Grab your Google Cardboards, kids, because virtual reality has achieved its most glorious expression. Thanks to a powerhouse collaboration between InFilm 360, Northern Media Solutions, and Trejo’s Tacos (which just opened earlier this month), we can now have the fully immersive experience of eating tacos with Danny Trejo for three minutes. Yes, this happened.
Situated in the cramped space of Trejo’s Tacos in Los Angeles, this 360º video allows us to bear witness to a surreal universe in which Danny Trejo is simultaneously a cashier, a merch guy, and two — yes, TWO clients. Don’t try to find any sense in the whole thing, beyond its obvious promotional value, and just savor the surreal pleasure of being surrounded on all sides by a living legend.
The centerpiece of this little gem is, well, Danny Trejo, but specifically a version of Danny Trejo that digs into an overflowing tray of tacos with childlike glee. Over three minutes we watch him take two bites out of one taco, grab a totopo and dig into some guac, sip an unidentified hot beverage, dig into another taco, and barely contain his disdain for a low-carb lettuce taco, which elicits a burst of incredulous laughter from the stone-faced Chicano.
In the meantime, El Machete’s other avatars dig through Trejo’s Tacos promotional swag, chuckle idly at a cash register, and eat even more tacos in a remote corner of the restaurant. And somehow, thanks to some inexplicable charismatic power, it all works. Experience it now on Youtube, or catch it at the Museum of Modern Art in 10 years. Your call.
For $15 you can turn your smartphone into a VR headset using Google Cardboard and watch the 360º immersive video above. Make sure to look around, look left to see Trejo chilling in the corner, look right to see him patiently waiting at the register for clients to come in. If you don’t have a VR headset, you can watch the regular 2-D video below which features Trejo savoring his tacos, but you miss out on the surreal experience of having a bunch of Danny clones carry out different tasks. The lesson here is: get yourself a Google Cardboard ASAP.