Pork and Beans

Weezer just released their latest single from their upcoming album, titled "Pork and Beans," and although you will probably not be hearing it on the radio any time soon, it is already a smashing hit. By what metric do I draw this conclusion? Well, since its publication just 2 days ago, the YouTube video has already garnered a staggering 2.2 million hits.

As a card-carrying member of Generation 'Net, I will be the first to admit that our tastes are fickle, unpredictable, and often illogical. How on earth do you explain the popularity of the dramatic prairie dog? Or the Rick Roll, a bait-and-switch tactic where unsuspecting users are linked to a Rick Astley video? Who comes up with these memes anyway? I'm sure the music and film industries are dying to crack the formula.

If there is a rule of thumb for success though, it is that netizens love obscure references that they can recognize, and above all, obscure references to internet phenomena. A clever allusion or satire signals a) you are leet, one of us, and a part of the "underground" community, and b) it allows me to feel culturally-educated, in the know, and perhaps, a little superior to everyone else who didn't "get it." Hence, the popularity of this t-shirt, which references a video game though this would be invisible to all those unfamiliar with Portal.

Weezer taps into this psyche by incorporating several YouTube "stars" in their latest video. In short order, I saw references to the Diet Coke and Mentos guys, the sobbing Britney defender, Miss South Carolina, the Evolution of Dance, Chocolate Rain, Daft Hands and Daft Bodies, Kelly from "Shoes," and lots of light sabers.

Will a cyberspace video translate into meat-space sales? I've been a long-time fan of Weezer, and their indie nerd credibility was cemented for me when I realized they were singing about Dungeons and Dragons in "In the Garage." However, I confess that I haven't legally bought an album in years. After watching the video 3-4 times though, I must say, I am more aware of when this album is getting released than where my debit card is. There's a $15 iTunes gift card sitting on my desk; I just may have found something worthwhile to use it on.