On its face, this wildly popular YouTube piece, The TV Theme Medley, is a potpourri of pop-culture fare performed by a talented and versatile musician/tv addict. A deeper analysis after the jump…
1) The artist chooses a seemingly completely random blend of television shows. Though predominantly sitcoms, some are dramatic series, some are sci-fi, some are American cartoons, and other Japanese anime. Other than some mysterious musical connection that provided fuel for his medley-making, I don’t see any connection. I doubt any human being has watched and enjoyed every one of the shows that he selects, especially given that they take place throughout four decades.
2) This kid seems to be Russian or Ukrainian in origin, and very possibly learned English from watching American TV. This speaks volumes to the type of impression non-English speakers get from American culture. Just as my grandfather, an Austrian immigrant learned English from watching Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson, the modern day immigrant teen is learning his dialect from Chandler Bing and Stewie the wisecracking toddler.
3) I have an eerie feeling that this sort of medley (which often marks disastertastic Superbowl halftime shows) represents the future of American popular music. Attention spans are now so short, that we can’t even sit still long enough to enjoy a full 45 second television theme song. As predicted in Demolition Man, future radio stations may play nothing but commercials and strings of classic tv themes.
