What's on our minds: Tube Tunes
Tube Tunes
Hi, my name is Pam and I’m a YouTubeaholic. (Hi, Pam.) My addiction began toward the end of 2007 when I got high speed internet at home for my job. Prior to that, I had some limited exposure to it at other peoples’ houses.
The average American might only know You Tube as a place for silly homemade videos of toddlers, teenagers, pets and the like, but music fans know it contains a treasure trove of history uploaded by collectors. Any musician you like who has ever appeared in movies or on TV is probably on here. Any pop music show from the 60s with cheesy sets and/or go-go girls is well represented. The years of variety shows can yield some bizarre but fun combo performances such as Bing Crosby, Bobbie Gentry and Tiny Tim; Neil Diamond, Glen Campbell and Linda Ronstadt; Sonny and Cher and Donny and Marie; Johnny Cash and the Monkees, and many more.
Some of these amateur video archivists have huge collections. One guy has thousands and keeps getting banned and coming back under new names. I think uploading videos is his full time job.
Even the homemade music videos can be fun. I’m fond of the ones of someone placing a scratchy record on a turntable and just filming it while it plays. I also like ones with pictures from vintage teen mags. If there is a song you haven’t heard in ages, check YT and it is probably there. I have purchased cds after hearing a song on YT, so I don’t feel so bad about the copyright infringement issues.
The handy “side bar” feature of related videos can lead to your own Battle of the Bands as you listen to versions of the same song by various artists. For artists with long careers like Cher, you can watch her plastic surgery evolve over time with videos from each decade.
For fans of current indie artists, there are a ton of live videos of your faves on tours, shot in clubs around the world. Handy for people like me, who don’t really enjoy smoke and drunk people anymore, but might like to hear an unreleased Neko Case or Kelly Hogan tune.
So music fans, enjoy it while you can. Something so fun might not be free forever.
Pam Kirk