In the past few days a video from Australia has achieved viral-like traction in the Internet community, positioning itself to be the first great meme of 2008. In it an unapologetic sixteen year old riles up a reporter with his blase responses regarding a party he had thrown, a party that spiraled out of control and needed police intervention to break up. Now, I am not going to pass judgment here on either the kid for having the party, or the media for thrusting young Cory in front of the cameras without his parents permission not once, but twice [the follow up story is becoming almost as popular]. No, I am going to comment on the fact that I think this kid could be the reincarnation, or at least spiritual heir, of John Lennon.
1. Lennon loved messing with authority
In this video, Cory is obviously having a great time riling up his interviewer. The more outraged she gets at his blase, unapologetic stance, the more blase and unapologetic he becomes. It reminded me of the Montreal interviews with John, showing his obvious delight in playing with those authoritarian figures who ventured in for an interview.
2. The glasses
One of Lennon’s most distinguishing trademarks were his round, wire frame glasses. It is almost impossible to think of later years Lennon without thinking of those glasses. They were often a main focus of his doodles and artwork, and he was obviously aware of their iconic status. In the video, the kid refuses to remove his large yellow sunglasses because, in his words, “They’re famous.” He also understands the power of the image he is presenting, and the value of the glasses to help him realize that image.
3. Both had healthy egos.
Lennon came under fire for comparing the popularity of the Beatles to that of Jesus. Obviously you would need to have a good deal of confidence to do that. In the video, blah shows his confidence as well. After being told by an increasingly strident interviewer that he should take a long look at himself, his response is: “I have. Everyone has. They love it.”
It’s possible that some people might take offense, that my comparing John Lennon to this kid, but I’ll just leave you with this. Each generation seems to get the icon it deserves. Perhaps this is the choice of a new generation.
