Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Ronald Jenkees

Yesterday I stumbled onto the YouTube channel of Ronald Jenkees. The first thing you’ll notice is that this guy looks strange and acts strangely. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a better example of how deceptive appearance and demeanor can be deceiving. When he speaks he sounds incredibly square. When he does what he does though, he melts my fucking brain.



Ronald Jenkees is a musician unlike most you’ve ever witnessed. When he describes what he does he displays a level of sincerity and humility that implies that he might not have much to show off. When he performs though, it’s unreal. My favorite video of his so far is currently the newest, with the subject I’m on iTunes! Thanks for the reviews! +NEW BEAT & Impov Jam. I considered embedding this video in the blog page but decided that I’d rather people went to his YouTube channel and checked out a few of his videos.



He has individual mp3s, and album of mp3s, and a physical CD for sale on his website. While I plan on buying a CD I can’t consider that a proper showcase of his abilities (not that I’ve listened to the CD yet). When he plays he really seems to put his soul into what he’s doing and I suspect some of that will be lost in simply listening to the songs rather than seeing him performed. Seeing him perform makes me think of one of the greek philosopher’s (Aristotle? Plato?) guide to happiness: determine what it is that you truly are and be that. When he performs, he appears to be experiencing the music at a level that I could never understand or appreciate. That being said, if you read this Ronald, you should consider live performance or at least a DVD.



So, go to his YouTube channel and check out his videos. Particularly the one mentioned above, the Podcast Intro video, the Rocky video, and the “pretend guitar” video. After that, if you like it leave him some feedback and maybe buy some mp3s or the CD.



In my opinion, this kind of thing is the birthright of the Internet. In conventional media you are either unknown or known by everyone. On the Internet you can be famous by your own efforts provided you have something significant to share.