My Top Five YouTube Channels

Maybe I am getting softer in my old age, but television and most movies do nothing for me now. Yes, I did see a few Hollywood films this past year – “Oppenheimer” and “Poor Things” – but I am more likely to rely on my own collection of DVDs and saved files that I have managed to compile and not betray by heading off to one of the online channels that gives you a taste of what’s out there, and then decides to remove them to make way for the next waste of time. I did this because I realized that someone was piggybacking onto my account, and that I preferred borrowing what I could from libraries and friends, or finding them at secondhand and surplus stores keeping the faith with us lovers of solid media.

But, I also have other reasons for dismissing my old standbys.

The Internet!

Having all of this technology on hand has made a lot of people uncomfortable, lonely and highly dependent on their screens and toys. For me, I can take a ride to work without staring at the latest news of what I cannot control or change in the wider, scarier world, but when I do have a break and need to eat and rest, the Internet is a great way to clear my head. And what do I enjoy on that wonderful system of information dissemination?

YouTube!

Yes, I have an addiction to it. I am sitting here looking over my notes for this piece as I listen to a YouTuber - such a wonderful portmanteau word - discuss the new “Alien” film release this year. I have also looked at videos related to philosophy, urban horror, social dilemmas and interviews with all types of subjects. I have also thought about which pages are now my favourite and how to discuss them with you, gentle reader and scribbler. The idea of getting the list down to just five might seem ludicrous, but please except that these are the ones that personally returned to the most of the last year (I could have created a list of over twenty or fifty separate pages if I tried). This is simply a guide to what I like and what you may appreciate.

And here it is:

Philosophy Tube

I know that the reasons why I go on YouTube are not the reasons why my friends are there. There are commentaries, reaction videos, comedy routines, full movies (if you hunt them down), but also a great deal of material to educate you if you are so inclined. And I discovered that I was very inclined to be educated by Abigail Thorn, a woman who began the page due to rising tuition rates in the United Kingdom. She also openly came out as trans and bravely costumed herself and enlightened me on how philosophy impinges on our daily lives (she is also a talented actor and writer who performs in England). Please watch:

Mr. Nightmare

I grew up being told stories about the lives of my family and relatives in the Caribbean. Some of them were funny, gross, ridiculous...and often scary. My mother's recall of a priest dealing with a possessed woman made watching 'The Exorcist' seem like a polite reprieve (she let me watch the latter because she said it was a 'religious film' - fair point). So, I was prepared to be scared by whatever storytelling pages I could find online. This is the best one, in my humble, shivering opinion; the one that I listen to before going to bed; the one that makes me wonder how much of it is real or hopefully false:

David Hoffman

Now, this was a real surprise. I was a teaching a course at a college when I discovered this page, and I encouraged my media students to refer to his work and his use of the interview format over many decades of work. Then I began to refer students in other departments to his work in order to study how a narrative can be developed over many different subjects with various opinions, arguments and stories.

Bravo, Mr. Hoffman! Please keep them coming:

Stephen King Book Club

Another great surprise, and one that I hope continues as long as its subject keeps the books coming... This club has covered many of the classic books of Maine's greatest tourist attraction, along with some recent works that I have not yet read. Audio dramatizations of the novels, fake adverts and previews, along with some of the funniest interviews and takeaways on King's particular world of horror makes me eager to always go back and see where the page will head next.

I should probably start you off here:

And finally:

Soft White Underbelly

One of the best things about this world of social media is the fact that we are constantly being forced to be social with those elements we may want to ignore: that homeless man in the street; the drug addict with a junkie's lean in an abandoned doorway; that woman who seems to be on her last legs.

What do I mean by this? I mean that this particular page will be a very uncomfortable ride for some of you, as it features interview with those members of the human society we choose to ignore: drug addicts, the homeless, strippers, crime victims, the abused, the neglected, the unknown and the all-too familiar (I will make no assumptions on which videos will trigger and which ones will feel like coming home). I applaud its founder and creator, Mark Laita, for starting this project, and I hope that you do take the time to explore the underside of life:

And that is my list...for now. Even as I was typing this out, I realized I could have added more, like Julie Nolke, Steve Dangle, Area 251, and whatever other pages have now entranced and entertained me. I guess that is a problem with all of these different pages... You just need to know where to look.

Enjoy...and learn.

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You can find more poems, stories, and articles by Kendall Defoe on my Vocal profile. I complain, argue, provoke and create...just like everybody else.

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