Randy, a castmember of MTV's Real World: San Diego, an artist, a Sea and Cake fan and currently a spokesperson for STA Travel, chewed the fat about life, liberty and the pursuit of a good vacation. Street learns that the key to Real World success is aggression -- and that really, it's not that different from backpacking in Europe. Yeah. Right.
What was your experience on Real World like?
For me, I kind of had an easy time with it. I mean, I had the opportunity to live in some place new, work in some place new, have new friends. It was cool. It was like four months just to change your whole life.
Are you ever surprised when you watch the show by what they play and what they don't play?
Uh, you can kind of get a general idea of the storylines and the plotline they put to it, but the order of what happens is surprising. I mean, they have to sacrifice a lot of the timeline and events just to get a storyline, and a movement of character development and stuff like that. But it's pretty accurate. Just because, I mean, obviously, how are they going to tell a story of four months in like 28 episodes?
Traveling must have been a nice break. So you guys went to Greece on the show with ... ?
STA.
Was there a tight travel budget?
We were on a tight budget, in the aspect of like, we were doing student travel. So, most of your money is going to like going out and souvenirs and stuff. In others words, we weren't like spending all of our money on like hotels and accommodations.
What was your favorite city in Greece?
Uh, I liked Athens a lot, you know, because I love cities, you know what I mean? I just love cities. You kinda get more of the culture, and you kind of see, like, a lot more about the people. It's kind of like culture times 10 when you're in a city. It's so intense.
I've heard Athens is very dirty.
Oh, it is, it's grimy. But I like it.
Do you have any crazy travel stories from Real World?
When we were out to Greece, we had crazy experiences out there. I'd say one of the things that sticks in my mind is we had to take a boat out, using all the skills we had learned from sailing, to like maneuver this boat with no help to these pirate caves. So that was pretty intense, 'cause we sailed the whole boat ourselves using only knowledge that we had before.
They're supposed to do a Real World here next. What do you think of Philadelphia as a location for the show?
I've walked about two hours straight today, all the way down to the port, like, all the way back up Chestnut, down to State. So, I kind of like got a feel for the city, you know? It's cool. Reminds me a lot of Boston. I think that Boston's a great location, I think that Philly's going to be a great location.
So is the fame bug like the travel bug?
Once it's bit ...
It's cool, because like, I'd been to more countries than states prior, so now I get a chance to see Philadelphia. I was in Pennsylvania yesterday. We get a chance to go everywhere.
What's your favorite state?
That's tough. My favorite city I'd have to say in North America is Montreal. I love Montreal. Like the nickname of the city is "The City of Festivals," so like all summer long there's like jazz festivals, Grand Prix -- it's really intense.
What did you learn from Real World?
When people ask me about the experience, it's so hard to communicate what it was like to be in that experience because it was unlike what I thought it would be like -- unlike anything I've ever done. But, I can relate it a lot to the four months I spent backpacking. They both separated me from my family, friends, comfort zones. They put me in unusual situations, so I think that if anyone's intrigued about what it's like to be on Real World, it's just as strange and just as challenging, and maybe more so, to travel four months in Europe.
Did you watch Real World before you were on it?
I'd never regularly watched it, but I caught a few marathons, 'cause I'm not the type of person who likes to wait for the next episode. I hate that, so, I used to sit down and watch when the season's over.
Which was your favorite season?
I think my favorite season was probably the one in San Francisco, I think, because, like, so many boundaries were broken. A whole generation was kind of opened up to a bunch of things that kind of weren't talked about, and I think it had a positive effect on my generation. People learned a lot about tolerating other differences and how to get along. So I think that there's good things that come out of the show. I just want to confess -- I run into a lot of artists, writers, people who are in the arts who watch the show because you kind of have to feel curious about people to like the show, you know.
Before people started watching your season of the Real World, did you already think it was a very different experience than simply moving in with seven random roommates?
Absolutely, I mean, it's not only seven random people. You're living with seven people who have incredible energy, and incredible personalities. And, anytime you put seven people with incredible personalities in a room together there's going to be this energy, and it challenges you all the time. It's not unpleasant, 'cause the people are so great, but it's definitely hard. I was such a passive person; I had to become more aggressive throughout the show.
Did your impression of your castmates change as the season went on?
I think that everyone involved were pretty honest people, so you kind of got to know them right away, but everyone has dynamic aspects on the show. So there's gonna be surprises and learning experiences for all the castmembers.
So, there's still more coming?
Oh, God. I don't think we're even halfway through yet.
