# Epic Sax Guy Epic Sax Guy is the online nickname for Sergey Stepanov, saxophonist of Moldovan trio SunStroke Project, and the looping clip of his sax solo during Eurovision 2010. The break from "Run Away" got isolated, remixed, and turned into a bait-and-switch prank called sax-rolling in the style of Rickrolling. Stepanov's 2017 Eurovision return revived the meme and pushed the original video back through gaming compilations. ## Overview Epic Sax Guy is the online nickname for Sergey Stepanov, the saxophonist of Moldovan pop trio SunStroke Project, and the looping clip of his instrumental break during the Eurovision Song Contest 2010[1]. The video shows Stepanov in a sleeveless white outfit thrusting his hips while blowing a punchy riff in the middle of the group's song "Run Away"[2]. NY Mag later called him the biggest Eurovision celebrity in the United States since ABBA[1]. The joke rests on how earnest and over-the-top Stepanov's dance moves and horn playing look side by side. Fans built endless loops, mashups, and a bait-and-switch link prank called sax-rolling, patterned after Rickrolling[3]. The isolated sax riff also became a go-to background track for gaming highlight and best-moments compilations for titles like Hearthstone and Rainbow Six Siege[3]. ## How It Spread A Facebook page dedicated to Epic Sax Guy launched on May 29, 2010, followed by the single-serving site SaxRolled.com on June 24, 2010, which looped the solo indefinitely, and a sax-rolling Android app later that year[3]. The naming pattern piggybacked directly on the older Rickroll prank, giving the joke a ready-made template to spread through. Stepanov returned to Eurovision on May 9, 2017, with SunStroke Project's new song "Hey Mamma," playing a fresh sax break in a tuxedo and sunglasses instead of the 2010 cutoff sleeves[1]. NY Mag ran a piece that same day calling the moment the return of "the hero we need"[1]. Urban Dictionary entries filed after the 2017 appearance describe him as more "sassy and saxy than ever," showing the meme still had a working slang footprint years after the original clip[4]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Epic Sax Guy? Epic Sax Guy is the meme nickname for Sergey Stepanov, saxophonist for Moldovan pop trio SunStroke Project, based on his instrumental solo during the group's Eurovision 2010 entry "Run Away"[1]. ### Where did Epic Sax Guy come from? The clip comes from Moldova's Eurovision Song Contest performance in May 2010, where Stepanov's sax break during "Run Away" got isolated and reposted across YouTube[2]. ### What does Epic Sax Guy mean? The name is applied both to Stepanov personally and to the looped solo itself, treated online as an over-the-top emblem of Eurovision showmanship[4]. ### How do you use Epic Sax Guy? The audio is typically looped under unrelated footage such as gaming highlights, or used as the payload of a sax-rolling link swap in the same style as a Rickroll[3]. ### Is Epic Sax Guy still popular? Stepanov returned to Eurovision in May 2017 with a new sax solo during SunStroke Project's "Hey Mamma," which brought fresh attention back to the original 2010 clip[1]. ## References 1. [https://nymag.com/selectall/2017/05/epic-sax-guy-will-be-at-eurovision-2017.html]() 2. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkmncrAPILw]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/epic-sax-guy]() 4. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Epic%20Sax%20Guy]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/epic-sax-guy Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library