We all love those OK GO videos. Here is a little of the backstory. This is from Peter Sagal’s blog. Peter is best known as the host of NPR’s “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me”:
In the future, everyone will be on YouTube. Specifically, all the odd videos taken of you will migrate to the site. Back in 1999 or so, a local band here in Chicago called OKGO was invited to appear on a public access cable show called Chic-A-Go-Go, in which local bands lip-synched their songs while pretending to play their instruments. OKGO said to hell with that, and choreographed a dance number. But who should pretend to play the instruments? The then-girlfriend of Damian Kulash, lead singer and guiding light of band, worked at our show, and Damian had become close to a lot of people at Chicago Public Radio. Thus, in this video, they are backed by the Chicago Public Radio All-Stars: me on bass, Gretchen Helfrich on lead guitar, Jerome McDonnell on keyboards, and yes, Ira Glass on drums. BTW, I can’t play the bass, so note my too-energetic attempts to fake it. OKGO has gone on to greater things, and much more interesting dance routines, but the seeds of their genius is here.