By: Reba Wilson
Meet Daniel Braden, creator of the infamous (and hysterical) McGill Memes. With over 6,000 likes on his Facebook page (click here to see McGill Memes) and well over 400,000 views on his Tumblr, Braden has become a definite McGill celebrity! Her Campus McGill sat down with Braden to find out about his hobbies, quirks and favorite things, as well as the birth and life of McGill Memes.
(Editors’ Note: bolded text is HC, regular text is Daniel Braden)
Year: U3
Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin/Raleigh, North Carolina
What are you studying? Political science and French translation
Why do you think McGill Memes is so popular? I honestly couldn’t say. When I first started the page/Tumblr account I figured it would be an inside joke between my friends and I, just something to laugh about and how McGill is full of hilarious contradictions. I guess people just like my sense of humor.
What is your favorite Montreal spot? Blackader (yes, that’s how it’s spelled) or Else’s when I’m not on campus. I also have affinity for the Latin Quarter.
How do you know so much about the campus culture? I honestly just read the papers. One of my roommates is an editor at The McGill Daily, so that helps, but I also go out of my way to read the listservs and get the latest copies of The Tribune, Le Delit, The Bull and Bear, etc. People watching is also something of a hobby.
Quirkiest Hobby: I choreograph line dances to Eurovision songs. It’s kind of embarrassing, but there ain’t no party like a Eurovision party.
What’s next after McGill? Ooh, that’s a tough question. I’m definitely taking a year off, and hoping to do some campaign work for the US midterm elections next November. It’s either that or become an assitant d’anglais. Unfortunately I’ll probably end up in law school at some point.
If you were HMB* for a day, what would you do? I would give an honorary doctorate to @LotsWifeMcGill.
What’s your favorite McGill Meme, and why? My favorite memes are almost always the least popular ones, although I have to say the Mario Kart Player Select image macro with Flood Girl may have been my magnum opus.
Do you ever get fan mail? If so, what’s the weirdest fan mail you’ve received? I don’t usually get much fan mail, though I do get a fair number of submissions. Occasionally people will recognize me on campus or at the grocery store, and it’s very flatteringly awkward. I guess the weirdest fan encounter I’ve ever had was with a faculty member who stopped me on campus to tell me how much he liked my work.
What inspired you to create McGill Memes? My inspiration mostly came from all the hilariously juxtaposed contradictions that make McGill McGill. Whether or not that’s wealthy people who rail against the capitalism or the politically charged campus culture where no one turns out to vote, there seems to be no shortage of hilarious ironies at McGill, hence why the page is still up and running.
What is the fate of McGill Memes when you graduate? I’d like to pass it on to another student.
*Editors’ Note: HMB stands for Heather Munroe-Blum, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill
Picture entitled “Player Select” was posted to McGill Memes on January 29. Find it here.