When your stardom is based on your baby face, baritone voice, sweet synth sound, undecipherable lyrics and, most importantly, a viral video, there’s no such thing as overexposure. Tay Zonday might not understand the concept of “selling out,” but he fully realizes the need be lit up by the limelight for as long as – and to the greatest degree – possible.
The internet has a short memory, and if you’re not pumping out product, you can fast fade away from relevance. That’s why Tay’s cameod in a self-referential web series, covered the Rick Roll, and collaborated with Girl Talk, Dan Deacon, Lily Allen, and now, Brian Bell of Weezer.
It’s an unplugged rendition of the band’s latest single, Pork and Beans that shows how much better Tay sounds when accompanied by a synthesizer and how hot and bothered YouTube makes Weezer. The cover comes just two weeks after the release of the song’s official music video, which features an orgy of web video stars.
Overexposure might be a good tactic for Tay. For Weezer, it seems lame.
###Frontman Rivers Cuomo has a genuine interest in the online medium, but referencing a litany of viral videos in hopes of making your music video go viral seems insincere. Yes, Pork and Beans is an incredibly cool piece of entertainment, but it feels like a cheap publicity stunt we’ve seen before. If it wasn’t solely derivative maybe I’d find it more enjoyable. Take a look for yourself.
Straight from the good people at YouTube, here’s a definitive list of all the internet famo references:
- Numa Numa Kid – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60og9gwKh1o
- Dramatic Prairie Dog – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHjFxJVeCQs
- How the Dramatic Prairie Dog Was Born – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sochd9Xqlos
- Afro Ninja – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9PcHAoi1vA
- eepybird – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLAesBdv9PE
- Tshirt world record guy – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6tlw-oPDBM
- itschriscrocker – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHmvkRoEowc
- All Your Base Belong To Us – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qItugh-fFgg
- evolution of dance – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg
- Star Wars Kid - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPPj6viIBmU
- kfed – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7HjV3MnYHM
- daft hands – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2cYWfq–Nw
- daft body – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLYD_-A_X5E
- liam kelly – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCF3ywukQYA
- Planet Unicorn – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQJD1ura7G4
- kicisie – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=embdtwW-sSE
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Time – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8MDNFaGfT4
- Will It Blend – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg1ckCkm8YI
Comments
A friend of mine was apparently going to direct the video (or maybe he just sent in a treatment, I’m not sure) and they ended up not liking his idea, and I guess ultimately going with this one. I have to say, the idea behind this video does add a layer of depth to the song. The lyrics of the song basically seem to say “I don’t care about what’s the cultural norm, I’m just going to do what I want to do.” and then it showed a bunch of footage where the only common denominator was that they were all instances of divergent pop culture, things that came into the public consciousness despite not being part of ‘main stream’ media. It’s a bit of a reach, but I think it’s close enough to be intentional. I think my favorite part is when he hugs Chris Crocker–it really sold the message being given by the lyrics (and showing the numa numa guy at “everyone likes to dance to a happy song” also helped) by showing they weren’t just being like “hey look at these idiots who made fools of themselves on the internet” (kind of like how Jimmy Kimmel treated Tron Guy) but rather, being genuinely sympathetic towards them and praising them for having such a large impact on culture by just doing what they do.
Leave a Reply