Lionel Boyce[Editor's note: Odd Future member Lionel Boyce writes a weekly column for West Coast Sound. His archives are available here.]
If you read my first column, you know I'm part of a TV show called Loiter Squad, which will be on Adult Swim. Recently Tyler, the Creator and I accidentally trolled the media in Orlando while filming a skit there. Actually, it was more a matter of gossip spreading around the city.
Let me explain: The skit was a spoof on the Williams sisters, and we were supposed to shoot on a closed set at an Orlando tennis park. We had to get clearance, so a guy on the crew named Knate, who handles that stuff, went earlier in the week to fill out the paperwork. When the park's manager asked why we needed a closed set, Knate tried to answer him without giving away too much information, so he told him the skit had something to do with Venus and Serena Williams.
Lionel and Tyler as the Williams sisters; Credit: Tom Burton, Orlando Sentinel
He never said they'd be there, but I guess the manager assumed they would be. Apparently he decided to spread the word, because when we pulled up there were people sitting in front of the courts staring at our cars. We didn't yet know what was going on, and jokingly said that these people probably thought we were the real Williams sisters. We drove around and parked behind the courts, where no one was, and the film crew went to set up.
They said there was a big crowd of people, waiting on the arrival of the Williams sisters. I peaked around the corner to see everyone, and a couple of people cheered a little. I guess from a distance our costumes looked pretty real. Tyler had on a white tank top, a pink skirt and a wig with individual braids and beads in it. I had on a curly, blond wig, a padded tank top and pink tennis shorts.
So once the film crew was set up and ready to go, we walked around the corner. The closer we got, the more people realized it wasn't the Williams sisters — it was just two big black guys dressed up like them.
Credit: Tom Burton, Orlando Sentinel
Some people thought it was funny and made comments like, “Wow, you guys look much bigger in person.” Others were mad and uttered rude remarks. One guy must have been really angry because he kept saying, “Really?”
But it's true that every single person thought the Williams sisters were coming. Even the Orlando newspaper was out there. -L-Boy
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