Saturday, May 31, 2014

Jerry Seinfeld's internet show was inspired by fetishistic Timberland unboxing videos

People expect things on the Internet to be very personal. I went through a period a couple of years ago where I was obsessed with Timberland. I started looking up videos that people make of themselves unboxing new Timberland boots. 
I don't want to use sexual terminology, but there's something pornographic about it. It's the sound of the paper, the lacing up of the boots, the boot on the wood floor, the squeak sound. I love these videos. That very personal microniche that the Internet world created--it's like a honeycomb with millions of hexagonal cells, and you're just interested in four. That seemed like a fun place to play. "I like taking videos of coffee and cars and comedians. Maybe I could weave them into something." It's not really a show.