Weezer Video Reflects the Sad State of Online Entertainment
May 23rd, 2008 by Alec McNayrPosted in Advertising, Content, Online, Viral | No Comments »
If you’ve been plugged into the Internet any amount of time since 2004, you’ve been forwarded a funny video. Star Wars Kid. The Numa Numa Guy. Grape Stomping. Miss South Carolina. When enough people see them, it becomes a “meme.” A cultural event. A fad. A viral hit.
Last September, Meth Minute released “Internet People”, an animated video compilation of all the viral hits over the past few years. It was amazing the number of ones I recognized (and was guilty of forwarding around: even the dramatic chipmunk about a thousand times).
In a similar vein, Weezer brought in a bunch of internet viral video “stars” to participate in its latest video for the song “Pork and Beans.” They lip sync the lyrics to the song while recreating the videos that made them famous.
It’s very creative and laser-targeted at my demographic, but it gets me angry for two reasons:
- These “viral stars” are offered up as the most memorable examples of web entertainment. There’s no scripted video stars. No LonelyGirl. No Ninja. No Prom Queens. What’s more, none of them have crossed over into bigger or better things. Like reality TV stars, they are ready and available to re-up their 15 minutes of fame. That’s not promising for the future of online entertainment.
- This video reminds me that traditional entertainment is SO BIG that just ONE BAND can create ONE VIDEO with a MEDIUM-SIZED BUDGET and bring together the BIGGEST ONLINE STARS out there. Talk about a David and Goliath. It feels like a knock-out punch in the first round. (but wait for the next few rounds, my friend…)
And with that, I offer you: the Weezer video “Pork and Beans” on YouTube (after the jump):
