I don't know who Ze Frank is. Apparently he got really popular in the early 00's for a dance video he made that got a bunch of hits. So he became an internet phenom and started sharing his views on the future and possibilities of the internet. Considering he got famous by accident, I wouldn't put a lot of weight behind what he says. It'd be like asking for stock market advice from a guy who won the lottery.
He basically just did standup the whole time. He's got a weird, awkward presence that I didn't really get into. Remember how Jim Carey used to be on 'In Living Color?' It was like that- really spazzy, lots of smirking, lots of weird voices. I'd say only about 2/3rds of his jokes got a laugh.
ah, the subtle comedic genius of Jim Carey
So I guess he was invited to TED because he was on the cutting edge of internet memes. This was back in 2004 before Facebook, youtube, twitter, and just about anything else cool online. I think all they had back then was email and homestar runner. I guess it was still a novel idea to think the internet could do more than just share numbers and letters and watch porn.
As someone heavily obsessed with internet humor, I feel almost nothing towards this guy. I'm sure I should feel some level of reverence, a "respect your elders" mentality, but I don't. Same with how I feel about people like Thomas Edison and Ben Franklin; their achievements, however grand they were, occurred so long ago it's difficult for me to put them in the same category as recent heroes like Bill Clinton or Steve Jobs. Ze Frank might have been pushing some envelopes 8 years ago but I don't think he's got what it takes to stand the test of time online. The shelf life of an online entertainer is razor thin, and you have to be able to adapt before your audience even realize they are getting sick of you.
This is, of course, just my opinion. The dude has a wildly successful webseries (that he recently brought back) that's probably made him a millionaire. But I wasn't on that bandwagon when it started, and after watching this talk I'm making no plans to jump on.
Also, the dude made jokes about being embarrassed about his age AND about having 'relationship' talks with significant others. In 2005! Those jokes tasted old 20 years ago on 'Mad About You!" You can't expect to be a comedy vanguard and cough up old stuff like that.
Anyway you can watch it here.
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