Everyday I have the pleasure of working with a guy named David Fishel.  He's a full time video editor - a talented one at that - but after work, when nobody's watching, David lives a secret second life as an Internet superstar.  His website, DaveyDanceBlog.com, chronicles his dancing adventures around the world and he was nice enough to answer a few questions for me. 

What gave you the idea to start dancing around the world?
In September 2006 I moved to Paris and soon after, I grew homesick. The next March, I took a trip to visit some friends in Italy. On the way, I thought it might be fun to make a video of me dancing to “Don’t Let Me Down” by The Beatles while in front of the leaning tower of Pisa (sort of as a video post card for my friends back in the States). My friend, Barb, and I shot a test in Florence on our way to Pisa. We both had so much fun, we decided to make a few more in Italy. After that, the video blog gradually grew to the modest project I call Davey Dance Blog.

How do you pick a song?  Walk me through that process.
Well one thing I really enjoy about this project is coming up with (hopefully) clever songs which relate to the locations. Most of the time, the songs relate to the places where I am dancing. Some songs relate more directly than others (ie. Cold War Kids at the Berlin Wall, “Immigrant Song” at Plymouth Rock, or Sunshine Underground on the NYC Subway). There are a couple of Davey Dance Blog videos which relate more to a situation than a place.

So usually, once I know I will be traveling to someplace, I think of a monument nearby that might be fun to dance in front of and then I try to think of songs or groups which I like that might correlate to the name, shape, place, or history of the location. Sometimes it is an obvious choice, but my favorites usually make the viewers think a little more.

Davey Dance Blog -45- LOUVRE - Katerine "100% V.I.P." from Pheasant Plucker on Vimeo.

Continue reading the interview after the jump

Have you seen Where The Hell Is Matt?  What do you think of his dancing skills?
After posting probably my 10th Davey Dance Blog video, a friend of mine sent me a link to Where The Hell Is Matt.  My initial reaction was, “Well crap. This dude already danced everywhere.” I considered canceling my project, but it did occur to me how, even though we both dance when we travel, our projects are quite different. Where the Hell is Matt is one video which is more about a dude doing the same dance wherever he travels. Davey Dance Blog is a series of videos where a dude does an improvised dance to a location-specific song wherever he travels.

His project and mine are achieving different goals. That said, based on what I have seen, if I had to guess who would win in a dance-off between Matt and my Baptist grandmother… Matt would totally get served.

Do you have a favorite dance or favorite dance location?
That is tough. “Satisfaction” at Versailles will always be one of my favorites. I love the light, the location, dancing with my friends, and Otis Redding wailing in my ears. 

“Oh So Quiet” in Karlsruhe is another one I really enjoy.  I also love “Float On” at Mont. St. Michel simply because it was the first ‘group’ Davey Dance Blog video, and because I got stuck in the bed of the Atlantic at the end and my friends had to pull me out. 
 
In a greater sense, is all music meant to inspire movement in people?  Do you believe dancing is superior to listening in terms of how one should enjoy music?
Not at all. Surely, I think certain music for certain people will always lend itself to certain movement, but I don’t think all music is meant to inspire movement. I see music and movement as two separate forms of art. Movement can exist without music as music often exists without movement to accompany it. We all can enjoy music in various ways. 

Have any bands or musicians requested that you use their songs in one of your videos?  Would you be open to such an idea?
A few random people have sent me links to their songs with that in mind. I have yet to find music that, for me, fits with a location I am traveling to, but I am definitely open to the idea.

If the Internet didn’t exist how would you compensate for the creative outlet its afforded you with your dance videos?
Tough question. I mean, first of all, I am not a dancer in a classical sense. I have had no training and I think it shows. I just like to dance. For me, Davey Dance Blog is a two part performance: There is the live audience who hears no music and sees me flailing about in a public place; and there is the internet audience who watches me improvise a dance in a video with synced music. I like this dual nature of Davey Dance Blog.

I guess if the internet did not exist, Davey Dance Blog would probably only exist on a DVD as some strange pop-performance art project which I would share with friends and family.

Of course, if the internet did not exist, neither would this website, pornography, or Al Gore.

Do you have any signature moves?  Do they have names for them?
I have a fairly limited vocabulary of movement, so I suppose people who follow the blog can recognize various moves which I use a lot. I’ve noticed that I often slip into a kind of foot-shuffle. Every once in a while, I have thought I should avoid using the same moves, but once I start dancing to the music, it can be hard to control the way my body wants to move.

Do people just assume you’re crazy when they see you dancing wildly in front of landmarks?

Based on the reactions I have seen and the camera has captured, I would have to say, “Yes!” People overseas look at me as if I am a complete loon. Here in the US, people seem to be less affected by watching insane people. Maybe that has something to do with our culture and/or government.

What or where is the ultimate dance blog location?  If you had unlimited funds, where would you go make a dance blog and why?  

If I had unlimited funds which I could only use toward making the ultimate dance blog, I would dance on the moon with the entire population of the planet dancing with me. I’m a sucker for big spectacles.

If you haven't seen a StSanders video on YouTube you're really missing out. You're especially missing out if you're a musician because, like jazz, they need to be understood before they can be appreciated.  What StSanders does is simple: he finds footage of famous guitar players, he takes out the audio and he overdubs his own poorly executed "shredding."  However, the cringe-worthy solos he records are so well synced up to the guitarists' hand movements that many musicians have been tricked.  StSanders was nice enough to answer a few questions for us via email. 

Indaba: Who are you?  How old are you?  I have a theory that you're an accomplished music producer who moonlights as a comedy-cum-music video creator.  Am I right?
StSanders: Not quite, but close enough. My name is Santeri Ojala and I am a 32 year old Media Artist who just happened to notice how comedic some musicians can look while performing.

Indaba: Your Shredding videos, though clearly not what is being played, match up insanely well to the finger movements we see on the video.  How long does it take you to match that up?  Do you record each part in one take or do you record each little part separately?
StSanders: It all depends on the clip. For example the Marty Friedman clip took only a few hours to complete, because there was just one guitar and an audience. But for example, the Santana clip took many days to get together. Sometimes things come out just right and I get almost a whole clip recorded on only one take, but usually I have to go back and forth and really concentrate on what the performer seems to be "playing".

Indaba: Which video was the most fun to make and why?
StSanders: I think Santana shreds. There was just too much going on onstage. The funniest thing was to come up with the odd instrument configurations. I mean take a look at the stage drummer. His drum set consists only of toms and cymbals. What kind of a drum set is that? It takes the whole "don't know how to play" concept to another level. This guy doesn't even know what the drum set is supposed to be!

The Santana clip was also a great one to hide little hints of some of the major difficulties that musicians have to overcome in their playing. For example the drummer - he just hasn't practiced enough to make his drum roll regular and even. The other is the keyboardist with the fat fingers. He can't even play the "The Final Countdown" part without losing interest half way through.

Indaba: Your latest, Iron Maiden, seems to be your most ambitious.  How long did it take you to put it all together?
StSanders: The hours are really hard to count afterwards, because usually I make these if I have spare time. So it's like an hour here another there. But I think maybe around 30 hours.

Indaba: How did you get into this? Had you ever seen anything even remotely similar before?
StSanders: I got into this partly for the laughs. The other reason is more of a subconscious one. I'm an artist and I have a need to create something new. In this case the creation is an odd world in which the level of professional playing is at "shreds" level. I have seen something like this, yes. But not quite. There are similiar things I've seen online, but nothing quite like this.

Indaba: I see you videos like Jazz in a way - If you don't know much about music, they're not as good.  As someone who plays a bit myself I can appreciate some of the more subtle musical jokes.  Do you hear similar sentiments from musicians?
StSanders:Yes. But I've also heard that studio professionals have been fooled into thinking it's real!

Indaba: Have you made any money off these videos yet?
StSanders: All the videos in my YouTube Profile are free of charge and no money has been made off of them. I've had requests from bands all over U.S. to "StSanderlize" their upcoming video or a live performance.

Indaba: What advice would you give to a kid whose guitar skill level sounds like one of your shredding videos?
StSanders: Keep practicing. When you get better, you can go back to being bad.

Indaba: Have you heard from any of the bands or people you've dubbed over?  Do you pick your targets at random or is there a reason for the bands you've chosen?
StSanders: None have contacted me directly, but I've heard Steve Vai finds them hilarious.  Sometimes I think of an artist that could be great to get "shredded". If I find a good clip of the performer, I go for it.

Indaba: Who is next?
StSanders:  Don't know for sure. Sometimes the shreds don't come out right and they are abandoned. Like the Metallica live I did. It just got boring so I let it go. (But I must say in that clip Kirk did have the most dominating wah in the market). If it's not funny, what's the point? But this much I must say. I've got three REALLY "shred-worthy" clips in line. So, let's see.

A Few StSanders favorites for all you readers...