January 12, 2012 By 2 Comments

No Pants Light Rail Ride 2012 Recap & Video

No pants, no problem!

courtesy of patrickem

courtesy of patrickem

The fourth No Pants Light Rail Ride was last Sunday here in Phoenix as part of Improv Everywhere’s global No Pants Subway Ride, and it was a rockin’ great time. About 250 people hit the rail, taking the train into Tempe and then walking (or strutting) down to Robbie Fox’s for some mid-ride fun.

No matter how many  years this happens, people are always surprised to meet us on the train. Many riders were stunned, but recovered enough to get out their cell phones to snap pictures. One man commented that he “liked white butts”, which meant Sunday must have been like Christmas for him.

More than any previous year, we had people join in the fun spontaneously, with at least eight people dropping their pants and becoming part of the group without really knowing what was going on.

Perhaps the weirdest encounter was an older couple who happened to run into the No Pants Ride last year, then again this year. They were determined to find out what was going on, and when we finally explained it they found the whole idea fun and hysterical.

Devon Christopher Adams on Flickr

Devon Christopher Adams on Flickr

Most people who asked didn’t get an explanation for why the group wasn’t wearing pants. Some of the overheard excuses that were given for being panstless included the simple “I forgot my pants,” but ranged to the more creative “My girlfriend broke up with me and she shredded all my pants” and “Oh my god, I did it again. Sometimes I forget to wear pants.”

We had furry slippers, big wigs, colorful socks, tons of superhero underwear, and one spectacularly big, blue mohawk. We also saw the most pre-printed underwear of any ride yet, including “No Pictures Please”, “Stop Staring”, “I <3 Bacon”, “Esquire”, and “Cougar In Training.”

Apparently Fascinations sent out an email to their customers about us, so a big thanks to them. Maybe they’ll offer an Undie Discount next year – who knows?

No Pants Pictures, Videos, and Stories

Here is our video of the event, but there is a lot more to see…

Over four hundred No Pants pictures are up on Flickr. These are fantastic and you really should check some of them out. Use the tag “nopantsaz” if you add your own.

The Phoenix New Times had a no pants slideshow with The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, and the TMI.

The Arizona Republic also had a no pants slideshow, and we were covered in the Downtown Devil, the ASU State Press, and Arizona Foothills Magazine. All were pretty good about getting with the spirit of it this year, and most event removed their pants!

Channel 3 sent out a cameraman and we ended up on the evening news. We asked them not to disrupt the ride, and they were mostly good about that. They need smaller cameras.

Guitarsenals on YouTube recorded both a 2D ride video and, yes, a 3D No Pants ride video!

Don’t miss out…

If you want to join us next year, or for any of our other flash mobs, join our email notification list and we’ll let you know when something is coming up.

Cheers!

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December 28, 2011 By 2 Comments

No Pants Light Rail Ride – Start 2012 in style!

(cc) MrAnathema on Flickr

Don’t miss future pants or pantsless events – join our email list!

Drop your pants and get on board!

You are hereby invited to participate in the 4th Annual No Pants Light Rail Ride in Phoenix. This is part of The No Pants Subway Ride, which is a global event started by Improv Everywhere in New York in 2002. If you’re not in Phoenix, here is a list of global cities participating in the No Pants Ride.

The event will take place at 1:00pm on Sunday, January 8th. Everything you need to know is in this post. Please read it carefully!

REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION:

1) Willing to take pants off on light rail.
2) Able to keep a straight face about it.

** THIS IS A PARTICIPATORY EVENT. DO NOT SHOW UP UNLESS YOU PLAN TO TAKE YOUR PANTS OFF. THIS INCLUDES THE MEDIA! **

Where & When to Go

When: Sunday, January 8th at 1:00 PM Sharp! (Over by around 4:00)

Where: There are two starting points – choose whichever one is closest to you. There is a map of stop locations here.

WEST SIDE START: Montebello/19th Ave

EAST SIDE START: Sycamore/Main

END AT: Mill Ave/3rd Street (then head South to Robbie Fox’s (more info below))

Be on time! Be at the West Side or East Side starting point station and ready to board the train at 1:00pm sharp. It is the same time for both stops. Be early if you need to, especially if you need to buy a light rail pass.

Watch for Team Leaders (identified by a red bandana tied to their bag): The Team Leaders may try to split people into small groups to board different trains, depending how many people show up.

What to Wear & Bring

Show up in your underwear! We’re not waiting to depants on the train. If you’re depantsing once you arrive, bring a backpack, briefcase, or something else to carry them in. You are responsible for your own pants.

You can wear fun underwear if you like, but nothing that screams out, “I wore this because I’m doing a silly stunt.” Wear two pairs of underwear if it makes you feel more comfortable. Don’t wear a thong or anything else that might offend people. Our aim is to make people laugh, not piss them off.

Buy a fare card! Show up early if you need to. Details on how to buy a card.

How it Works

Act normal – Stay with your group. Sit in the car like you normally would. Read a magazine, listen to your iPod, etc. You do not know any of the other pantless riders. If questioned, tell folks that you “forgot to wear pants” and yes you are “a little cold.” Insist that it is a coincidence that others also forgot their pants. Be nice and friendly and normal.

Do not tell people you are doing a prank! You don’t really notice anything odd about people not wearing pants.

We will have photographers on hand to take pictures documenting the event. We need everyone else to just act casually. If you bring a camera, be very discrete and only take a few pictures. It’s supposed to look like a normal train ride.

Don’t disrupt the Light Rail – While the Phoenix Police Department said that wearing your underwear in public isn’t illegal, don’t do anything dumb. You are responsible for all your actions during this event.

Last year was a lot of fun, and we’re anticipating tons of people showing up for the 2012 ride! Spread the word and tell your friends, just make sure they read all the rules!

See you on the 8th!

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January 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

No Pants Light Rail Ride recap – amusing and confusing in our underwear

courtesy of Joe Abbruscato

Another great day of pantsless fun achieved!

Approximately 150 people dropped their pants on January 9th across the Valley as part of Improv AZ’s 3rd Annual No Pants Light Rail Ride. The event was part of Improv Everywhere’s Global No Pants Subway Ride.

Our pantsless participants boarded the light rail more or less at 2pm at three stations around Phoenix. Passengers were confused and maybe a wee bit shocked, with many pulling out their cellphones to take pictures. New passengers entering the cars did double takes and tried to find the spot on the car furthest from the leg-showing throng. Some asked us what we were protesting.

Our group was a diverse lot. One woman was a mother whose sons did the No Pants Ride last year… and this year she wanted to join in. Two people wore awesome animal hats complete with paws. This also seemed to be the year to wear argyle socks and to have verbiage on your undies. We had “Cheers,” “Follow Me,” and “I’m blogging this” to list a few.

This was also the chilliest No Pants Ride in Arizona to date. The high for the day was 61 degrees,which was too cold for some thin-blooded (e.g. wimpy) Arizonans and they backed out at the last minute. Others coped by layering tights underneath their underwear. One guy rolled in with underwear that had full legs – almost like girls’ leggings. It was a fashion extravaganza!

All the riders exited on Mill Avenue in Tempe and walked three blocks to the great pub Robbie Fox’s Public House. When a street musician saw our pantsless parade walking down the street, he removed his trousers and continued to play. Lots of cars honked and pulled over to take pictures, and the Auburn and Oregon fans in town for the BCS championship game were quite baffled.

We hung around for about an hour drinking and having fun, then took a great group picture and headed back to our trains, our cars, and our pants.

Check out all the pictures from the No Pants ride on Flickr, and there is a No Pants slideshow on the Phoenix New Times site.  Here is the first video, but we hope to have another one soon.

A big thank you to everyone who participated in the No Pants Light Rail ride this year, and much love our photographers Devon Christopher Adams, Joe Abbruscato, and Michael Ging – and videographers Bob Marquis and Lorin Thwaits.

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January 3, 2011 By 4 Comments

No Pants Light Rail Ride 2011 – Everything you need but the underwear!

Victims At Bay

Image by Moriartys via Flickr

Here are the details on the 2011 No Pants Light Rail Ride, taking place this Sunday in sunny Phoenix, Arizona! This is part of The No Pants Subway Ride, which is a global event started by Improv Everywhere in New York in 2002.

The event will take place at 2:00pm on Sunday, January 9th. Everything you need to know is in this post. Please read it carefully!

Requirements for Participation

1) Willing to take pants off on light rail.
2) Able to keep a straight face about it.

**THIS IS A PARTICIPATORY EVENT. DO NOT SHOW UP UNLESS YOU PLAN TO TAKE YOUR PANTS OFF. THIS INCLUDES THE MEDIA! **

Details

When: Sunday, January 9 at 2:00 PM Sharp! (Over by around 4:00)
Bring: A backpack and a fare card. http://www.valleymetro.org/metro_light_rail/how_to_ride/fares/
Wear: Normal clothes (hat, jacket, etc)
Mid Party: There will be a mostly unofficial gathering at Robbie Fox’s Pub at the midway point
Facebook: RSVP to the Facebook event and share it out with your friends

Where to Go

There are two starting points – choose whichever one is closest to you:

WEST SIDE
Start: Montebello/19th Ave

MID-TOWN
Start: Central/Roosevelt

EAST SIDE
Start: Sycamore/Main
http://www.valleymetro.org/metro_light_rail/downloads/maps/

How It Works

Be at the West Side or East Side starting point station and ready to board the train at 2:00pm sharp. It is the same time for both stops. Be early if you need to, especially if you need to buy a light rail pass.

Watch for Team Leaders (identified by a red bandana tied to their bag): The Team Leaders may try to split people into small groups to board different trains, depending how many people show up.

Show up in your underwear! Unlike in the past, we’re not waiting to depants on the train. If you’re depantsing once you arrive, bring a backpack, briefcase, or something else to carry them in. You are responsible for your own pants.

Act normal – Stay with your group. Sit in the car like you normally would. Read a magazine, listen to your iPod, etc. You do not know any of the other pantless riders. If questioned, tell folks that you “forgot to wear pants” and yes you are “a little cold.” Insist that it is a coincidence that others also forgot their pants. Be nice and friendly and normal.

Do not tell people you are doing a prank! You don’t really notice anything odd about people not wearing pants.

We will have photographers on hand to take pictures documenting the event. We need everyone else to just act casual. If you bring a camera, be very discrete and only take a few. It’s supposed to look like a normal train ride.

You can wear fun underwear if you like, but nothing that screams out, “I wore this because I’m doing a silly stunt.” Wear two pairs of underwear if it makes you feel more comfortable. Don’t wear a thong or anything else that might offend people. Our aim is to make people laugh, not piss them off.

Don’t disrupt the Light Rail – While the Phoenix Police Department said that wearing your underwear in public isn’t illegal, don’t do anything dumb. All responsibility for your actions during this event are entirely your own.

Disembark at the Mill Ave station and head south. Stop by Starbuck’s for a coffee if you wish, but eventually make your way down Mill to 6th Street and hang a right. Head into Robbie Fox’s Pub where they will have some space set aside for us.

At 4:00 start heading back to your Return stations. Try to stay with your group, but if you need to leave earlier (or want to stay later) that’s entirely up to you. The same rules apply as above.

Last year was a lot of fun and we’re anticipating more people in 2011! Spread the word and tell your friends, just make sure they read all the rules!

See you on the 9th!

UPDATE: Added a mid-town start location at Central & Roosevelt!

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