SKIRMISHER

The latest YouTube superstar is not some college dorm dude lypsynching another headache-inspiring BackStreet Boys song, or some hot topless latina with bronzed, succulent breasts jiggling and glistening in the sun. The “hot” YouTube icon of the moment is what angsty kids everywhere would simply dismiss as a “crusty old British fart.”

Meet Peter, a 79-year-old British pensioner whose videos have been attracting the admiration of millions of YouTube users in the past week.

Reuters reports:

“Peter posted his first video on YouTube about a week ago, under the user name geriatric1927 which refers to the year of his birth. He called it “first try.”

In the clip, which starts with “geriatric gripes and grumbles” and some blues music, Peter tells how he became addicted to YouTube.

“It’s a fascinating place to go to see all the wonderful videos that you young people have produced so I thought I would have a go at doing one myself,” he says, sitting against a backdrop of floral wallpaper and family photographs.”

Peter’s no-frills, honest-to-goodness videos have earned him more than 14,000 subscribers and 400,000 views. He reminds me of another 79-year-old widow who blogs about what she calls her “last days.”

These fine fellows show you how web 2.0-ish surprises could come from unexpected, previously least admired places.

PETER’S YOUTUBE PROFILE

BRITISH PENSIONER BECOMES SURPRISE YOUTUBE SUPERSTAR [Reuters]

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