Superman Socks

Flying high in my (homemade) Superman Socks!

In the Fall of 2011, my nephews were at the house for a visit, and the older one said to me, “Aunti, get your laptop, I want to show you something on the internet.” 

My initial reaction was “Uh-oh…What could possibly be interesting to a teenager AND me?”

As I booted up the old lappy, I gently warned him, “This better not be stupid.” He assured me it was not, but instead it would be funny. Still I was leery. There is some weird stuff out in cyber space. I’ve known many adolescent boys in my time…and plenty of adolescent men. But I also know my nephew and I trust him. We have a close enough relationship that he would know what NOT to share with me.

His fingers hunted and pecked the keyboard, filling in the search field in YouTube. As he typed, my nephew tried to explain, “There are these two guys…they go around making street music.”  His explanation really didn’t help.  What the heck is “street music”?

My nephew found the video he was looking for and, I have to say, he was right. Aside from some of the language used, I actually thought "Street Music" was kind of amusing. Well, it was also a little stupid. But the creativity outweighed the stupidity, and that made it OK somehow.

Like a couple of modern day troubadours, these two young guys, Nice Peter and Kassem G, went around in fairly populated public places with nothing but a guitar, a tambourine and a cameraman in tow. They stood on the sidewalk harmonizing improvisational songs about the people who walked past. Much of the contents were goofy observations about the color of shirts people wore or the type of pets brought to the boardwalk.

There are videos aplenty on YouTube by both these guys. One popular music video was inspired by an encounter (altercation?) with a guy in “Street Music.” It is a hilarious song called, “Superman Socks.” 

More than that, though, I am most impressed by Nice Peter's other ventures on the internet.

Nice Peter has several Web venues, but my favorite is his weekly vlog (Video Log) called “The Monday Show.” I enjoy tuning in because he is always so cheerful and just so…NICE. His easy demeanor, soft-spoken words and general joviality give Nice Peter an air of genuine sincerity. He’s like “Mr. Rogers” for the Web…sort of. (And all the girls want to marry him!)

There were very few things that could cheer me following the loss of my job in the Winter of 2011, but somehow, Nice Peter always could. One of my favorite episodes of The Monday Show on the NicePeterToo YouTube Channel is about being “Listless.” By chance, I happened to view it on a bright sunny day when I was feeling gray and…um…listless.

(Did I mention all the girls want to marry him?)

The crazy success of Nice Peter’s YouTube endeavors is an outstanding example of Social Media at its best. Some of his postings receive 2 million hits, and all of them from around the world. When I ponder the goals for my own social media ventures, I am encouraged by the marriage of the simplicity and the complexity of Nice Peter’s efforts and enterprise. The secret? He has genuine talent and he happily shares it.

They say things happen for a reason. I’m glad that my nephew turned me on to Nice Peter.

I’ve been inspired by “Superman Socks.”