Nov 22 2009For When You Can't Kill: Sign Spinning
This is a video of ninja/sign-spinner Matthew Kermode. He can spin a sign like nobody's business. But it is -- he works for a sign-spinning business!
Taking his headphones off to talk with us for a second, the sign samurai handed us a card out of his wallet: "Matthew Kermode -- AArrow Sign Spinner, Spinstructor." (Yes, "AArrow.") He said he's been doing this for 10 years now, translating his martial arts work to a more marketable skill. Kermode mostly works in the East Bay for the Martinez-based AArrow, spinning signs for housing developers. As far as who today's client Jigsaw is, "I'm not 100-percent sure."
Kermode tried to be modest, saying he's not the most talented spinner in the company. "We have a team of 15 guys right now and they all have talent. Different degrees of skill, but they all have talent." He couldn't have gotten the title "Spinstructor" for nothing.
"...translating his martial arts work to a more marketable skill"??? What's more marketable than STEALTH ASSASSIN-RY? I can't think of anything. Well, besides handsome blogger. Yep yep yep, TONS of opportunity over here.
The Amazing Spinning Sign Samurai Wows Fourth Street [sfweekly]
Thanks to Rich the Destroyer, Bob the Builder's mortal enemy. And Q, who makes wacky gadgets.
Reader Comments
1. Visier357 - November 22, 2009 6:16 PM
thats cool
2. drbadnick - November 22, 2009 6:26 PM
pfft... it was me.
3. KEVVERRROOONNNOOO - November 22, 2009 6:35 PM
I cant wait until he decapitates an elderly grandmother with that spinning sign! I guess he REALLY IS a stealth assASSin. DEATH BY SIGN! idk..........just sayin
4. G-man - November 22, 2009 6:44 PM
Look at him notching his head like some special needs kid, he probably is and we just made fun of him, shame on you!!
5. _me - November 22, 2009 6:50 PM
So the answer to the age old question; "Where do all the baton twirling cheerleader guys go once High school is over?" has finally been answered!
Thank you tech companies for creating a niche for them to fill.
6. MikeZ - November 22, 2009 6:51 PM
Just proves that no idea is too crazy that you couldn´t still make money off it.
7. Q - November 22, 2009 7:21 PM
I was waiting for the sign to slip out of his hands and get one of the cars.
8. AngryChineseDriver.com - November 22, 2009 7:36 PM
So much enthusiasm for a $5/hour job...
9. THE GAME - November 22, 2009 7:37 PM
You just lost The Game
10. Dogless - November 22, 2009 7:40 PM
4th and Howard, anyone?
11. Al3xtec - November 22, 2009 7:56 PM
fucking dumb.. was hoping he would nail some one.. that would seem to me the only valid reason to one of those ass hats some postability...
12. ~☻,_∫∫ ∕∕-][ Ỵ ([¦¦ ([]) ][-¦¦ ☻~ - November 22, 2009 8:06 PM
lol WIN but they should realy work on sign design had to really try to read it
13. Whiskey - November 22, 2009 8:16 PM
I have a hard enough time reading the full contents of a stationary sign while driving. I might help if I wasn't drinking all day.
14. mighty twix - November 22, 2009 8:26 PM
Hahahaha SIgn Language
15. WillC - November 22, 2009 8:43 PM
Ummmm.. is this NOT a normal thing? Cause we see them around here all the time. Their either like this reject who does it for so long that he no longer makes minimum wage.. he makes a dollar more than minimum, or their the rejects that throw the signs and hit cars turning. That latter is far more funny.
16. Tom - November 22, 2009 8:53 PM
8 - $5 an hour?
Lol! Do you know how much this kind of marketing is worth?!?
That guy could earn a simple coffee shop $100 an hour easy on a busy street, more to a store that sells things at higher prices.
Im guessing he is getting paid by contract not hour but I would estimate his wage at around $19-$30 an hour.
17. sam-sam - November 22, 2009 9:16 PM
the force is strong with this one...
18. rad to the power of me - November 22, 2009 9:18 PM
I'd rather see a sign spin fail....i.e. sign go flying into the road scarring the hell out of some motorists or "idiot moron" not paying attention texting while walking and get a ninja style sign spin to the face.....mmmm yes! now where is my glass smoking dream making device..... wtf how did it get in the pantry?....hmmm I'm watching you GW. night all
19. Drihscol - November 22, 2009 9:52 PM
now THATS what i call creative advertising!
20. Heather - November 22, 2009 11:10 PM
I laugh at those people who hold signs.
21. Geekogie - November 23, 2009 1:44 AM
Must See!!!
http://alturl.com/obg7
__________________
22. jonni - November 23, 2009 5:51 AM
great ;)
23. Jaded Icon - November 23, 2009 8:15 AM
I really hope this is just a short term job for this guy. If he wants to do this for the rest of his life it will get old REALLY fast.
24. r k - November 23, 2009 9:19 AM
nice to see that he is talented enough to be marketable, but not smart enough to realize he is a complete dork.
25. zoozle - November 23, 2009 9:24 AM
"Jaded Icon: I really hope this is just a short term job for this guy. If he wants to do this for the rest of his life it will get old REALLY fast."
"Sign Samurai: I've been doing this for 10 years now"
26. yeah..right - November 23, 2009 10:27 AM
#16 is ninja/sign-spinner Matthew Kermode.
27. cbobgo - November 23, 2009 10:39 AM
Is he intentionally playing LEFT handed air guitar, or is he just clueless?
28. mike - November 23, 2009 10:42 AM
too bad i created a robot to spin signs 10 times as fast and 30 more interestingly. he also snipes people driving and texting.
29. Scott - November 23, 2009 12:27 PM
What a douche-fag.
30. Jaded Icon - November 23, 2009 12:28 PM
@ 25
Ouch! Called on it. Damn,.........ok how about this: a kid with a sign walks into a bar and says "Barkeep! I have been doing this for 10 years and I need a beer!" The bartender looks at him and says........
31. TE - November 23, 2009 12:47 PM
'He couldn't have gotten the title "Spinstructor" for nothing.'
I'm guessing that yeah, you can call yourself a "spinstructor" for nothing.
What a bad sign, though. Jigsaw, Booth 1112. WTF is Jigsaw? I mean, I know what a jigsaw is but I don't think they were selling them. I also know what a jigsaw puzzle is. I guess I could buy jigsaw puzzles over at booth 1112. Is that it?
Good thing he's telling people in the left lane that they can make a right to buy some jigsaw puzzles - if they were only in the correct lane to make that left hand turn. Which they're not.
32. retroprofile - November 23, 2009 2:35 PM
http://www.jigsaw.com/
33. Jazzman - November 23, 2009 3:34 PM
Sign spinning is old news on the west coast... why dont you spin these in your jaws!!!
34. Beer Baron - November 23, 2009 4:16 PM
He totally gets all the girls.
35. wes - November 23, 2009 5:18 PM
it's called Auxiliary. like from Marching Bands. ooooooh snap! NO NINJA, just a band geek
-wes-
36. man1 - November 24, 2009 2:42 AM
theres a 311 video where a guy like this is spinning his sign and kicking some ninja ass XD
37. hater - November 25, 2009 1:41 AM
What a douche...I work for an advertising agency, so shut up, I understand why idiots would get paid to do this, but....what a douche...
38. emsicisum - November 26, 2009 6:13 PM
@ 31 - This video was taken last week. He was advertising for a company exhibiting at the Salesforce convention (cloud computing company) at the Moscone Center. I attended the conference and saw this dude displaying his talents on the street corner. I did not, however, visit booth 1112. Damn.
39. paul smith shoes - November 28, 2009 8:59 PM
http://www.newpaulsmith.com/paul-smith-shoes-c-518.html
40. Sign Walker - January 15, 2010 1:33 PM
Spinstructor??? hahahahahaha. no but seriously that dude is way good.