Remembering LaMarr Wilson

As odd as it may be to say this sentence out loud, I've been on YouTube for about 20 years now. It'll be exactly 20 years in March, so it's pretty safe to say I've been around since the birth of the platform and seen it change from a place to put random clips to a place that was the world's public access channel to the biggest streaming platform in the world.

(I get the feeling you're going to see people try to claim Netflix is the biggest streamer in the coming months for regulatory reasons and a major media deal, but that's untrue, and I'm not going to talk about that today)

 I never really put much on the platform aside from a few clips because I'm really not much of a video entertainer. I tend to write. I think I'm pretty good at that. That said, I've been entertained throughout the decades on YouTube, and there were four brothers I've always followed there:

Daym Drops for food stuff, Dashie for games, Andre "BlackNerdComedy" who proudly wore his Black nerdiness as a badge, and LaMarr Wilson for tech geekiness. 

There are so many other guys and ladies I follow that fit that mold, but these brothers resonated with me the most. They're around my age (I'll be 48 in about a month, lord willing), so they were completely from my generation and experienced the same world experiences they've seen. 

The idea of just seeing a bunch of brothers who didn't adhere to the media and societal ideals of what Blackness is supposed to be definitely piqued my interests over the decades. These guys never shied or shunned from their Blackness, and you could tell they fully and unashamedly embraced it. Believe me, after feeling like an outcast and a weirdo all of my life, many of you folks don't know how cathartic and empowering it is seeing that so prominently on a platform as prominent as YouTube even though at times, YouTube tends to ignore and obscure their contributions, especially when they used to celebrate the platform publicly.

So, after hearing about LaMarr's passing today... I'm numb. I'm heartbroken. Hearing about the circumstances of his passing broke my spirit as well. And for somebody who tends to talk a lot albeit on the printed page, I have no words. I've never met the man. I don't know his story behind the screen. All I know is the jovial good-natured tech guy who showed off things he loved and was into who was beloved by so many people. And you could tell that through the energy LaMarr showed off in every video and short. Every video he made was made with love, and the fact he's no longer here saddens me. The world feels a lot less funny and entertaining. 

Condolences to LaMarr and everybody who knew him personally and everyone who loved his work.

I know this time of year is stressful for many of us, but do take the time to check in with your loved ones and the people you care about from time to time to see how they're doing. It may seem a little cliche to say this, but even a simple message could brighten someone's day. Empathy is a wonderful thing, and don't let heartless people who only care about themselves tell you otherwise.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just need someone to talk to, call or text 988 in the U.S. and Canada, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Make This Make Sense

Image
There is a very, very stupid rumor out there right now about how Discovery, the second most poorly run entertainment company on the planet (Paramount Global is far, far, far worse, but you'd never know that if you only paid attention to the animation side of social media or only read entertainment rags), is thinking of selling off the entire Looney Tunes brand. I still believe it's a stupid rumor created by someone looking for (and getting) a lot of clicks from an already paranoid fanbase who has seen Discovery take the 300+ Looney Tunes shorts (not even the entire 1000 golden age theatrical shorts was on the site) off of the service that has no problem clogging the once-premium streaming platform with 249 seasons of House Hunters with over 1900 half-hour episodes  (seriously, check that link, there are 249 seasons of that show and counting),  26 seasons and nearly 350 episodes of Curb Appeal , 51 seasons and nearly 550 episodes of Diners , Drive-Ins, and Dives , or every se...
Read more

MeTV TOONS: A Few Pre-Launch Thoughts

Image
  On June 25, 2024, Weigel Broadcasting and Warner Bros Discovery are launching MeTV TOONS, an over-the-air broadcast network devoted to classic animation featuring the best of the best.  You'll have the usual suspects from the Warrner Bros library including Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Top Cat, The Jetsons, The Smurfs, Jonny Quest, and Wacky Races .  You'll also find some shows that rarely get the airplay or shine from the studio like Silverhawks, Police Academy, Challenge of the Go-Bots, The Mask, and Beetlejuice and surprising shows like Freakazoid. In addition, you'll have some popular shows from other studios like Woody Woodpecker, Betty Boop, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Underdog, Speed Racer, Thunderbirds, and The Real Ghostbusters. With a lot of support from historians like Jerry Beck and talent like Bob Bergen, MeTV TOONS is a dream come true for older classic animation fans who felt abandoned by kid-...
Read more

Building A Better Media Conglomerate

Image
Want to play a little game?  Back in the day when I was working full-time on TXB, I created a series of articles called "Imagine If." Essentially, reimagined scenarios of media companies doing things they likely could have done in the past but decided against it.  Saban buying Funimation. Warner Communications keeping Nickelodeon. Ted Turner actually buying CBS. The USA Cartoon Express lasting beyond 1998.  Things like that.  This is no different.  I was given a challenge by reader and fellow AU scenario writer Chandler Ritter-Roberts over at Bluesky . The challenge?   Building a media company that could become a massive modern media conglomerate.  #BuildYourAltConglomerate, as his hashtag goes.  I could create a company as big as I want to counter what two of the biggest media companies, Warner Bros Discovery and The Walt Disney Company, could do and create a realistic media empire.  The one caveat in this game? While every media compan...
Read more