The Best of YouTube, Guardian-Style

Just like the Internet as a whole, YouTube can be a tool that on one hand enlightens and inspires and on the other makes the general population slightly stupider. It can be used to watch news clips and documentaries, but it can also be used to watch videos like this. Fortunately, the good folks at the Guardian newspaper over in the UK put together what they consider to be "the 50 greatest arts videos on YouTube" which range from music and literature to film and stage. The list is by no means exhaustive - and doesn't even come close. But there are a few gems on there. Here are some of my favorites (favourites) from their list:

• John Coltrane performs "My Favorite Things" in Germany in 1961
• Jack Kerouac reads from "On the Road" in 1959
• Aretha Franklin sings on a TV special in Stockholm in 1968
• Martin Scorsese mini-documentary to promote "Mean Streets" in 1973
• The Beatles perform their 1969 Rooftop concert

Here's one I would add myself - Stevie Ray Vaughan's performance of "Riviera Paradise" in Austin, Texas. So much heart and soul put into every single note, especially the softest ones:

To see their full list with descriptions, click here. And put the Guardian on your "favorites" list for news websites. It was my newspaper of choice while living over in Ireland. Politically, like a New York Times with an accent.