Was there life before YouTube?

After only a few short years of life, my YouTube "favorites" list now contains hundreds of videos.  Below are a few of my them, from the sublime to the sublimely ridiculous.  I'm not including the better-known ones -- Brenda Dickson and the subsequent parody videos, for example -- in favor of lesser-known gems (at least, among my crowd).

Given YouTube, the whole Internet makes sense.  The brilliance rises to the top.  Sometimes the genius is unintentional, sometimes it's highly so. 

As an example of the latter, let's begin with a true artist. Ladies and gentlemen, Mark Ryden:

At left is another genius, Michael Gondry, and his video for Cibo Matto's "Sugar Water."  It's worth watching in its entirety.

I admit that I got a bit teary during the next video.  Blame my weakness for gifted nerds of all stripes.

This is from "The Dogway Melody of 1930," which we own on DVD!  Sorry, PETA, but this is funny.  My BF Steve sometimes looks like the wicked leering dog.

To show I'm not high-minded -- if you consider the last video "high-minded" -- I also love videos with the following formula: 1) Come up with stupid, dangerous idea, while drinking if possible. 2) Press "record" on video camera. 3) Do stupid/dangerous thing. 4) Shriek in horror/delight as disaster strikes.

Here's a guy using his butt as a bottle rocket launcher:

There's a plaintive, heartfelt side to YouTube as well, and it's always nice to see such videos hit the big time.  "Special events can be captured so you can send mammaries to the folks back home."

To have this stunning, essential Nina Simone moment at one's fingertips is to be rich indeed.

And then there's simple, well-structured comedy gold -- this one should speak to anyone with a brother.

I'd have KILLED for a "Turbo Heather" when I was a kid!

And of course YouTube gives ebullient gays the chance to fag it up gloriously for the consumption of all!  This is the spirit that Republicans want to destroy!  Well, bring it on mothafuckas -- WonderRobbie starts off high-voltage and only cranks up the volume from there!

I love that he was probably alone in his apartment when he did this.  From such embers grows an artistic INFERNO!

I'll reserve comment on this, except to say: Darling, when doing a dozen pirouettes in a row, SPOT!