Steve Spiros

Submission 24,666

Part of a series on Public Freakout Videos. [View Related Entries]

About

Steve Spiros is the supposed name of a man interviewed on the street in a public freakout video filmed in Toronto, Canada by Fashion Studio 7, which was uploaded to YouTube in mid-June 2012. As of September 2023, Steve Spiros' actual identity remains unconfirmed.

Origin

On June 14th, 2012, the alfashion YouTube channel uploaded a video titled "Man Goes Crazy Rips off Shirt During Street Interview" (shown below). Within 11 years, the video gained over 4.2 million views.

My name? Oh-- Lemme tell you my name. Uh… I’m confused. Because, uh, you know, like, we’re supposed to believe in the ministry, right? So is the-- i-- is the church and state supposed to be separate? I’m confused ‘cuz I never went to school. Right? Does a confused person get a resolution? I don’t understand. You see, when you go like that, (holds fingers in a “cross” formation) right, you have a cross, two sticks, right? And that’s how I felt when I was in Waterloo. ‘Cuz when I walked in Waterloo and smiled at people, they treated me like a vampire. They used the cross and they went like “this” (cross gesture) by not smiling at me. In Toronto-- Hey, hi guys, you know me: Steve Spiros? “Easygoing?” Those who know me: I’m a nobody, y’understand? And you can’t kill a person with no body! So, why am I afraid? I’m not afraid! I’m afraid of the Boogeyman! Who’s the Boogeyman? You figure it out! I’m gettin’ outta here! I’m going back to Waterloo where the vampires hang out, and I’m gonna wear my sunglasses at night, ya know why? Because women show their t--s, have short skirts, and then they feel violated when I look at them! Why? ‘Cuz I have sunglasses on and I’m weird.

Uhh… I’m from Humberside? I’m sorry if, uh, I made a fool of Humberside, but… All those people who called me a sleepwalker? I woke up!! Now I’m going back to sleep ‘cuz I’m gonna be committed in an isolation room, because I’m gonna go back to the ministry and allow them to perceive me as I am: a FUCK-UP!!! GOODBYE!

Hey Toronto the Good, look at-- look at this square. It was a shithole when I worked here, now it looks like New York, Manhattan! Where are the bums? There’s no bums here. Toronto doesn’t have bums! But Waterloo, they’re creating bums, they created ME! Why?! I don’t know! Maybe it’s the church. Talk to the Pope, he knows everything. I’ve had it! I’m gonna die! How can you die when you’re DEAD! Oh wait a second, I’m gonna be crucified, right?

(Rips open shirt.)

sigh I’m not gonna raise my voice. ‘Cuz I’m committed to the Lord. I love you.

Spread

For years after the video was posted, it inspired fascination. On April 17th, 2013, InformOverload interviewed "Alyssa," the woman in the video, about the experience, gaining over 57,000 views in ten years (shown below, left). On November 15th, 2017, YouTube channel All Def Comedy posted a reaction video to it, gaining over 229,000 views in six years (shown below, right).

On July 17th, 2017, the video was reposted to Reddit's /r/videos,^[3] gaining over 11,000 points in six years. On March 4th, 2021, the /r/stevespiros^[1] subreddit was created, dedicated to posts about the man in the viral video. On September 20th, 2023, a clip from the original video was submitted to the /r/WTF^[2] subreddit, where it gathered upwards of 5,000 points in the first 11 hours.

Blackberry Waterloo Vampires Reference

On May 12th, 2023, the film BlackBerry, a biographical comedy-drama about the rise and fall of the BlackBerry mobile phone brand, was released in the United States and Canada. In the film, Jim Balsillie (played by Glenn Howerton) references the viral video by saying "I'm from Waterloo, where the vampires hang out" (shown below).