It’s a ridiculously simple clip but chances are pretty big that you’ve come across it. After all, by now it’s been viewed by over 35 million people. A middle aged guy is gliding down the street. We can’t really tell because of the high angle through which he is filming himself, but it’s easy to assume he’s on a skateboard. Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 hit “Dreams” plays as he cruises along. He takes a swig of the huge container of cranberry juice in his hand. He starts lip-syncing along to the lyrics of “Dreams” just before the video cuts off. Boom! That’s it! 35 million views later and the skateboarding Fleetwood Mac fan is a familiar face all over the world, resulting in yours truly writing these words all the way out here in Sweden.
The man behind the 22 second video clip is Nathan Apodaca, but if you’re a TikTok regular you might know him by the username “Doggface”. The clip has only been in circulation since the end of September but through the magnificent cultural time warp that can only be achieved by something going viral, Apodaca’s face is now already an icon of popular culture. An inseparable part of his now iconic appearance is the big tattoo on the right side of his head. It depicts a pair of big feathers. Apodaca is of mixed Northern Arapaho and Mexican descent and the feathers are a symbol of the Native part of his identity.
I don’t know if his cultural heritage has anything to do with his disposition, but Doggface seems like a dude who knows how to chill in the face of stress. And for that reason he is exactly the one we need to turn to at this particular moment in time. The backstory to the video is that Apodaca was driving to work when his truck broke down. Instead of waiting to have his truck towed, Apodaca grabbed his longboard and his juice and went on his way to work. I had no idea of this backstory when I first came across the video. The mood is all the more remarkable for it. None of the stress of the situation comes across in the clip. Apodaca just seems to be entirely inside this bubble of good vibes.
That’s exactly what we need right now.
With just hours away from what many consider to be the most important political election of recent American history, stress levels are at an all time high. Throw some rampant COVID-action on top of that and you’ve got yourselves a mess were you simply need Doggface’s de-stressed bubble to survive. So let’s have Doggface be our ambassador of good vibes.
In this time of hypertension, be like Doggface. Grab your cranberry juice, sing along to some Fleetwood Mac and just chill. If only for a moment.