The Blue Man Group: Painting Outside the Lines
Tell me one thing you know about the Blue Man Group. Before this week, the only thing I could tell you is that they’re these three blue dudes who are, for some reason, insanely popular in Vegas. I’ve known about this group's existence my whole life, but could not have told you a single thing that they do at their shows or where the f*ck they even came from. So buckle up, put your blue bald caps on, and enjoy the ride.
Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton and Chris Wink collectively founded and began the Blue Man Group in the 1980s. They created these characters as a social experiment to see how people reacted to bald, blue men going up to people on the street. They also loved to show up to bars decked out in their signature blue paint head-to-toe. They were a group of extroverted creatives who wanted to do something out of the ordinary that no other comedian or performance artist had done before. They were not interested in society’s definition of normal because ultimately, being weird made life more interesting. So, why blue? It honestly isn’t some crazy, elaborate story for why the Blue Man Group dipped themselves in paint. One day in their shared apartment, Chris Wink smeared blue makeup all over himself and thought it looked pretty cool, but also thought his hair looked weird. The next day he put on a bald cap. Matt and Phil followed his lead, painted themselves blue, went on their roof, stared at each other, and thought that it “felt right.” At this moment, they claimed their name as the Blue Man Group.
‘The funeral for the 80s’ was the first public act that debuted the Blue Man Group. On May 21, 1988, blue Matt, Phil, Chris, and five other participants carried a coffin into Central Park filled with items that represented the 80s. Inside there were bags of white powder, like crack, action figures, and other random little things. They placed their objects into a metal drum, threw some paper inside, and lit it on fire. Tadaaa! From this point on, the Blue Man Group took their out of the ordinary acts to numerous little theaters, which would later expand to worldwide tours.
So, let's talk about what they actually do during their shows and why they have a disclaimer not to wear nice clothes. After watching way too many videos, I’m honestly more confused than when I started off. Their personalities are those of aliens who are very curious about the world around them. The shows are very interactive with the audience, such as playing spontaneous jokes on complete strangers who walk in late. I watched videos of them throwing massive amounts of toilet paper into the crowds, banging on drums filled with paint, and making music with an entire pipe contraption strapped onto their bodies. The entire duration of their show, they’re mute. They don’t speak, but they use gestures, music, and art to communicate their comedy.
Now knowing how the Blue Man Group came to be and what they do, all I want to know is how do they look so blue? Obviously it’s some sort of blue paint, but I’ve had my fair share of face painting and it doesn’t last 10 minutes without a smudge. According to Road Trip Nation’s Youtube channel, it starts off with their bald cap which is layers of prosthetics to make sure no hair interferes with the paint. Then, they slather on absurd amounts of specially made grease paint on every part of exposed skin, which was described as having the texture of “a gloppy melted crayon” by a Blue Man Group makeup artist.
Even after all this, these blue men are still a mystery to me. However, I think we need more people like them in our world. They are an ever-growing group, up to 70 men by now, who trade off to entertain millions of people worldwide. In a world where blue painted men, music, and art collide, the Blue Man Group stands as a testament to embrace the wonderfully weird corners of human creativity and absurdity.
Sources:
https://www.vulture.com/article/blue-man-group-oral-history.html
https://www.stifeltheatre.com/news/detail/coloring-the-world-blue-the-history-of-the-blue-man-group