As somewhat of a belated obituary, I’d like to give my send off to The Show with Ze Frank, my favorite video blog that ended its year-long run in March. Having started my shiny new job, I lost the free time I usually spent perusing the internets and only today discovered that my beloved has moved on from the video blogging world.The Show was one of the first video blogs pre-You Tube, and more, one of the first GOOD video blogs (see antithesis: Rocketboom). He used his charming, juvenile humor to catch his viewers’ attention, and created a cult following of “Sports racers” with his catch phrases and his running jokes, like, “Are the new viewers gone yet?” after saying something absurdly stupid. It was a special club that he created with only his creativity and charisma. How many people could sponsor a cross country trek for a fan, relying only on fans of the show for food and shelter along the way?
He was silly, but in a way that wouldn’t make even me–a harsh critic for immaturity if there ever was one–roll my eyes. He was genuine and unpretentious, sharp and silly all at once.
He didn’t use his exposure to talk about his cat (well, only a little)–he made observations about sociology, city life, and human nature. He approached politics as only politics in America deserves to be covered–with ridicule, biting criticism, and a grain of salt.
He was almost hard to follow with the brisk pacing of the editing–his wide eyed enthusiasm coupled with the blog’s brisk editing (he is never showed blinking) leave you little time to ponder his wise words and jokes before he is already one step ahead of you. Viewers are kept on their toes and encouraged to participate in the conversation.Drinking his coffee and muttering to himself about in front of the camera, hanging out in his apartment, Starbucks cup in hand, Frank is the typical New York Guy–slightly neurotic, witty, intelligent, and a little retarded. He’s the kinda guy I’d–er, you’d–like to date. I’ll miss watching his posts first thing in the morning before work, giggling to myself over my coffee. I wish him well in whatever he is doing now–and I hope his projects are just as hilarious and inspiring as his first.
Filed under: Media
