Yes, Asheville is an enlightened town with many egalitarian values. In fact, there are few places in this country where bikini-clad Jell-O wrestling could be read as a sign of feminist empowerment. But that’s at least arguably the case with this recent Bootstraps Burlesque event, as filmed by AskAsheville. Although this is a fairly tame video, it might be considered not-work safe by some, so use your best judgment.
Speaking of AskAsheville, here’s a significantly more serious video the YouTube poster filmed at a recent protest against Duke Energy’s attempt to dismiss pollution charges related to the proposed upgrades to the Cliffside power plant in Rutherford County. The video captures only the protester’s point of view, but at least it gives a starting point for those interested in learning more.
The troubles at local public-access station URTV have been in the spotlight for months now, and from this recent video by John Blackwell, it’s clear that tensions between the board and the public are still running high. In the video, a kind of tense stand-off takes place — not over whether or not the station’s board meeting can be filmed, but from where in the room the meeting can be filmed.
If you’ve been following Jenny Bowen’s Faces of Asheville project, you know that the show has been a labor of love. This video sees Bowen tell the story in her own words, and in front of the resulting works.
Here’s something you don’t see everyday, even in Asheville. Poet Patrick Shaughnessy — his hair in pigtails, wearing what appears to be a dress and blouse — reads a poem written from the perspective of a magical unicorn on his way to … well, the title kinda says it all.
And, just to end on a laugh, here’s a classic bit from Asheville’s own sketch-comedy troupe The Feral Chihuahuas. I’ll let them explain: “Aging pop star Cherdonna is still hip and relevant. She’s fresh off a steamy divorce and has a hot new album featuring the single ‘Cougar.’”
Of course, this is a handful of the dozens of interesting local videos uploaded just this week to YouTube, and a mere fraction of the Asheville-related videos available on the Internet. Did we miss a particularly interesting, recently uploaded local video? Share it by leaving the videos URL (but not the embed code) in the comment fields below. Also, please mark it Not Work Safe if there’s any controversial content to the video.
— Steve Shanafelt
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