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By Richgellis (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
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Since the spring of 2005, YouTube’s allowed communities all over the world to define themselves through the use of short video clips. Some, of course, capture an intentional moment, professionally shot and featuring subjects who intended to be caught on camera. Music may be involved, or graphics, indicators of seriousness. Other video moments, though, are less... well, they’re a little less of everything.
The following idea was born at a bar—Ye Ole Haunt in Old North St. Louis—so take it with a grain of salt. But it it’d be fun to have a channel dedicated to nothing but random moments taking place around town, whether they be gutter balls thrown in an Illinois bowling alley, or a kid losing a balloon at last summer’s town fair. We’ve all seen the Cardinals dogpile after winning the 2011 World Series, and that image of the final piece of the Arch sliding into place is burned in the memory of any true St. Louisan. But the random stuff?
It’s out there, right? Let’s find some favorite topics and places and see what emerges...
St. Louis Zoo Train Crossing
The following video might not be a good one to watch for those with heart, or other vascular issues, as a moment of considerable tension exists. Even as visitors to the St. Louis Zoo blithely cross a train track, from the left of the screen we see technology intermingling with nature. There, a Zoo Train enters the picture mere seconds after gliding arms tell patrons that danger’s near. We’ll let you watch the rest.
El Monstero, “Have A Cigar,” at Verizon Amphitheater, St. Louis, Missouri, July 14, 2012
This one’s got a little bit of a personal connection. As I wrote for the December, 2012 edition of St. Louis Magazine, I got to “play a cop” during the summer 2012 El Monstero concert at Verizon Amphitheater. But because I couldn’t wear my glasses for the event, much of the evening feels like a blur. Which makes this video of “Have a Cigar” (featuring my pal Matt McInerney on vocals) feel suspiciously familiar. Gosh, we love our classic rock! And we love to shout along, too! Woo-hoo!
Cookie Monsta live at 2720 Cherokee
I don’t know my trap-step from my glitch-hop, but I do know that I could find all my EDM answer if I just spent more time at 2720 Cherokee, our town’s home for underground electronic dance music. In 18 years, a young St. Louisan will ask their 36-year-old parents what they were doing when they met and the answer will involve a brightly-lit Cookie Monsta show. Which apparently looked like the following. (Though I’m left hanging: how’s this song end?)
USS Inaugural
In late fall/early winter, no story captured the St. Louis imagination in quite the same way as the USS Inaugural, “raised” from the Mississippi River by summer drought. In this video, teenaged urban explorers risk life and limb in search of spending time with sunken history. Not to be all spoilerish, but the subjects don’t die in the attempt, so you can watch with both eyes open.
SLU Baseball Harlem Shake
We don’t really need to explain this phenomenon to you, do we? In this edition, the Billikens baseball team engages in a bit of crotch-bobbin’, shirtless, dancin’ fun on their touring coach. College hijinks with a theme/meme are the best college hijinks of all.
Spring Formal @ City Museum, St. Louis
Diana Boro’s man has a lot of swag, but as City Museum videos go, this one has... not a whole lot of City Museum, yo!
Street Fight, Mardi Gras 2013
Skipped Mardi Gras this time around, at least until Fat Tuesday. Looks like the Grand Parade Day was pretty much what I’d have expected, thanks to this lengthy, leisurely, blurry jaunt through the streets of Soulard. If only interested in the advertised fight, a rather disappointing bout takes place at the 3:30 mark, though the combatants have already taken proceedings to the ground. Context? Nah. But think about what you’re watching. What kinda context could you possibly need?
Riding Through Downtown St. Louis on the Metrolink
As literal headlines go, this is certainly one. And it comes compliments of TheElevatorChannel. It’s nice to know such a thing exists, and that it broadcasts raw video of something as seemingly day-to-day as a Metrolink ride, both out-in-the-open and inside of tunnels. Later this summer, I’m entering some Germans and planned to take an end-to-end journey on the local rail line for fun. Here’s a version of what a fraction of that ride looks like, sans human beings.
That what we’ve got. What’re you watchin’?
