ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
Idaho man behind the Fleetwood Mac “Dreams” challenge
Oct 6, 2020, 9:41 AM
Nathan Apodaca (left) and Mick Fleetwood (right) skateboard with a jug of cranberry juice to the soundtrack of Fleetwood Mac's Dreams as part of the new Fleetwood Mac Dreams challenge. (Credit TikTok)
(Credit TikTok)
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Nathan Apodaca didn’t think he’d start the viral internet Fleetwood Mac “Dreams” challenge trend a week ago.
The 37-year-old Idaho Falls man was on his way to his job at Circle Valley Produce, a potato processing plant, when his Durango with 300,000 miles on it broke down. He still had a mile to go and 15 minutes before his shift was scheduled to begin.
“I turned around, grabbed my board, because I always have my board, grabbed my juice I had with me and I just started going,” Apodaca told the Post Register.
While he was on the way skating down US Highway 20 he pulled his phone out to post a video on TikTok.
Apodaca tells KPVI he was introduced to the video-sharing app by his youngest daughter and started by posting every once in a while to connect with them. He started by posting lip-syncing videos. Last week, though, he says he almost didn’t post the now-viral clip.
Apodaca says as he was rolling up to work with just a few minutes to spare, he watched the video. He saw himself coasting around the corner while drinking a bottle of cranberry juice and singing along to Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.”
“And I’m like, man, I’m usually like going fast and making it look risky and whatnot. So I look at it, look at it, and I’m like maybe I should just delete it. I seriously almost turned around and almost didn’t do it,” he told the Post Register.
But he hit the button figuring he could always delete it later.
The Post says by his first break he had 100,000 views, and by the time Apodaca took his second break his video hit 2 million views.
The Fleetwood Mac Dreams Challenge
From that post just over a week ago, the “Fleetwood Mac Challenge” has taken the internet by storm.
It’s been parodied by a skateboarding jack-o-lantern who swapped the cranberry juice for a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte.
@kjpSpooky vibe ##dogface208 ##dogfacechallenge ##fyp ##halloween ##pumpkin ##october ##psl ##starbucks ##pumpkinspice ##worldpeace♬ Dreams (2004 Remaster) – Fleetwood Mac
User @BryanStandley shared his midwestern take on the vibe.
@bryanstandleyMidwest Vibes @420doggface208 ##midwest ##kansascity♬ Dreams (2004 Remaster) – Fleetwood Mac
Even the US Military got in on the fun, but instead of riding on a skateboard, they were hanging out the side of a helicopter.
But on Sunday, Fleetwood Mac co-founder Mick Fleetwood one-upped all the parodies; Fleetwood joined TikTok just to post his very own recreation.
Rolling Stone has reported in the days following Apodaca’s post, “Dreams” reached No. 18 on Spotify in the United States and Apple reported streams of the song were up 221% on their platform and Spotify saw a jump of 127%. The music identifying app Shazam said it also saw a 1,137% spike in people searching for the song.
@mickfleetwood@420doggface208 had it right. Dreams and Cranberry just hits different. ##Dreams ##CranberryDreams ##FleetwoodMac♬ Dreams (2004 Remaster) – Fleetwood Mac
One week later
Now, a week later, Apodaca has gained nearly 2 million followers on TikTok, over a million on Instagram, and he says he’s getting recognized when he goes to the grocery store.
Apodaca says one of the craziest things that’s happened is that he now has an agent in Los Angeles who used to represent Honey Boo Boo.
“Influencers go viral all the time but it is rare to see someone get so much attention for so long. We don’t think Nathan is going away any time soon,” Gina Rodriguez told the Post.
In addition to getting some Hollywood representation, Apodaca says his newfound fans wanted to send him some love as well. TMZ originally reported that generous folks sent him $10,000, a number the Post Register says has jumped to $20,000. Apodaca says he appreciates the generosity; he has been living in a camper without running water in his brother’s yard.
“It’s just weird and crazy to me because I feel normal still. But I feel a little more comfortable now because I just don’t have to wake up and just worry. Everything seems like it’s coming in line now. It’s a blessing, no doubt,” he said.
With the donations received, Apodaca gave $5,000 to his mother and bought a new truck for his dad. This week, he took some time off from the potato processing facility and plans to see where he can take his little bit of fame.
He’s got a sewing machine and is hand-making his own merch, and says he hopes his dancing and videos can make everyone smile.
He says he’s also still on the lookout for an email from Mick Fleetwood or Ocean Spray in the hopes there may be a commercial in the making.
