---
title: "Adweek: Meet the Twisted, Brilliant Copywriter Behind Twitter’s Nihilist Arby’s"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/d89d95d7-4ad6-4622-a569-01912b89c4d6
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/adweek-meet-the-twisted-brilliant-copywriter-behind-twitters-nihilist-arbys-2301
category: "Restaurants"
industry: "Restaurants"
published: 2015-08-18T20:15:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T12:20:50.462Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/8d777f385d3dfec8815d20f7496026dc4503.png
---

# Adweek: Meet the Twisted, Brilliant Copywriter Behind Twitter’s Nihilist Arby’s

**TL;DR:** Brendan Kelly, a musician and copywriter, created a parody Twitter account called Nihilistic Arby's with a nihilistic tone. The account has gained a large following since its creation eight months ago.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2015-08-18. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/adweek-meet-the-twisted-brilliant-copywriter-behind-twitters-nihilist-arbys-2301).*

## Story

Better known as the bassist and singer for foundational Chicago punk band The Lawrence Arms, Brendan Kelly has remained something of a local celebrity. Recently, his renown far surpassed the confines of dingy rock clubs and record stores across the country with the grand reveal of an unexpected side project: Waxing philosophical on the death, decay and aimlessness as Nihilistic Arby’s.

An outlet for Kelly’s witticisms and absurdist humor, the parody account has garnered an enormous following since its creation eight months ago. Channeling his own experiences as an advertising copywriter and ruminating over the tedium and toil that surely plague the social media wiz of Arby’s, Kelly was struck with a diabolical idea.

“Kelly said he began thinking about how funny it would be if a social media manager for a restaurant chain ‘just lost it, after sending out yet another tweet about something [inane] like a new dipping sauce,’” according to Adweek.

And so began Kelly’s time moonlighting as a morose brand rep careening down the brink of insanity toward a black hole of existential dread and decay. Never has the impending doom of humanity been so hysterical. See evidence below.

> Arbys for lunch Arbys for dinner In this fetid hellscape There are no winners Arbys tomorrow Arbys today Nothing's certain But death & decay— Nihilist Arby's (@nihilist_arbys) August 15, 2015

> Arbys puts its pants on in the morning just like you: paralyzed by creeping dread as we speed ever closer towards inevitable doom. Eat arbys— Nihilist Arby's (@nihilist_arbys) August 11, 2015

> Honey, I need to eat Well, there's food at this rest area ... Oh, it's just arbys Whatever. I'm starving Arbys: whatever. You're starving— Nihilist Arby's (@nihilist_arbys) August 4, 2015

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- Twitter (company)
- Arby's (company)
- social media (topic)
- parody account (topic)
- nihilistic tone (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/adweek-meet-the-twisted-brilliant-copywriter-behind-twitters-nihilist-arbys-2301). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/d89d95d7-4ad6-4622-a569-01912b89c4d6).