Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Ok, Ok...

So the band Ok Go is nothing new to anyone who hasn't been living under a rock within the last year, but I really have to give credit where credit is due. What am I talking about? The dawning of a new era, man. I guess in essence, I am blaming them for killing the video star, but also, for helping to create (or rather, falling into, but I'll explain that in a second) a new movement where people post home movies (that never would have otherwise made it to the public sphere) all over the internet. That's right-- I'm talking about YouTube.

For many months I have thought that the guys in this band were freaking genius. It was only after reading a magazine article this past weekend that I found out they "didn't actually post" the first video, and that it was actually "a rehearsal tape that got leaked". Whatever the real story is, I still think that they were ultimately in the right place at the right time, for somehow, their video coincided with the "birth" of YouTube (or at least to the news outlets who are often a little behind). This, in turn, catapulted the little baby indie band whom most people had
never even heard of into instant success, and soon they were on talkshows and readio stations around the country and world. (Case in point? I'm posting their YouTube videos as I write this!)

Now everyone and his brother is creating video content for YouTube. Music videos, time lapses, animation-- you name it, it's there. People create their own TV stations and subscribe to each other's! Never before has an individual been able to essentially have their own cable channel FOR FREE and express themselves so freely as well. It is so much more than "just another online community": it is history making itself right before our eyes. It is what the public domain was supposed to be before the buyout by corporations. It is those same TV networks, large and small, rushing to add extra video content for their audience before the viewers get bored and want to do it themselves. And ultimately, it is global artistic interaction, the likes of which we have NEVER seen before.

Ok Go claims that they're not marketing geniuses. I beg to differ. For how many prodigies has the world seen over the years who say they're nothing special? I rest my case. :-)

Oh, and in case you really have been living under a rock, here are the videos. Crank your volume and enjoy.




"It's not egotism... It's self publicity."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

first off...
i would like to point out that i LOVED OKGO in high school. thank you.

secondly...
good thoughts! we are living in a time where "johnny-dumbass" (not necessarily referencing myself) can be famous from there living room. a type of recognition that normally would have taken years, if it would even happen at all.

thirdly...
i think this may be a bad thing.
i think the general internet public becomes impatient now. like you said...you have to post again before your viewers get bored. does this hinder creativity? are we still genuinely posting material we stand behind as quality? or do we post our of fear of losing our fans/readers/viewers?

just a thought.
nice to see you've entered the blogging world v.