Yes, The Chats Really Did Unearth The ‘Succulent Chinese Meal’ Man
"We were stoked to find out he was alive," the band have said.
Earlier today, The Chats dropped a music video for their new song ‘Dine N Dash’, one which features a very familiar face — Mr. Democracy Manifest himself.
For those not in the know, ‘Mr. Democracy Manifest’ is an internet nickname given to the star of a very old, very popular viral video. In the clip, an older gentleman is loaded into the back of a police car, while asking the officers if they are ready to receive his “limp penis” and generally shouting about the particular brand of injustice he is facing.
Stories about the clip circulated for years, with many speculating that he was under arrest for the practice of dining and dashing, AKA chucking a runner from a restaurant before paying the bill.
Further rumours, spread in particular by the Daily Mail, alleged that the man was a chess champion, and died in 2003. That article also named him as Paul Charles Dozsa, and said that he was a Hungarian emigre.
Of course, that ‘died in 2003’ thing makes The Chats clip weird, hey? Well, the truth is out. ‘Mr. Democracy Manifest’ is not dead. He’s still very much alive, and yep, that’s him in the clip.
“The song was actually about the original ‘Democracy Manifest’ video, and originally we were just going to re-create the arrest scene ourselves,’ lead singer Eamon Sandwith told Music Junkee. “Then our manager and video crew ended up tracking him down.”
The band further explained the story in a general quote disseminated amongst the press.
“We were stoked to find out he was alive,” goes the statement. “Our manager and video crew tracked him down, no idea how. He turned up, had drinks with us on set, then he was gone.”
There you have it — an internet legend lives!