Speaking of Boobs...
This entry is inspired by the PPT's own John "CB" Bowers...as it would seem our boy John has discovered the internet, more specifically YouTube (see below)
At first I was a little concerned when John told me about discovering these pseudo "Backstreet Boys" on the internet...and, well, frankly, after seeing them for myself I am now very concerned...the following is the explanation that John gives for his fascination for the "Back Dorm Boys" phenomena;
From slate magazine http://www.slate.com/id/2140697/:
The most recognizable syncers on YouTube might be a pair of Chinese boys
called (with admirable directness) "Two Chinese Boys." They've posted a
handful of popular videos, each of which follows the same rubric: The boys
sit side by side in a dorm room, channeling bubble-gum pop while someone
works obliviously behind them at a computer. Their coordination is
impeccable, especially during harmonic call-and-response, and they are
unparalleled at creating the illusion of really feeling a song's high
moments. They're a classic comic duo: The guy on the right is streetwise,
fluent in hip-hop hand gestures and facial expressions; his partner is
wistful and sensitive (he occasionally pretends to cry). Watch, for
instance, my favorite video. During the song's climactic midsong rap, the
guy on the right stares the camera down while his partner tosses in delicate
vocal fills and gazes offscreen at (judging from his expression) an injured
puppy limping off to die in front of a sunset. The Two Chinese Boys'
emergence as the best lip-syncers in the world may be the surest sign yet
that we are passing the superpower torch.
As a talent show, YouTube is the polar opposite of American Idol. Instead of
bestowing lucrative record deals based on a mastery of traditional
show-business talents, the site measures a more mysterious and interesting
skill set—the unpredictability, irony, and misdirection at the heart of
lip-syncing—and rewards it with a kind of intangible hip credit. There's
something profound in this. The Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way," for
instance, is just another raft of Top 40 love clichιs—but the Two Chinese
Boys' version of the song (in which the boys, dressed in Yao Ming jerseys,
dart tightly and suddenly back and forth) adds several layers of meaning: It
repeats the clichιs, but it also shows their inherent ridiculousness; it's a
complex pantomime of our guilty love of seeing love marketed via boy bands.
At its core, lip-syncing is a satire of our own unseemly dependence on pop
music—but a satire that's always affectionate. The best syncing is
simultaneous homage and mockery. After all, you have to commune with a song
for weeks, even years, before you can properly sync it.
Oh John, I guess there are worse things you could be looking at on the internet...might I suggest checking out some Stephen Colbert at YouTube, he's a personal favourite of mine...mainly because he's not a crazy pair of guys, lip syncing to the Backstreet Boys!!!
At first I was a little concerned when John told me about discovering these pseudo "Backstreet Boys" on the internet...and, well, frankly, after seeing them for myself I am now very concerned...the following is the explanation that John gives for his fascination for the "Back Dorm Boys" phenomena;
From slate magazine http://www.slate.com/id/2140697/:
The most recognizable syncers on YouTube might be a pair of Chinese boys
called (with admirable directness) "Two Chinese Boys." They've posted a
handful of popular videos, each of which follows the same rubric: The boys
sit side by side in a dorm room, channeling bubble-gum pop while someone
works obliviously behind them at a computer. Their coordination is
impeccable, especially during harmonic call-and-response, and they are
unparalleled at creating the illusion of really feeling a song's high
moments. They're a classic comic duo: The guy on the right is streetwise,
fluent in hip-hop hand gestures and facial expressions; his partner is
wistful and sensitive (he occasionally pretends to cry). Watch, for
instance, my favorite video. During the song's climactic midsong rap, the
guy on the right stares the camera down while his partner tosses in delicate
vocal fills and gazes offscreen at (judging from his expression) an injured
puppy limping off to die in front of a sunset. The Two Chinese Boys'
emergence as the best lip-syncers in the world may be the surest sign yet
that we are passing the superpower torch.
As a talent show, YouTube is the polar opposite of American Idol. Instead of
bestowing lucrative record deals based on a mastery of traditional
show-business talents, the site measures a more mysterious and interesting
skill set—the unpredictability, irony, and misdirection at the heart of
lip-syncing—and rewards it with a kind of intangible hip credit. There's
something profound in this. The Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way," for
instance, is just another raft of Top 40 love clichιs—but the Two Chinese
Boys' version of the song (in which the boys, dressed in Yao Ming jerseys,
dart tightly and suddenly back and forth) adds several layers of meaning: It
repeats the clichιs, but it also shows their inherent ridiculousness; it's a
complex pantomime of our guilty love of seeing love marketed via boy bands.
At its core, lip-syncing is a satire of our own unseemly dependence on pop
music—but a satire that's always affectionate. The best syncing is
simultaneous homage and mockery. After all, you have to commune with a song
for weeks, even years, before you can properly sync it.
Oh John, I guess there are worse things you could be looking at on the internet...might I suggest checking out some Stephen Colbert at YouTube, he's a personal favourite of mine...mainly because he's not a crazy pair of guys, lip syncing to the Backstreet Boys!!!
posted by Darlene at 9:27 PM
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