The 'Careless Whisper' Prank That Almost Went Too Far: The 'Sexy Sax Man' Viral Video 10 Years Later

This month marks the 10-year anniversary of the "Sexy Sax Man" video becoming an internet sensation.

March 2011 was a whirlwind month for the World Wide Web, what with Charlie Sheen's "Tiger Blood" antics and 13-year-old Rebecca Black's "Friday" music video, but nobody was expecting a shirtless man with a mullet and a mustache to capture everyone's attention and serenade us all with the smooth sax sounds of George Michael's "Careless Whisper."

With the help of YouTuber Mike Diva, saxophone superstar Sergio Flores burst onto the scene as the "Sexy Sax Man," surprising unsuspecting people in various locations like In-N-Out Burger with his extemporaneous performances of Michael's song. Their viral creation garnered over 42 million views, inspired hordes of copycats and became an enshrined piece of internet lore.

Digg caught up with Flores and Diva to reflect on their creation 10 years later.

What was your relationship with Sergio like before the video?

Mike Diva: Sergio was a friend who already loved popping up in random places and playing various wind instruments. Besides the leather pants, mustache and mullet, he was pretty much already Sexy Sax Man before we even made the video. It's basically a documentary.  

How long did it take to shoot?

Mike Diva: It took about a week to shoot. It was a blast coming up with more and more ridiculous places for Sergio to show up and bless with his sax. We actually had a lot more footage that didn't make it into the final video. 

How long had you practiced playing the saxophone prior to the video? 

Sergio Flores: I started playing in 6th grade. Alto sax was the natural choice. 

Can you talk about how you came up with the character? 

Sergio Flores: Well, the character is not too far from the way I really am, so it wasn't too hard to come up with it. I come from a big family of jokesters and pranksters, but Sexy Sax Man's look and style were a combination of both of our ideas. Mike was actually the one that suggested I have a big '80s mustache — hard to believe I didn't have one at the time. I suggested the mullet.

When did you realize the video had taken off?

Mike Diva: The video used to have a long intro with Sergio and me introducing the prank. This was before I fully understood how internet attention spans worked, and it kinda bombed. Then, somebody cut out the intro and re-uploaded it to their own channel, and it blew up on Reddit. I basically copied him, cut out the intro and uploaded it again, and that's when it started really gaining traction. I think the moment I fully realized how much it had taken off was when we were flown to New York to be on Jimmy Fallon. That was wild! 

Were you ever arrested for any of the stunts seen in the video?

Mike Diva: We weren't arrested, but on the way back from the Jimmy Fallon show we decided it would be a good idea to do Sexy Sax Man on the airplane. Sergio went and changed into his costume and busted out of the bathroom blasting "Careless Whisper" on his sax. He played up and down the isles, and the people on the plane went nuts! Then a guy came up to us and told us we were in huge trouble and that we'd have to stay behind when the plane landed. Apparently, they didn't find our plane hijinks as entertaining. We were escorted off the plane and greeted by six police officers who basically told us that we would be getting two felony charges, one for causing a "potential terrorist distraction" and another for "exposing the identity of a federal air marshal." After Sergio and I shit bricks for a little bit, one of the officers asked, "Hey, are you those kids that made that YouTube video?" and after they realized it was us they let us go. Truly the craziest moment of my entire life. 

What was your most memorable prank from the video?

Sergio Flores: Probably during our first stop at the Grove, if I remember correctly. Mike and I were pumping ourselves up in the parking lot before shooting. We were both a little nervous. That's a cool memory.

Did you ever find out if George Michael had seen the video?

Mike Diva: He never reached out or anything, but there's no way in hell he didn't see it.

Sergio Flores: I hope he was cool with it. For the record, I am a huge George Michael fan. I even have "Careless Whisper" tattooed on my ribs.

How did the video change your life?

Mike Diva: Well, for starters I was able to live off of that one video for a year, back when YouTube was paying way better money for views. Since then, I've graduated from the YouTube realm and focused on directing commercials and music videos for artists like Lil Nas X. I don't think many people I work with these days know I made that video, but it gets brought up at least once or twice a year in pitch meetings, and it's always fun seeing people trip out on the fact that I was behind it. 

Sergio Flores: I don't like to talk about myself too much — I like to remain a bit of a mystery — but I'll just say I'm a happy man. I love music, and I love making people happy. The fact that I can play my sax and entertain people is all I can ask for.

Sergio Flores: I've had some really special TV appearances and some commercials. Vitamin Water was one of my favorites. 

How many saxagrams have you gotten to deliver thanks to the video? 

Sergio Flores: Oh, that's a hard one to gauge. They've never stopped. Definitely hundreds, maybe more.   

Ultimately, what is it that you hope people remember from the video all these years later?

Sergio Flores: I hope they remember George Michael and his music. And I just hope it triggers happy memories for everyone.

Bonus question, what do you think of Kenny G?

Sergio Flores: Kenny Garrett is the only Kenny I know.

[Editor's note: some responses have been lightly edited for clarity.]