Seriously, Man, You and Me, We're Done Professionally

Another Viral Example Brands Can't Duplicate

Take something topical, like say, a spoiled actor screaming at length at a production guy for "trashing my scene" and set the audio to dance music. Instant hit. 2 million views on YouTube in a matter of days, with many of those viewers following the link to the MySpace page of RevoLucian, a producer from LA, (real name: Lucian Piane) who is making a name for himself by taking the captured, candid audio moments of celebrities and turning them into lyrics for his mixes. He's skewered Bill O'Reilly, Barbara Streisand, Sarah Palin and the "Don't Taze Me Bro" guy.

RevoLucian is not signed to a label, but everyone loves his stuff now. He says he's producing RuPaul's new CD, but that's not much of a calling card. Being able to say, "I created the Christian Bale Dance Remix" however, should open a few doors.

Why is Mr. Piane's Bale remix a hit? It's topical, for one. It's also funny and smart. And it actually happened. It's Batman (fucking) losing it. And now it's a dance remix. I can see this song being played in clubs, with the main lyric, "What don't you fuckin' understand?" being shouted out on the dance floor. Piane's viral is now a resume maker.

Bale ranted and Piane struck while the topic was hot. Now he's got the momentum to take his work (his "brand" if you will) to loftier places. But few people care to see what a brand's professional production team has deemed "viral." Ray Ban got some views for their glasses catching guys, but that video got as much negative press for trying too hard and being smug as it did for being clever.

I stand by the maxim: Good viral just happens.