This Is What It Feels Like To Become A Meme

Haj Poj is a monthly column where we interview online icons and revisit the moment they got memed.

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Let’s get this straight.

Jeff Crump is not British, he has seen your memes, and he was not high at the Arctic Monkeys concert in 2006.

Jeff Crump at the Arctic Monkeys concert is a meme as straightforward as they come. The photo’s time stamp, grainy quality, and laughably simple caption ostensibly leave no room for questions: It’s Jeff Crump at the Arctic Monkeys concert on July 5th, 2006.

The picture was first discovered by the dedicated archivists at Unearthing Crusty/Obscure Images, a Facebook group that combs through the platform’s enormous backlog of photos and shares the best, the “crustiest,” ones with like-minded users in search of digital gold. In April 2021, a member shared Jeff Crump’s crusty .jpeg with the group and, in a first for the community, the selfie went viral. I first came across the image when it was used in a variation of the “you must be x if you think we fucking” meme. And something about Jeff’s expression, hypnotic in its blankness, enticed me to dig deeper. Who is Jeff Crump? Was this a serious attempt at a good picture? What’s he up to now?

Jeff, now 37, works at a technology manufacturer and is a proud father of two. He leads an idyllic life in the countryside where he tends after farm animals, busying himself with horses more than monkeys these days. He still loves music but isn’t able to go to as many live shows as he once did. “I wish I could go to more concerts, but parenting is hard. More money goes to them eating overpriced bags of chips instead of seeing people singing live,” he wrote in an email.

One of the last questions I asked Jeff was if he went to the concert with anyone. I was always under the impression he went alone, a detail that made the picture funnier. To my surprise, he recounts he actually went with a few coworkers. “Kevin would hype different events, we would decide if we would go. I rarely had to DD, Jeanna would be dancing, Donaldson lived nearby at the campus. Vinnie would come to a few.” I sensed melancholy in the sweet way he name-dropped his friends to me - like I was in Tempe that night myself. The picture looked different now. More complete.

Maybe Jeff Crump at the Arctic Monkeys concert on July 5th, 2006 wasn’t as straightforward as we thought. For example, a lot of people see the timestamp on the screenshot and assume the picture was taken at Warped Tour (the Arctic Monkeys played there in early July 2006). However, Jeff tells me the picture is actually from an earlier concert when the south pole primates played a smaller venue by his university. “ It took him a month to upload the picture, hence the confusion. When something as simple as a date can get distorted in the noise of the internet, what might we assume about someone’s life?

Jeff Crump, the meme, is a British mad-lad who’s had one too many coke lines or whatever. But Jeff Crump, the person, is 21, fresh off a move back from Japan and enjoying a night out with friends. He beholds the unfolding moment and decidedly snaps a photo, preserving life’s transience in shoddy light and megapixels. Because who knows where he’ll be 16 years from now?

I managed to track Jeff down and he is a super duper cool dude who agreed to answer all my little questions. We talked about flip phones, beating the British allegations, and the latest album to come from our favorite glacial apes. Below is a redacted version of our conversation.

Haj; When did you realize you were a meme?

Jeff: I got a few random messages on social media in April 2021. "Arctic Monkeys?" "You don't have access to your old Facebook account!" "Bet you looked good on the dance floor," No comment by itself makes sense. Then my nephew messaged me the pic and an hour later my girlfriend’s son was like, "Is this you?" We then saw all the amazing comments.

Haj: How was the concert itself?

Jeff: This concert was 6 months after I moved back to the States from Japan. It was in Tempe, Arizona and that month is 105-115⁰F (44-48⁰C). I was 21 years old, I enjoyed going out and drinking excessively, completely letting loose. I remember it being very warm there, something happened with the AC, it was as warm inside as it was outside. Nothing too crazy happened. The band came on and rocked and we enjoyed it. I wasn't high, only caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine.

Haj: Did you know there are a lot of people who think you’re British? Why do you think that is?

Jeff: I feel very American, but 23andMe confirmed a lot of British and Irish genes.

Haj: Best Arctic Monkeys album?

Jeff: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Haj: Do you still listen to the Arctic Monkeys? What do you think of their latest album?

Jeff: I don't listen to them as much. They have evolved and I'm not that into their newer music. If they played at a small venue locally I would definitely go see them. I still think I have that youthful exuberance and go to shows, but probably no crowd surfing anymore.

Haj: What were some of 2006 Jeff's other favorite artists? How about now?

Jeff: I was taking in a lot of live music during those years. I was on stage with Andrew W.K and Matisyahu. Coldplay, Hoobastank, Foo Fighters, Black Sabbath, Vendetta Red, Ween. Now I'm into alt-J, Imagine Dragons, Glass Animals, and still Foo Fighters.

Haj: Was the picture meant to be funny or are you a pretty straight-forward guy IRL?

Jeff: I'm very laid back. I can't seem to take a serious photo. Stay as young as I can. Experience life to the fullest.

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For tonight, in a hot Arizona venue with broken A/C, it’s just him, his friends, and the music. Arctic Monkeys 😳.