I have, in the past, got deep and melancholic about how a YouTube addiction took years off my life, ones I would never get back. But to say those hours of hard graft were in vain is to miss the mark. Old wisdom suggests what we most need to find will be found where we least want to look. And during those long hours of staring at a screen vainly searching for some elusive thing, what that was I’m still not sure – perhaps an escape from myself – I came across many magic beans strewn here and there along the path.
I feel like I’ve learnt as much about the human condition from watching YouTube as anything else I’ve done. All of life is there. And when viewed in moderation it is a gift that keeps on giving. So in no particular order and with no particular theme, here are some of my all-time favourite YouTube videos.
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I THOUGHT YOU COULD DO A KICKFLIP
Some guy displays a range of mild anger-management symptoms skateboarding in his driveway. That split-second of rage you glimpse once he screws it up for the second time is golden.
WHEN YOUR CLAP GAME IS ON ANOTHER LEVEL
This guy slays.
MAN TRIES TO SPEAK ENGLISH
Fullermore, I want a mitsubishi.
I DON’T NEED TO BELIEVE
Jung asked his thoughts on God.
WEATHER BOY
A news reporter investigating fireworks gets his ass handed to him.
KATE METAL MOMENTS
Two sisters called Kate and Audrey live in Nagasaki in Japan and they’re nuts about heavy metal. The older one Audrey is a next level guitar player. The younger one is Kate and I’m obsessed with her.
DA FUGGIZ DAT
News reporter has a run-in with a bug, handles it like a pro.
JUST EXTRAORDINARY
A DJ of severely questionable music readies himself for the drop in a pre-rehearsed sequence that must’ve taken five lifetimes to dream up, and then all hell breaks loose in more ways than one. I think this is my favourite clip ever.
KICK HIS ASK
A little girl tells her mum about monsters coming out of the tv and her plans to defend herself. I like it when her mind starts whirring trying to figure out why her mother is laughing.
ELETROCUTED SQUIRREL GETS CPR BY KIND MAN
I put this one in because I referenced it in the serious YouTube post. This was the kind of shit I would watch at my lowest ebb. What made me feel even worse was that I was moved by it. At least I felt something.
EXTREME JAPANESE AUDIOPHILES
There are weirdos everywhere, but this is just amazing. Passion about anything whatsoever is about the coolest thing I can think of.
IT’S FRIDAY theeeeeen…
Best til last.
Mufasa & his hypeman make the whole world smile from now til forever.
