Maggie Karlin: How would I clean when a porn gets dirty? What should I use to build stills that are sturdy? Where could I bird

explain like I'm 30?

Sidney: Hello everyone, and welcome to explain like I'm 30, I'm your host Sydnee Raskind, and today we have a very, very, very, very, very amazing episode. But before we get into that, I want to tell you about. I know it sounds boring when you hear it, but it's not because I got a paint sprayer and it is fun.

If you could see video right now of me, I have paint all over my hands and I have to wear protective gear because I can't breathe in fumes. And I have to wear glasses because I have to protect my pretty little brown eyes. Um, and. I'm very happy that I got to take a break and come do this podcast because I needed to do some zen work.

And for me, this podcast is very zen. A lot like being a living statue, like today's guest. Maggie Carlin has been a living statue in Chicago for nine years and she does it full time. I got so excited about the incredible niche fact that has to do with shadows. Shadows, everyone. So, so amazing to hear what she had to say about all the entire experience.

She's an amazing storyteller. It was just, it was such an exciting and amazing conversation to have. I've said amazing like four times now, so I think you get it. Um, all right, so Without further ado, Maggie Freakin Carlin, the living statue, let's get into it.

Hi Maggie! Hello! How, how are you? How, how's life? I, I'm sorry, so... Actually, I know this, but how are you? Are you

Maggie Karlin: okay? Oh, I'm doing pretty good. Uh, I've had a very up and down week. Uh, I had some really cool events I went to. And then also somebody broke into my car and tried to steal it. Oh, right. They failed though, which is cool.

Like, I just, I still have my car. I just need to fix a window and like a steering component. But like, you know. So...

Sidney: You, um, you're here because you are a human statue, and we are going to get into that. But before we started the show, you said a word that I don't know, and you said immobilizer. What's an immobilizer?

Maggie Karlin: Okay, so this is something, okay, first of all, do you know what hot wiring a car

Sidney: is? I mean, yeah, I've walked gone in 60 seconds.

Maggie Karlin: Exactly. Same. That's like the extent of my knowledge. This is what I said to the guy who came to fix it. I was like, all right. Mostly what I know about hot wiring a car is that you can't do it to any car that's newer than like 1997 usually because they started putting computer chips in the keys.

Um, and there's an element. That's like locked around the steering wheel where the ignition is. And when you put in your key, it recognizes the chip that's in your specific key and goes, okay, good. This is the correct key and turns it on. But if you try to start the engine any other way and it looks for the key and the key isn't there, the immobilizer basically just makes it so the engine will not turn on even if you turn the key.

Um, and so these geniuses, what they tried to do is just rip the immobilizer out, which is, it's literally just like a computer box next to the ignition with some wires. Uh, so they ripped that out, thinking that that would, uh, allow them to start my car with a screwdriver or something, and, uh, what it actually does is automatically trips the immobilizer.

So, uh, I had to call a locksmith to come, like, fix that, bring me a new replacement part and program it to my keys, but it took all of 20 minutes once he got here.

Sidney: Wow, but you're good now. So you have a

Maggie Karlin: car now and I learned something about cars. Yeah.

Sidney: I mean, listen, you just taught me something and the audience about that.

So I didn't know what an immobilizer is. And now I feel like I can't really see movies anymore where they're hot wearing a car because that's

Maggie Karlin: not a thing. Well, no, if it's in the 70s, the 80s, early 90s, you're all good. If it's like, I thought maybe, maybe it's not in every car. Maybe like cheap cars. I was like, hey, they're looking for like the grossest, shittiest looking car.

Um, and they were like, maybe that one I can steal. There's probably ways to bypass them, but like, it's probably like teenagers trying to take it for a joyride based off of other like past crime in the neighborhood. Right.

Sidney: Well, I mean, you have a car now and we know what an immobilizer is. It's true. Since we are talking about immobilization, you are a human statue.

Maggie Karlin: It's a good segue. Yes, I am a human statue.

Sidney: And usually human statues are not mobile, they're immobilized.

Maggie Karlin: People think this. It's actually a common misconception.

Sidney: Freaking fucking fantastic that you just misconcepted me, and I appreciate that. So, yeah. So, you know, what is, what is your exact job title and kind of how did you get into it?

And like, where did you start, you know, help me, help me try to figure out and connect the dots here.

Maggie Karlin: Okay, so, um, I started, I call myself a living statue, first of all, um, and I started being a living statue in between two years of college because I was like desperate for a summer job that paid money and, um, I thought I had had like two different ones lined up and like both of them fell through on me.

Um, and at the time I was a big fan of Amanda Palmer and she just released her book and her TED talk called The Art of Asking. Um, and like more than Amanda Palmer or her TED talk or anything, um, she talks about being a living statue and she just throws out a couple of numbers of like the money that she made when she was being a living statue after graduating from, um, liberal arts school.

And she was like, Oh yeah, like. $80 on, on a Wednesday, a hundred dollars on a Friday. And I was like, what? Yeah, I can. And like I figured like, oh, standing still, I can stand still cuz I'd been a figure model before. And so I know I can stand in one space for Yeah. Right. And so I'm like, if I can do it for artists in the nude, yeah.

I can probably do it on the street in a strange costume. I was like, right. Um, so basically I had like $150 left in my bank account. Uh, it was spending the day night. Night, I was spending the entire summer at my parents house, uh, so I like drove my car over to Michael's and bought a bunch of paint and then went to Goodwill and got an outfit and just like kind of crossed my fingers and I made all of that back on my very first day out in the loop.

Um, so that's kind of how I came into this job. Well,

Sidney: it's interesting, too, that you said that you were, um, a nude model before, and, well, not a nude model, but, uh, uh, art. I mean, yeah, nude model, mostly. It is a nude model, right? And was that for college? Was that, like, during college, basically? Yeah, mostly

Maggie Karlin: in college, um, yeah, cause, uh, in, in high school, and every so often I would model for people in high school, and you can't be a nude adult around high schoolers, and so I would wear, like, a nude bra and, um, and underwear.

Um, and like, so it's like most of the time I was naked though for adults and for college students. Um, and it's like,

Sidney: does that actually pay in college? I was always, I always wondered about that in, in the arts school. Cause I went to an art school in, in, uh, Virginia and Richmond. And I was always like, do they actually pay people for that?

Or is it like. Oh, okay.

Maggie Karlin: No, I would, I wouldn't be getting naked just for credit. I think also like, but there are a lot of jobs at my college. Huh? I don't know. I don't know. No.

Sidney: Is it illegal? No. What I'm saying is, is it, is it illegal to be like, you'll get college credit for this naked thing? Like, you know, like, I don't know.

Maggie Karlin: That's why I'm like, is this count as like work study? But basically it wasn't part of

Sidney: work study.

Maggie Karlin: benefit from this? And the point is, no, because when I went to college through like, weird things, I didn't get to have work study, um, and so there were like only a couple of jobs on campus that you could get that weren't work study.

And one of them was figure modeling, and that paid like, at the time, the minimum wage that I was getting at my other job was like 8. 25, and this paid like 15 an hour, 20 an hour, and so I would pick up, uh, drawing classes.

Sidney: Yeah, so much money compared to the, to the, um, minimum wage life. Oh my gosh. You must get these questions all the time, but you know, let's get the basic questions out of the ones that people, right?

Like, so when do you pee? How do you, how do you deal with hecklers? Right? Uh, and if you do get an itchy nose, what do you do? Okay. So, big questions.

Maggie Karlin: Okay, so first of all, remember when I said common misconception that the statues don't move? Yeah. Um, I'm moving all the time because when you see a real statue, uh, on the street, do you stop and give it money?

Uh, no. No, never. Right? So you need to realize that I'm a person. Oh, right. Yeah, sure. And most, right? So it's like, you either need to see somebody interacting with me or someone being, like, if I'm standing still, it's usually when there's already a crowd drawn and people are trying to get pictures. That's amazing.

I pose for pictures. But like, if you were walking in front of me, like, I typically do, like, I'll have my hand up and like every 30 seconds or so, I'll do this. Just to like, let people know, or like, I catch, when people look into my face, because you will look at the face of a statue, I wink at them, or I stick out my tongue, and like, a lot of the time, I mean, stuff like this, so it's like, it's less about standing perfectly still for a long time, and more about like, doing a really good robot dance, and like, uh, being a good mime, right?

Um, so it's like, I'll stand with my feet planted in the same spot for an hour, but I'm actually like moving every 30 seconds or so. And so to that point, if I have an itch on my nose, I scratch my nose. Like, right. Why should I suffer? Um, except for, I'll probably scratch my nose like this. I just move. I move when I need to.

If I have a itchy, itchy, like a Stomach, itchy armpit. I just like, you know, I go for it. Cause I try to like, not when people are directly interacting with me in the same way that you might not like a blow your nose right in front of someone at your customer service job. But like, it's, it's mainly the same.

Like, uh, I keep up my appearance, but I'm not trying to like make myself uncomfortable doing it. Yeah.

Sidney: And then you always have a bathroom nearby. Yes.

Maggie Karlin: Uh, so here's the thing, uh, Chicago, right? Bathroom drought is like a real problem in a lot of places in the country. But there's yes. Um, but there's usually like some things you can do to figure out like a place.

Most fancy hotels will have a bathroom accessible in the lobby. So if you can pass for a guest at a hotel, walk in like you own there and go, I'm sorry, is there a bathroom in the lobby? I don't want to go back up to my room and they'll go yes. It's over there. Uh, does it usually work for me when I'm dressed as a statue?

Cause I'm too conspicuous.

Sidney: Cause you're kind of, you're standing out. It's like, well, no, I'm here for the statue convention. That is definitely in this hotel. Yeah. Yeah. And I'm here for the wedding, you know? Yeah. Oh yeah. I'm actually perfect. Yeah. I'm here for, cause you're, you are kind of wearing a suit.

You're wearing a, you're, you're in a tux. You're like, well, technically.

Maggie Karlin: Technically, no, and people will hire me for their wedding too, like cocktail hour entertainment. Like if you're the kind of fancy person who has stilt walkers at their wedding, you might also have like, you know, that's real rich people stuff.

Yeah. No. When you can hire a living party decoration, I'm like, okay, I'll

Sidney: be there. They just walk up to you. Yeah. I mean, they just walk up to you on the street or do they find you on Instagram or something or what? What is it?

Maggie Karlin: Some of them find me online. Some of them find me on the street, but most of it is still honestly word of mouth.

Um, outside of street performing, I'm a performer of other kinds. I'm mostly a circus performer. I've done some acting, some voice stuff, et cetera. So like, um, people I know generally know I'm a living Statues. So people will either find my Instagram, reach out to me directly, or they reach out to a performer that they know and go, do you do living statue work?

And they say, no, but my friend Maggie does like that just happened this morning. Someone was like, my coworkers having a wedding. I'm not a good fit, but they want a living statue. Can you fit this theme? And I was like, Oh yeah, absolutely. So I've texted back and forth with that client and now I'm booked for their wedding in August.

You

Sidney: know, cool. I hope it pays well. I mean, I know that photographers and stuff get paid well, but like, is there a wedding fee for Living statues as well.

Maggie Karlin: I mean, like, it depends on who's asking, like, if this is a giant corporate event, I'll, I'll like bump up the prices. But like, my typical thing is like, if you want me there for an hour, and it's less than an hour for me to drive, I charge at least 250 for the first hour, and then like 150 for an hour after that or something like that.

And like, that is that's like on the lower end. Like if I think that this is a large wedding or a corporation or like a corporate Christmas party or something, I would be doubling that, you know, and yeah, and if there's travel, then I will ask for a stipend for gas and all these other things. So it's, it's variable between events, but I do have that as my kind of base rate.

That's so

Sidney: cool. And I mean, that's, that's interesting too, because like, that is That. I mean, I don't know how much you would make in a day, but you said you made that back. You made $110 back in one day, so, oh, yeah. I mean, that must be such an amazing thing to just be like, to be able to really perform and then make really good money from it.

Like it sounds like you're making great money from it, . Yes, yes

Maggie Karlin: and no. Right? Yes. And , so it's like, uh, yes. Yes. And uh, so for every hour of standing on the street, um, yeah. For every hour standing on the street, I make between, at the low end, 30 an hour, and at the high end, like, 120 an hour, right? But that's on, like, the 4th of July.

Yeah, similar to,

Sidney: like, being a server.

Maggie Karlin: Yeah, exactly. It's exactly like being a server. If it's, like, a Tuesday and there's nobody there and you're making less than minimum wage, you might have paid more for parking

Sidney: than you're gonna make today. This is interesting, just thinking about where you would make the most money.

Are you allowed to stand? near the bean? Or do you have to stand on Michigan Avenue?

Maggie Karlin: You can't. I have to sit. No, you cannot be. I can't even be on the sidewalk in front of Millennium Park. Okay. Millennium Park specifically is off limits for, um, buskers, street performers, vendors, et cetera, because it's, it's just so crazy.

It's such a tourist attraction. Um, and like mainly you. Mainly the reason that they don't want street performers and things in that park because we wouldn't be bothering people. They really don't want homeless people in the park asking park goers for money because it's such a tourist attraction. So anyone who's asking anyone for any kind of money, even if it's just tips, is not allowed to be there.

Um. Chicago is stricter than a lot of other cities when it comes to the regulations and where you're allowed to be and where you're not. They also are one of the cities that charges you for a license and the license expires after only two years. But I will say this, I have only been asked to see my license like four times in like nine, 10 years of street performing.

So like, if you're a small non threatening white individual who doesn't make any noise, need is in quotation marks, you know, sure. Sure. Sure. But yeah, uh, that's why I go by the Art Institute, because it's right across the street from Millennium Park. So if you're walking from The Bean to Grant Park, or from Grant Park to The Bean, uh, I get a lot of those people,

Sidney: you know?

Yeah, yeah, I mean, that makes sense. I'm, so the, the, now that I'm thinking about Millennium Park too, I'm like, Oh yeah, I guess I'd never really see any vendors or anyone, like... They're all on the other side of the street. Yeah. And I was thinking, I was like, there's that bar across the street that I went to that one time.

That's like the, the rooftop bar. Um, and like, uh, and that was pretty cool, but I don't remember. Cause I, cause like when you, when I think of a city, I think of New York or I'm in Los Angeles or, you know, you know, DC, you know, where I grew up or whatever. And it's like, yeah, every, I mean, especially in Los Angeles, you just see like vendors everywhere.

I mean, especially on Hollywood Boulevard. It's just like impossible, you know, but the living statues there actually makes it hard. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, the living statues there. Actually, there are a few of them, but I always, I'm always really sad when I see people on Hollywood Boulevard because I'm just like, how,

Maggie Karlin: how long have you, how long have you been in

Sidney: that Superman costume?

Maggie Karlin: Are you okay? That's a lot. That's a part of it though. Right. Like, um, so I was saying like, it, it varies a lot depending on the day, but like, um, Yeah. There need to be specific conditions to have it be a good day for street performing and be worth it because especially at this point I'm like a little older than I was when I started.

I don't want to ride the train in my getup I have like a really heavy box now because I want it to look nice and not be stealable So I've got to pay for parking downtown Which is usually less than 20 for the day But like sometimes it's an event and you can't get around it and then you even need to pack my own lunch That's gonna survive in the heat under my crate or I'm buying lunch and like my body only has like four or five comfortable hours of street performing in it when the weather is between 70 and 85 degrees.

And it goes above and below that all the time.

Sidney: And also the rain, the rain comes out of nowhere.

Maggie Karlin: Yeah. It's like, you know, the, if they're cold, you're cold, bring them inside. I'm like, if they're hot, if you're hot, they're hot, go home, go inside. Because like, Only a person who's comfortable outside will stop to interact and play with a stranger on the street.

You know? Yeah.

Sidney: That kind of goes into what's the typical day like? What is that details? You know? Like what? Like what happens? Like you get up, you put on the makeup or you you wait till you get to the location where you

Maggie Karlin: parked. Oh, uh. Most of the time I'll put on my makeup at home, except for like the palms of my hands.

Uh, I paint my head and my neck and my forearms. And then I will drive down to the, the garage that I like to park in, in the loop. Um, and I have a lot of things that I keep in my car. So, by the way, when my car got broken into, it had my entire silver costume in it, and my statue pedestal, and all of my signs.

Because normally, I don't need to bring those in every single day, and no one would want to steal them. Because they're just like... Yeah, but, uh, so that was close, but, um, I have those in the back of my car. I also have like a hand truck dolly kind of thing. Uh, so I load everything into the box, which opens up to hold all my things.

Put that in the hand dolly, uh, get out to my spot on the street. Sometimes I'll pick a different spot if I'm bored or if there's an event happening somewhere. Um, and I am also just like so intolerant of staring into the sun at this time to be comfortable. I usually find a spot that's in the shade. Uh, and because of that, because of how many years I've been in the same few spots, I know when the shade hits.

Hell yeah,

Sidney: that is awesome. That rules. That is such a cool thing.

Maggie Karlin: No, I'm like, okay, so I, I like Get ready, I'm done with my breakfast by, uh, like, 10. 30. I go mosey upstairs, like, drinking my coffee and scrolling the internet. I get out downtown by about noon. There's, like, a tree that overhangs so I can be underneath that tree until, like, the sun creeps out.

And then there's, like, 30 minutes in between like when the sun disappears from giving me shade here and when it goes behind a building over here and so I can be in my other spot. So it's like sometimes I'll eat lunch then or I'll just kind of like chill out and if it's a chilly day maybe I'll stand in the sun but like.

I'm pretty well acquainted with where the sun is and is not at this point in different sections of the loop. That's the,

Sidney: that, so when I started this podcast, I was like, that's the info I want. I want to know where the best. Shade is for human statues inside the loop across the street from Millennium Park.

Like that is incredible that you have that information.

Maggie Karlin: No, and I can tell you like, uh, the shade reaches the spot that I like near the solstice, near the solstice. It comes the latest, right? Because we have the most sunshine, but near the solstice, it'll 2 30, which is kind of late. Uh, but that's okay because I can be in my other spot a bit longer.

Um, and When it's like closer to the equinox, it'll show up at like 1230 like the difference is kind of a lot but I'll like I'll go out later in the beginning of the summer and then as the summer goes on, I'll have to go out earlier and earlier to catch my shade, right?

Sidney: So cool. So you know, so that is that is like Oh, man, like I talked to, um, I talked to a professional scarer recently and she let me know that, uh, there's something called the boo box, which is where people stay and, and Is this a haunted house person or a?

Yeah, exactly, a haunted house person. Cause

Maggie Karlin: that was my first job. Oh, incredible! No, there was this really beautiful moment where, um, I was working this haunted house job with, uh, with, like, this other person, and they shoved us both into a closet, and like, um, it shoved us both into a closet, and we would just be like, out of the closet and get people as zombies, and, no, it's a good time, and like, I had that job for, like, one season, but I loved

Sidney: it.

I mean, yeah, she said it was, like, one of the best, I mean, she said it is, like, the best job ever. But, like, it's just such a cool... Like fascinating thing to me because humans are so incredible in so many ways and like for a person like you that is has been doing it for as long as you have being a human statue and to know exactly like.

Oh man, it's one o'clock, and honestly, if I get parking, I'm probably gonna miss the spot that I usually get shaded in first, and I should probably just start at the second shade spot. And like, that is such a cool

Maggie Karlin: ability to me! No, it's just, okay, so like, I feel like what you're interested in is like the incredibly niche knowledge, and like the niche skills.

Yeah, absolutely! Absolutely! Um, so. Yeah, so it's like I can tell there's so many things because like there are advantages to going to different spots and like mostly doing gigs and all these other things, but like I'm such a creature of habit. I've been in the same spot at least half of the time, uh, for like the past nine, 10 years.

And so I just know everything. Like if you need to like, Um, If you need like a place where you're, you need to like smoke and don't want anyone to see you, or you need a place to pee that's not inside, or if you want to know which restaurants are chill with you just like sitting on their patio, or like which street people are cool and which street people are a little shady, like, I can

Sidney: tell you all of these things.

And is it specific? So, um, we keep talking about the loop, right? Inside the loop, the, you know, and that is the L, right? It, it, it, it, it has to do with the L train, which is the, um, so

Maggie Karlin: basically downtown, downtown Chicago, um, we have, uh, public transportation, like spokes on a wheel, um, and in the middle where like, there's the little.

post, there's a loop of trains. And so all the trains come into the center, make a circle and then go out in a different direction or back the same direction. Um, and that's where like millennium park is and grant park. It's all near there. And so that whole neighborhood is called the loop, the

Sidney: loop. Um, all right.

Well, we did get off on a tangent because we got really excited about. Um, but so, so you get there, you, you set up shop at, let's say it's what, like 1 30,

Maggie Karlin: right? Yeah. It's 1 30. I set up in my shade. Um, I've got a couple of signs and I have a tip bucket and they're meant to be distracting, right? So I used to put a literal top hat on the ground and have that full of money, uh, but it was too small.

Uh, I felt like somebody could run away with it too easily. And so I painted the top hat and now I wear it. Um. And now I have this big bucket with green tape on it that says tips and like a lid that comes up. So there's a little hole that people can put money in because people will notice that before me.

So it's like people will walk and they'll be like, why is there a bucket of money on the ground? And then they look up like, what's it in front of? And that's when I'll wink at them or stick out my tongue. Like I still like jump scare a lot of people. Oh, you scared the shit out of me. All the different possible surprise reactions.

Beautiful. But yeah, some people are like, ooh, that's delightful. And some people are legitimately creeped out and they're like, don't you look at me. Oh my God, I hate that. I hate that. Um, but most of the time people are pretty delighted. Uh, so I'll set up my box. I set up my tip bucket. I set up my sign that has like my social media and my Venmo and my cash app so people can't be like, I don't have any cash.

I'll just like mime taking out my phone and like point at my screen. Uh, and like point at the sign and they're like, Oh, and sometimes they mean it and sometimes they're lying and they walk away anyway. Yep. Sure. Um, but yeah, so I'll set that up. Typically I will kind of like. You know, you know, flow state.

Yeah. Where it's like time goes really, really quickly. Some days when I'm having a real good day interacting with people and I'm just kind of feeling it, I'll get into that flow state and time passes really quickly. I don't take many breaks. And then some days it's like 95 degrees and I'm out here because I really need the money.

And, um, like if I had the choice, I'd be home eating ice cream. But, uh, here I am. And like. Every minute drags by and I'm just like so But like most of the time I can kind of zone out and just like get into what I call statue mode where like I'm Not even really wanting to speak or move around that much.

I'm just kind of like watching It's like a very intense people watching mode, you know,

Sidney: like an intense an intense state of like meditation

Maggie Karlin: or something Yeah, or like if you've ever been playing video games and it's like you're not really moving your eyes But you can see what's happening everywhere at once that kind of like unfocused

Sidney: I'm in the middle of playing Tears of the Kingdom right now, so I'm, I'm very much aware of what that is.

Oh

Maggie Karlin: yes. Yeah, I was like, people will be like, you know Flowstate? And people are like, uh, and I'm like, are you a gamer? And they're like, yeah. And I was like, you know Flowstate.

Sidney: Yeah, right, exactly.

Maggie Karlin: Yeah. So it's like, I'll get kind of into Flowstate on good days, especially when I'm comfortable. But like, like you were saying, with like the Spider Man who wants you to pay him 5 to like take a picture with his...

Sweaty butt on Hollywood Boulevard on a 100 degree day, I get pity money on hot days. So like, if it's really uncomfortable, but a day when people are wanting to go out, they're on their way to the beach, they're on their way to the fountains that they can play in. They'll like be coming back with their towel and they'll be like, Oh my God, you've been standing there since we came here.

You must be so hot. And they give me the pity money. So it's like that's actually kind of part of it. I'm like, Oh, you feel sorry for me. You could always give me more money.

Sidney: Yeah. I love more money.

Maggie Karlin: I would love more money.

Sidney: That's very true. I mean, so okay. So then you take a break at some point, you know, you do your regular stuff and then you just head home when your body's like, all right, no more statue time today.

Maggie Karlin: Yeah. Uh, sometimes I'll go by like, my bucket is full enough and I'm tired, or sometimes I'm just like, uh, my body says go home, sometimes it'll start raining, um, like, there are often events beyond my control that make it kind of untenable to be street performing where I am, um, and all kinds of things affect whether or not people are okay giving money, like, um, so it depends when I go home, sometimes I'll stay out later if I'm like, I need to make this much money and I haven't yet, so I'll be like, alright, I'll stay out for as long as it takes to make Um, yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. 20 more dollars and that might take like 45 minutes, which is really annoying. Uh, but like, hey, then I can pay my car repair bill, you know? I've been kind of experimenting more with going out to art fairs and farmer's markets and that kind of stuff too, uh, because it has a similar vibe to like the street on the art institute.

People are out a lot of times with their families, a lot of times with cash. Um, so like I'm I'm curious to see if it's any different there, if like the flow is different on like a hotter or more uncomfortable day, because it's a more purposeful thing people come to. I don't know. But

Sidney: yeah. Well, that's interesting.

It's interesting that you said family are usually walking around with cash, because I would feel like nowadays, since I feel like Venmo and Cash App would be like your main hub of income now, but is it still the tip

Maggie Karlin: jar? Uh, yeah, I mean, like, uh, if you, okay, imagine, uh, you are walking down the street with your, uh, it's like you and your partner and a grandparent and your niece and nephew and your own kid, and there's a, uh, ice cream truck down the street.

You're gonna want cash. Like, if you're going to the Taylor Swift concert. Which, by the way, lots of people went to the Taylor Swift concert, and nobody fucking tipped me. The Swifties do not tip. They wanted to take pictures, they wanted to give me compliments, they told me, oh my god, I'm so cool, but they didn't want to tip me.

Sure,

Sidney: they spent all their money on the Taylor Swift concert and they're like, Hmm, human

Maggie Karlin: robots. I don't know. Or they're saving all their money to spend at the Taylor

Sidney: Swift concert. Yeah. Oh, that's what it is. That's actually what it is. They wanted the

Maggie Karlin: merch. She has rich groupies. You know how like deadheads follow people around?

Swifties do this too. Like I saw vans of them with like, with like things painted on the windows, like no offense to Taylor Swift or any of her fans, but like y'all don't tip. And if you want to change my mind, you can always send me money on Venmo. Uh, my at is at real live statue. Just change

Sidney: my mind, changing your mind, change, change, change Maggie's mind Swifties.

Maggie Karlin: Yes. If you're a Swiftie and you want to change my mind, you know what to do.

Sidney: That is absolutely incredible. Thank you so much for that insight. Um, well, okay, so we can wrap up the day, usually. Um, but it sounds like, I mean, you know, when you are done, you're done for the day, right? And then you go home.

Maggie Karlin: There is kind of a procedure for going home because, like, it is some, like, you know how people who deliver pizzas have a sign that says, like, I do not carry more than 50 in cash.

And, like, when I'm leaving, I am essentially carrying a literal sign that says I have more than 50 in cash. And so typically what I do is I will, um, Sit on the street and count up my money which people are like is that safe and I'm like yes It's way more safe to sit on the street where there are security guards there and there and there and there and count up all My cash then to like carry the bucket full of cash because then also if I get robbed I can tell the police how much they

Sidney: stole.

Have you ever been jacked like walking home or walking to your car?

Maggie Karlin: Yeah, not walking home or walking to my car. Rob's like, okay. Attempted rob. This is a whole story. Okay, so you asked about what people do when, what I do when people harass me and I'll just kind of start there. I've been harassed in various ways.

It really doesn't happen that often. Usually, like, once a season, I'll have, like, a story about it, but, like, some years, I don't, right? Um, but, uh, I have a prepared line for when anyone pulls any kind of shit, and it's just a catch all, and it is, do you think that shit is okay to do? Uh, question mark. Uh, and like, usually the fact that the statue, a lot of people can't tell my gender when I'm statuing too, but they can see that I'm small, and like, they think I'm somewhat non threatening, so like, I'll drop the voice too, so the first thing they hear me say is, You think that shit's okay

Sidney: to do?

Uh, and they're like,

Maggie Karlin: Ah! About it. Um. And, uh, usually that's enough to just get whoever is doing that to go away. Like, people have grabbed my ass, people have smacked my ass. Usually women, if you're curious, which is like, cool, they think they get a free pass. And I'm like, no! Don't touch my butt! A lot of people, uh, will pretend to punch me, and I break character for that one.

If somebody's like, no one's ever actually just punched me. Uh, but when somebody goes like, whoop, and they like, pull their punch back, I usually just drop my character. Like, I'll flinch, and if they laugh, I'll be like, oh, you think it's funny? To assault someone and they're like, I didn't assault you. And I'm like, technically assault is making me believe that you're going to harm me.

If you hit me, it would be battery. So you just assaulted me. Please leave. You're like, Oh, what? And a lot of them are like, I just thought it was a funny joke. And if they're receptive to it, I'll be like, why do you think that was funny? Do you think it was funny to me? What makes you think that people haven't actually attacked me at my job before?

And sometimes they're like, I never thought of that. But sometimes they argue with me and I curse them out and make them leave. Um, and then. Yeah, right? I'm just like, and then, uh, other times, uh, yeah, when I curse them out and make them leave, there's this one time a guy grabbed my ass and I cursed him out and made him leave, and he was just like, not sorry.

He was laughing about it the entire time. And like, uh, what I do is I publicly shame them then. I just like, raise my voice and I point and I go, this person sexually assaulted me! That guy sexually assaulted me! Or like, that guy threatened to hurt me! That man tried to Steal my money and they're like, oh, oh, oh.

And then just like hell have to leave because now I am informing everyone around that they've committed a crime.

Sidney: That's the best way to do it. like,

Maggie Karlin: oh my God. I'm just like, I'm just gonna let everybody know that you're an asshole. And this one time after a guy was like leaving, I was just like doing that.

And he left with his friends, like three teenage hooligans on bikes came up and were like, do you want him? Do you want us to get him for you, ? I was like, and I told them, I am not in the business of telling people to hurt or rob other people. But I will tell you, they went that way. Do whatever you feel is right.

Bicycle boys. Get them. Uh, so I didn't tell get them, but I did say, I'm not going to tell you. No, I'm not going to tell you to do it. Do what you think is right. They went that way. He's wearing a Cubs jersey.

Sidney: Incredible.

Maggie Karlin: Um, so yeah, and then like the only times I'd say I've actually ever been like attacked for real while, um, statuing, there's only twice, um, there was a time when a friend was doing like a little video doc on me for his film school thing because they were like, find someone with a cool job, do a like three minute piece about them.

Uh, he was doing that for me. And I think because somebody was there with a camera and someone else was there with a microphone, like it does something to people when they see a camera and they're like in front of it. Uh, this guy just came up and he like stood right next to me and like stared deeply into my eyes, which like people do sometimes they're like, Oh look, a captive audience with whom to have an intimate connection.

And so it's like, we do that and it's fine. It's cool. Uh, but this guy, after a second brings up his hands and pushes me off my box backwards. And like, I'm never not prepared for this, so I step backwards off my box. Oh, wow. Um, and I give him the line, You think that shit's okay to do? And he's just like immediately runs.

And at this point, the sole of my shoe was like peeling off and I needed to re glue it back on. And so I'm trying to run, but like my shoe is like, So I'm not running very fast. And I catch up with him enough to grab the back of his backpack. And like, what I should have done, and like, this is what you should do if you ever do this, is keep the backpack, take out the wallet, get the name, and be like, you need to say sorry before you can have this back, or something like that.

But like, that's not what I did. What I did was an overhand chuck of the bag to try to like, hit him in the head with it. Uh, and I missed, so I just essentially gave him his backpack. But he shrugged out of the backpack, he was willing, he was like, Take my money, I'm getting away with my life!

Sidney: The statue

Maggie Karlin: is attacking me!

The statue has come to life! Yeah, I was like, Oh, you're finding out now, fuck around guy!

Sidney: Uh, what was the second time?

Maggie Karlin: Uh, the second time was significantly more serious. Um, I was street performing, actually, in front of the Disney store, uh, on Michigan Avenue. It's closed now, which is sad. I was like, this was one of my favorite spots.

Yeah, they all closed down. Because, yeah. Yeah. I know, it was really sad, but, cause like, I'd stand outside, and then the kids would come out of the, like, revolving glass door, and be like, Ah! Real life magic! Uh, so like, it was a profitable spot. Um, I learned not to stay there after the store closed, because the security guard out front deterred a lot of people from fucking with me.

Um, because like, When there are rich tourists on Michigan Avenue, there's also everyone who wants their money, including me and like street criminals or like street people who are not necessarily all wholesome and good. 99% of the people you see on the street are fine people. They're even extremely friendly, helpful people, but every so often you do get someone who's out there trying to crime, you know?

Um, and so there was a person. She was like very thin and was wearing a tank top and boxer shorts, like boxer briefs as shorts, and then had her hair wrapped up. So I knew she didn't have any pockets, I knew she didn't have a bag with her, nowhere to hold like a wallet or anything, and she kept walking back and forth, like looking at me.

Uh, and I was just like, okay, I think you might just be scoping me out, but when people do this, they usually decide it's not worth it and leave. Uh, but when the security guard left, like five minutes after he packed up and left, she came back and just like, Look this way, look that way, reaches down to grab my thing of money, and I go like, Hey, what do you think you're doing?

Because this happens sometimes and usually people go, Oh, and drop the thing and go, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I thought you were a real statue. And I'm like, Oh, fair enough. That would be a

Sidney: fantastic compliment to the craft. Yeah.

Maggie Karlin: Right. Or it's like they think like, Oh, I'm a living statue. Like, thank you! I'm convincing.

Yeah, right, exactly. Yeah, but sometimes people think, like, you know the royal guards who are like this, and it's like, people make a game out of trying to make them laugh and stuff. They think I'm those guys, and I'm like,

Sidney: there's no, I can move. Yeah,

Maggie Karlin: I'm like, I'll move if I want to, I really can. Um, yeah, and so like, I stepped down off my box, I was like, hey, what are you doing?

And she goes, oh, and normally people just put it straight down on the ground. She does not. She just like, without flinching even at all, just looks up and goes. Why do you leave your money on the ground? And I was like, well, I left my money on the ground because I'm a street performer. You're a street performer.

You're an idiot. You're an idiot performer. You're a street idiot. And I was like, no, that's where you put your tip bucket. When you're a street performer on the ground, I could hold it, but that would make it kind of difficult. And I grab it back out of her hands expecting her to leave. And I was. Fuck off.

Because at this point I'm like being rude to get her to go away. She's not fucking off She's actually what it is was I embarrassed her, right? Like she was walking back and forth Thinking that this bucket of money was being protected by the security guard didn't realize that I was an entire person She might have been high.

I don't know but like I I don't know anything about this person, but um Like I think I really surprised her and I think it made her feel stupid and she needed to be like about it. Um, and so she starts like harassing me, like, you're a stupid, who does that? And I'm like, okay, well, that guy with a guitar, that guy with a turntable, that homeless man, that homeless man, that homeless family and me, like, and that's just what I can see from here, my corner.

And she's like, well, you're, you're an idiot. You're a stupid performer. And just like calling me stupid over and over and over again. So eventually I like do the thing where I was like, Hey, get the Fuck out of here. And I start like telling people like this woman is harassing me because this is usually what works except for it doesn't work because it's North Michigan Avenue and rich people don't give a damn, especially about conflict.

They're like specifically looking at the ground because I'm not charming anymore. I'm causing a scene. And, um, usually that's embarrasses the other person into going away. But this person is being very stubborn. I don't often meet people more stubborn than myself on the street. Um, and so like. Eventually, her friend comes by, who is a guy, it was like, a guy with a t shirt and jeans and pockets and all that stuff, and so the situation has escalated, this guy could have a knife, this guy could have a weapon, this guy could have a wallet or a phone or anything like that.

Um, and they start tag teaming me, they try to reach into my hat, which I have like under my arm now, uh, and it's like, He grabs my street performing license. I got your credit card. I got your stupid credit card. And I was like, you think I clip my credit card to my bit? Oh, Ben, that's my street performing license.

That's my face and name on it. Congratulations. Now you can. And he goes like, oh, and just like, uh, while I'm arguing with him, he goes, you better watch out. She just grabbed some money from you. And I turn around and the girl has 3 in her hand is going like this. And I, um, just kind of go like that guy stole my ID.

And like, he goes like, and just like books it out of there because he's afraid of that. Apparently. Um. And, uh, I would have just let it go. I would have just completely let her walk away with the handful of cash she grabbed. Except for she walked away with the, like, the, the hips and the shoulders. I did it, I did it, I did it.

Yeah, and she held the three dollars, it was three single dollar bills, up over her head. And with every step she waved it back and forth over her head, like, I win, I win. And I was just like, my anger problem said no. And I packed up all my stuff, I was about to leave anyway. And I never do this. Disclaimer, never ever do this.

This is, this

Sidney: is the biggest life hack of being a street performer and a human statue to go.

Maggie Karlin: Do this. So I just started following her down the street and I just was like, I'm a younger sibling and so I know how to be irritating without breaking any rules. Right next to her, going like, Hey, you better give me my money back.

And she was like, cursing me out and calling me a bitch and like all these other things. And I was like, okay, I'm a bitch, but you need to give this bitch money back. Give me it back. Give me the money back. Give me the money back. And I just started repeating that. Uh, just like, give it back, give it back, give it back, give it back.

Just like annoying, just trying to be like making it not worth it to hold on to these dollars because now my pride is at stake. Her pride is also at stake. So we do this for two entire blocks. I'm walking backwards in front of her down Michigan Avenue, holding all my stuff, and at one point she starts going, I'm gonna kick your ass!

And I was like, with what? You're shorter than I am, and I'm 5'3 You weigh less than I do, too. What, are you gonna kick my ass? Uh, I was like, I'll kick your ass! And she's like, well, go ahead. And I was like, I didn't say I'm gonna Start a fight. You want to start it, I'll end it, and then I'll take my money back.

And it's like, this is also a thing, just, if anyone tells you with words and space between you that they are going to kick your ass, they're not going to do it, because if they were going to kick your ass, no one's going to warn you, they're just going to kick your ass. I'm going to kick your ass, get ready.

You ready? One, two, three, here comes the ass kicking. No, they're just going to kick you. Like, like, they're just going to punch you out. Exactly. So if you've won, if you're trying to get somebody to leave you alone and you're trying to intimidate someone, they go, I'm going to kick your ass. You'll be like, you just got to laugh at them.

Yeah. No, you're not. And they called my bluff. We get to a stoplight, it's the red light, we're like, um, I'm standing in front of her and she pushes me into the street, but like, I'm expecting this, she's not very strong. Oh shit, yeah. No, I step one step back off the curb and then step back up and then I have a new thing.

This person just assaulted me, she touched me, she pushed me into the street, I coulda got hit by a car. And then it's just like, I've been making constant noise for two blocks and there is a tall, like six foot tall black man in a business suit with like a shiny briefcase and like real nice looking shoes and stuff.

And he's been keeping pace with us and he just turns and he looks and he goes, man, just give her the money back.

And this woman looks up at this man and goes. Takes the three dollars, rips them in half, throws them in the air like confetti, and just marches back in the direction that we came. And then immediately when this happens, I realize how stupid I've been. Like, I assumed that because she had no pockets, she didn't have a knife on her.

I assumed that because she has no pockets, she doesn't have a razor blade somewhere. I didn't know if she had like six other guys down the street waiting for me. Like, it Never do that. I went to therapy about that afterwards and I talked to him about it, about how I cannot do that in the future, but I still think it's a really funny story.

And I have the ripped in half dollar bills upstairs, like, still ripped in half as like a little reminder.

Sidney: Just remember to never do this, everyone. Just never do that. That was an absolutely incredible story and thank you for the thing. That everyone should know as a street performer, never, that's, that's the biggest life hack there is, just don't, also no shade, yeah, just don't, no, verbal

Maggie Karlin: threats only, like, yeah,

Sidney: well, we are, so we're going to take a quick break, that was incredible, um, and yeah, uh, Don't just just it's gonna be a fun game when we get back.

Oh hey everyone thanks for learning with me don't forget to rate and review this podcast spread the love share with everyone let us know what you think about it and just leaving the review is really how you help the show grow I mean this is the best way to help us please. Rate and review everyone.

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You get live streams. Extra thoughts on the episodes. And so much more. So, come over and join the Patreon. And now, back to Maggie! Today we are playing, how hard is this pose? Because, we got some, we got some difficult poses here. Or, maybe they're not difficult, I don't know. But we'll find out. I don't know, let's see.

Okay, so, first one, the David, right? Perfect, beautiful. How hard is this pose?

Maggie Karlin: So, I'm just, for a baseline, like, a 10 is gonna be like, I don't know if I could get into that pose, and then a 1 is like, I could sleep in that pose, right? Okay. Okay, um, so I'm gonna call this like a three. It's not the most comfortable standing position, but it is a comfortable standing position.

Like, having the arm up, if it's touching you, is not too bad. You, uh, get to put your weight on one foot, which is generally easier to stand. Uh, the only thing that might make it a little different, and this is a fun vocab word. See how the foot is slightly raised off the ground? He's kind of got the inside edge of his foot up like he's about to step.

That is called contrapposto, and you can get a little bit off balance. So, I'm going to say a 3 out of

Sidney: 10. Okay. So, it's interesting because what I focused on that I thought would be the most, uh, uncomfortable is the knee placement. Because I feel like that knee would get, like, annoying. And, like, it's bent inward kind of.

And it's like, is that kind of, like, an annoying thing to deal with? Yeah,

Maggie Karlin: that's what I'm talking about, with like the contrapposto, you just gotta like hold your leg up a little bit, but like, bending the knee in isn't like, I mean, if you're the kind of person who stands with one hip popped out all the time, that's like kind of a right, it's not the most comfortable knee position, but like, it'd be like, eh, I'd feel like shifting after a while, yeah, 3 out of 10.

Sidney: Great. All right. So, pose number two. We have Christ the Redeemer. Christ the Redeemer. Is he one of the great wonders of the world? But he's a real big statue in Brazil. Um, Christ the Redeemer. Standing like a good old Christ.

Maggie Karlin: Standing like a good old Christ. Yeah. Okay. This one, Ooh, I'm gonna give this one like a six.

Like, it's not the hardest pose ever, but it's one of those ones that starts really easy and after only about 30 seconds you're gonna feel it. Like, I would never wanna do this for a 10 minute pose in an art class, but like, this is a pose that I would hit while street performing. And then after a few minutes I'd be like, uh, and then probably bring my arms in.

But like, um, would

Sidney: it be one of those things? So I, you know, Jesus famously wears all those robes cuz like, I guess that's all. All he wanted to wear, which is great. You know, no hate breezy, but it's breezy. But, um, was this something that if you were wearing a robe, would you maybe like position yourself? So you have maybe like something to hold your arms up?

Oh, yeah. The robe

Maggie Karlin: or. I mean, maybe, but then you're limiting yourself. If I wanted to be in this position for hours and hours, I would make a support system for myself, but, um, that would limit. You've ever seen the people who do the floating illusion with a statue? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Not to ruin it for you because it's still, it's still amazing.

And like, uh, it's still hard to figure out. Yeah. Each of them. There's, there's a pretty classic rig where you can do the one where you're sitting, but there are certain people who make these very elaborate rigs that go inside of their clothes and like, you can watch the videos of them and it's nearly impossible to tell how the rig is holding them up.

Um, but yeah, so like you could have a rig for that if I needed to be like Christ the Redeemer for an event or something. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. But, um, I also used to be an Irish dancer and we did drills where we had to dance with our arms out like this. So it's like, it's not the hard dist thing. Um, but it, it would be really draining.

Isn't there also the, um, there's some Bible story about a guy who had to stand with his arms out like this so they could win the war? Like, when he put his arms down, the battle failed and when he brought them up, then God was like, awesome, we'll help you.

Sidney: Yeah, I think he had people help him hold his arms up.

Yeah, that sounds like something the Bible would put in there. I don't know, I feel like I learned this from VeggieTales. Were you a river dancer?

Maggie Karlin: I was an Irish dancer. I was never part of Riverdance the

Sidney: show. Different, different, but still clickety clack or

Maggie Karlin: just. I was a clickety clack Irish step dancer.

Sidney: Oh my gosh. That's the real, I started tap dancing when I was a kid. Um, and I can tap dance, but Riverdance was like one of those like gateway drugs of like, this is cool. All right. All right. Moving on.

Maggie Karlin: It's so cool. Yeah. Moving on or else we'll get down that rabbit hole.

Sidney: All right. So tree pose, yoga, tree pose, classic.

These are all statues.

Maggie Karlin: Yeah, I was, I was picking up on that. I'm like,

Sidney: ah, it's real statues. I just wanted for listeners at home, the yoga, we're not like looking at someone performing the yoga tree pose. It's a statue that's performing the yoga tree pose. Yeah, it's like

Maggie Karlin: a little stick person performing the yoga tree pose.

Like with no face or distinguishable features, but like in a cool way, not a creepy way. Um, but yeah, yoga tree pose, little, little wires, no, I don't know. I'm gonna say seven. Like, standing on one foot for an extended period of time is hard, but also, like, yoga tree pose is kind of, it's meant to be stable, you know, like a tree.

Um, so, like, if I was posing for an art class, I wouldn't hold that for longer than a five minute pose, and that would be, like, with something to support myself. And on the street, I have posed one foot before, like, I'll stand on one foot, but usually only if people give me, like, A few dollars or like a five or like I want to like, I'll do a thing where I sit in an invisible chair and then I pick up one foot and cross it over my knee.

So it's like, that's difficult, but doable. And so I'm going to call that a seven.

Sidney: Wow. So yoga tree poses a seven. That's interesting. Yeah. Because, because I'm, because I have a terrible time doing this pose in yoga. Um, but. It's like a really all about like the balance of the foot on the higher part of the leg above the knee Oh on the ground.

Yeah, but it's also like kind of more weight on your thigh kind of thing And I guess that would get real hard if you can

Maggie Karlin: balance with your hip. It's a lot easier like

Sidney: Yeah, the pose usually lasts for like 10 seconds but in On on the street. You don't want to do it for

Maggie Karlin: this for like 10 seconds. But like, I wouldn't I wouldn't hold this for a really long time unless there was a specific reason to hold this.

That's interesting. Yeah, that's interesting. I'm just I'm pretty good at standing on one leg. In general, I have decent balance. So

Sidney: that's a great that's, you know, That's a great reason to be a human statue. That's, or a living statue. That's a great reason.

Maggie Karlin: For real, it helps. I'm like, I like, I like people watching.

I'm good at standing still. I have decent balance and I'm willing to paint myself silver and stand in the sun.

Sidney: Sounds, sounds like you're perfect for the job. If

Maggie Karlin: you have those qualifications, you too can be a living statue.

Sidney: All right, pose number Four. Ooh. Ooh, that's a good pose. The disc, the dis discos.

Discus discus. Yeah. The, the, uh, the ancient Greek sculpture. Disco Bisco. Yeah. The guy throwing a disc, but he's like, yeah. Uh, his arms back.

Maggie Karlin: Who did this sculpture? I feel like this is a famous one. Uh, my. Myron. Okay, I don't know. Maybe not. Um, in any case, uh, this is, yeah, I feel like they're getting progressively harder.

Yeah. And like this one, this one feels like harder than tree pose, but it's not like a nine or a 10. So I feel like I'm going to escalate to eight for this one, especially because that arm behind, but like, okay, here's what makes it hard. There's like the twist in the torso and the looking backwards at the arm, but like.

You also do get to kind of brace with the arm that's on the bent knee. So for people listening, this is like a man, he's about to throw the discus, but he's got it all the way back. So it's like, he's not yet thrown it forwards. So he's got like one foot on the ground and one foot with the toes on the ground.

Sidney: Well, this also seems like a pose that you could switch easily side to side until you were like, not doing this pose anymore. That's true. It seems like all of his weight or their weight on, um, is. Uh, yeah. Uh, it's supposed to be on one foot. Yeah.

Maggie Karlin: But you do have the other foot in contact with the ground so you can like cheat it some, you know?

It's like you can use it to balance. It's not like the yoga tree pose where it's like you can't use it to like stabilize. But I feel like what's really hard about that is like the intense, the intense elbow, like uh, tricep exercise that's going on with lifting the arm behind you. Uh, that along with the twist.

I'm gonna give this one a solid 8. This is difficult. Entering the realm of very difficult poses. Wow. There you

Sidney: go. All right. And last, but last but not least, pose number five. Oh my God.

What are they doing? It's called Norway's Naked Angry Sculpture Park. Uh uh, ner Park in Austin.

Maggie Karlin: I'm sorry, there's a whole park of them. ? Yeah. Or is it a park specifically death. This is, this is

Sidney: fantastic. It says here, 200 sculptures by artist Gustav Wein 200?! The park's overall theme is human experience. Uh, the artist is not afraid, uh, to show the part of being human that includes moments of frustration and anger.

Many of the sculptures also examined human relationships between male and female, uh, and young and old. The artist chose for the statues to be naked so that they remain timeless. It is the world's largest sculpture park made by a single artist. So these, so the sculpture that we're looking at, this guy is throwing kids.

It's four

Maggie Karlin: kids. He's not, okay. He's not just throwing kids. I want to be, so this is a green statue. This is a copper statue. Um, whatever, brass, I don't know. Copper, yeah. Large naked man, that's ass. He has, he has his arms up in like a goal post kind of position, and on one side he's like Blocking it honestly looks like these and I think they're babies like yeah, you can call them kids But I don't want to give you the wrong they are small children.

It looks like toddlers Toddlers, it looks like they're like attacking him from out of the sky and he's like Like batting them away like off children and then he has one foot up in front of him toe pointed doing a pointed toe kick punting Yet another infant away from him. And the best part of this is that infant's arms are like, reaching out as he's being punted away.

And you can see that they are like, they're still shiny copper because people reach up and they touch the little baby arms because it's all the way at the bottom and that's what they can reach. And I need to go to Norway. What are they doing over there that they have an entire park full of angry naked sculpture?

It

Sidney: does kind of seem, it does kind of seem like the babies are being thrown at him. Yeah. And he's like, he's like blocking, yeah, he's blocking

Maggie Karlin: them. Yeah, they're like dive bombing him from the

Sidney: sky. Or it was like something like, they all like, like uh, bombarded him and he was on the ground and like, like Neo, you know, like, like, like, like, pffft.

Maggie Karlin: Yeah, like he had been tackled, and he's standing up like, Yeah!

Sidney: That was hilarious! All right, so you would need extra You would need youths for this, but

Maggie Karlin: I would need youths for this. Okay, so I feel like I can give this a 10, because, uh, first of all, the actual pose sans babies is difficult enough, because he's on one foot, off center, he's got the pointed toe and the arms in the air.

So it's basically as stressed out as you can get in a pose. It's off balance. And then I would need to find a baby to punt or like to stand still on my foot. Like, I don't know how I would, I don't know how I would get successfully into that pose. And so I'm going to

Sidney: give it a 10. That's, I mean, so, so the hardest part about that pose is not the, the, the toddlers that you would need to be, you know, held up or like the, the, the dolls or something that you would hold up like, It's the, it's the one legged.

That's, that's not, that's not easy.

Maggie Karlin: Yeah. I feel like it would be managing all of the toddlers and being on one. Yeah. I just like, and it's like, he's clearly in the middle of moving. So he's not like tree pose where you're stacked and you're supposed to be standing here. It's like, he's like, he's in motion.

Sidney: Oh my gosh. What a, what a game. I just, just a shout out, shout out Rob, the producer there because that was incredible. That was an incredible ending.

Maggie Karlin: That was awesome. Yes. Delightful. I was curious, uh, what sort of questions you would be asking.

Sidney: Well, that, I, that, I love that. Um, well, I mean, that, that's kind of the, you know, the amount of time that I told you we were going to talk to each other.

I feel like we could talk to each other for hours.

Maggie Karlin: Honestly. I could literally talk all day. Um, I really love this job, if you couldn't tell.

Sidney: Yeah, I mean, you know, it's just an incredible thing, um, that you do, that you get to do. I mean, you mentioned that you had been doing it for a long time. How many years have you actually been doing it?

Maggie Karlin: Um, so I started, this is one of those things where I could very easily figure out, I think I started in 2013, um, was like my first year out. For at least 10 years. Yeah, at least 10 years. And like, I haven't been, it wasn't my primary job every single summer. Uh, but I don't think there's been a year except for one year when I had gotten surgery where I just missed the entire season.

So I, I have been doing this every year, nearly for 10 years. Wow. That's incredible. Yeah, which I was just like, I looked over my shoulder and I was like, oh, there was a kid once, um, kid, there was a person who was on their first day at Columbia and they came up to me and they're like, oh my God, I can't believe you're still here.

I saw it. Like I have a picture of you from when I was a kid and I was like, wow. And I was like, what? And then it's like, Oh, you're on your first day at Columbia and I've been doing this for 10 years. I could have known you when you were eight years old. Wow.

Sidney: That's wild. That is truly incredible. That is amazing.

Well, I thank you for what you do. I know that you bring so many people joy all over the In a loop of Chicago, um, and millennium park and everything. If I'm ever in town, which, hey, maybe I will be this summer. I'll say, Hey, Maggie.

Maggie Karlin: Absolutely. No. If you're ever in Chicago, just like check out Michigan Avenue.

See if I'm there.

Sidney: That'd be so cool. I'd be so, I'd feel so, I'd feel so excited. If I actually like saw you performing, I was like, Oh my

Maggie Karlin: God, it's Maggie. It's like a cryptid, you know, like you don't know when I'm going to be there. Where, but like, I'll have to look at the

Sidney: shadows. I'll have to be like, wait, where are the shadows.

Okay. Um, well, yeah, I mean, before you go, you know, anything coming up, anything, uh, you want to plug, you know, your, your Instagram handle, your everything, let, let the people know. Follow me

Maggie Karlin: on, uh, the tick tock or on the Instagram I am real live statue, all one word with no punctuation. And, uh, last thing I want to say.

Is if this is making you want to try to be a street performer of any kind, statue, musician, whatever, uh, get out there and try it. I 100% recommend trying that job. It's, it's

Sidney: 100%. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Well, thank you. That was perfect. That was, I was going to ask you for any final thoughts and life tips and anything, and that is exactly right.

Just go do

Maggie Karlin: it. Go do it. And, uh, Taylor Swift fans. Don't forget that you owe me

Sidney: 5. Don't forget. Don't forget. Listen, Swifties, we, we know.

Oh my gosh, I'm, I'm like legitimately kind of out of energy because of how exciting that episode was. Thank you so much for talking with me, Maggie. That was incredible. I mean, to learn about shadows, to learn about, you know, just the incredible stories and facts that you have about. People in Chicago is just like, oh my gosh.

Amazing. I'm so happy you Riverdanced too because that was like, Oh, I love Riverdancing or Irish dancing. I don't know if you were doing Riverdance specifically, but I'm so happy that we can connect on that and just connect on the beautiful artwork that is in Chicago. Listen, if you got a question for me or know somebody who should be on the show, let us know in an email, Eli 30 at human dash content.

com. Or if you just want to come and chat with me, I'm at Sydney raz all over the internet. And then you can also come talk to all of us at human content podcasts on Instagram or tech talk at human content pods. We'd really appreciate you leaving a review wherever you listen to podcasts. It really helps grow the show.

If you subscribe or comment on your favorite podcasting app or on YouTube, we might give you a shout out. If you love this voice, but you yearn to see my face, full episodes are up every Thursday on YouTube at Sydney Raz SID and EY are a Z and patreon

don't forget tons of cool perks like bonus episodes Hang out with the ela 30 member community aka the rascals We have a great private discord and I'm active on it. Yes, it is really Me. Early ad free episode access, interactive Q& A, livestream events, and so much more. Patreon. com slash ELI30, or go to ELI30.

com. Thank you so much for listening. I'm your host, Sidney Raskine. Again, special thanks to our... Living statue friend, Maggie Carlin. The executive producers of this show are Sydney Raskine, Aaron Rubin Corney, Rob Goldman, and Shanti Brooke. Our editor is Andrew Sims. Our engineer is the amazing Jason Portizzo.

Our music is by Omer Ben Zvi. Our theme song is by Dr. Music. Explain Like I'm 30 is a human content production. And remember... Hydration equals happiness.

Maggie Karlin: Explain like I'm 30.