i wonder what my grad students are posting on youtube...

as of today, almost 7.4 million people have viewed the chocolate rain video on youtube. this puts it right up there with purple rain and hard rain's a-gonna fall for culturally significant rain songs by minnesotans. that's right: city pages is reporting that tay zonday, the writer and voice of chocolate rain, is actually a minnversity graduate student and member of the minneapolis civil rights commission named "adam behnar."

i found no behnar in the directories, but adam bahner serves on the civil rights commission and is listed as a graduate student in the 2003 cohort of the american studies department. a link on an american studies page to tay zonday's youtube channel should remove any doubt as to the identity of the young guy with the major baritone.

here's hoping that mr. bahnar/zonday enjoys his newfound fame and that it somehow proves useful in launching his academic career. i can't say i'm a huge fan, but i'm kind of digging his swing low/amazing grace medley. maybe john mayer, mcgruff the crime dog, darth vader, and green day's tre cool will post responses to that one as well.