Welcome to the weekly YouTube video review. Sit back, relax, crack open your lap top and discover some high-quality entertainment with low-quality resolution. This week two videos caught my attention. The first video features the comedic folk singing duo “Flight of the Conchords,” performing their song “Jenni.” The pair, hailing from New Zealand, consists of Jermaine Clement, whom you might recognize from the Outback Steakhouse commercials, and Brett McKenzie. Clement’s distinctive looks alone, with his thick mop of black hair, black rimmed glasses and lips rivaling that of Mick Jagger’s, will have you laughing. Sitting side-by-side, playing acoustic guitar and singing out a conversation, the duo takes on very unusual characters. The song is about a case of mistaken identity. McKenzie, singing the woman’s voice, believes she recognizes a man she had a promiscuous past life with. But obviously the man, played by Clements, doesn’t remember her at all. The man assumes that he must have met the woman somewhere, and plays along with her conversation. Hilarity ensues. He says, “That’s right, wasn’t it at one of those boring work parties…that I met you when I met you.” After the woman responds “No,” he awkwardly says, “That’s why I said, wasn’t it.” Further into the conversation, the man is led to believe he shared sandwiches on the top of the hill “in the day time of the night” and even adopted a child. This genius of the “Flight of the Conchords” is that the conversation is so typical and mundane. But their timing is impeccable and delivery is so subtlety awkward that you can’t help but chuckle along. To find out the surprise ending, definitely check out this clip. Also, if you enjoy the “Flight of the Conchords’” witty style, you will most likely enjoy their other sketches like “Business Time” and “Gangsta Folk Rap.” Their mix of folk beatboxing and story telling is one of a kind. The second visual nugget I discovered is a video aptly named “Longboarding Sliding, Run from the Cops.” This fall our campus experienced a longboard explosion, so I would not be surprised if this video is popular. Wearing construction gloves and using their hands to pivot around their boards, these teenage boys film their friends doing power slides down hills on longboards. The video is synched to the song “Anytime” by Eve 6. Like any good skate video it features two important sections: bails and cops. The video opens with each skater taking slams against the pavement in sync with the rhythm of the music. Then the video ends with one skater sliding in front of the local police station. After attracting the attention of a local law enforcement agent, the skaters hop into a car and drive away, while the camera is tossed around in the back seat, then the video cuts off. What more can one ask from a YouTube video besides amazing 90’s music, awesome wipeouts, a chase scene, and some gnarly longboarding.
