Tag Archives: boston

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Funny Conference

So I’m sitting at Starbucks at 3, and I’ll be on stage in about 33 minutes. My presentation looks perhaps like a hotdog long before it takes that edible, if somewhat phallic, shape. Despite my morning’s panic attack, missing a flight and driving the 7 hours to Boston, I manage to catch YouTube Hall-of-Famer Michael Buckley as I pass his town. Sadly he has “a doctor’s appointment” that precludes a quick spanking or whatever YouTubers do when they meet.

It’s 3:03 as I reorder slides, fundamentally changing my entire presentation (shown below on Slideshare) I can’t help but get distracted by two nervous looking band members who appear to be meeting a new digital marketer consultant. “Our last guy, um, got really busy with school,” says Shaggy (his real name is being withheld because I don’t know it). The consultant begins to LAY IT ON THICK. Total bullshit, coated with a thick creamy topping of arrogance and a faux-pedantic snobbery crowning it all like an overly marinated cherry on top.

The topic of viral video comes up, and my face begins to literally contort as I hear the crap this guy’s advising. I couldn’t control my face. I could see some gal looking at me, and then over at them… making the connection. But I can’t help myself. When Shaggy says “I’m not willing to lose my integrity to get 3 million views on YouTube,” I think seriously about coming to his rescue. But something about this consultant strikes me as odd and dangerous. He’s far too assertive, simplistic, narcissistic, simplistic and repetitive (seems we loathe that in others that we resent in ourselves).

As I’ve finally shifted back to my presentation, literally changing the entire thesis at this point with minutes to spare, the consultant BARGES out the door of Starbucks leaving Shaggy and Scooby stunned. Again I decide to go to their rescue, hold their hand, and tell them that one need not compromise their virtues to go viral… I’ll even volunteer. But just like a dream ending abruptly, they vanish. Come to think of it, maybe it was a dream. No… I’m pretty sure it was real.

Then I gave this presentation below. To show that humor is hard to categorize because of its subjectivity, I did a live vlog (seen at the end of this video) where I followed the 102nd rule of “winning over an audience.” I secretly maligned them using a stage whisper. I was actually kinda bummed out they laughed, which is not what I expected after reading this Joel Warner Wired article that put this on my rader (and created an obsession for me).

Now for the preliminary findings, and a BIG thanks to Alexis, Kiddsock and Will Reese, as well as other contributors!

 

Meeting the New Yorker Cartoon Editor

Today I speak about YouTube at the International Society for Humor Studies.

If I don’t finish this post quickly I’m going to miss my flight from Newark to Boston. But I can’t tell you how incredibly excited I am to meet academics who study humor, and I’m perplexed this conference isn’t all over the news. Shame, reporters. Shame, media.

I’m most excited to meet some of the “great minds” of Humor Research (see website), and tickled to find out the friggin’ editor of The New Yorker’s cartoons, Robert Mankoff, will be attending. Check him out in this cool video… he explains humor as a way to understand what we know and don’t.

I hope to make a video while I’m there, and I am curious about whether the crowd will love the idea or despise it. Ideally I’d like to create a video that satires the academic exploration of humor, and shows (willing participants) finding no humor in my sophomoric fart hijinks. That’s called juxtaposition.

TheMightyThor1212 Not Alone at Boston YouTube Gathering

the guy who attends every youtube gathering

The YouTuber who has attended every YouTube gathering since 2002, TheMighyThor1212, was surprised to be joined by two other people at the weekend’s Boston YouTube gathering. Joe, aka MysteryGuitarMan, attended and took some photos. A Ben Franklin lookalike was the third attendee, although he said he planned to be at the venue before he was aware of a YouTube meetup.

“It was a fun time for all three of us,” said TheMightyThor1212, who requested his real name not be used. “I was stoked how much I had in common with the Ben Franklin guy. We both have glasses, opposable thumbs, and an uncanny appreciation for technology.”

Later that evening, MysteryGuitarMan returned home because he’s not allowed out past 10:30. TheMightyThor1212 and Ben Franklin guy went for some drinks at the Lighthouse Bar.

“It was a little weird because I came out of character after four Scotch and Cokes,” said David Scheyd, who earns $14 an hour playing Ben Franklin on weekends. “But that MightyThor dude never took off his shades or told me his real name. And he maintained he’s the son of the Elder Goddess Gaea, is the protector of Midgard, and has a natural affinity for Earth.”

Ben Franklin lookalike