Witout the internet, I wouldn’t be where I am today. In my early days, like a lot of drag queens, I made a name for myself by mixing iconic songs with the dumbest soundbites I could find to create the most ridiculous moments on stage that only a drunk audience could ever find funny. The dark corners of the web have enthralled and inspired me to make some of my favorite pieces of work, at the same time preventing me from working for hours, days, even weeks at a time due to its powers of distraction. I honor it, I despise it and I devote too much time to it.
1. TV anchor news fails
There are thousands of these compilations online, and I’ve seen every single one of them multiple times – even the bad ones. There is something about the anticipated poise of an anchor being destroyed by a momentary lapse in speech or judgment that absolutely sends me.
2. Teresa Mannion weather report remix
Teresa Mannion is a drag staple. The original weather report is fantastic. The musical remix is fantastic. The addition of the CGI stop sign knocking her out of her is ridiculous. I love it all.
3. Girl tries to sing I Will Always Love You
I, like most drag queens, have performed this video to death, and somehow I just can’t stop. What I thought was a revolutionary idea around seven years ago still gets the giggles today. There’s something about this girl that resonates with all of us. I hear she grew up to be a great person. Kudos sis.
4.Crazy curtain lady
This video takes us on a journey into yesteryear. I’m sure it’s not real, but I love the false nostalgia of believing that this is just what the world used to be like. Perhaps it was…?
5. The Rainbow Sponge
I grew up watching arts and crafts on TV. I absolutely loved all of them, which is why this lady still resonates so strongly with me. She says something iconic at the beginning which really represents our relationship with the internet now: “You can speed me up, calm me down, or turn me off.” I need to employ this logic more often.
6. Saturday Night Live: Close Encounter skit
This is a classic SNL skit. I’m not sure which is better, Ryan Gosling constantly corpsing or Kate McKinnon managing to (mostly) hold it together. cool!
7. Unhhh with Trixie & Katya: Procrastination
Any of the Unhhh videos are genius on their own, but there’s no better episode to procrastinate on the internet than their video about procrastination. It’s embarrassing how many hours (mostly hungover) I have spent rewatching these two.
8. Models falling over on the catwalk
This is another classic. I feel incredibly sorry for all the models in these videos, and as a frequent faller and wearer of stilettos myself, I sympathize. Laughter is the best cure and boy do I laugh!
9. Catherine Tate: frightened woman
The queen of comedy slayed this character. The expectation of what is going to happen versus the absolute thrill when it finally does, is pure genius. I can watch this character on repeat, and often do!
10. Cat filter on a Zoom call
This one is a nod to our tedious days spent in lockdown during the pandemic. We all became experts at Zoom, but let’s never forget the before days – where settings such as cat filters were much easier to turn on than off.