Taika Waititi reads a hilarious letter about a speeding ticket
2022 ж. 20 Қаз.
2 323 824 Рет қаралды
When Auckland resident Justin Lee received the above speeding ticket back in 2004, he noticed a typo: according to said notice, the infringement in question had taken place 30 years beforehand, in 1974, on the day he was born. His entertaining response was read by Taika Waititi at Letters Live at London's Royal Albert Hall in 2019.
"Driving to Auckland at mach one." This writer is a comedic genius.
Because ... it's so exciting to be going to Auckland. Yeah, this was great.
@@intercat4907 I sense a level of sarcasm in your reply, but is it possible that Auckland at the time, appealed to a younger demographics?
this is about as funny as his movies. (thats not at all)
@@SuperLifestream perhaps you might like something a bit more to your tastes then? might i suggest "beige paint drying at 0.5x speed"?
@@SuperLifestream Cheer up you mug.
Imagine being the cop who opened the envelope and read this letter for the first time… 😂
I assume he immediately contacted the time travel agency and sent a squad of temporal agents...
@@jawadad73 I don't think that Major Matt Mason and the TempCorps would be much interested though.
It must've a made their day 😂 ...I can see them re-reading the first few sentences 🤔
In America they'd take it as a confession and have the man put away for 20 years
@@Kenoscope In all my long life, you are the first person I've heard, ever, make reference to Major Matt Mason. Your comment is hereby 1974 authenticated.
The writer of this letter deserves every laugh and round of applause that they received.
The guy who's reading it is pretty good too, because good comic timing is more than simple recitation.
@@noneofyourbeeswax01 yeah, "the guy" is quite funny. Have you seen Jojo Rabbit?
@@jerrihalf5564 No I haven't. But isn't "this guy" the guy who plays Moon Knight? Bruv.
@@noneofyourbeeswax01 , no, but they look a lot alike. Taika plays an imaginary Hitler in Jojo. I know, sounds bad, but is hilarious.
@@noneofyourbeeswax01 Look him up, then watch all his films, then watch them all again because they're that bloody good. Brilliant director and pretty good actor to boot
Having been a NZ Police mobile traffic cam operator, I can say at the PIB office Xmas party, that this would have been read out & everyone would have laughed & laughed & laughed. Raised a glass to this character.
Understandably, would this also be accompanied by pointed fingers towards the office responsible for writing this ticket, and announcing that he is now required to buy a round of drinks for everyone at the station?
@@EthanBalkfield NZ Traffic enforcement is more a bureaucratic public servant setup than based at individual police stations- NZ like most advanced countries has a large organisational national/state structure than the highly localised model the US rather uniquely uses.
@@user-uy6uc5ey5q Fair point, *but* were you at the same party as said traffic official... they would be required to buy a full night's drinks, right?
You should be ashamed of yourself, helping the NZ govt take even more money under the excuse of "safety"
@@stevensmith9895 LOL. Listen up buttercup. Don't speed, you don't contribute to the Govt coffers, you do you pay a fine. Think of it as as voluntary taxation On a serious note, one occasion a motorist I clocked at 160+ km p/h. Shortly after he plowed into another vehicle killing 3 including a 4 year old, he also seriously injured his passenger, he lost his leg & in permanently in a wheelchair. So you can stick your oprobrium where the Sun doesn't shine. I can't be bothered with road warriors who think they are God's gift to motoring . What a plonker.
The police infringement bureau sent the following response to Mr Lee on March 30: "After careful consideration of your comments and the circumstances surrounding the issue of the notice, it has been decided on this occasion to waive the offence. Accordingly, you are no longer required to pay the infringement fee." (NZ Herald)
That makes happy. You'd have to let ti slide after receiving that letter. "Sod it- we cocked up" I'm pretty sure was the police conversation. *And I can't be arsed dealing with this guy over $120.
I was wondering what the response was. Thanks for posting
I was looking for this. Thank you 😊
@@benjaminrichardson4094 I think those things are usually waived if they make an error on the letter/fine
Not surprised it was waived. If it was just the date error, or might have still been able to stand up on court, but the wrong make and model wouldn't be enforceable at all.
Taika Waititi makes himself the perfect person to read this hilarious letter. His body language supports the cheeky tone.
I concur with your comment 100%♡ Australia.
Love him. Brilliant and beautiful!
@@carringtonlefayette8644 What's Australia got to do with this? Both the letter and Taika are from NZ.
@jelly beans David Cohen is his real name. He's Jewish lol.
@@mjanny6330 And what does that have to do with the subject of his being or not being from New Zealand?
"I wouldn't be at all disappointed if we decided to let this one go" Brilliant!
On the other hand, it would be fun to argue this one out in court
This letter is so well written! I hate Justin Lee for having such gifted and wicked sense of humor! _"... So I rang mum!"_ Had me burst out in laughter! So glad he took the time to find and translate the humor of the situation into something we now all can enjoy. Thanks Lee!! And thank you Taika Waitiki for doing an excellent job in translating the letter into spoken word performance matching the wit of the letter! Well done mate!
Taika Waititi did such a great job delivering this. 👏 His timing, body language & expressions were spot on. Mind you, Justin Lee gave him great material to work with, absolutely hilarious. I imagine he had a lot of fun writing it.
He didn't write it. Letters Live has famous people read real letters. He WAS the perfect person to read it though.
@@Sabbathtage I know Taika Waititi didn't write it. You must have missed my sentence complimenting the author by name, Justin Lee.
Someone needs to find the real Justin Lee and interview him 😂
As an Aussie, I'm still stuck at the bit where a speeding fine only costs $120.
That must be the 1974 ticket cost.
@@classixdrummer Yeah - I got fined in NZ (heading into Wellington for New Year's eve 2011) ... It cost considerably more than that. And I wasn't doing 911 mph ...
yeah, and they aren't much more than that now in 2022 😒😂
yes 900 dollars for 25km over the speed limit was more likely
Well yeah the Aussie government is a bit dictatorial these days. It's about £100 in the UK. Not a bad price for speeding literally every week day when I am working.
The only time in my life I've received a traffic fine was when I was resident in New Zealand, in the late 2000s (the decade). I was on a sightseeing trip, driving near the easternmost point of North Island, on my way back to Auckland. It was a gravel road. A curve to the right approached, and as my speed was excessive for the curve, I applied the brake. The gravel was so loose that the car lost all traction, so it slid into the ditch, flipped over, and came to a stop resting on its right-hand side, being propped up by a wooden fence post. I was shaken but uninjured, and exited the vehicle through the broken rear window. Motorists driving by alerted the fire department (unneeded) and the police. I explained the situation to the police officer. He was fairly understanding, yet did issue me a traffic fine. The reason written on the fine: "Failed to drive entirely within the lane."
the officer may have been kind. The fine for driving at an unsafe speed for the road conditions may be higher.
I'm glad you clarified that the late 2000s does not refer to a year such as 2999
@@_Titanium_ I took it to mean "as opposed to me being almost 3000 years old"
🤣
Police in NZ stopped a guy riding nude on a bike. He got a ticket for not wearing a helmet.
I got an automated speeding ticket where the photo showed an old man in a BMW clocked at 113mph. The plate was nothing close to my plate number and my vehicle at the time was a Kia Rio that struggled to do 75mph. The ticket was dropped, but I still had to waste a day at the courthouse to get it corrected.
I drive a BMW and the Rio looks like my car's kid brother. Obviously completely different cars but it's fun to put them side by side.
I received an automatic notice of a speeding offence on a motorway in Ireland. On the date in question I was , and my car was, out of the country. The police refused to acknowledge my claim until I produced a receipt for the airport car park in a different country. And a copy of my airline ticket, boarding pass and luggage tag. Of course there was no acknowledgement of the mistake, or, perish the thought, an apology. “But the computer said you were speeding” was the reply. “But computers only say what people tell them to say”, I replied. No comment…
Lord. I think you'd appreciate Joe Lycett's parking ticket story. Similar flavour to yours, and great comedy.
Your number plate has been cloned then. RIP
@@hughcaldwell1034 yes! 😆 I remember watching that some time back. Off I go for a refresher watch.
Very Kurt Vonnegut-like.
In the time travel vein, I received an automated ticket for driving in a bus lane a while ago. (I did, but in my defence the signs had been completely blocked by some road works, and I had literally no way of knowing.) I logged onto the system to register a dispute and couldn't get in with my ticket details. Eventually I gave up and phoned the help number. The person on the other end told me that my complaint had already been upheld and the ticket cancelled the day before I received the notice. I'm going to go with, 'unexpectedly efficient', and leave it at that.
I'm glad to hear Justin had an excellent weekend at the music festival in Mystery Creek near Hamilton.
A "most excellent" weekend
Justin Lee . . . you're my kind of guy and Taika Waititi, you did a most excellent job of reading this letter. Thanks to both of you for the laughs!
This was too good. That letter sounds as if it could have been written by Taika himself. ❤
That was fantastic! Both the letter and the delivery by Taika Waititi. LOL
What an amazing choice of the reader...he said it all...in absolutely the right way
One of the funniest things I've ever heard/seen here _in the tubes_ . Mr Lee has a wicked sense of humour, and Taika's delivery does it justice, simply perfect 🙏
Finally, great humor that is not vulgar or insulting. It is so hard to find a good laugh these days and laughing is so good for you.
Wow. Brilliant letter brilliantly read. I would dearly love to have been in the room when the first constable read this...
Oh yes! I imagine co-workers gathering around his desk to find out what he's laughing at. I bet it made the rounds of the offices shortly after.
“In view of the admitted speed we are now aware of, the fine has been increased tenfold, thank you for your honesty.”
This is one of my greatest fears
In the mid nineties, I went to renew my teaching certificate. The new one read it was valid until 2099 instead of 1999. While still at the window, I remarked that I might be rather old by then and would they correct it? No, not unless I paid for a new one.
I’m very curious, did you keep it? And, have you had to in fact keep renewing your certificate after this? I wonder if anyone would have caught on LOL
Wow. Validating the desperate need for teachers.
“So I rang mum” lmfao
I loved this line, it’s just perfect, I think most of us would ‘ring Mum’ the keeper of all knowledge 🇬🇧
I love a smart ass who puts forth a solid effort for the betterment of mankind.
Simple explanation: the Honda saloon had an Infinite Improbability Drive!
Just brilliant!!!!!!!!!! Well written Justin Lee and well read Taika!!!!
You need more exclamation points.
I LOVE Taika Waititi, and right now I am loving Justin Lee too.
This was a real thing that happened here in New Zealand to a guy called Justin Lee and this is the result! From the New Zealand Herald: "The police infringement bureau sent the following response to Mr Lee on March 30: 'After careful consideration of your comments and the circumstances surrounding the issue of the notice, it has been decided on this occasion to waive the offence. Accordingly, you are no longer required to pay the infringement fee.'
I remember reading the email when it first got sent around all those years ago. Still hilarious
All these letters being read are real..
@@lucyw.7597 Not the Smithsonian one, at least, you can find information about it being fake online
I love it when wordsmiths just let it all loose!
The more impressive detail is - in the 1970s, car number plates were in the format AB1234, and they didn't change to ABC123 until 2001! They also changed colour, they used to be white letters on black backgrounds. Baby Carjacker's chances of hitting a matching numberplate would have been infinitesimally small. He should have bought a lotto ticket too!
To be absurdly accurate, machined aluminium letters + numbers on a black background. I have one in front of me.....
The color change occurred in 1986 from natural aluminium letters on a black background to black letters on a reflective white background. It was another 15 years until the three letter plates came out
You have to be 18 to buy a lotto ticket. This crime wave among newborn delinquents must not be encouraged!
Sometimes the KZhead algorithm sends me channels that make sense based on my searches and sometimes I wind up with suggestions like this and I’m glad! This is priceless!😂
That is exactly why I don't like 'personalised' advertising, or any of those algorithms. You miss out on so much.
This reminds me of the time I had to get a signature on delivery of a speed fine. The date the "infringement" occurred was noted as six months into the future..
Now that's some real efficiency! Why put off for six months what you can charge today?
@@MikeDCWeld The pre-cog unit send their regards.
Just pay it, keep it.. and have yourself a out of jail/fine card for the alloted date.
MartaS, This reminds me of getting my first ever parking ticket in the early 1970's. I was working as a young quantity surveyor on the construction of the offices for Harlech Television at 100 Baker Street in London. Parking in the area was tight and the old hands on the construction site said to park my car in the parallel Durweston Mews where our small site offices were situated. One day I returned to my car to find a parking ticket on the windscreen. The ticket was pre-printed with spaces for the date ie xx/xx/197_. The parking warden filled in everthing except the last digit. So it was dated for the year 197. I did write a reply to state that I was not there in the year 197. I did not hear from them again.
Did you own a DeLorean?
I listened to this twice in a row. It took me 15 minutes to stop laughing, so hard I was crying, to comment. I was just imagining a baby crawling out of the hospital and stealing a car at match 1 and a cop pulling him over and giving him a ticket.
This is genius. I hope to see more letters from this funny man.
The only enjoyable thing about work is when stuff like happens, it's a true bonding experience for everyone in the office who gets to be there when it happens. In my job it happened when a lazy client chose to imput random numbers while declaring the goods he was importing and somehow ended up being the code for nuclear weapons.
I 'fondly' remember those days... The first ever (I think) 'fixed location speed camera' got installed on Aklds North Shore. It employed X-Band radar and, in those days, it was not 'illegal' to have a radar jammer (to my knowledge), so I built my own. Unsurprisingly, I received a speed camera ticket shortly thereafter. I wrote back a letter that stated I would GLADLY pay the fine, providing they would support my application for an entry in the Guinness Book or Records. The ticket claimed I was travelling at 3959 km/h in a 50km/h speed zone, just shy of Mach 4, faster than an SR71 blackbird!!! I never paid the fine, nor did I receive a reply, but that camera always 'flashed' at me when I drove past. P.S. I'm not sure if it was my hardware or theirs, but I calculated that it SHOULD have been over 4000km/h. One of us needed better calibration. (I didn't have access to a Rubidium frequency standard back then)
I’ve watched this about ten times, it’s brilliant.
Oh, so beautifully done. Both the writer, and the reader. Awesome!
So many brilliant 70s and 80s references, I hope the officer reading it for the first was the right age to appreciate all the layers. 😂
Maybe it was Russia and China they said
appriciated it enough to drop the matter infact.
Honestly... I would have dismissed the ticket simply because I was so entertained by the letter
i have never laughed so hard in a while. Thank you Mr Justin Lee and Taika Waititi
Superbly written and read. Excellent!
FINALLY! Letters live needed Taika❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
"For your listening pleasure, I'm going to do a New Zealand accent." 😂😂
A friend of mine got a ticket in the mail once for running a red light. They included a photo of him in the driver’s seat and one of his license plate. Instead of paying the ticket, he sent them back a picture of money. They sent him back a picture of handcuffs.
Only that it didn't happen to any friend of yours because it's an old joke you've read somewhere.
But that’s how you tell a joke………. Good one, John. Heard it before, still loved it.
👏
@@DanSlotea you sound like you’re fun at parties
@@dominicmillns5856 they are called conclaves
This is freaking epic. Thanks for this, I enjoyed it quite thoroughly.
Noel Coward would be proud, both of Mr. Lee for his creativity, and Mr. Waititi for his delivery.
Give the writer a Prize and give the presenter an award. Brilliant delivery and so funny a letter. Kiwi's have a great sense of humour !!!
That they do but it's actually "Kiwis", a simple plural, and not "Kiwi's", a pointless possessive.
Absolutely brilliant!!! Thank you!!!
Absolutely brilliant letter!
This writer is so incredible! Wow I wish I could write so wonderfully!
I love this, but I can also say anything Taika Waititi does is fantastic. Full stop.
Wonderfully well written and read! Thank you.
What on earth is this??? It just popped up in my feed and skidded before my peepers. LOL! I love it! 😆 I'm going to savor all the glorious letters and performances that are waiting for me! 👍🏻😉📫✉
This is my first time seeing anything by Taika Waititi. Now I have to go binge watch everything I can find.
Jojo Rabbit is excellent. Waititi directs and stars as imaginary childhood friend H!tler
You haven't seen Thor: Ragnarok or Jojo Rabbit?
And also check out his TED Talk!
Love his 2 seasons of "Reservation Dogs."
@@peterholley2606 Rima Te Wiata's scene where she puts the pocket knife next to the "delinquent's" bed in case he becomes afraid is one of my favorite movie scenes of all time (I'm a therapist, and that's just brilliant!)
Love the sound of a New Zealand accent, and Taika is always so charming
I love this man ! So fun and creative !!
My mum got a summons for not paying a speeding ticket. It was in a town that was about 1000km from anywhere she’d ever been. When she went to the cop shop to find out what was going on she found that the driver had her exact name, age, and description. (Spooky) It took the booking copper to fly down and physically confirm that it wasn’t my mum driving the car that night. The only difference between my mum and the speeding driver on record, was the addresses.
And the car licence plate would be different surely??
@@Wordavee1 yes but the car your driving now doesn’t need to match the one you were busted in.
@@python27au So what we are saying is they don't ask the person for their address when booking them, and they don't send the ticket to the address registered with the DVLA for that car licence, they just look up the person's name and date of birth and send it to the first match? What could go wrong?
@@mattc3581 I don’t know you’ll have to ask the Queensland police about it. All i know is they accused my mum of speeding in a town in FNQ when she has never in her life been further than Bundaberg. All the data that the local police had matched her, it took the ticketing copper to physically identify her as not the subject.
My wife attended a special clinic at a particular time and place in the local hospital. Next to her in the queue was a woman who had the same name, same date of birth, and the same medical problem in the same ear. It gave the staff a problem working out what was going on.
This is by far my favorite. I have seen it several times, and each time, I laugh hysterically. ❤❤❤
You can't beat us Brits, Aussies and NZers for sheer dripping sarcasm.
Agreed lol. I'm Aussie
Make up your mind, which of those nationalities are you?
@@Dave_Sisson we are all quite similar.
@@Dave_Sisson As Sarah said, we're all quite similar in certain ways. Certain ways such as sheer dripping sarcasm, which I believe is the qualifying similarity to which I already alluded, perhaps too vaguely for your sensibilities to parse.
Germans too, most of us just aren't as eloquent in the English language.
Brilliant, so very funny. Taika Waititi, great stuff!!
Hysterical! Thanks for sharing.
Excellent, creative, wonderful!
Great way to start the morning!
As always, this video made me think - especially about how to write characters. Thank you!
What a brilliant reading! 👏👏👏👏👏
The upside down radar gun ruined me. Very glad to see the comments that this ticket was waived.
I love this channel so much. Thank you. 👏 😊
Great start to my day as I have my coffee, thanks!
Great stuff....and a tremendous presentation by Mr. Waititi!
I love this channel 😂❤
Now the whole world knows where to go for the drags 😂hope to see you all down Weymouth in the near future 😉much love from New Zealand
I remember when Jasper carrot used to do this kinda thing. Amazing! There's no better humour than reality.
real life insurance claims
Ahh, very humourous. A very eloquent letter written on behalf of a concerned person with strange circumstances. 😝😝👏👏👏👏
I'll bet they could both talk(charm) their way out of a legitimate ticket. So funny!
If you like this I would highly recommend Joe Lycett's speeding ticket stories and, well, all of his email stories really
I love the opening words, "Mmm, reading, great..." and then goes on to demonstrate why reading is so fun!
I want an automated number plated mechanism right now please! Also would like a man like this in my life, to make me laugh! Thanks Cosmos 😂
People of New Zealand are very very polite and cordial
I once managed to talk my way out of a ticket for passing a toll gate without paying, as I was not from the area, did not know a toll road was on my route, and it had been, in fact, the middle of the night with NO one manning the numerous toll booths at the time. It was EERILY silent, to the point I was half convinced the zombie apocalypse had begun whilst I was en route. I even made a point of looking around conspicuously for someone, anyone, on the occasion in question, and asked them to verify using surveillance footage, a suggestion they may or may not have heeded, but I would like to think they actually did. My fine was reduced to the unpaid toll and the matter dropped.
Best letter ever!
🥴 had to listen to this about 3 times.. couldn’t concentrate on the story through laughing 🤣🤣👍
Sounds very much in the spirit of a letter my father sent to the Canadian Forces housing maintenance department giving his reasoning that three applications of waterproofing silicone and a drain pipe through the bathroom wall are not sufficient to permanently hold the positioning of a bathroom sink against the force of six children brushing their teeth three times a day.
if you have a copy of that letter you really should put it on here! I would love to read that!
@@brucekirk5081 Unfortunately, a copy of the letter was not kept. It occurred in the 70’s.
One if my faves
This is so hilarious funny!! 😅 I, been red it , a severals times and laughing again and again!😂😂❤And Tika, thank you! Your way to presents this letter is great 👍 Love from Anna in Sweden 🇸🇪
Taika Waititi you are absolutely next level karawe fabulous! Watching this....... made me very happy, laugh and smile. The world is a better place, cause your in it Mauri Ora
I love the recap
Ol' Korg cleans up pretty well. 😎
Glorious !!! ❤👍🖖
Brilliant!!! Dear God, so brilliant!!
This was fantastic fun! Right up there with the great comic writers of the world. 😂
My mother used to write letters like this. I would be totally unsurprised to hear one of her missives turn up here. LOL
My father also!
So did Spike Milligan. I hope they sample one of his.
Absolutely BRILLIANT!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
This was awesome!
I’ve been sick for days and this made me laugh for the first time since becoming ill as I’m horribly terrified I have another septic shock episode (maybe just nerves but now I get scared). Thank you❤
Hope you feel better soon!
I hope you feel better soon!
Get well soon, Taylor.
Are you still alive?
@@johndododoe1411 yes just still recuperating ❤️🩹
Brilliant. Just brilliant.
Well done and totally Monty Pythonesque.
He was the inspiration for the song..you know, the song! BORN TO BE WILD!!😂
Brilliant response brilliantly read by Taika Waititi! 😂