Hurricane Matthew Meets Slayer

2016Viral videosemi-active

Also known as: Hurricane Headbanger · Florida Man vs Hurricane

Hurricane Matthew Meets Slayer is a 2016 viral video featuring Jacksonville resident Lane Pittman headbanging shirtless in hurricane-force rain with an American flag to Slayer's "Raining Blood.

Hurricane Matthew Meets Slayer is a viral video of Jacksonville, Florida resident Lane Pittman standing shirtless in hurricane-force rain, waving an American flag and headbanging to Slayer's "Raining Blood." First posted to Facebook on October 7, 2016, during Hurricane Matthew, the video racked up 27 million views and turned Pittman into a recurring internet figure who repeated the stunt for multiple hurricanes over the following years.

Overview

The video is simple: a barefoot man with long red hair, wearing nothing but a pair of bright blue shorts, stands in a rain-soaked street holding a large American flag while winds whip around him. As Slayer's thrash metal classic "Raining Blood" blasts on the soundtrack, he headbangs aggressively, his ginger locks flying behind him1. The whole clip runs about nine seconds in its original form. The combination of stupid bravery, patriotic absurdity, and a pitch-perfect song choice made it an instant hit.

On October 7, 2016, Lane Pittman posted the video to his Facebook page during Hurricane Matthew's pass through Jacksonville, Florida5. He captioned it: "Had a request for some hair action during the 'cane. I granted it"1. Hurricane Matthew brought winds exceeding 40 miles per hour to the area1. Pittman, a UNF graduate and substitute teacher, was already no stranger to stunts. The year before, he'd been cited by police and briefly taken into custody for blocking traffic in Neptune Beach while playing the "Star Spangled Banner" on his guitar, a performance that drew a crowd of 200 people1.

According to Pittman, someone suggested he go outside and "just be free and have a great time" during the storm4. His response: "That sounds pretty sweet, but I've got to have a good song with it." He chose "Raining Blood" by Slayer, calling it "the ultimate song for fighting hurricanes"4.

Origin & Background

Platform
Facebook
Creator
Lane Pittman
Date
2016
Year
2016

On October 7, 2016, Lane Pittman posted the video to his Facebook page during Hurricane Matthew's pass through Jacksonville, Florida. He captioned it: "Had a request for some hair action during the 'cane. I granted it". Hurricane Matthew brought winds exceeding 40 miles per hour to the area. Pittman, a UNF graduate and substitute teacher, was already no stranger to stunts. The year before, he'd been cited by police and briefly taken into custody for blocking traffic in Neptune Beach while playing the "Star Spangled Banner" on his guitar, a performance that drew a crowd of 200 people.

According to Pittman, someone suggested he go outside and "just be free and have a great time" during the storm. His response: "That sounds pretty sweet, but I've got to have a good song with it." He chose "Raining Blood" by Slayer, calling it "the ultimate song for fighting hurricanes".

How It Spread

The Facebook video exploded. Within three years, it pulled in over 27 million views, 424,000 shares, 137,000 reactions, and 79,000 comments. Even the Foo Fighters gave Pittman a shoutout for his headbanging performance. Coverage came from the New York Post, HuffPost, Mashable, the Miami Herald, the Daily Dot, and Loudwire, among others.

Pittman leaned into the persona, branding himself "Florida Man." He repeated the stunt during Hurricane Irma in 2017, though that video didn't gain the same traction. The real sequel came in September 2018 with Hurricane Florence. Pittman launched a GoFundMe campaign titled "Send Lane to fight Florence" with an initial goal of just $150 for gas and coffee. The campaign raised over $1,136. He drove from Jacksonville Beach to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to meet Florence head-on.

On September 14, 2018, he posted the follow-up video with the caption: "YOU ARE WEAK AND SMALL FLORENCE!!!!! FLORIDA MAN IS HERE!!!!!". "Raining Blood" blasted in the background as his flag whipped in Florence's 85 mph winds. The video pulled in over 352,000 views in less than a year.

During Florence, Pittman ended up on live TV. A Fox Business reporter covering the storm's destruction noticed a shirtless man hanging out in the background of her shot. After bringing him over for an interview, she asked what was going through his head being outside in those conditions. "Just being free and American, man," Pittman shrugged. When asked if he was trying to get famous, he denied it, then immediately name-dropped himself: "Look, I've already been viral. Look up hurricane headbanger".

The following year, on September 5, 2019, Pittman posted "Hurricane Dorian vs. Florida Man," which picked up more than 75,000 views in about a week. As he told the UNF Spinnaker: "People find so much joy and so much relief out of a tense situation, and if I can show that kind of joy and love just for people [to be relieved], why not just make something pretty cool and awesome?"

How to Use This Meme

This isn't a traditional meme template. It's a viral video that people share directly during hurricane season or use as a reaction to storms, extreme weather, or situations calling for absurd bravery. Common uses include:

- Sharing the original video (or one of the sequels) when a hurricane approaches the U.S. coast - Using screenshots or GIFs of Pittman as a "Florida Man" reaction to extreme weather - Referencing the format when someone does something recklessly brave or pointlessly defiant - Pairing "Raining Blood" with footage of storms or chaotic outdoor situations

Cultural Impact

Pittman's videos bridged metal culture, Florida Man humor, and storm-season anxiety in a way that gave people a pressure valve during genuinely scary weather events. Major outlets covered him repeatedly, from the New York Post to the Huffington Post to Loudwire, and his GoFundMe success showed how willing people were to fund the joke.

He was cautious about others imitating him, warning: "I don't think just anybody should go out and stand in the middle of the hurricane. I took an educated guess on where I could be the safest and still turn up in a hurricane". Pittman put some of his surplus GoFundMe funds toward fixing up his old Subaru "so I can go fight more hurricanes if they come along the coastline," and paid his videographer with the rest.

On the persona itself, Pittman embraced it: "Being 'Florida Man' is sick. It's a life goal right there. It's a good achievement. I feel like 'Florida Man' has so many negative connotations. It's nice to be 'Florida Man' and have kind of a resounding, overall positive thing".

Fun Facts

Pittman's GoFundMe asked for $150 for gas and coffee. It raised over seven times that amount.

Before the hurricane videos, Pittman went semi-viral for playing the national anthem on guitar while blocking traffic in Neptune Beach, which got him briefly detained by police.

The Fox Business reporter who interviewed him mid-hurricane described him as "being silly in the street".

Slayer's "Raining Blood" was released in 1986 on the album *Reign in Blood*. Pittman essentially gave the track a second life as a hurricane anthem thirty years later.

Pittman's original nine-second headbang clip outperformed his longer, better-produced sequel videos by a factor of roughly 75:1 in views.

Derivatives & Variations

Hurricane Florence vs Florida Man (2018):

Pittman's sequel video from Myrtle Beach, posted September 14, 2018, with over 352,000 views[5].

Hurricane Dorian vs Florida Man (2019):

Third installment, posted September 5, 2019, with over 75,000 views in one week[5].

Clothing merchandise:

Pittman launched clothing apparel tied to his Florida Man hurricane brand[4].

Frequently Asked Questions

Hurricane Matthew Meets Slayer

2016Viral videosemi-active

Also known as: Hurricane Headbanger · Florida Man vs Hurricane

Hurricane Matthew Meets Slayer is a 2016 viral video featuring Jacksonville resident Lane Pittman headbanging shirtless in hurricane-force rain with an American flag to Slayer's "Raining Blood.

Hurricane Matthew Meets Slayer is a viral video of Jacksonville, Florida resident Lane Pittman standing shirtless in hurricane-force rain, waving an American flag and headbanging to Slayer's "Raining Blood." First posted to Facebook on October 7, 2016, during Hurricane Matthew, the video racked up 27 million views and turned Pittman into a recurring internet figure who repeated the stunt for multiple hurricanes over the following years.

Overview

The video is simple: a barefoot man with long red hair, wearing nothing but a pair of bright blue shorts, stands in a rain-soaked street holding a large American flag while winds whip around him. As Slayer's thrash metal classic "Raining Blood" blasts on the soundtrack, he headbangs aggressively, his ginger locks flying behind him. The whole clip runs about nine seconds in its original form. The combination of stupid bravery, patriotic absurdity, and a pitch-perfect song choice made it an instant hit.

On October 7, 2016, Lane Pittman posted the video to his Facebook page during Hurricane Matthew's pass through Jacksonville, Florida. He captioned it: "Had a request for some hair action during the 'cane. I granted it". Hurricane Matthew brought winds exceeding 40 miles per hour to the area. Pittman, a UNF graduate and substitute teacher, was already no stranger to stunts. The year before, he'd been cited by police and briefly taken into custody for blocking traffic in Neptune Beach while playing the "Star Spangled Banner" on his guitar, a performance that drew a crowd of 200 people.

According to Pittman, someone suggested he go outside and "just be free and have a great time" during the storm. His response: "That sounds pretty sweet, but I've got to have a good song with it." He chose "Raining Blood" by Slayer, calling it "the ultimate song for fighting hurricanes".

Origin & Background

Platform
Facebook
Creator
Lane Pittman
Date
2016
Year
2016

On October 7, 2016, Lane Pittman posted the video to his Facebook page during Hurricane Matthew's pass through Jacksonville, Florida. He captioned it: "Had a request for some hair action during the 'cane. I granted it". Hurricane Matthew brought winds exceeding 40 miles per hour to the area. Pittman, a UNF graduate and substitute teacher, was already no stranger to stunts. The year before, he'd been cited by police and briefly taken into custody for blocking traffic in Neptune Beach while playing the "Star Spangled Banner" on his guitar, a performance that drew a crowd of 200 people.

According to Pittman, someone suggested he go outside and "just be free and have a great time" during the storm. His response: "That sounds pretty sweet, but I've got to have a good song with it." He chose "Raining Blood" by Slayer, calling it "the ultimate song for fighting hurricanes".

How It Spread

The Facebook video exploded. Within three years, it pulled in over 27 million views, 424,000 shares, 137,000 reactions, and 79,000 comments. Even the Foo Fighters gave Pittman a shoutout for his headbanging performance. Coverage came from the New York Post, HuffPost, Mashable, the Miami Herald, the Daily Dot, and Loudwire, among others.

Pittman leaned into the persona, branding himself "Florida Man." He repeated the stunt during Hurricane Irma in 2017, though that video didn't gain the same traction. The real sequel came in September 2018 with Hurricane Florence. Pittman launched a GoFundMe campaign titled "Send Lane to fight Florence" with an initial goal of just $150 for gas and coffee. The campaign raised over $1,136. He drove from Jacksonville Beach to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to meet Florence head-on.

On September 14, 2018, he posted the follow-up video with the caption: "YOU ARE WEAK AND SMALL FLORENCE!!!!! FLORIDA MAN IS HERE!!!!!". "Raining Blood" blasted in the background as his flag whipped in Florence's 85 mph winds. The video pulled in over 352,000 views in less than a year.

During Florence, Pittman ended up on live TV. A Fox Business reporter covering the storm's destruction noticed a shirtless man hanging out in the background of her shot. After bringing him over for an interview, she asked what was going through his head being outside in those conditions. "Just being free and American, man," Pittman shrugged. When asked if he was trying to get famous, he denied it, then immediately name-dropped himself: "Look, I've already been viral. Look up hurricane headbanger".

The following year, on September 5, 2019, Pittman posted "Hurricane Dorian vs. Florida Man," which picked up more than 75,000 views in about a week. As he told the UNF Spinnaker: "People find so much joy and so much relief out of a tense situation, and if I can show that kind of joy and love just for people [to be relieved], why not just make something pretty cool and awesome?"

How to Use This Meme

This isn't a traditional meme template. It's a viral video that people share directly during hurricane season or use as a reaction to storms, extreme weather, or situations calling for absurd bravery. Common uses include:

- Sharing the original video (or one of the sequels) when a hurricane approaches the U.S. coast - Using screenshots or GIFs of Pittman as a "Florida Man" reaction to extreme weather - Referencing the format when someone does something recklessly brave or pointlessly defiant - Pairing "Raining Blood" with footage of storms or chaotic outdoor situations

Cultural Impact

Pittman's videos bridged metal culture, Florida Man humor, and storm-season anxiety in a way that gave people a pressure valve during genuinely scary weather events. Major outlets covered him repeatedly, from the New York Post to the Huffington Post to Loudwire, and his GoFundMe success showed how willing people were to fund the joke.

He was cautious about others imitating him, warning: "I don't think just anybody should go out and stand in the middle of the hurricane. I took an educated guess on where I could be the safest and still turn up in a hurricane". Pittman put some of his surplus GoFundMe funds toward fixing up his old Subaru "so I can go fight more hurricanes if they come along the coastline," and paid his videographer with the rest.

On the persona itself, Pittman embraced it: "Being 'Florida Man' is sick. It's a life goal right there. It's a good achievement. I feel like 'Florida Man' has so many negative connotations. It's nice to be 'Florida Man' and have kind of a resounding, overall positive thing".

Fun Facts

Pittman's GoFundMe asked for $150 for gas and coffee. It raised over seven times that amount.

Before the hurricane videos, Pittman went semi-viral for playing the national anthem on guitar while blocking traffic in Neptune Beach, which got him briefly detained by police.

The Fox Business reporter who interviewed him mid-hurricane described him as "being silly in the street".

Slayer's "Raining Blood" was released in 1986 on the album *Reign in Blood*. Pittman essentially gave the track a second life as a hurricane anthem thirty years later.

Pittman's original nine-second headbang clip outperformed his longer, better-produced sequel videos by a factor of roughly 75:1 in views.

Derivatives & Variations

Hurricane Florence vs Florida Man (2018):

Pittman's sequel video from Myrtle Beach, posted September 14, 2018, with over 352,000 views[5].

Hurricane Dorian vs Florida Man (2019):

Third installment, posted September 5, 2019, with over 75,000 views in one week[5].

Clothing merchandise:

Pittman launched clothing apparel tied to his Florida Man hurricane brand[4].

Frequently Asked Questions