You know what all those other websites do, don't you? They support the big-money interests. They try to steer your entertainment choices in the direction of whatever mega-budget film, blockbuster TV show, or gazillion-selling CD is currently on the market. The emphasis is on joining the herd, and the message is 'buy, buy, buy.' You can demonstrate how discerning a consumer you are by joining the latest trend with 500,000 of your intimate peers. Just like Facebook.

Bah. We don't want you to do that. We happen to know that, even if the Academy of Motion-Picture Whatsits can't be bothered with movies that gross a mere $10m or so, that being fiddling small change to them, the real ideas may be found in that indy project the guy shot with a single handheld and a lot of imagination. Remember Rubber? Of course you do, because you are a h2g2er, and not part of the Mass Target Demographic. You've probably even seen Exploring Surrealism with Peter Capaldi.

If you like being the target of mass-market culture, pop open your Amazon account. They'll tell you what to consume – namely, whatever they've got too much of in stock. If you want to have fun, maybe you'd like to go exploring on Youtube. It doesn't cost you anything you haven't already paid for. Here are some tips to get you started on channel subscriptions. We think it beats channel-surfing on TV, and we aren't selling anything. (We don't get any kickbacks, although the Post Editor will be along with a shameless plug in a moment.)

Hot Tip #1: Maru

mugumogu

Starting with the low-hanging fruit, here. Maru is Youtube's most famous cat. According to his humans, he is a 'boy of Scottish Fold'. Maru's humans are Japanese people. They have a beautifully-appointed house and garden, and two wonderfully entertaining cats, Maru and Hana. Maru is the star. As his humans say, 'He is a little bit lazy, a little bit fat…' Maru is highly intelligent – a true problem-solver. Watching him figure out how to sit in a swing is a lesson in itself.

Alas, Maru has a fatal compulsion: if there's a box, he has to be in it. Even if the box is much, much smaller than he is. Take a look at 'Maru Puts on the Bucket' and see if you don't agree that watching other people's cats in boxes is worth a bit of your spare time.

Hot Tip #2: Malinda Kathleen Reese

Malinda Kathleen Reese

Do you enjoy good singing? Do you love to laugh at Google Translate? Why not combine the two pleasures? Malinda Kathleen Reese is a talented young singer with a growing following and the occasional t-shirt printing. She makes very funny videos which are also easy on the ears due to Malinda's vocal skills. Try listening to the Google Translate Beatles Medley and decide if Malinda's channel is for you.

Hot Tip #3: Parody Project

Parody Project

First of all, try 'Song for Donald', so you get an idea. Don Caron is the lead singer and composer. His parodies will blow you away. We think he does serious stuff when he's not venting about the government. These parodies will tickle your funny bone, lower your blood pressure, and soothe your ears, which may be aching from listening to the eejits on the news programmes.

Hot Tip #4: The Can-Opener Bridge Site

11 Foot 8

For those of you who enjoy the Fast and Furious franchise. This is a series of videos featuring a railway trestle in Durham, North Carolina and a series of moving vans. Wait…you'll be very surprised at how entertaining it is when a German IT guy sets up two cameras at the intersection in front of his office, the better to see crashes with. The low-clearance bridge is clearly marked, with flashing signs…but drivers of rental vehicles often fail to heed the warnings, leading to at least one or more collisions a month.

Warning: watching these can be addictive. Try this one on for size. There are physics lessons involved here, and driving advice. It's educational. At least, that's our story, and we're sticking to it. We love the Can Opener Bridge.

Hot Tip #5: The Tommy Edison Experience

The Tommy Edison Experience

Tommy Edison is not, as far as we know, related to the light-bulb dude. He's a film critic and radio traffic reporter. He's also blind. Tommy Edison's Youtube channel is all about sharing his take on life, and answering questions from young people who want to know odd things, like can he draw? How does he communicate with deaf friends? Does he dream?

Edison is a radio presenter, so he has excellent Youtube presence. His stories will crack you up. Warning: not all of his anecdotes are, er, edifying. He was a pretty mischievous kid, having been arrested while in boarding school, gotten drunk on occasion, etc. In other words, what you will get from Tommy Edison is his unvarnished truth. You will be better for it, we think.

Not-So-Hot-Tip: The Dmitri Gheorgheni Channel

Dmitri Gheorgheni

Yes, it's a shameless plug for the Editor's ridiculous Youtube videos. Besides entertaining the Heavy Leslie fans over in the Daydream Journal, these organ-backed forays into alleged film-making are mainly for practice and to encourage emulation, so that we get good Stuff for the Post. Also because they are fun to do, and I enjoy playing the organ really loud because 1) it's my organ, and I can do what I like with it, and 2) I am pretty deaf.

Your mileage may vary on tolerating space videos with retro music, but if you bookmark it, you'll at least know what everybody else is making mock of in the next Post issue. There's the occasional weird video with classical music, too. The organist is an equal-opportunity offender, genre-wise.

So there you have it: a few suggestions to get you started on the project of building your own entertainment playlist for those times when Sky TV, Netflix, and Amazon all fail you. Remember: you don't have to pay for any of this, and it's absolutely not true that all the good stuff's coming from the big studios. There's a lot of amateur and semi-professional genius out there. Go and find it. Recommend any gems you find.

Dmitri Gheorgheni

19.03.18 Front Page

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