On Monday, the photo of the guy above who looks and dresses a lot like Eric Cartman from South Park hit the web, via Reddit, and spread like herpes. Because it gave me a good laugh, I posted it to the UPROXX Facebook page and forgot about it, thinking that it was probably just a pic of a chubby guy who’d dressed as Cartman for Halloween.
But now there’s a shocking twist to the story: the AV Club somehow tracked this guy down, and come to find out — he dresses like Cartman on purpose, like an Eric Cartman version of an Elvis impersonator or something, just to mess with people.
Yes, “real life Cartman” has a name, and it’s Chris Kutill. He’s a 21 year-old college student from Chicago who attends Columbia College, where he’s a “junion TV major.” He also may be our new hero.
AVC: To be clear, you do dress up like Cartman on purpose, right?
CK: Yes. I have the hat and a red coat, so I did it for Halloween of 2010, and now I do it because it’s a laugh to watch peoples’ reactions. I get to do some people watching when I walk around.
AVC: How often do you put on the Cartman outfit?CK: I’ve been wearing the hat for the last couple of days since the picture hit. I wore the outfit when I went out for my 21st birthday last week. I usually just put it on a couple times a month to see what happens.
AVC: On the original Reddit post, your old roommate commented that you always know when people are taking cell phone pictures of you. Is that true?
CK: You can see people on the El pretending like they’re on their phones, but they turn their heads sideways, and you can watch their thumbs move as they hit the camera button. That picture from Reddit, I think, was shot around a coat so I wouldn’t notice.
It’s not that big a deal for me, though. If you asked me for a picture, I wouldn’t say no. I obviously dress like this for a reason.
AVC: What do your friends and family think about this whole thing?
CK: My mom thought the idea was hilarious. She knits, so she made me the hat for Halloween one year. My brother thinks it’s hilarious, and my dad thinks it’s funny. They always ask how many double takes and pictures I’ve had taken today.
AVC: Your old roommate said on Reddit that your mom made him a Stan hat?
CK: She did. Once he and I were at the Taco Bell by Wrigley Field, and someone took a picture of us there together.
AVC: Is Cartman your favorite South Park character?
CK: He would have to be, yes.
You should go read the whole interview. It’s great. But first…there, that’s better….
(Pic via Reddit)
