This morning I woke up thinking “Today, I’m a’ gonna write me a post about the Psychedelic Furs.” I don’t know why that band in particular popped into my foggy noggin early this AM while I was puttering around the house all bleary-eyed, but things can get pretty whimsical here at Dangerous Minds HQ. That’s just how we roll!
So off to YouTube I went, where I searched for “Psychedelic Furs” and then narrowed my search results to videos uploaded “this month,” which is how I found this guy who’d posted his own karaoke version of “Love My Way.” It seemed like an inspired choice of a song for karaoke to be sure, but would he try to imitate Richard Butler’s distinctive rasp? Would he, in the spirit of the best YouTube karaoke stars, give it his charismatic ALL???
Or might he have decided to do a Bill Murray lounge lizard style cover of the New Wave classic, heavy with irony, macking like a BOSS on the K-mic?
See for yourself:
Okay… admittedly, I cracked the fuck up when I watched that, but let me say in all semi-sincerity that’s it’s not my goal here to razz this fellow who has, yes, perhaps opened himself up to mockery, nay even provoking it by the very act of uploading such a perplexing video for all the world to see (even if, at the time of writing this, fewer than 30 people have actually watched it). Certainly it’s difficult to imagine anyone having a reaction much different than a chuckle. Zero people watching this video would think “WOW! This guy’s the next Susan Boyle, what a voice on that crazed loner!” or any similar thought along those lines. No one. Not one person, ever.
Anyway, I like to support human eccentricity and this guy, I think his name is Mike Young, is surely eccentric, but in the most low key, harmless manner possible. To say that he’s got a certain amount of “anti-charisma” is… well, accurate to the point of understatement—he’s all that and a bag of chips—but nevertheless, he’s damned entertaining. I don’t know why anyone would do this, frankly, which makes me like it even more. He doesn’t even seem to be drunk.
Mike deserves some recognition for so doggedly sticking to his karaoke guns in the face of public indifference. He’s made DOZENS of these videos. DOZENS that not even dozens of people have bothered to watch. I hope he gets the fame he seems to be seeking, maybe even a lucrative Geico commercial… or a girlfriend? She’s out there Mike, just like you are out there, m’fren. Keep feeling fascination!
Ladies and gentlemen of the Internet, here he is, performing with all the panache of a drunken Wendy’s manager with mild Asperger’s syndrome cutting loose in a singles bar, I give you more of the best of mikeyoung0‘s karaoke vids.
“I Am The Walrus” (as made famous by The Beatles) karaoke
“Sympathy For The Devil” (as made famous by The Rolling Stones) karaoke
His Stones covers are the best ones. Trust me.
“Gimme Shelter” (as made famous by The Rolling Stones) karaoke
“Call Me” (as made famous by Blondie) karaoke
“Pump Up The Jam” (as made famous by Technotronic) karaoke
Regarding the above video… no liquids before you press play if you value your keyboard or laptop…
“Philadelphia Freedom” (as made famous by Elton John) karaoke
“T.N.T.” (as made famous by AC/DC) karaoke
I have a hard time picking mikeyoung0’s greatest “hit,” but maybe it’s this one?
“Love Will Tear Us Apart” (as made famous by Joy Division) karaoke
Or this one?
“Say My Name” (as made famous by Destiny’s Child) karaoke
Be sure to check out his YouTube channel. His Stones covers tend to be amazing, but he does the worst Elvis impersonation that you’ll ever hear, so don’t miss it when he takes on the King (and Alice Cooper’ Bachman Turner Overdrive; Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Blondie and many more!)
Finally, here’s Mike “unplugged” so to speak, an hour plus karaoke session where he forget to hook up the mixer to the camera, so it’s JUST him singing, remix ready!