Has Internet Dating Killed The Pick Up Artist?

By notoriouslysinglegirl, June 23, 2015

“Has anyone ever told you that you have the face of a Bottichelli and the body of a Dega?” asks the spry Jack Jerricho (played by Robert Downey Jr) in the 1984 movie ‘The Pick Up Artist!’ Ah, the days of the pick up artist…. When eager men were not afraid to approach women with wacky one- liners and ask them out on a “date!”

 

But has the era of the pick up artist died? Has the internet messed this whole dating ritual up? Has it been replaced with foul dick pics?

 

As I sat at the local ‘Dry Bar’ watching chick flicks and guzzling mimosas, my blow dry gal and I started to talk about dating. She, a cute petitie twenty five year old newly out of a long- term relationship girl! I was floored to find out that she is on ‘Tinder!’ She’s absolutely gorgeous, and one would think men would be swarming to her, but shyly she admitted that the only reason she joined Tinder was because “that’s how people are meeting these days!”

 

I started to contemplate this during the Hollywood Fringe Festival, where there are eager single men and woman swarming every-where.

 

As a clan of us single gals sat at the Three of Clubs enjoying ‘Lost Hollywood’s,” between shows, one of the girls came back from the bar excited! “He asked me out, and we exchanged numbers!”

 

Nice to know that still happens and people are not afraid to communicate and share an exchange face to face!

 

But personally, it had not happened to me in a long time, and I must admit I was a bit jealous!

 

I started to ponder why men don’t approach me anymore: my age, my mood, or was it just really the internet? This particular month I’ve been in high spirits with my show “Nurses and Hypochondriacs”  doing well at the Hollywood Fringe. I’ve been meeting interesting creative like minded people, but why wasn’t I getting approached by single men?

 

After several minutes of a one sided conversation with my bathroom mirror last night, I decided to take an evening walk at the Burbank Bike path. It was a warm night, second day of summer and you could still see the Mars Venus moon conjunction happening. I was consumed in my headphones going over music for my next production in Fringe 2016 when I noticed a guy wearing roller blades and carrying a hocky stick doing circles around me. He finally caught my attention, and yes I must admit if he was also wearing a hocky mask I would have been ready to run even with my torn meniscus on my right knee. Although I was still a bit hesitant to stop especially after just watching the one-man show “On the edge of the world” about the crazy mind of a serial killer!

 

The guy asked me to take off my head-phones and I did, then he said “Hello, you seem like a happy person with a pretty smile!”

 

My life is interesting this way, I wanted a true old-fashioned pick up line, and I got one!

 

He told me his name, and asked if he could skate by me as we walked. He was handsome, tall (yes he was wearing roller blades, who knows how tall he really is?) had a ginger scruffy beard, and was age appropriate. The bike path had several people walking and biking, and for the most part even with his hockey stick in hand, I didn’t pick up a serial killer vibe. He skated as I walked and we shared some interesting conversation while dodging erratic bikers on the path.

 

At the end of the bike path we noticed our cars were parked right next to each other. Either it was a synchronistic encounter or he’s truly a stalker! At this point I’m not sure which one, but again I wasn’t picking up a creepy serial killer vibe, so I gave him my number.

 

Personally, I still feel the art of the pick still exists and yes I’m an old fashioned gal and like to be approached!

 

I hope that the legacy of Jack Jerricho comes back again, and men get off the internet and can have the balls to go up to women and throw them a good old fashioned line : “If you were a burger at Mc Donald’s you would be called ‘Mc Gorgeous!” and actually be decent and not a serial killer!