Monica Obradovic
Kyle Kostecki, also known as Poopy Knife, plays Keytar on South Grand.
Ninety degrees off, Kyle Kostecki stands barefoot on the concrete of South Grand Boulevard and Arsenal Street, his worn-out leather flip-flops littering his side. Kostecki has received a lot of attention. All he wears is ripped jean shorts, cheetah-print boxer shorts sticking out the sides of his pants, and sports shoulder pads that look like some kind of metal band armor. Oh, and he rocks the keytar too loud.
Kostecski takes the stage at this busy intersection during Monday evening rush hour. He hits his head, bites his lip, and jerks to the music. It’s as if he’s playing to a rock concert crowd, not a crowd of drivers who ignore him or pull out their phones to snap a picture. Some people honked as they passed, and Kostecki made several sounds at them.
You may know him as Poopy Knife, or Mannequin (his wrestling name). He’s been busking on the streets of St. Louis for the past few months.a video A video shot by St. Louis Public Radio journalist Brian Muñoz a few weeks ago showing Kostecki shredding at the South Grand quickly spread to St. Louis web circles.
We met Kostecki at a recent shred session in Nanbu City. He answered our questions in between licking keytars.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
On your Instagram page, you describe yourself as a Midwestern mutant, an “EEArTHLING” and a “fatist.” Tell me, how do you make ends meet?
Well, being an Earthling is easy, because we are here on Earth. And there isn’t much to explain about Midwestern mutants other than that we are in the Midwest and that Midwestern mutants sound cool. People always think this way when it comes to farts. artist’ That seems too far-fetched. I know I’m an artist, but I can’t bring myself to say, “Oh, I’m an artist.” artist”, so they quibble to make fun of it.
Then, isn’t art born from farts?
Maybe someday.
@RiverfrontTimes ♬ Original Song – Riverfront Times
People call you the “STL Easter Egg”. what do you think about that?
I’ve never seen what’s inside of me, so I don’t really know. Maybe some sweets too? Maybe coins? But until I’m proven wrong, the title stands.
Have you ever hit your head hard and got a headache?
No no no. I am blessed with a strong neck.
I like your rise What are your style aspirations?
lots of things. I just recently watched a documentary about an 80s band called Twisted Sister and sat there crying. Well, those guys were cool. Another visual inspiration is rocky horror show.
I saw that movie when I was in the third grade of elementary school. When you’re young, your brain is like a sponge, and you can’t help but be affected by things, especially things that are downright strange to you. My parents are very down-to-earth Republican type people.so when i saw rocky horror show I was like, “Wow, that guy is cool!”
Also, GWAR. Because it has sharp shoulders.
Is that a kitchen knife? (RFT He pointed to reinforced shoulder pads attached to Kostecki’s torso with what appeared to be leather belts. A knife pierced through it and the chin rest of a football helmet was placed over it. )
Yeah, I think so too. I got it from Goodwill and I found the football pieces on the streets of New Orleans this Halloween. Make things using scrap materials found on the side of the road. Have you ever seen someone’s bumper exploded with debris all over the place while driving? I have the armor of
Have you ever met a hated person in town?
Actually it is quite rare. The most striking example of hatred occurred at a recent pagan festival. I thought it would fit right in there.but the heathen [burps] The police came to me wearing something like an official staff shirt with a five-pointed star and I was like, ‘Hey, I have to go.
i know i haven’t done anything wrong. If I was doing something and was met with overwhelming hate and negativity, I would stop doing it and do something else. The overall idea is to boost morale for myself and the city.
Anything you want to say to the haters out there?
get over it.
Subscribe to The Riverfront Times newsletter.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | News Breaks | Reddit | Instagram | twitter | Or sign up for the RSS feed
