
Okay, I'm impressed. But let me ask you, what's come of this? Have you noticed any differences or improvements in your life? The way people treat you?

BOB:
Um, not really. But it's early. These things usually take a few months to catch on.

ALEX:
Right. But by then Doppelganger Week will be over.

BOB:
I suppose so. Damn.

 

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dopplegang   09:22 PM on 2/03/2010
www.myspace.com/dopplegangfilm
photo
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Alex Grossman   01:53 PM on 1/31/2010
More than a few people have questioned whether this interview and Bob Patel are real. Bob Patel is absolutely real. He lives across the street from Santa Claus, just around the corner from The Easter Bunny. Geez...

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