YouTube sometimes feels like a vast wasteland of clickbait, flexing influencers, and AI twaddle. And, even at its best, the YouTube algorithm is painfully constraining. If I make the mistake of watching a standup comedian or red carpet celebrity (or, really, any individual whatsoever), they haunt me like hungry ghosts for weeks to come—thrust in front of me by tech that only understands more of the same. But what I want is something different. So I battle against the algorithm—and occasionally prevail. Yes, there are pockets of bliss even in rats’ alley where dead men lost their bones Below are 12 YouTube videos I’ve been enjoying lately. I hope you like them too. The Honest Broker is a reader-supported guide to music, books, media & culture. Both free and paid subscriptions are available. If you want to support my work, the best way is by taking out a paid subscription.The Zulu tradition of a cappella singing is still flourishing in South Africa. Check out this new video from The Joy—who made their new album in just one day. One day, one take, one album….  Every musician wants to go viral, right? Maybe not. Camus warns against it. That’s his name—Camus. And he knows the dangers from firsthand experience. He went viral—but it had so many negative consequences that he gave up music for a year. This is the stuff influencers won’t tell you. Camus offers a deeper perspective on creativity, algorithms, and economics than you will find elsewhere. Final note: I love how he works at the pottery wheel during the entire course of this video—unspoken testimony to the intrinsic value of a creative life, even when it doesn’t lead to riches and stardom.  Here’s a David Bowie riff turned into a country rock party song. This has been around a few months, but I didn’t know about it at first—I’m admittedly out of touch with the latest pickup-truck-and-sixpack playlists. That was until reader Zafirios Georgilas sent me the link. He noted that this is what happens when artists sell the rights to their songs to investors. I enjoyed the mashup, however, and hope Ziggy Stardust, wherever he’s orbiting nowadays, approves. But that hardly matters anymore. Get ready for more reboots of this sort. Investment funds want it to happen, and record labels don’t have any better ideas. Remixes have always existed, but they operated on the fringes of the commercial music world. But now aging stars—hello Elton John!—are reinventing themselves as ingredients in other people’s music. Tech makes this easier and easier. So I expect to see dozens (or maybe hundreds) of old songs showing up in videos like this in the coming months.  It’s sweet seeing Charlie Rouse’s blues solo transcribed on the screen. But it’s even sweeter when Thelonious Monk starts dancing to his horn phrases—with monastic moves that resist notation. I especially like how Monk hesitates for a moment at the keyboard even after getting up from the bench, considering whether he needs to play one more note. Then he decides: To hell with it—only a dance can express what he feels. Rouse deserves credit for taking it all in stride. As a longtime member of the band, he knows that this boss is liable to do anything during the gig.  Keep reading with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to The Honest Broker to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives. A subscription gets you:
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12 YouTube Videos I'm Enjoying Right Now
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