Going back to school can be a drag. If you’re 12, you might get a new pair of shoes and a backpack out of the deal, but for the rest of us there’s no escaping the reality of another nine months of continuous work, just to get a 9-to-5 someday.

It isn’t all gloom, though–Youtopia’s here to show you schools that have nothing to do with chalkboards and staying up late in Lauinger. Maybe it’s time to start using that tuition money for something more interesting.

Maybe.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Jack:

Next to a nun playing rhythm guitar with a full rock band, this is the most entertaining thing I’ve witnessed in a church.
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“Remember, the problem is not that people are stupid; the problem is that modems are cheap.” –Vince Sabio

Stupid behavior is ubiquitous on YouTube, and it’s one of Youtopia’s raisons d’etre. Self-indulgent video diary? Check. Drunk history? Yep. Shameless pranks? Gotcha.

Still, the quote above speaks to a greater point: People aren’t so much stupid as they are hungry for attention. With this idea in mind, our theme:

People Destroying Computers

Aside from posting about how much one hates YouTube, this is about as hypocritical as videos come. The impulse to destroy is stupid, but the subsequent means of sharing the destruction takes the cake.

You know how video killed the radio star? Well, here’s proof that the Internet star kills itself.

America!

There are only so many more stereotypes Kentucky can handle before it implodes altogether. (more…)

Between directing groundbreaking films like Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, backing well-known skate vids like Video Days and Yeah Right, and co-creating MTV’s Jackass, Spike Jonze has produced a few era-defining music videos in his time. This time on Youtopia, we’ll check them some out.

Born Adam Spiegal, Jonze has been making videos since he was 23 and has helmed about 49 projects since 1992 (including 12 videos in 1994 alone). His best work blends wit, spectacle, and thematic ingenuity into one sublime package, often transcending genre convention in the process. Jonze’s list of collaborators is ample evidence of his appeal: the Beastie Boys, Weezer, Daft Punk, Notorious B.I.G., and more.

Here’s a few of my favorite Spike Jonze projects:

Sabotage – Beastie Boys – 1994

“Sabotage”, like “Buddy Holly” below, functions as a rehash of ‘70s television, this time spoofing hammy detective shows Hawaii Five-O and Starsky and Hutch. The brilliance of “Sabotage” is its ability to maintain kinesis without any actual storyline –-a testament to Jonze’s frenetic editing. The Beastie Boy’s fake mustaches don’t hurt either. (Fun fact: Jonze’s one-time lady friend, Sophia Coppola, conducted the fake interview at the beginning of the video). (more…)

Youtopia explores the wealth of trash and treasure available on Youtube and runs on Fridays. It used to exist in the print version of the paper, but that didn’t make any sense, so now it lives free on the internet.

Batman has seen his fair share of rough times. We’re talking watch-your-parents-get-shot rough, fire-breathing attack dogs rough, and nipple-suit rough. Dynamic duo Chris Nolan and Christian Bale refuse to give the guy a break, though, returning to the hero with with today’s The Dark Knight. According to reviews, the movie promises to be an excellent one, thanks in no small part to Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker.

But just how good is The Dark Knight in comparisons to other Batman projects? Adam West and Burt Ward (the original Batman and Robin of the 1960s series) can give us an idea. Here are a few clips from the Batman TV show and Batman: The Movie.

Bombs away!

What does any self-respecting superhero do after getting rid of an old-timey bomb? Scare Robin from behind a crate, of course!Batman hangs ten, after the jump
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Synth-pop duo Yaz (also known as Yazoo) will be reuniting at the 9:30 Club this Sunday.

Formed by Alison Moyet  and Depeche Mode’s Vince Clark in 1981, the pair had success in the U.K. with singles “Only You” and “Situation” in early 1982. Their albums Upstairs at Eric’s and You and Me Both also reached the top of the charts before the group disbanded in 1983. Moyet would go onto a solo career; Clark formed synth-group Erasure.

25 years later, Yaz is together again with a tour of Europe and the U.S. entitled ‘Yazoo Reconnected: Live.’

You can catch them at the 9:30, but only if you’ve been making bank since the ’80s — tickets cost $50.

“Less is more” is an ethos too often overlooked by producers and musicians alike. Not every single has to sound like Phil Spector, Dave Fridmann, and Timbaland were fighting over the mixing board.

Case in point: Spoon’s “I Turn My Camera On” uses its bass line like a fulcrum, employing repetition and simplicity to a point of sweet confection (sans the heavy lifting).

“Black Rice” - the first single from Canadian newcomers Women - lives by the same minimalist creed. The main riff employs a grand total of three notes; a glockenspiel and piano incessantly pound the same D during the chorus; your little sister could play the drum part. Yet all of these elements are absurdly well-chosen, melding together into a catchy-as-hell rock/pop song.

The minimalism ends up accentuating the song’s real gem: the vocal melody. The lead singer (whose name remains elusive despite insistent Googling) channels a Colin Blunstone/Brian Wilson ‘60s aesthetic with a more modern, nasal bent and an impeccable falsetto. In true pop fashion, the chorus demands to be sung, though you’ll probably be singing the wrong words, since the lyrics are tough to catch. Still, “Black Rice” is effortless, infectious, tuneful, and drunk – the epitome of a great summer song.

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