I’ve been complaining lately about the quick drop-off of viral video. Last year, it seemed like every week had some new OH-MY-GOD-YOU-HAVE-TO-SEE-THIS link to pass around. Then the inexorable happened, and we started getting a lot of stuff that was staged and insincere. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a genuine oddity emerge and become celebrated.
Chocolate Rain seems to have appeared several months ago, but it’s new to me…
Now
This
Song
Is
Stuck
Inside
My Brain
Chocolate Rain
And I’m compelled to ask: Who is this guy? Where did he come from? What does this mean?
Melissa had the same reaction and I watched her go through the process of watching the spoofs, listening to his other recordings, watching his interview, researching his bio. You listen to Chocolate Rain and you want to understand. You want answers.
I’ve been sifting through old emails lately. Every time someone mentions where they live, I drop it in a subfolder so they can get the appropriate invite when I pass near them. Watching Chocolate Rain makes a bit of sense out of what the emails say over and over. Our videos don’t have much in common, but they both demand a story that explains how they happened. Not a long one. Just a blurb.
So Tay Zonday is really Adam Bahner. He’s 25. He’s a grad student in Minneapolis. Okay. I’m sated for details. But then I want to write to the guy and say "good job." Shout across the void. Maybe even get a quick answer.
At any rate, it gave me some perspective. But it didn’t provide anything like the aching belly-laughs found here…