Trevor dances in the Apple Store

April 14, 2011 11:11 AM

iTr3vor does not seem to know how to un-mirror his video clips and has only the vaguest understanding of copyright law. But he does like dancing in Apple Stores to the works of Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, and Rebecca Black, among others.
posted by silby (93 comments total)

no. no no no no. oh god.
posted by molecicco at 11:15 AM on April 14, 2011 [2 favorites]

Hah, awesome kid. Not exactly a pro yet, but he has a ton of confidence, enthusiasm and basic at least basic body balance/co-ordination, which puts him above 90% of the dancers in a typical club. Go him!
posted by Drexen at 11:16 AM on April 14, 2011 [7 favorites]

Some kids are cute; others are obnoxious. I'll go with obnoxious this time.
posted by ericb at 11:18 AM on April 14, 2011 [2 favorites]

The tricks that he does are ever so clever.
posted by Wolfdog at 11:18 AM on April 14, 2011 [6 favorites]

Awesome! I wish I had his moves.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 11:19 AM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

Can we burn down all the Apple stores yet.
posted by christiaan at 11:21 AM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'm not sure, legally speaking, that "NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED" is worth the effort of typing.
posted by samworm at 11:21 AM on April 14, 2011 [2 favorites]

The hottest club in Manhattan is called The Apple Store. Finally, a club that answers the question HAWHAT? It has everything. Dub DJs. Skyscraper climbers. Fire breathers. And moptop devishes.

Moptop dervishes?

It's that thing where you put a webcam on a little kid, play some lady gaga, and watch them go craaaaazy.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:22 AM on April 14, 2011 [20 favorites]

That blond in the background of the third video was pretty good looking...
posted by tomswift at 11:25 AM on April 14, 2011

Derail ahoy!
posted by P.o.B. at 11:29 AM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

I assume this is a commercial campaign of some sort?
posted by Nelson at 11:32 AM on April 14, 2011

The fact that no one is sure whether this is a viral or not proves just how harmful virals are.

Either way, though, that kid is pretty unselfconscious.
posted by DU at 11:35 AM on April 14, 2011

"No copyright infringement intended"? Is this kid related to Jon Kyl?
posted by MegoSteve at 11:36 AM on April 14, 2011 [3 favorites]

It's that thing where you put a webcam on a little kid, play some lady gaga, and watch them go craaaaazy.

*breaks*
posted by shakespeherian at 11:36 AM on April 14, 2011

I'm seeing more kids with Bieber haircuts. Children are stupid.
posted by Burhanistan at 11:38 AM on April 14, 2011 [2 favorites]

Oh, American middle class. They say you're disappearing, but you keep showing up on the internet.
posted by The World Famous at 11:38 AM on April 14, 2011 [14 favorites]

This guy, I like him.
posted by bayani at 11:38 AM on April 14, 2011

Oh great, another kid desperate to be an Internet phenomenon, just what the world needs.
posted by ciderwoman at 11:39 AM on April 14, 2011 [2 favorites]

Astro Zombie: "The hottest club in Manhattan is called The Apple Store. Finally, a club that answers the question HAWHAT? It has everything. Dub DJs. Skyscraper climbers. Fire breathers. And moptop devishes.

Moptop dervishes?

It's that thing where you put a webcam on a little kid, play some lady gaga, and watch them go craaaaazy."

Okay, this was a perfect Stephan impression and I would like to favorite it 100+ times. I'm less excited about the moptop but mainly because I'm jealous of his energy.
posted by victoriab at 11:40 AM on April 14, 2011 [2 favorites]

OMFG I WANT TO ADOPT THIS KID NOW!
as a mom, that was just too awesome for words :D
posted by liza at 11:41 AM on April 14, 2011

Earlier, there was Nicholi White, who has been at this since 2009.

See also: iJustine (again, or something).
posted by filthy light thief at 11:41 AM on April 14, 2011 [2 favorites]

Wow, the hate in this thread. Tsk Tsk.

I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 11:42 AM on April 14, 2011 [3 favorites]

He's going to get eaten alive in middle school.
posted by Gin and Comics at 11:42 AM on April 14, 2011

samworm: "I'm not sure, legally speaking, that "NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED" is worth the effort of typing."

I see this "disclaimer" EVERYWHERE now, and it is so hilarious. Not only is it not legally protective (duh), but it doesn't even make any sense. Like walking out of a convenience store with a dozen Slim Jims sticking out of your pockets while saying "no shoplifting intended!"
posted by Rhaomi at 11:43 AM on April 14, 2011 [3 favorites]

I'm sure this kid is going to gather a lot of snarkhate, but I love him. God, I was SO cripplingly self-conscious at that age - at all ages, actually - to deliberately invite mockery. Rock the hell on, little pre-voicechange boy. Dance your ass off.
posted by 8dot3 at 11:43 AM on April 14, 2011 [9 favorites]

I liken it to the myth of "when you're buying drugs, ask the dude THREE TIMES if he's a cop. if they lie, it's entrapment".
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 11:44 AM on April 14, 2011 [2 favorites]

That's a myth?

I have to stop admitting to being a cop.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:46 AM on April 14, 2011 [2 favorites]

Also: hats off to Apple for just letting him dance. Kicking him out would create SUCH outrage. Not like they really need the free publicity, but whatever.
posted by 8dot3 at 11:46 AM on April 14, 2011

I suspected that I would hate this. But I stuck with it, and now I want to adopt him, push him downstairs like Oskar in The Tin Drum, and have him dance for me FOREVER.
posted by tigrefacile at 11:49 AM on April 14, 2011

These would probably be funnier if he didn't introduce himself, just hit "Play" and let 'er rip. But I like the kid's energy. I like the image of walking by, Orange Julius in hand, and seeing some middle schooler going apeshit in front of the MacBook Pros. It would be cool if people started joining in--not in a bullshit flashmob kind of way, but like "hey, he's dancing, I could dance too!"
posted by Maaik at 11:49 AM on April 14, 2011

Also: hats off to Apple for just letting him dance. Kicking him out would create SUCH outrage. Not like they really need the free publicity, but whatever.

Kicking him out would require the "Geniuses" to actually care about customer support or pay attention to what's going on in the store rather than stand behind a fancy aluminum and glass counter while pretending to know anything about Apple products and selling $50 adapters.
posted by The World Famous at 11:51 AM on April 14, 2011 [3 favorites]

Haha! This kid is great! I applaud his complete and utter lack of shame.
posted by cazoo at 11:51 AM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

Oh come on this is adorable. See also Sam Weir on Freaks and Geeks in front of a mirror— Ow! Ow! Hey!.
posted by yaymukund at 11:55 AM on April 14, 2011

I HOPE SOMEONE ELSE COMES IN THIS THREAD TO TALK ABOUT HOW THEY HATE THE APPLE STORE
posted by shakespeherian at 11:57 AM on April 14, 2011 [2 favorites]

this kid is awesome. So much confidence.
posted by milestogo at 11:57 AM on April 14, 2011

cargo cult convergence
posted by ennui.bz at 12:03 PM on April 14, 2011

Yeah, I'm pro this kid. He's having fun dancing in public like an idiot, and doing it without a drop of the cooler-than-thou sneeriness that would come from someone ten years older. Good for him.

When I was 12, I would often head to HMV with friends after school, because you could listen to almost anything in the store using the kiosks they'd set up. Given that the internet didn't really exist yet, and that our $5-a-week lunch allowance didn't make for disposable income, it gave us a chance to hang out together, and learn about music we couldn't afford, and be stupid kids. Kind of cool that [redacted] years later, the Apple Store is serving the same need.
posted by evidenceofabsence at 12:03 PM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

If I find out this is viral, I'm going to hurt somebody.
posted by bibliowench at 12:06 PM on April 14, 2011

Apple Store is serving the same need

Thank you Apple Store for finally giving kids a way to listen to music for free.
posted by found missing at 12:08 PM on April 14, 2011

shakespeherianL I HOPE SOMEONE ELSE COMES IN THIS THREAD TO TALK ABOUT HOW THEY HATE THE APPLE STORE

AND WHILE THEY'RE AT IT THEY CAN INSULT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE JUST TRYING TO PAY THE BILLS AND GET A BETTER JOB, TOO.
posted by frijole at 12:09 PM on April 14, 2011

I'll just leave this here.
posted by mindless progress at 12:10 PM on April 14, 2011 [2 favorites]

I think he's firmly in Fair Use category of copyright.
posted by cjorgensen at 12:11 PM on April 14, 2011

I can't put my finger on it; however, being the parent of an 8 year old I KNOW this is viral. I'm sure I caught wind of him through Nick, Nick Jr, etc.
posted by Jaymzifer at 12:12 PM on April 14, 2011

It's viral for his future career as a reality TV/internet celebrity.
posted by Burhanistan at 12:13 PM on April 14, 2011

Oof.

I routinely get down on my knees and thank the gods that, when I was a middle-school aged dork in dire need of dash more self-consciousness, digital cameras, flash video and web 2.0 lightspeed media sharing weren't around to document and disseminate the whole embarrassing debacle. Ha geez, this poor little fella ...

I cringe just looking at my yearbook nowadays. In terms of being able to forget their past absurdity, the present Awkward Cohort is doomed.

/kidsthesedays
posted by EatTheWeak at 12:14 PM on April 14, 2011 [2 favorites]

Kids these days are AMAZING. These videos are all the evidence you need.

DANCE LIKE EVERYONE IS WATCHING AND YOU DON'T GIVE A SHIT!!
posted by wemayfreeze at 12:17 PM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

Kicking him out would require the "Geniuses" to actually care about customer support or pay attention to what's going on in the store rather than stand behind a fancy aluminum and glass counter while pretending to know anything about Apple products and selling $50 adapters.

I'll defend the Geniuses. I've approached them multiple times with actual technical problems (battery and hard drive related) without an appointment and received legitimately helpful service for free. The local store has one guy who's a bonafide neckbeard crammed awkwardly into a neon t-shirt... but dude knows his stuff. Maybe other locations are different but I have yet to be dissatisfied by mine.

I'm gonna vote "not viral," BTW, or at least not paid for by Apple for marketing purposes. It's spreading virally, but that seems to be Definition #2. Generating fake virality just isn't Apple's way. Plus, in this video he gets shut down mid-song by a friendly but buzz-killing employee. Even so, the kid's a shameless self-promoting "YouTube star," a phenomenon I'd like to see go away no matter where the funding comes from.
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 12:20 PM on April 14, 2011 [2 favorites]

Is he using his own device or is he logged into YouTube from a store device and uploading right then?
posted by Burhanistan at 12:24 PM on April 14, 2011

New York Magazine: Meet Trevor, YouTube’s Most Accomplished Apple Store Dancer

"The unusual trend of filming one's self while breaking it down in an Apple store is by no means new, but Trevor here has made some serious advances in the field. Also, the expressions on those Mean Girls' faces are priceless. (There's a small chance that Trevor is sponsored by a random clothing company, but don't let that diminish your enjoyment.)."

Next up, little girl sings 'The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow' (sponsored by 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!'^TM) at the Apple Store^TM..
posted by ericb at 12:40 PM on April 14, 2011

Eh, he's adorable.
posted by Nabubrush at 12:41 PM on April 14, 2011

"According to his Twitter page, he is trying to draw the attention of chat show host Ellen de Generes and appear on her show as she is a fan of dancing YouTube sensations."*

I'm sticking with 'obnoxious' on this one.
posted by ericb at 12:43 PM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

I bet he has 'stage parents.'
posted by ericb at 12:49 PM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

I do not like this.
posted by everichon at 1:04 PM on April 14, 2011

I do not like this.

You know, there are no points actually awarded for not liking something online.

Fortunately, this kid doesn't seem to care one way or the other whether an anonymous stranger in a chat room digs his fly dance steps, and he's just gonna keep on taking control of the Apple Store to throw his own little party.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:11 PM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

He's going to get eaten alive in middle school.

By all the girls probably. I doubt he'll have a problem with that.
posted by notreally at 1:14 PM on April 14, 2011

I doubt he'll have a problem with that.

I don't wish to presume, but he might be on the other end of the Kinsey scale.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:17 PM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

You know, there are no points actually awarded for not liking something online.

Clearly, you're not familiar with my new Web 3.0 startup, BuzKilr...
posted by verb at 1:18 PM on April 14, 2011 [2 favorites]

No one in the store seems to notice he's dancing. How realistic is that? Not even much of a "WTF weird kid" look.

My BS detector is buzzing slightly.
posted by cccorlew at 1:19 PM on April 14, 2011

All the videos I watched had more than a few people notice. Some have other people joining him to dance.
posted by P.o.B. at 1:21 PM on April 14, 2011

Anyway, I think this is fantastic. I laughed hard a few times and I think the kid is just trying to entertain. Mission accomplished, Trevor.
posted by P.o.B. at 1:22 PM on April 14, 2011

You know, there are no points actually awarded for not liking something online.

FINE I'll use my words, jeez.

Like others in this thread, something feels contrived about this. That's problematic, because the hook, for me, is the idea that this is actually happening as presented. That some cool young dude is just owning the Apple store cos he has too much mojo. Which would be great!

But I don't think it's like that--I think that this is calculated, and when I say "I don't like this", I don't mean I don't like people dancing in Apple stores. I mean that I'm weary of whatever it is that this kind of fishy winsomness represents. I don't have a convenient word.
posted by everichon at 1:30 PM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

I mean that I'm weary of whatever it is that this kind of fishy winsomness represents. I don't have a convenient word.

"Projecting my own undemonstrated assumptions onto a kid I have never met?"
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:35 PM on April 14, 2011

Reading EatTheWeak's statement above, I wonder if the ability to record and relive adolescence is part of what is wrong with "kids these days." Instead of being able to put their childish things behind them, they can watch and rewatch their childish ways.
posted by frecklefaerie at 1:38 PM on April 14, 2011

"Projecting my own undemonstrated assumptions onto a kid I have never met?"

That is hardly a convenient word.
posted by found missing at 1:45 PM on April 14, 2011

Projecting my own undemonstrated assumptions onto a kid I have never met?"

Those words are all convenient on their own, but the whole of it would only work in German, or maybe Dutch.
posted by everichon at 1:47 PM on April 14, 2011

Projiziereneigeneunbewiesenerannahmenaufeinkindhabeichniekennengelernthaben.
posted by Astro Zombie at 1:50 PM on April 14, 2011

I think it's actually "...thabenach", but I might be thinking of the past tense form.
posted by P.o.B. at 1:58 PM on April 14, 2011

You're probably right. Once they get over 60 characters, I start to get a little confused.
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:01 PM on April 14, 2011

This sort of behavior should not be encouraged. It's also not very "crazy" - I was expecting something unusual. DNDWISOTT.
posted by mrgrimm at 2:06 PM on April 14, 2011

You know, there are no points actually awarded for not liking something online.

But there are points awarded for liking something. No points here.
posted by mrgrimm at 2:08 PM on April 14, 2011

DNDWISOTT

Dungeons and Dragons (Wisconsin) Original Troll Team?
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:10 PM on April 14, 2011

I wish I had that kind of moxie
posted by jenlovesponies at 2:16 PM on April 14, 2011

I wish I had that MacBook Pro.
posted by mazola at 2:19 PM on April 14, 2011

I wish for more wishes.
posted by found missing at 2:21 PM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

I wish I had found missing's wishes.
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:22 PM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

LOOPHOLE AROUND THE INFINITE WISHES BAN!
Simultaneously one person wishes for more wishes, this is, clearly, denied on the spot, but not before passing the lamp to AZ, who is already wishing for the other persons wishes (this works when you understand that the Wishinglaw hypothesis has a corollary that it actually doesn't "prevent" unlimited wishes; any imaginable wish is granted immediately in quantum scale terms, but the time it it takes to bubble up from that "ground floor" of reality, to impact the material scale of reality is long enough for the granting geni(u)s to act with their own powers to counter wishes which could cause irreparable harm to the fabric of space-time with a signing statement (yeah, ever since the first Genie started appending signing statements to wishes [sure, they claimed they were doing it in the name of home-slice security] the whole game has gone downhill steadily, but it is what it is).
posted by infinite intimation at 2:36 PM on April 14, 2011

What if you get wishy-washy?
posted by P.o.B. at 2:42 PM on April 14, 2011

Important update:

HEY, DON’T PRETEND YOU’RE ME. I WILL HAUNT YOU DOWN AND KILL YOU WHILE YOU ARE SLEEPING :)

Also, kids have been recording themselves doing silly things since the days of reel-to-reel tape recorders. I have heard a reel-to-reel of my dad and his sisters doing the same silly fake-radio-show nonsense that I did 35 years later on my Tiger TalkBoy. Now there's just an internet for kids to put their stuff on!
posted by silby at 2:48 PM on April 14, 2011

What if you get wishy-washy?

Your wishes are washable but must hang dry.
posted by The World Famous at 3:08 PM on April 14, 2011

♫ Everyone loves Dancing iTr3vor, 'cause the tricks that he does are ever so clever! ♫
posted by xedrik at 3:16 PM on April 14, 2011

(dammit Wolfdog, missed yours.)
posted by xedrik at 3:29 PM on April 14, 2011

A lot people tell kids, "You can be anything you want" and they're LYING because most of us have weird hangups or whatever. This kid can be anything he wants because he is a 1-man confidence factory.
posted by GilloD at 3:57 PM on April 14, 2011

LOOPHOLE AROUND THE INFINITE WISHES BAN!

Psh. Obviously you just wish for more genies.
posted by shakespeherian at 3:58 PM on April 14, 2011

GilloD, you're wrong, we could have been anything we wanted to be.
posted by ciderwoman at 5:07 PM on April 14, 2011

I wish I had more drugs. I would so do this...
posted by Skygazer at 5:30 PM on April 14, 2011

(oops, I mean you're not wrong)

(even though I hate this kid)
posted by ciderwoman at 5:36 PM on April 14, 2011

I'll applaud the lack of self-consciousness for the kid but the weary old skeptic in me thinks it's shilling for something soon to be revealed. That said, I'm always thrilled that he wasn't just using the Apple Store as the perpetual Facebook library it is when I visit, and also, judging by the other links on all the youtube pages, Apple dancing is a new sport!
posted by pink candy floss at 5:37 PM on April 14, 2011

Also, it takes much longer to get up north, the slow way.
posted by unliteral at 6:05 PM on April 14, 2011

This kid is going to get more girls to dance with him than I ever did.
posted by Ron Thanagar at 7:25 PM on April 14, 2011

I'd hit it.

Wait. What?
posted by PeterMcDermott at 9:06 PM on April 14, 2011

Dungeons and Dragons (Wisconsin) Original Troll Team?

Did Not Do What It Said On The Tin, I presume.
posted by geckoinpdx at 2:56 PM on April 15, 2011

Oh, the Dungeons 'N Dragons (Wisconsin) Original Troll Team did exactly what it said on the tin, my friend.
posted by The World Famous at 2:59 PM on April 15, 2011

Why Are So Many People Dancing In Apple Stores?
posted by ericb at 12:11 PM on April 16, 2011