As internet sensations go, 'Shredding' has been a bit of a slow burn. For years, wacky Finn Santeri Ojala had been making and posting parody videos of his favorite guitar players by over-dubbing their rock star fretwork and epic vocals with his own, purposefully off-kilter, musicianship. The effect can be hilarious, especially to the kind of person who knows the correct spelling of 'Yngwie.'
After appearing on Jimmy Kimmel's show, where Ojala played along live to a recorded Slash, the phenomenon kind of took off. More and more people have jumped into the 'shredded' game. At first it was the most rockist internet joke ever with the shredded clips taking on the traditional rock pantheon.
But lately, the shredding phenomenon has come for artists who don't necessarily play guitar. Fun versions include Michael Bolton and Kenny G, Yo-Yo Ma at the Inauguration or the one even your mom would understand, The Beach Boys getting around.
A personal favorite, and possibly the hope for the future of shredding might be this Daft Punk commercial clip that was the most important thing at Coachella this year. Enjoy, at least until the clips get pulled down.
Doug Stern also writes music video treatments and listens to Iron Maiden.
