What do Band-Aids, bullet holes, and investment banking have in common? 

"Noah - Now with more boost." (antriebverliebt) 04/12/2017 at 12:46 • Filed to: None

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The mysteriously eloquent and well-dressed man in this one take, believe it or not. 10 years ago, a bullet cracked the glass of his Chicago luxury condo, which set the scene for his appearance in Jamie Johnson’s documentary on income inequality and the 1%. Karl is not a “consultant” as he claims to be in this video.

His full name is Karl T. Muth and he is an investment banking heir, a fact that unsurprisingly, Matt dances around in both of the one takes he’s done with the dude’s cars. Aside from this truly epic video with Karl’s LS-swapped Jag, there’s also this quick drive of his fiance’s 914:

I recognized him immediately while I was watching that documentary last night. In it, he explains that the bullet was probably fired in protest, which was something that got him thinking about why he’d do that if he was the one outside on the street. The answer to that question? Gentrification.

The scene begins with a young Karl standing next to the shattered pane of glass, who had exponentially more hair back in the day, and a certain boyishness about him that has also disappeared since then. He lets in his cat, “Mr. Pants” and begins a story that relates his pet to his apartment.

Both were purchased by his father, who told him not to buy the first kitten he sees, and much later, the first condo he walks into. He ignored that advice both times. This is mere background info though. What follows is a discussion about the train of thought set off by the bullet that struck his window. Muth and Johnson drive around Chicago in his black Gallardo discussing the unsavory business of kicking poor people out of public housing projects, bulldozing the remnants of their communities afterwards, and building luxury condos. Like all of the young heirs and heiresses that feature in Johnson’s documentaries, Karl gives off a vibe of bitter disillusionment with the social class he was born into. Check out the full scene at 16:30 if you’re interested:

Why is this all so exciting? First of all, despite how incredible Karl’s LS-swapped X308 Jag is, commenters seemed to be just as intrigued by the man himself as they were by his car. “Dudes a hitman, Im convinced.” quips one top comment. I was intrigued too, and therefore fascinated by his appearance in this documentary. It answers a few questions, and raises many more.

Evidently, he’s always loved fast cars. The Gallardo he’s driving makes that obvious. It has 3 pedals and a gated shifter, much like the Jag he built a decade later. Perhaps the cockpit of that Lambo is where he acquired a taste for that setup? He even mentions the Gallardo in the one take of that Jag. Furthermore, it seems like he wasn’t just saying he felt bad about income inequality for the camera. The dude co authored “Charity and Philanthropy for Dummies”

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

The blurb is pretty amusing: “ Karl T. Muth has donated more than 100% of his salaried income each year for the past decade and is an expert on the financial and legal aspects of philanthropy .” Well of course he has! He’s an investment banking heir. Information about his father is very hard to track down, but based on what I found, he was involved with Merrill Lynch as well as McKinsey & Company.

I wonder if Matt had any idea who the guy was when he agreed to check out his car? Not that it matters. Karl looks genuinely delighted by Matt’s reaction to his Jag, which is even more heartwarming now that I know all about the lifestyle he lives. I’d expect him to be deeply jaded. So maybe he’s just a big fan of Matt’s work? A real car guy just like us, watching the same TV shows and Youtube channels.

But I wonder, given how well-connected the ultra wealthy are, perhaps they knew of each other before this video was made? Matt is also an heir apparent. He grew up in Greenwich CT, one of the wealthiest towns in the United States. That’s where NYC’s wealthiest executives live; it’s the Monaco of the Northeast. So I wonder, did Karl and Matt “summer” together as kids, in some wildly opulent resort town? We’ll never know, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Either way, it was fascinating to tie up all of these loose ends, and finally find out the story behind the Mr. Karl T. Muth everyone was fascinated by in that one take. Here’s his Twitter if you’re interested, it looks like he’s become relatively famous in his own right, and has given a few TED talks:

https://twitter.com/KarlMuth

Update: Farah actually replied to my tweet about this! The plot thickens. Makes me wonder if he knew some of the people from those social circles personally or by reputation.

dogisbadob > Noah - Now with more boost. 04/12/2017 at 13:06

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I think Matt is around the same age, too, so the last paragraph is certainly possible. That said, he screens cars, not people, when selecting cars for the one-takes.

Noah - Now with more boost. > dogisbadob 04/12/2017 at 13:10

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My thoughts exactly. They’re close enough in age to be hanging around with the same people in the same exotic locales as kids. That’s pure fantasy on my part though, my bet is that they have some mutual acquaintances from those circles and that’s probably it.

Nothing > Noah - Now with more boost. 04/12/2017 at 13:14

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The only downside to the article is that I had to click the video to get to who “Matt” is.

Milky > Noah - Now with more boost. 04/12/2017 at 13:14

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So he is pro gentrification? Like I get it, I have mobility and live in Detroit. Hell I can’t even afford midtown, where I used to live. But:

“... Build a big police station, build a bunch of townhouses. Yuppies will buy in, boujee-fy it and suddenly we’ll have a community. Yea there will be a bunch of people displaced, yea there will be a bunch of crime problems. But its easier ...”

is quite assholey.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Milky 04/12/2017 at 13:15

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Your sarcasm detector is malfunctioning.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Nothing 04/12/2017 at 13:17

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My bad, I assume that pretty much everyone here knows Matt Farah via /Drive on Youtube and NBC

Milky > Noah - Now with more boost. 04/12/2017 at 13:22

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But he is literally driving around the hood, or used to be hood(?) in his Lambo. I get he’s self-aware, but he’s still doing it.

Nothing > Noah - Now with more boost. 04/12/2017 at 13:23

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Oh, I do...but the source of the YouTube video isn’t mentioned either. I enjoyed reading it, I’m just being silly.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Milky 04/12/2017 at 13:29

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I bet it went like this: “Hey dude, I need some B roll for this segment, any ideas?”

“Well... we could whip the Lambo?”

Noah - Now with more boost. > Nothing 04/12/2017 at 13:30

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haha I appreciate it, I’m a very bad investigative journalist. No Pulizer for me today.

jasmits > Milky 04/12/2017 at 17:00

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It’s still better than pretending it doesn’t exist like a lot of wealthy people tend to do.

I’ve always had a hard time on issues like this, on one hand something like a Lambo or a Ferrari is something everyone can appreciate so please, by all means, if you’ve got it drive it. But at the same time rich guys(especially rich kids-and I count him as a rich kid because at the end of the day his money is inherited) justifying extravagant purchases like supercars and yachts by saying they’re things of beauty that everyone can appreciate.. yeah, maybe they are but you’re a straight liar if you think I believe you bought that for other people and not yourself. And that could literally be 20 years of income for someone living in the ghetto.