As a representative NFT project in China, Weirdo Ghost Gang is growing more and more outstanding on the way of continuous building. As the "Man behind Weirdo Ghost Gang", Sleepy, the founder of Weirdo Ghost Gang, has always been quite low-key and introverted, a bit mysterious. So today, we are glad to have Sleepy, as the founder of Weirdo Ghost Gang, to share with you his practice, knowledge and views on Weirdo Ghost Gang, NFT and Web3! Without further ado, enjoy it!
Interviewer：@wenser2010
Interviewee：@Sleepy0x13
Wenser: At the beginning, I want to talk about, if this kind of interview or other interviews, personally, I'm also quite curious, what is the most important phrase you want to express yourself? Or do you usually have any motto or something? What inspires you in particular?
Sleepy: No, not really. I'm probably a very idealistic person.
Wenser: I feel a little bit of pretentiousness in the midst of simplicity, hahaha!
Sleepy: The main thing is that you have faith and want to do something in this industry( Web3 space).
Wenser: Does Mr.Sleepy have any other identity that you would like to briefly mention to us, which maybe very interesting enough to share?
Sleepy: I'm doing Web 3 full time. I've been a researcher for NFT, a rapper, and I'm doing some artwork myself.
Wenser: Great, that's all in a nutshell, too moderate. (In fact, he has written hundreds of research articles about NFT and Web3, and has also released his own album, and is one of the founders of Weir DAO, a famous new generation of artists in China.) Okay, let's not talk too much. What was your experience before working on Web 3? Can you share it with us?
Sleepy: I started my own business full-time last summer (2022). Before that, I was actually working as a researcher for Blockbeats on Web 3 related news. And before that, I was in college. Yes, that's the same as going into the web 3 industry right after I graduated from college.
Wenser: So you were doing research before, but then you started a project by chance?
Sleepy: Yes, because at that time, I was writing articles in Blockbeats, which means I had some reputations there. Such as NBA Top Shot, BAYC basically the first report in China was written by me, so many people also know me. And I also hled the view that, probably there should be a very good Chinese NFT project that can come out. As we all know, CEX, public chains, Defi, these other areas of Web 3 actually have very good Chinese projects, or the team has very strong Chinese genes for the project, but NFT at that time is not seen to have such a project, so let’s go ahead, simply do one by myself.
Wenser: Sounds like that “I've done too much research, too much theoretical work, so I want to do it myself, to see what's going on, to do it well, or to meet my own wishes” , right?
Sleepy: Yes. Because whether you write articles in Blockbeats or you post articles on mirror, the vast majority of the time you do this kind of research, it's all about finding the reasons after the fact or something happened. For example, after BAYC fired, people then go to analyze how it actually fire, it has a lot of new ways to play the air cast and so on. No one actually went (to do these things) before it was on fire. No one knew if he could go this way, yes, so also hindsight does much, also wants to go to verify if their perceptions are right or not.
Wenser: Yes, anyway, so far, from the level of Weirdo Ghost Gang, the choices made before are still very perspective and have their own innovative highlights. OK, let's go back to our interview.
Wenser: The first question is, can you tell us a little bit about the Weirdo Ghost Gang NFT in one sentence? What keywords and expressions do you think you would use to introduce this project in one sentence, more on a worldwide basis?#
Sleepy: One keyword is from down to up, and the other is community native. Yes, I think it's mainly these two. In fact, these days we have been reviewing the process from early idea to project, to the official start of operation. We found that it was quite different from most of the current projects - we actually built a Discord community first, and then decided to launch it as a 5555 PFP NFT project, including how much the total amount was set, how much the mint price was set, how to do some basic operation directions, such as how to design the regulars of whitelist (distribution mechanism) of these links, such as which community to collaborate with, etc.These are actually in our own community and we discussed together a little bit out. And now many projects are, I set this set, I go to run the community, let everyone participate. Yes, actually, we are exactly the opposite of them, equivalent to being the project that everyone did together.
Wenser: I understand, when you say so, I feel that Weirdo Ghost Gang is very much in line with the so-called "organic growth". It's a project that didn't grow by pulling up seedlings, but by watering them together with a shovel of soil and a pot of water. The pricing and quantity are also the result of a collective discussion in the community (at first the plan was to mint 3 per person, but later changed to 2).
Sleepy: Yes, all of these were actually discussed and voted on by the community and finally settled.
Wenser: Yes, there is another one I think it is worth to take out a separate, Weirdo Ghost Gang of this secret action was the earliest who came up with, or how it came out?
Sleepy: I actually designed one part of it, which was to hide it (the puzzle) in a plot of land I bought at Crypto Voxol at the time. There I put a link to a Google form, you find it and fill it out, and you will get a whitelist. Yes, this was actually the only idea I had before, and then people participated in the event and found the form interesting and motivating, and at the same time they didn't see other projects doing similar events. So at that time, I wanted to make it an ongoing, series of activities.
Wenser: I understand, speaking of this, I have a deeper impression of the secret action is that "other projects get the white list is to liver level, lick the mod, lick the project side or something, more inclined to Pow a way to get; the secret action of Weirdo Ghost Gang is equivalent to a kind of alternative ZK proof (zero knowledge proof), such a way to get. The Weirdo Ghost Gang's secret action is equivalent to an alternative ZK proof, such a way to obtain. That time should also be in a WeChat group of partners said, and later also a separate summary, I was also quite impressed.
Sleepy: Yes, I also remember that. Anyway, we were thinking. Every day in the chat channel inside typing such, in fact, you can a robot, or some earned guilds, casually can help you get, and this thing is actually everyone will, the threshold is relatively low. We actually wanted to find a group of people who recognized our values, played well with us, and recognized each other, and also caught up with the market, which was probably hot at the time, to support us to do this two-way selection with the community members.
Wenser: To support some of these heavier attempts?
Sleepy: Yes, you see now the market is cold, in fact, to be honest, there is a lack of buyers, so many project parties he dare not do a two-way choice. You come to me, you are my buyer, I just hope you hurry to come to me to buy my things, I do not care who you are, as long as you buy it. That's basically what everyone (on the project side) is thinking now.
Wenser: Yeah, it used to be kind of in a seller's market, now it's in a buyer's market.
Okay, let's move on to the second question: As you talked about before, Weirdo ghost gang, which is the English name of the Weirdo Ghost Gang, is also a statement, is deliberately taken, in order to add weirdness to weirdness. Now as a creator or as a community founder or as an artist, do you think you are weird enough? And do you think the Weirdo Ghost Gang community is weird enough? If yes, what are the weird points? If not, what might not be weird enough for you to talk about?#
Sleepy: Yes, at that time, Weirdo itself was a term for a strange person, so I actually wanted to express that our NFTs were Weirdo Ghost Gangs, we people and our community were Weirdo, and with our community and these Weirdo Ghost Gangs of NFTs, we were a complete organic life form (or organization?). Yes, that's what it means anyway. But I think we're okay, we're not particularly weird, but our role in this industry is really a rather "weird" one - maybe because this industry is very early, secondly, technology and finance So probably most people will be to make money for the primary purpose of arbitrage. But you can find that our team and the whole community, we are still relatively long-termism, but also a group of very idealistic people. Because some of our community members may also be doing their own projects, some builders, some developers, they are actually working quietly, buidl on silently. Or rather, in Weirdo Ghost Gang community, the number of traders in this kind of role is relatively small.
Wenser: The so-called trader and flipper are relatively few, so they are relatively more patient, not particularly anxious to flip, or today you have to rise to how much, you have to rise to how much tomorrow, this feeling, right?
Sleepy: Yes, everyone is very nice.
Wenser: I understand, so I'll ask you more about what you think Weirdo Ghost Gang could do better now, or how you feel the community members are doing? Are there any obligations or responsibilities that you feel you have to fulfill as a holder? How do you think you feel about this?
Sleepy: I think our holders are very good, including our whole community atmosphere is very good. However, our team may have done a little bit less because we are a little bit too buried in the early stage. We did not spend more energy on mobilizing community participation. I think this is where we did not do well enough before, but we are also now trying to improve an aspect. In fact, to be honest, the community has been with us since the beginning, so we should work together with the community now and in the future.
Wenser: I understand. I feel like I've been working all by myself, and there's been relatively little communication, so people may have felt at the beginning that there was no voice just doing something. But later I saw that the adjustment was quite fast - including some activities, or the summary of the monthly ghost report, and some collaboration in favor of Web 2. These aspects are all visible to the community. Yes, this is one of my feelings.
Sleepy: Yes, that's one aspect, and on the other hand, it's possible that the support for some family members' business ventures was not enough. For example, some family members may be making books and clothes now, but we may not have been too concerned about helping them to do some publicity or supporting them to do this, so maybe we were not too active in this area before.
Wenser: Indeed. Whether it's an NFT community or a Web 3 project, in fact, building an ecology is often discovered by your holders or community members, and slowly the ecology flows, which is really important.
Wenser: OK, let's go to the third question: do you think that at this stage (the beginning of 2023), at the same time it will be the first birthday of Weirdo Ghost Gang, at such a point in time, do you think Weirdo Ghost Gang NFT, for yourself, for our community of holder partners, and the whole NFT field, is probably a kind of thing? Or what is the significance of it?#
Sleepy: Actually, for myself, Weirdo Ghost Gang is like a vote of confidence: I'm going to do something on my own, and I'm going to do it well in this industry.
Wenser: The feeling of "getting your hands dirty", right? You're in the game on your own? Like the "skin in the game" feeling?
Sleepy: Yeah. And then it's also the equivalent of, I want to make the community more humane, or more idealistic. So I did this project, and our community gathered such a group of people. Because this industry, you know, sometimes people don't understand you, but these community members, including the Weirdo Ghost Gang project itself, give me a very strong comfort and motivation to continue to go backwards, something like that.
Wenser: Spiritual pillar?
Sleepy: Yes, a spiritual pillar! For the holders, I hope that you and I can have a sense of pride and pride afterwards, to prove that I am a builder, or to prove that I am an idealist and that I am doing the right thing in this industry. Yeah, I want people to have that sense of perception.
Wenser: It's kind of like telling people, "Actually, you're supporting Weirdo Ghost Gang, you're supporting a force that makes life, or the future Internet world, better, and you're supporting the development of the industry and the field with your practical actions." That feeling?
Sleepy: Yeah, but, I think, I'm not quite sure how much we can push the industry as a whole right now, it's probably just a small sort of determined enough force. How big a push do you think it will be? I don't know, but at least this force will always be there.
Wenser: You can hear that it's still very low-key. At the same time, he also has a lot of ambitions and dreams, haha. OK, next question, many people are more concerned about the biggest difference between the Weirdo Ghost Gang NFT project and other NFT projects, what do you think it will be?
Sleepy: This question, I think it is clearer to take an example to make an analogy, is to take the investment to analogy: other projects may be invested in the secondary market; our project is invested in the primary market.
Wenser: It feels more demanding.
Sleepy: Yes. We're not trendsetters, we're not people who follow the wind, we're not people who eat exhaust gas behind other people's cars, we want to be people who drive.
Wenser: So Weirdo Ghost Gang is still pursuing new things, new ideas, new directions, and that kind of energy is really rare. Especially in a field where Web 3 is particularly confusing and early, and the regulation is also unclear, it's very different indeed.
Sleepy: The main reason is that the other so-called "path that has been run through, has been proven this way", you go, indeed, can make money, and soon can make a lot of money. There is such a temptation here, choose to take other paths will naturally be less. And, there is a difference, is that our team, not good to say that the luxury lineup, but everyone is at least in the industry has a certain influence on people. No one is a pure white character, enough knowledge of the industry, involved earlier, and all have their own a reputation, reputation in. Most of our team have accumulated thousands of real Twitter followers, or are callers of some famous Alpha communities. We all have some influence and say. So I personally like to compare our team to the PayPal mafia.
Wenser: Understood, it feels like a team of people who actually have their own people and organizations that they can radiate throughout the industry.
Sleepy: Yes, the feeling of "gathering is a fire, scattering is full of stars".
Wenser: Don't scatter hahaha, gather a little tighter, there are still many small goals to be accomplished!
Do you think there are any conflicts or other problems that need to be solved? And what do you think about ManesLAB's product line that people are more concerned about?#
Sleepy: I understand. In fact, the parent company has been working on it since the beginning, but it's just that we're going through some processes in the front, because we've made some plans in the back from the beginning. Because some things, if you do not have a company body, it is very difficult to move forward - for example, if you run an event, people need to sign a contract with you, if you are a simple DAO organization, this form of organization is not yet particularly popular, the other party will certainly not sign with you. So you still need to have a subject. In addition, I am not very optimistic about the current stage of DAO organizations. Because, if you want to do something, it is necessary to pursue the efficiency.
And DAO organization, I think now is relatively inefficient. So I think, for example, if you have an interest group or a regular offline party, I think it's good to have a DAO; but if you really have a specific business-oriented goal, I think you should not engage in DAO.
Wenser: I understand that in many DAO organizations, there are indeed some links that are not so smooth.
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（In case the length of this article is too long to read, plz click this part below to go to Part II & III )