This was originally written in 2009, but from 2024 vantage point, two of the videos mentioned and linked to are no longer available…
- From College Humor.com, Web Side Story, mocking web trends as famous bits of West Side Story are re-created.
- “Addiction” dance by Kayla and Kupono from So You Think You Dance.
Last one, though, still exists—and even still seems kind of relevant, as we’re still facing issues of mistreatment by airlines (ask people in wheelchairs). The ability for an individual to actually get a corporation based on a viral video… I guess can still happen, but sure feels harder now that most of the key media for doing so are owned by giant, evil corporations. Anyway. This is what I’d written at the time.
And finally, United Breaks Guitars. My God, this guy has been everywhere since this went viral—CNN’s The Situation Room, CBS Morning Show, CTV National News, Q with Jian Ghomeshi… And more.
One thing not always noted is that Dave Carroll is originally from Timmins (just like Shania). As he recounts in the song, his guitar was tossed around and damaged by United Airways staff, who did nothing to compensate him. So this is his revenge. His goal was to reach over a million views in a year. He’s achieved that in less than a week.
Also, the video is pretty funny, and it’s a catchy little tune as well.
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