Let’s REDISCOVER the community of YOUTUBE! July 4, 2008
Posted by Christopher in : ME! ME! ME!, Music, People, Video, YouTube , 8comments
Dammit, the YouTube community is NOT DEAD! As I’ve already said in one long-winded video, all you have to do is REACH OUT and it’s THERE!
I’ve been a YouTube addict for a year and a half now, and I’ve seen some changes. When I first got involved, YouTube was like a small town where everyone knew everyone else. It’s exploded since then. YouTube is more like a big city now. The small town feel is gone, but anyone can easily find a sense of community. Haven’t found it? Maybe you’ve been hanging around in the wrong “neighborhood.”I remember my first “As One YouTube Gathering,” right here in San Francisco.
I remember my main goals were to meet the people I’d found to be so entertaining upon first discovering YouTube: Mark Day, Karen Alloy (Spricket), NickyNik, Cory/MrSafety, Renetto, and DigitilSoul. It went well. Mark turned out to be a very charismatic and entertaining person, I’ve built a friendship (albeit a twisted one) with Karen, NickyNik was great (I miss him around the tubes, whatever happened to that guy?), and Cory is a nice guy. I also met NutCheese for the first time. So what if Renetto was so busy preaching that he didn’t notice me and I was totally snubbed by DigitilSoul? It was a cool event.
Since those days, YouTube has led me to many more personalities, and many of the original community are still around and very active involved (Karen, Cory, Renetto, NutCheese, BibleGirl7, SXEPhil, Geriatric1927, JohnnyOnline, AngryAussie, K80blog, just to name a few off the top of my head… I could go on and on…).
A year ago, I was YouTube “Guest Editor.” I got to pick the front page feature videos for a few days. Sounds great, right? Well, to get a list of fourteen videos approved by YouTube, I submitted more than forty. I wouldn’t do it again, but if I did, the videos below would be some of my submissions. They’re in no particular order, by the way. For those of you complaining that “there’s nothing good to watch,” this list should get you started:
“How I Met Tex” - joshsource
New to the tubes - this guy’s gonna be popular. Azrienoch started the series, but this guy’s story is one of the best!
“Valentines [Explicit Lyrics] - NSG Music” - daveyboyz
An incredibly well-done music video to a fantastic - no, I mean FANTASTIC - sad song. Every guy can relate to the story. It’s really simple, but… oh, dammit, just watch.
“CrAZy S0CkZ, Improv Song No. 1 Op. 1″ - luvthecanadian
I asked Andriana if I thought the fact that this video turns me on…. she said “Yes, a little creepy.” You’ll probably find yourself alternating between marveling at her voice and thinking “what the…?”
“Emo Vlog - STOP ANIMAL TESTING!” - onision
“Chickens are little bastards that I could never love” - I dare you not to become an Onision fan!
“Public Service Announcement [just plain good advice]” - itsbrent
A very important message for those who use pharmaceuticals!
“The Deer Whisperer” - stuka87
OK, so I’m in this one, but that’s not why I picked it. Salime was in town and had never seen a deer in the wild, apparently. I decided to try getting the deer to come out of their partial-obscurity in a funny way. Brandon’s editing sells it, though.
“Le cochon danseur - el cerdo bailarín - dancing pig” - o0monox0o
Two minutes and twenty-four seconds of “what the fuck?” that gets weirder the further into it you watch!
“Bird Bits #5–Snow Blue” - scoobyhubby
The song in this one reminds me of Zipster for some reason… and the video is very cute.
“Everyday Normal Guy” - jonlajoie
A video that actually DESERVES the gajillion views it has. Maybe you guys out there can relate.
“Dating Advice: How do I know if I’m really in love?” - hogwild
Straight-forward and real advice… I’m loving this series!
“Balloons (Original Julia Nunes)” - jaaaaaaa
She’s a great musician who multitracks to video… like PeriUrban, only cuter.
“Don’t Let The Bastards Keep You Down” - thechurchofdave
Great life advice in an R-rated song from a half-naked biker!
“Small is Tall” - katz20two
Yes, this one has lots of views and you’ve probably seen it… it’s just so refreshing to see cute girls do something clever and NOT shake their asses for views.
“Navel Action” - barryperrins
Old-fashioned physical comedy! Like a Three Stooges or Charlie Chaplin thing goin’ on here…
“Orbit Gum Commercial - Scissors” (starring Ian Crossland)” - grahamko
This is what Ian does when he’s NOT talking about the sun being made of water.
“Pesto - Episode 1″ - geneticblend
A great mafia series… you’ll have a hard time believing it’s low-budget!
“Limoncello Recipe **FOR ADULTS**” - princessdiana161
I’m going to be using this recipe for parties this summer for sure!
“Just a Bit Crazy” - eddsworld
You just have to see it. Trust me. 25 seconds of “WTF?”
“Haven’t We Met?” - jimmersd
ALL of us musicians should be so adept with barre chords!!
“Pangea Shoots Some Loser” - pangeaforever
A clever take on teenage prank videos. Just watch it, you’ll see.
“Be Gay” - azrienoch
Gay is the way to world peace… apparently.
“Kids on YouTube” - maryann712
Watch Maryann try to interview her toddler only to have him completely steal the show.
“My YouTube Story” - bnessel1973
Brian explains his history on YouTube… yep, these kinds of things are usually boooooring. This one’s not. Warning - tearjerker alert!
OK… so there’s a good batch for you. Maybe you’ll discover someone you’ve never seen!
About the Cheese July 4, 2008
Posted by Christopher in : Misc. thoughts , 5comments
As many of you have seen on YouTube, I took on the role of “complete joiner sheep” and made a “cheese video,” thinking it was just another stupid community trend like the “naked vlog” stuff and “facts tag” videos. Apparently, though, my video was ALSO entered into a contest with other cheese videos (tied for third place currently). This contest has a forum of some sort attached… it’s part of some little website called “WillVideoForFood.”
Anyway, the loser that administers that website made a forum post (scroll down on the contest page) regarding my video being “animal abuse,” which I found while doing a Google search for my name (Yeah? So? YOU’VE done it! Don’t lie.). My first thought was, “Great, some hater just made my dating life all that much more difficult. Then I delved a little further into the matter and found out what’s going on.
So, thanks to those of you who played along with Kevin’s little prank. Wasn’t that fun? As you can see, the video didn’t actually end up removed, thankfully. Oh, and to those of you knuckleheads who STILL insist it’s animal abuse, I will ONCE AGAIN say she was there for the praise and not the cheese. If my dog is in the center of a room and there’s a person in one corner and food in the opposite corner, she’ll run to the person every time, even if it’s one of her favorite treats. I actually made a video of her sitting still with NO cheese and included the original silly praise soundtrack, but decided not to post it. I didn’t want my more intelligent viewers to be subjected to the stupidity of my catering to the slower crowd.
I love my dog. My dog loves me. Hell, my dog loves EVERYONE.
Next up for me… DVD reviews:
Railroad Man June 23, 2008
Posted by Christopher in : Misc. thoughts , 1 comment so farE from Eels performs “Railroad Man” above (also one of my favorite songs)
E recently did a tribute video for a cancer victim’s memorial, 15 year old Anthony Fusaro, who met him here at the latest San Francisco show. Anthony recently passed away as a result of cancer. Before his passing, though, he’d set up a foundation to give kids with cancer an emotional boost with small gifts. It’s called H.O.P.E. (Helping Oncology Patients Endure).
“Last year I spent over 70 days on the UCSF Pediatric Oncology Ward. It’s always hard being in the hospital but going through stressful medical procedures like IVs or spinal taps makes it even harder. Having something to look forward to can help you get through things. ” - Anthony Fusaro
I’m addicted to video blogging… (well, sort of) June 22, 2008
Posted by Christopher in : ME! ME! ME!, Misc. thoughts, Video, YouTube , 8comments
So, there’s pretty much just NO WAY I would put THESE VIDEOS on my “normal YouTube channel.” They’re too personal, too real, too visceral (to me). Nope, THAT channel is for thought-out comedy bits, music, and talk that looks MUCH LIKE video blogging, but is in fact VERY “pre-thought” to the point of my having an outline of exactly what I want to say in my head before I start. What I love is that I LOOK natural while doing that, but in fact what you view on that channel is usually my 20th or so take! THAT’S the secret of one-take videos, friends!
Actually, I don’t MIND abrupt cuts in the video, if they’re done well… I mean, if you’re doing a skit with characters and a greenscreen or a cloned image of yourself or something, NO, DON’T PUT IN CUTS, they blow your cover and ruin the whole project (do a change of camera angle or a cutaway for cryin’ out loud… it’s not THAT much more editing work). But if you’re video blogging, yes, by all means cut out the part where you think about what your next statement will be, or the yawn, or the cat’s ass walking in front of the camera…
Which brings me to THIS:
So… basically what I’m doing is a long video blog, but then I’m NOT posting the whole thing. Most video blogs are boring as hell, let’s face it. There are so many times I watch someone who I REALLY LIKE TO WATCH, but they’re video blogging and I’m all like “get to the fucking point already!!!” This even applies to some who are usually GREAT at talking fast and getting to the point! I believe a huge reason SXEPhil is so popular on YouTube is that he DOESN’T show you the bits where he sits and thinks about the next line! By the way, SXEPhil, if you ever read this (I know that ain’t happenin’) thanks for snubbing me on the whole “I’m gonna be in San Francisco, so if anyone wants to try to hang out, send me a message” thing. Pheh. I’m switching to Ben Boheme.
I put these over on my “other channel” because I know that only my true friends (and stalkers) watch those videos and they’ll be kind a supportive no matter what. That’s what friends do… you go to each other’s sucky art exhibitions and crappy one-man plays and you compliment and support them. I know that if I put this shit on my “normal channel,” I’d get barraged with comments like “gay” and “ur old” and “wtf?” Not that I’m SCARED of those comments, but I’d much rather read them on a video where I’m talking bluntly about porn or ranting on a political subject or exaggerating my lust for Karen Alloy.
So, like it or not, there are probably more “Raw” videos to come… and hey, if it’s “not,” don’t fuckin’ watch ‘em.
Potato Sniper June 16, 2008
Posted by Christopher in : Misc. thoughts, YouTube , 7comments
So a fellow YouTube personality, KingHuman, sent me, among other things like a yodeling pickle and a turkey hat, a POTATO GUN! I thought it was interesting, but didn’t think it’d actually WORK! HOLY CRAP! I’ve been shooting potato bits out my window now for fun. I’ve become a potato terrorist! I even shot my dog (she was NOT amused).
Current favorite quote: June 15, 2008
Posted by Christopher in : Misc. thoughts , 2comments“‘Am I headed for fame or disaster?’ I asked myself… Well let’s go find out!” - Marquisdejolie
You just NEVER know with YouTube… June 15, 2008
Posted by Christopher in : ME! ME! ME!, Music, Video, YouTube , 2comments
A week ago I posted a video of myself playing a song about writer’s block. I thought it was clever, although the recording quality could have been better, but hey, I did it spur-of-the-moment (although it makes wonder why sometimes spur-of-the-moment can be much better, like with No One to Blame).
Anyway, that video sat like a dead rat in the road for a week. Just now it’s reached a bit over 1400 views, but it took the whole week to do so… my slowest moving video in a long time (on the ChristopherMast channel… only a few of the cool people know about the “other” channel). Usually, my videos will hit about 1000 or so views in the first day and then I know they’ve run their course. SOMETIMES I get lucky and hit 2000 and even less often I will get more.
Yesterday, I put up a quick and random video response which was INTENDED for the “other” channel but I started to upload it on my main channel by accident and decided to just let it go. It was about bird shit. It’s been live 22 hours and has about 1400 views according to the “my videos” tab on my account. Who’d'a thunk it?
This post made possible by: June 14, 2008
Posted by Christopher in : Misc. thoughts , 3comments
How freakin’ awesome is THIS? June 14, 2008
Posted by Christopher in : Misc. thoughts, Music, News and stuff, Video, computers , 5comments
So, for the better part of the past couple years, my stereo has pretty much been unused. I have listened to music primarily on my computer or my iPod… using either my recording monitors or car stereo (or sometimes I take the iPod to work and hook it to a stereo there). A couple months ago, I actually hooked up my stereo and started plugging the laptop or iPod into it for better sound (I have an aging but state-of-the-art for it’s time Denon system with great Boston Acoustics VR965 speakers).
Tonight, my Apple Airport thingie died. The little mushroom that lived under the bookcase no longer delivers internet signal. It was actually outdated when I bought it. It was a closeout “g” wireless unit. The “thing to have” when I got it was “n” but I have a small apartment so didn’t see the need. I’ve gotten spoiled by wireless. I can take my laptop all over my apartment without being confined to a desk. I was seriously freaking out, haha… So… off to the Apple store to get a new router.
WOW how things change. My previous router, the mushroom, was about the size of a large calzone. My new one looks like the block for my Mac’s wall charger (or the charger to an old-school iPod). It’s got the “newer/better” 802.11n wireless system, of course, but what’s even cooler than that is what it does for my MUSIC!
I can now send music from my iTunes directly to my stereo WITHOUT WIRES! How cool is that. As I type this, I’m sitting on the floor near my kitchen. My stereo is about eighteen feet away. I can change the song, turn the volume down, start, stop… all from the laptop. O’course I still need the stereo’s remote to turn IT off and on, but still! WOW!
Oh, and if I wanted to plug a printer into the router I’d be able to print wirelessly too, but who puts their stereo and printer in the same place?
Expensive Cheese June 7, 2008
Posted by Christopher in : Misc. thoughts, food , 10comments
So, after getting a bunch of flack from my friend Mike, who’d I’d admired for his dietary modifications over the past few months, I decided to make yet another change for myself. You see, Mike was the one who inspired me to give up red meat (maybe not permanently, but for the foreseeable future). I was still quite proud of that decision when he busted me for my love of cheese, particularly sharp cheddar cheese. I’ve been going through a small block of the stuff a week for quite some time. I thought I might have SOME leeway on this, since I have been sharing some of it with my dog, but I’ve also recently found out that cheese isn’t really good for DOGS either. Hmph.
So my friend Kevin (no, not Nalts) suggested something; expensive cheese. The theory is that I can still get a “cheese experience” (Kevin’s words), but I won’t want to chow down on the stuff like I did with standard-issue cheddar because of the cost. You know what? It’s working for me!
I went with Isle of Mull Cheddar from Neal’s Yard Dairy. At $22/lb I’m not going to rush THIS “cheese experience,” and I CERTAINLY won’t be giving any to the dog! It might not be that $500/lb Swedish moose cheese I’ve heard of, but it IS four times as expensive as the stuff I’m used to buying.
Isle of Mull Cheddar is an unpasteurized hard cow’s milk cheese that’s very full-bodied and acidic. I think normally one would reference which kind of wine would pair nicely with a cheese, right? Well, I’d say this one matches more with a nice single-malt Scotch.
If I’m going to have expensive cheese, I might as well buy pricey crackers as well, right? I went with Whole Foods‘ brand of Sea Salt and Rosemary Crostini crackers. They’re pretty much “as described” when considering the name. They might pair nicely with this cheese for those afraid it’s gamey presence, but to me, the crackers only really dull the “cheese experience.” They’re nice on their own though.
