further to my post of 15 Apr 24 - 06:32 PMTumut's Adam Farquharson rides wave of 'silver influencer' viral fame in his pumpkin canoe
Adam Farquharson just wanted to ride his giant pumpkin down the river for a laugh, but accidentally went viral, becoming the next in a wave of "silver influencers".
From Sydney to New York, and across Europe, Mr Farquharson's trip down the Tumut River last month in a 407-kilogram squash he christened Cinderella caught the attention of a good-news starved world.
He was interviewed a dozen times on radio and TV in Australia and New Zealand and racked up millions of views on social media in a self-described "mind-blowing" two-weeks of fame.
Dubbed Popeye the Pumpkin Man by his neighbours, Mr Farquharson said his fame peaked when he featured on late night TV in the United States when The Late Show with Stephen Colbert tried to make sense of it all in the days after the river ride.
"I have officially found the coolest guy in Australia," Colbert said.
"Sorry, The Wiggles."
Seeing himself on American television was a surreal moment for the pumpkin Commodore.
"It's a bizarre experience … that was quite unexpected. I think sitting there laughing at yourself on that show was weird, but in a really cool way," he said.
News organisations across Europe also wrote articles recounting his escapades.
One academic says Mr Farquharson is part of a cohort of older people breaking Gen Z's stranglehold on the internet and going viral, like Albany's Granny Grommets or the Charlie's Angels rescuing the dogs of Devonport (read on)
Silver Influencers rock!!