Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Behind the Scenes at Weezer's 'Pork and Beans' Video

by Tim Stevens on May 30, 2008 at 09:44 AM

Weezer's 'Pork and Beans' video debuted on YouTube last week, and it has since scored over four million views. Its popularity on the site may in large part be due to its aggregation of a seemingly endless string of the most popular memes , which were themselves YouTube hits, ranging from the Daft Dancers to Tay Zonday and the South Carolina contestant for Miss Teen USA. Now, one of the creative minds behind the video, director Mathew Cullen, is talking about what it was like working with the whole crew of Internet superstars.

It was very surreal. Everyone was talking about the effect that YouTube has had on their life and the differences between celebrity and web celebrity. I witnessed very intelligent conversations about what their place is in the fold, and pop culture entertainment, and what the rippling effects of what they've done and what their future holds.... They were all really fascinated with each other.
The idea came from the theme of the song, which is being happy with who you are even if people think you're a bit odd. That fits perfectly with the idea of Internet memes, where people becoming fleetingly famous often for embarrassing videos, like that of Mark Hicks, whose video of a failed audition scored millions of hits. Cullen says he didn't learn of the recent 'South Park' episode featuring many of the same Internet celebs until after coming up with the concept. He explains that the Weezer video takes a more positive approach by celebrating the creativity of the Internet. [Source: Wired]

Tags: weezer, youtube

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular