I've caught something...
it's a viral YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo) that is 100% sad but true
"United Breaks Guitars" by Dave Carroll, a Halifax musician (http://www.davecarrollmusic.com/story/united-breaks-guitars).
It's amazing -- If I'm reading this correctly only he posted the video on July 6, 2009 -- that's THREE (3) days ago.
The stats on it are:
14 - Most Discussed (This Week) - Canada
"Dave Carroll, the songwriter whose bouncy tale of damaged six-string baggage has been lighting up YouTube and tweaking United Airlines for the last two days, is declaring victory. And astonishment.
He doesn’t want any money from United, the 41-year-old Nova Scotia singer-songwriter says, even though he wound up paying $1,200 to repair damages suffered by his guitar on a spring 2008 series of flights from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Omaha, Neb. And he’s still trying to fathom the web-media explosion that brought his case to the world’s attention.
“Any day you’re on Wolf Blitzer’s screen in ‘The Situation Room,’ it’s a big day,” said Carroll late Wednesday, winding down after a medley of interviews.
His transformation from disgruntled flier to fractured-baggage troubadour began in November. That’s when, after months of failed efforts to get help from United, Carroll had his “Michael Moore moment” and resolved to write not one but three complaint songs, make videos, then distribute them on the Web. About that time, Carroll says, he gave up on getting anything from the airline and focused on transforming the experience instead.
He uploaded the first song, “United Breaks Guitars,” near midnight on July 6, drawing about six hits in the first hour, “and I think five of them were mine.” Now, with the YouTube tally somewhere north of 150,000 views and his countrified, harmony-laden tune being touted all over, Carroll says, he’s beyond satisfied.
Dave Carroll, the songwriter whose bouncy tale of damaged six-string baggage has been lighting up YouTube and tweaking United Airlines for the last two days, is declaring victory. And astonishment.
He doesn’t want any money from United, the 41-year-old Nova Scotia singer-songwriter says, even though he wound up paying $1,200 to repair damages suffered by his guitar on a spring 2008 series of flights from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Omaha, Neb. And he’s still trying to fathom the web-media explosion that brought his case to the world’s attention.
“Any day you’re on Wolf Blitzer’s screen in ‘The Situation Room,’ it’s a big day,” said Carroll late Wednesday, winding down after a medley of interviews.
His transformation from disgruntled flier to fractured-baggage troubadour began in November. That’s when, after months of failed efforts to get help from United, Carroll had his “Michael Moore moment” and resolved to write not one but three complaint songs, make videos, then distribute them on the Web. About that time, Carroll says, he gave up on getting anything from the airline and focused on transforming the experience instead.
He uploaded the first song, “United Breaks Guitars,” near midnight on July 6, drawing about six hits in the first hour, “and I think five of them were mine.” Now, with the YouTube tally somewhere north of 150,000 views and his countrified, harmony-laden tune being touted all over, Carroll says, he’s beyond satisfied."
He hasn’t written the third part of the United trilogy yet, “but the way things are going, it could be a love song.”
As for the people at United, spokeswoman Robin Urbanski declared Tuesday that “this has struck a chord with us.” On Wednesday, she added that “his video is excellent, and we plan to use it internally as a unique learning and training opportunity to ensure that all our customers receive better service…. This should have been fixed much sooner.”
— Christopher Reynolds/Los Angeles Times
Dave himself has said:
"United has demonstrated they know how to keep their airline in the forefront of their customer’s minds and I wanted this project to expand upon that satirically. I’ve been done “being angry” for quite some time and, if anything, I should thank United. They’ve given me a creative outlet that has brought people together from around the world. We had a pile of laughs making the recording and the video while the images are spinning on how to make “United: Song 2” even better than the first. So, thanks United! If my guitar had to be smashed due to extreme negligence I’m glad it was you that did it. Now sit back and enjoy the show."
I will Dave, trust me I will, and btw -- DARN YOU! that chorus is catchy, like an earworm. I'm finding myself singing "United breaks guitars". I hope United isn't planning on infringing on any copyright issues by using your video as training material. Anyone holding United stocks right now would be well advised to sell them -- unless of course they do something absolutely heart-warming in response. But that may be as unlikely as Dave flying United ever again.
