The random Bill Murray fan encounters that have long circulated online are now making their way to the blockchain. The “Official Bill Murray NFT 1000” will collect photos, anecdotes, and words of wisdom from the enigmatic actor as tokens to be released in partnership with the photo and streaming company theCHIVE.
In the announcement post, Chive Media Group co-founder John Resig recalls a meeting in 2016 when he first broached the subject of Murray sharing the real stories behind all the kickball games, karaoke sessions, and birthday parties that he’s reportedly crashed over the years. Murray partially confirmed the rumors, saying, “I like them just fine, I was even present for a few… But there are more stories out there, better stories.” As to why it has taken so long for these tales to come straight from the source, Murray told Resig that “the timing has never been right, nor has the storytelling vehicle.”
It appears that Murray has finally found a satisfying delivery service to share his side of the story, but only for those lucky enough to claim one of the 1,000 minted NFT tokens. The first 100 are set to be released in April with more details to follow, but a lottery to win just one NFT is open now. Each token features a story and photo provided by Murray and confirmed by theCHIVE.
As a preview, Resig shared one of the 1,000 stories in the collection via Instagram. In the post, Murray shows off an 8-year old Blackberry Classic that he continues to use despite its non-functioning ‘M’ key. It’s almost unbelievable that he could operate for years without being able to properly text his own name, but then again, it’s a huge upgrade from his old 1-800 number.
In the meantime, Murray has been maintaining his time-honored tradition of keeping fans on their toes with a surprise performance in New York City’s Washington Square Park in January, which included renditions of “I Feel Pretty” and “America” from West Side Story. The Ghostbusters actor is also set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe next year in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and will also star in Aziz Ansari’s upcoming feature film directorial debut.
