by: Kat Littfin
Editorial Editor

During my two years in El Gato, I have realized that even though my screentime is often far too high for someone who should be more focused on other things, I am usually not the most chronically online person in the class. However, when Tyler Catastrophe appeared on my feed, and I asked several fellow El Gatans if they had heard of him, I was met with weird looks and confused laughs. If you, like my classmates, have not heard of Tyler Catastrophe, TikTok’s newest semi phenomenon, I have done enough deep dives to give a surface-level explanation of the enigma that is Tyler Catastrophe.

I vividly remember my first encounter with Catastrophe when my TikTok feed spat out a painfully long video of the fellow singing a song a cappella from a band called Lovejoy. I was only vaguely familiar with the band, as I knew of the lead singer, Wilbur Soot. I never really liked Wilbur Soot; if I were to describe his music, I would say he sounds like any random British guy you could find on the side of the street. His lyrics were always cringeworthy and annoying. When someone like Tyler Catastrophe then decides to cover such a song, the layers of cringe grow exponentially. From my research, I learned that Tyler Catastrophe had considered himself a semi-professional musician, as he sang in a chorus and played trumpet, but only before an apparent motorcycle accident. At first, I wanted to give him grace because he asserted that his accident made it very difficult for him to sing, but he is always quick to say that he is now even better than he once was. I definitely would not want to hear what he sounded like before his accident. An accident is certainly not something to joke about, but Catastrophe explained that while on his “motorcycle,” he “totaled” a Lexus with his body. Internet sleuths quickly uncovered that not only was Catastrophe riding a moped, but he was also found at fault for the accident, and the Lexus that hit him incurred little to no damage. Why Catastrophe would make up such obnoxious details is unknown, but it follows a pattern of his delusions of grandeur.

Catastrophe’s Lovejoy cover video is not only cringey because of his suboptimal vocals, but he also begins the video by stating that it is his unofficial audition to become the second vocalist for the band. This is when some people who fell down the Tyler Catastrophe rabbit hole realized he actually has a deep infatuation with the band’s lead singer. Not only had Catastrophe started a GoFundMe to fund his move to Brighton, where Wilbur Soot resides, but he has also repeatedly defended Soot even amidst accusations of abuse and stated that he believes if Soot got to know him, he would want to date him.

While the internet is full of people who lie and have inflated egos, I think Tyler Catastrophe is definitely one of the most overconfident and consequently hilarious people I have encountered. I very much recommend researching him in your next TikTok deep dive if you haven’t already.