The Pick-Up Artist

[tinyshoes]

Hey, you can't just turn in your Greecie card and walk out. You have to sit here and take it when we point and laugh at you! ;D

[venusdiva429]

Ah, yes, the "Venusian Arts". Yeah, great. I don't think we've riffed on the Don Juan PUA forums lately, either!

Mystery thinks too much of his damned self. There are gothy boys who are sooooo much hotter than he is. He calls his look "Peacocking", completely missing the point that too much of a good thing comes off as patently fake. Idiot.

Salon has an interview with him by Tracy Clark-Flory from Broadsheet. Sometimes, I can't stand her, but she completely pwns him, hardcore. He tries picking her in the end, and she shoots him down, down, down! ;D

Here's one Salon letter writer who actually had a run-in with the guy...

I went to LA to visit two of my college girlfriends last year. On Friday night, we decided to hit up the "LA Club Scene" and ended up at some too-cool-for-school club full of financial types and bottle blondes. I gather, very typical LA.

At some point, we're at the bar and some girls next to us are giggling about the Cat in the Hat that just walked in the door. I burst out laughing when I saw this monstrosity in a feathered hat and more eyeliner than I would EVER wear.

I guess he saw me laughing because he made a bee-line toward the three of us.

About 10 feet from his target, he decides to act so very cool and saunters over about 3 people down the bar. Unfortunately, for us, when he realized we didn't care where he went he came over.

This was the conversation:

Him: You look like you're in one of those tight-ass bitch jobs.

Me: Um, ok. Bye. [walking away]

Him: [grabbing arm, laughing] No, wait, I didn't mean to be rude, you just look like one of those little girls who knows her way around a board room.

Me: Um, ok. Bye. [second attempt to walk away].

Him: [again with the arm grabbing] Listen beautiful, I'm just trying to appease my curiosity, if you tell me what you do, I'll let you go.

Me: I'm an attorney.

Him: Ah, I love female attorneys, they're always so damn good in bed.

Me: Super. Can I have my arm back now?

Him: You're not very nice. I like that.

Me: Um, ok. Bye. [finally managed to disengage my arm and walk away]

Him: [under his breath, but loud enough for me to hear] Fucking Bitch.

To all the men thinking of buying whatever this loser is selling, please don't.

[tinyshoes]

if you tell me what you do, I'll let you go.

*shudder*

So that's his technique? Not letting go of your arm until you say yes? Are he and Joe "the Rapist" Francis related?

[venusdiva429]

It truly makes you wonder. I'm shocked that someone hasn't ju-jitsued his Willy Wonka (tm TWOP) -looking ass for that sort of junk.

[Deleted]

Was I the only one who watched last night? He makes them "peacock" and naturally since these people all have the social and wardrobe skills of Nell, they fail miserably at it buying hoodies with devil forks, putting ties over t-shirts and dying tiny sections of their hair bright colors.

And then they went to a bar. Again. To practice their opening lines. It was so painful I fast-forwarded through most of it. I think they did better last week when they just tried to be themselves.

And the 45-year-old is starting to skeeve me out.

[venusdiva429]

I looked for pics of Dime Store Mystery last night. I did happen to find one with him in his goggles. He's a freaking cyberpunky goth. There are soooo many of these guys in NYC. He's using THAT to pick up normal chicks? Hahahaha! It's just like a prepster guy coming to one of the gothic clubs, thinking that his prepsta charms will just WOW! the ladies.

His whole "peacocking" deal is so silly.

haHA! [/Nelson]

ETA: Interesting review of The Game, PUA Neil Strauss' look at the seduction masters. This is the book that pretty much started the newest wave of pickup wannabes...

The way of the pick up artist is to appear interesting and powerful, without necessarily being interesting and powerful. According to Mystery, if you can convince a woman you’re worthy for about seven hours, you can sleep with her. Then, on to the next one. Mystery’s severe clinical depression and suicide attempts show that for him the circular process is deeply unfulfilling.

Four hundred pages of exploits and tricks of trade would wear thin, but Strauss keeps it interesting by saving several celebrity cameos for the second half of the book. After about a year of hosting workshops everywhere from Australia to Belgrade, Strauss and Mystery decide to settle down in Los Angeles. They set up a bachelor pad and seminar headquarters and call it “Project Hollywood.” Neil breezily inserts incidents involving Paris Hilton, Courtney Love, and Tom Cruise. He keeps eight girlfriends, and even keeps track of all their last names. Neil thinks he’s living the life until Ms. Love introduces him to his “oneitis,” described derisively throughout the whole book as a disease afflicting AFC’s, otherwise known as falling in love.

Upon his oneitis, Neil Strauss the writer succumbs to a clichéd romantic comedy ending. “Style,” a crazy player who can’t settle down finds an even crazier woman to rope him into settling down. “The one” is Lisa, band-mate of Courtney Love, who demands a sushi dinner and immediate callbacks. Strauss almost loses her, because in his lessons as a Pick Up Artist, he was taught not too appear too eager by calling a woman back right away, nor to buy women too much, lest they think he’s a loser who needs to buy sex. The perfect date, he thinks, is a coffee. How much can a lady ring up at a Starbucks? (I’ll have two Gargantuan Oreo Frapuccionos!)

The Game sends out a very mixed message to wannabe PUAs: You’ll get laid a lot, but you may try to commit suicide like Mystery, lose your job, or like Strauss almost alienate the love of your life. Not to mention herpes!

[duskwolf]

tinyshoes said:

if you tell me what you do, I'll let you go.

*shudder*

So that's his technique? Not letting go of your arm until you say yes? Are he and Joe "the Rapist" Francis related?

My answer:

"I kickbox. I don't need a rape whistle. And if you don't let me go, I'll gladly go to jail for having assaulted your loser ass. Yes that makes me a c*nt, dick-licker. Your move."

[plainjane]

A couple of things about this week's show:

When I saw those amulets, I thought I was watching "Legends of the Hidden Temple" for a minute. The way they had them sitting in class taking notes was ridiculous. Watching them scribble down, "Can you give me some advice about buying a wallaby?" is hilarious and sad.

After finding out that Mystery has made numerous suicide attempts, I can't figure out if I feel sorry for him or think he's even more pathetic. As annoying as I find, Mystery and his wingmen, I'm not rooting for the geeks either. These guys seem to have a lot more problems than talking to girls. I keep comparing them to the geeks on "Beauty and the Geek," and they seem very bitter and angry in comparison to those guys. Kosmo in particular gives off a serial killer vibe. And Fat Joe won the challenge, but he seemed like that guy who comes up to you and your friends in a bar/ club and makes hyper conversation. The next day you remember him and wonder what was his problem.

[duskwolf]

plainjane said:

After finding out that Mystery has made numerous suicide attempts, I can't figure out if I feel sorry for him or think he's even more pathetic.

That's interesting for me. Kind of reinforces what my problem with all this stuff is. I'm not saying there's a 'right' way to live, but I've known plenty of girls who over-primp themselves because they have low self-esteem (again, there's nothing right or wrong about that, but I'm just saying, I've known a few).

So, if he's been clinically depressed, it's interesting, but I can't tell you I'm surprised.

As annoying as I find, Mystery and his wingmen, I'm not rooting for the geeks either.

You make a really good point here. These guys are supposed to be smart, analytical types. They must clearly be in denial if they think being a Pick-Up Artist offers any long-term fulfillment (some of the guys have said that's what they want, no?) I mean, yes, sure, they want the -confidence- that comes with being a PUA, and THAT's something that'll last.

But wanting that, any wanting to go the whole she-bang (pun kinda intended) and getting the makeovers and buying into this lifestyle is, well, it sucks. (One of the guys said he wanted to be like James Bond. Eeew.) Had one of them said they just wanted to make themselves better instead of the ultimate goal being capturing women's attention, there would have been some redemption among these guys.

I've never bought that being a better 'you' comes from being able to attract the opposite sex. In fact, someone told me, a long time ago, that before you can say "I love you", you have to love who "I" is first. Are these guys going to love themselves because they can attract women? My 8-ball says "Decidedly not".

But we'll see.

[strawberrylover]

lol! I'm watching this show right now and three of the guys just cried during the elimination.

And that silly cat-in-the-hat guy goes: "This is not just about picking up girls. This is about learning lessons about life."

Or something cliched and ridiculous like that. This show is pure comedy gold!