YouTube is kind of a new thing to me. I think the first time I ever heard of it, I had been searching for some clips from the old MTV show The State when I came across a clip of the “Muppet-eating dinner party” sketch that had been uploaded to YouTube (they also have the “Tenenment” sketch and a couple of clips featuring the “Louie” character and as well). I didn’t really think too much about YouTube after checking out those clips from The State, but every so often for the last few months, I have been stumbling across links to interesting pieces on the site. And last week alone, I think I got at least 3 e-mails from friends suggesting different stuff to check out on the site (such as Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager), so Saturday night seemed like a good time to have a more in-depth look at what YouTube has to offer.
In just the first few minutes of my YouTube browsing, I decided that I would never buy the Kiss: Rock the Nation DVD. The few clips that are available on YouTube show just how awful Kiss is with Tommy Thayer filling in for Ace Frehley. It just doesn’t work. There…I just saved about $25.00. Thanks, YouTube.
I was really excited to find some vintage Randy Rhoads material available on YouTube, including a 1979 live performance of “Laughing Gas” that runs almost 10 minutes. Say what you will about his cheesy bow tie, Randy is one of the greatest guitar players in the history of metal. I can remember back when you had to pay through the nose for 3rd, 4th, and 5th generation copies of this stuff at record shows (...and that was only a few years ago, by the way). And speaking of metal, where else can you see the original music video for Venom’s “Nightmare”? Again, it’s kind of cheesy – but who cares? It’s Venom! There’s a bunch of stuff from the Venom concert films “The 7th Date of Hell” and “Alive in ‘85" on YouTube as well. Hail, Venom!
There are a few clips of Phil Ochs on YouTube, including clips from performances of “There But for Fortune,” “I’m Going to Say It Now,” and “I Ain’t Marching Anymore” (as Phil puts it: “dedicated for all the nice folks of NATO”). Phil is one of my heroes and it is a real pleasure to see him playing, even if it’s only for a few minutes here and there.
I have previously written of my rather embarrassing affection for a few old Southern wrestling promotions from back in the early 1980's. I was, of course, happy to find that some vintage clips from ICW and Memphis Wrestling have made it on to YouTube. Some of their better selections include the time when Ronnie Garvin smashed Ox Baker’s false teeth and the legendary dust-up between Jerry Lawler and Andy Kaufman on Late Night with David Letterman. Awesome stuff!
There are quite a few selections from Indian films and music videos on YouTube as well. Some of my favorite songs from Mughal-E-Azam are posted on the site, including “Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya” and “Teri Mehfil Main Kismat Aazma Ke.” These clips are especially good, as they are from the 2004 colorized re-release of the film.
I guess you can say I am hooked. It’s probably accurate that for everything “good” on YouTube, there’s a whole lot of weird and pointless stuff too. But then again, I know my tastes are rather eclectic by most standards -- In fact, the above list probably proves this better than anything. I guess that in the end YouTube is simply a great medium to bring all sorts of interesting people and ideas together.
