First came the viral TikTok video.
Utilizing only a longboard, a large bottle of cranberry juice and Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” Nathan Apodaca soothed the anxieties of a stressed out nation.
I donât use this verbiage often but this is a whole vibe. simple as that pic.twitter.com/NfdLsgLkxu
— DrewFrog (@DrewFrogger) September 25, 2020
Then came the parodies.
By the personification of Pumpkin Spice Season:
By soldiers serving in the US Army:
The Army is weighing-in on the Fleetwood Mac âDreamsâ challenge.
Fantastic…pic.twitter.com/VJjG0yXccC
— Rex Chapman (@RexChapman) October 5, 2020
Hell, even Mick Fleetwood from Fleetwood Mac made one:
View this post on Instagram Had way to much fun with this!! More to come Xx MF. #Dreams #cranberrydreams #Fleetwoodmac @doggface208 think we could find a Tandem bike? A post shared by Mick Fleetwood (@mickfleetwoodofficial) on Oct 4, 2020 at 2:42pm PDT
The viral clip led to Gen Z collectively discovering Fleetwood Mac for the first time, and subsequently losing its damn mind.
me listening to dreams by fleetwood mac at 1 am pic.twitter.com/kESgvPRXwX
— jelani boyce (@lanee_boi) October 5, 2020
dreams by fleetwood mac https://t.co/vwFeKcWjss
— devino (@dojasleftbreast) October 5, 2020
*quietly adds rhiannon to my baby names list after binge-listening to fleetwood mac*
— gabrielle (@annoyingtradcat) October 4, 2020
All of which put Fleetwood Mac back on the charts like it was still 1977.
iTunes Top 100 Albums right Now
#8 Fleetwood Mac Greatest Hits#19 Fleetwood Mac Rumours#51 Fleetwood Mac The Very Best Of pic.twitter.com/pLZcGpFx1J
— FLEETWOOD MAC NEWS (@Nickslive) October 5, 2020
Then, finallyâfinally!âNathan Apodaca’s story emerged. What glorious event was it that inspired this Idaho Falls resident to make such a serene, carefree clip? Well, Apodaca was on his way to work at a potato factory. From his brother’s house, which he lives outside of, in an RV with no running water. And his car had broken down on the way because it has a faulty battery. And, because he only had 15 minutes to get to work on time, he had to jump on his longboard to get there. The TikTok clip? Just a spur-of-the-moment decision to make the journey more fun.
Apodaca’s zen attitude paid offâliterally. Fans of his viral video have since sent him over $10,000. Talking to TMZ, he described the donations as “a blessing,” said he would be giving $5,000 to his mom, and using the rest to fix his car and get “a space of [his own] to cook and clean, shower and shit.” He also said he would be open to doing a commercial for Ocean Spray, should they require his services.
All of which goes to prove that a little optimism can still go a long wayâeven in 2020.
Copyright 2020 KQED