Somebody’s Youtube Ping-Pong-ing

Youtube is a funny phenomenon. anyone can upload a video. so many normal man-on-the-street upload videos of themselves singing, get famous for their undiscovered musical talents, usually through the uploading of their own interpretations of professional musicians’ songs, aka covers. Some of these covers get even more famous/popular than the original versions that it is only after watching the covers that the viewers go back to view the original musician’s take. sad? unfortunately most of us are guilty of that, me included.

seeing this phenomenon unfold, i was pleasantly surprised to see this youtube video this morning.

 

but before that… some background information. Gotye is a Australian Indie musician who was suddenly thrown into the international spotlight with the popularity of his song “Somebody I used to Know” featuring Kimbra (a New Zealand singer). the song has since been covered, remixed, parodied so many times that I have a feeling Gotye himself is probably sick of the song. (i heard the original a year back while doing my stop-motion animation and loved it but after a while, it was so overplayed with the many versions, it became “That Gotye Song”.)

here is the original anyway:

 

and one particular cover version got so famous, that many youtube versions that came after it, parodied it. here it is:

I like Walk Off The Earth and i like the idea of the 5 people one guitar, it is done really well and i can see why it is the most popular version. but that said, i still feel the original was able to relate the emotions of the song better.

 

and finally, the video that that made me chuckle this morning (and prompted me to write this blog post.)

a mash-up of the notable youtube versions of the song. And put together by the original musician, Gotye. I can see what he did there. more than a tribute to the song, if you like to read a lot into it (like me…) you might detect the little mocking tone at the whole saga of ‘somebody i used to know’ yet the video montage was edited and put together so well. subtle and sneaky. (haha!) I like how Gotye managed to express his point of view on how often his own song (and music video) was so often being covered on youtube.

(or maybe i am the only one reading too much into it?)

incidentally, Walk Off The Earth will be performing in Singapore today. i am guessing audience will be listening to their famous version of ‘Somebody’?

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the stars are coming out tonight…

this makes me wished i bothered to wake up at 4am to watch the closing ceremony. Take That performing one of my favourite songs by them “Rule the World” from one of my favourite movie ‘Stardust’ based on a novel by a author i like, Neil Gaiman!

and who can forget the Spice Girls: Posh, Ginger, Baby, Sporty and Scary Spice. (yes, i used to be quite a fan.)

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Onward Singapore!

Recently, I have been finding myself suddenly feeling patriotic more often… no, it is not because National Day is round the corner (tomorrow!), i think!

Traveling all the way to Kuching and meeting a local (from Sarawak, not Singapore) on the water taxi, she was excited to gush about how great Singapore and SIA is despite only having only been to Changi Airport! Doesn’t hearing things like that make you feel proud to be a Singaporean? It sure makes me feel that way! And this term break, i feel myself being immersed even more deeply into  the craft, design and art scene here, it is growing slowly but definitely in the right direction, i am so excited where this is going! I read a blog by an expat living in Singapore and she talks about the wonderful things she find living here… I met an Indonesian artist  whose enthusiasm for the small things I hardly notice made me realise the unique things that makes Singapore tick! I feel excited about the Singapore Etsy team planning their own flea and getting generally more involved in promoting the craft in Singapore!

And…I visited Chin Swee neighbourhood and saw all the vanishing trades, a shop that make traditional Chinese funeral paper offerings, another that makes bird cages… These elderly owners and artisans have so much pride in the work they do even though they are probably not given much respect nowadays. Contrasting this with the replica shops selling mass-produced souvenirs that we present our tourists in neighbouring Chinatown, it is sad!

 

Channel News Asia asked what do you hope for the future of Singapore? I hope that we continue to celebrate our culture! And i wish most that in the midst of embracing all things new and modern that we do not forget the old that makes Singapore unique. old traditions, old places (the mosaic playgrounds have been brought up quite often of late.), kopitiam culture, Singlish, simple finger/hand games we played as kids (when the smartphones were still make-belief dreams of scifi movies), the kiasu-ism… and learning to laugh at ourselves, to see the lighter side of life.

to celebrate tomorrow, here’s a lovely stop-motion clip of the Singapore pledge by Picture Meng and his team. eh, Singapore got talent, ok!

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of fingernail lawns.

remember my Hydroscape project for graphic design class some while back? 

this lady‘s “fingernail lawn” is reminded me of it but she is working on an even tinier scale and the idea is so cute! 

 

I am envious her photos turned out nicer than mine but I’d like to say though that my Hydroscape figurines were handmade by me. surely I get some effort points for that?

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