Airshots22

I meant to announce this much sooner, but my American Pie YTP is no longer blocked! 🥳 I don't really feel like getting into the specifics on what I think happened, so I'll just say that it was originally the instrumental that got claimed, but now that it's claimed as the actual song, the block is gone.

Very weird, but I'll take it. Honestly, the reason the block sucked so much for me was because it's probably the YTP I'm most proud of as far as my recent stuff goes. I put a lot of work into the sentence mixing. The few months it was gone was a big blow for motivation, so seeing the comments on my original announcement and showing support for the video did show me that my efforts wasn't completely wasted. I'm glad you all saw that even if YouTube/Sony didn't.

So, if you missed Dong McLean singing about The Day Muse Died, you can relive it in all its crazy glory. My bad on not announcing it sooner. There's just been a lot going on in my world lately, both good and bad. I have been itching to get back to making YTPs though, so you might see one before the year ends at the very least.

1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 3

Airshots22

Well geez, what a fucking crazy week it's been. I've been looking for the right words to say, but can't find them, so I'm just going to be raw. Because I can't stay silent anymore.

As most of you already know, Charlie Kirk was assassinated last week. I'm not going to mince words: This was an attack on freedom, free speech and liberty. It sets a dangerous standard that it's "ok to murder people you disagree with" and that is something I do not support at all. The first few days were the worst as I feared that I was someday going to get murdered for what I believed in. A fear that is still on the back of my mind to this day. It only got worse when I came across a post on Twitter where some deplorable person posted a screenshot of the assassination. I was awake for 34 hours at one point because it was fucking with my head that badly.

But I can't talk about this without getting into the thousands of people I've seen that have celebrated this (I sincerely wish I was exaggerating that number.) or have had to go through wild mental gymnastics to try and justify this. This mentality is evil and I do not condone it in any shape or form. This isn't about what the man believed, this is about the standard this sets that death should be a consequence for free speech. Especially for a man that had a wife and two kids.

I cannot stay silent anymore. We're living in a day and age where it is nearly impossible for people like me to keep quiet, so my brand is officially no longer apolitical. Now, this doesn't mean I'm going to be a full-on political pundit or anything. I'm still going to bring the laughs and keep my brand focused on comedy first, but I will experiment with types of content like I did with the recent mashup. I had planned on this years before this announcement, but I don't want to relegate myself to just a YTPer anymore. I may have right-wing/libertarian views as airshots the person, but airshots the brand will have a right-leaning slant while focused on entertainment first. Think more Norm MacDonald and less The New Norm where it's just "lol owning the libs xDDDDDD"

So, if any of you want to unsubscribe because of this, that's completely fine. However, if you're someone who celebrated the assassination or thinks that the event is good in any way, I do not want you here and I would rather you unsubscribe.

But if you're still with me, the only thing I promise is to keep the YTPs and laughs coming while at the same time standing up for what I believe in. Honestly, this really was just a long time coming for me. I hate that a man had to die since it has made the political divide a hell of a lot worse than it already was. I'll still try to alleviate it by making funny videos. I'm just probably going to piss off a bit more people than usual, let's be real. I've always took risks though and this is just a new chapter of that.

Thanks for reading and if you're still with me, I'm only just getting started.

1 month ago | [YT] | 8

Airshots22

RIP Ozzy Osbourne. Thanks for everything.

3 months ago | [YT] | 11

Airshots22

Hey guys, airshots22 here. I never really followed up my last post and I just want to apologize for my last announcement. I wasn't in the best headspace when I made it and I've been having negative feelings about my channel for months now. It started with the... let's just say less than desirable results in the recent election here in Canada. I'm not going to get too political, but let's just say the future and the potential censorship bills being in the air has started me being worried about the future of my channel among the cost of living, the housing crisis and the rise of corporatism.

I'm not going to delete my previous post as I don't really see the point, but in all honesty... just saying my frustrations that I've been feeling for a while and how tempting retiring is... felt freeing in a weird way. Suddenly, my desires were no longer private and in a way, it has helped me reevaluate why I do what I do.

So, am I retiring?

Honestly, I don't think I will ever truly have the answer to that question. I feel like my passion will always be challenged and the changing landscape of YouTube in particular amongst other things makes wanting to quit a lot more persistent. So, for now, the only answer I have is that I plan to make videos for as long as I possibly can. Really, the big enemy has always been myself. Being a content creator is a struggle and anyone who has had even half the amount of subscribers I've had can vouch for it. Even if I'm doing everything right and I feel like my content is better than ever, there can still be that period of self-doubt and questioning why the fuck I'm still doing this.

Content creation is like a mountain. You go through hell and back just to climb it and the more it expands, the more draining it is to keep trying. And being a YTPer that's been at it for 14 years now starting next August and has made so many YTPs, there's always this moment where you question why you do it. Is it for the fans, for channel growth, for self-fulfilment or for some other unknown reason? Am I just living in the shadow of past glory trying to recreate some of my best moments or am I someone who still has something to prove?

Ever since 2020, that has more or less been my mindset. It comes and goes, but it never truly leaves. I'll have moments of creativity and make videos I'm genuinely proud of and have it go on for months only to go through yet another period of inactivity.

Like Ozzy Osbourne once said, I'm going through changes. I'm currently in a rough spot. Not as bad as 2024, but not that much of an improvement. Balancing content creation, my personal life and my own mental health is a tricky thing to juggle.

So, the show will go on. I just might change my pace and possibly get experimental with future videos.

As for the copyright claim on the American Pie YTP, I'll probably attempt to dispute it. I'll just do when I'm ready as 14 seconds of edited content should not warrant a block and I think I have a stronger case this time.

Anyways, that's the update. I really hope it clears things up if anyone was confused by it or not sure what to make of it. As always, I really appreciate the support, the comments and the kind words. I hope you all enjoy whatever the future of my channel holds. :)

4 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 10

Airshots22

Hey guys, airshots22 here. So, just when I thought I was over the copyright BS, I just found out my American Pie YTP got blocked worldwide. The culprit? It was actually not the main song, but because I included the edit of Bicycle Race near the end. It was only 14 seconds long and yet that was enough for those bastards to block the video. Where's the consistency? I literally have a Queen YTP that's still up, but 14 seconds of a Queen song in another YTP? Blocked! 🤓

It's still on Rumble if you want to see it, but... yeah, it's currently blocked and I have no plans to fight it. If I couldn't fight a claim last time, I have no hope that I can do it now.

I really hate to say it, but retirement has never seemed more tempting now than it has in the past few months. Whether it be things related to YouTube or personal stuff, I just feel like I'm on death's door when it comes to content creation. It feels like every new video I make is extending the inevitable. Every single new YTP feels like I'm just trying to recapture the old days. It just feels like I'm making the same shit over and over again and it's hard to feel like I haven't grown in terms of analytics or creatively. It feels hopeless to keep going when I worry I'm just pumping out homogenized content.

And sure, I could always take a break, but that's only temporary. I'll take a hiatus from YTP whether it's planned or not and I'll get my drive back for a short amount of time only for the exact same to happen. This isn't just about my content, but YouTube as well. Everything about this site has gotten worse since Susan stepped down. It doesn't matter if it's Content ID or community guidelines crap, it feels like this site has become more anti-creator than ever. And I do not want to play within the system. There may be other YTPers willing to do that, but I'm not one of them. Maybe it's all finally coming back to me. I had been pretty lucky throughout 2017-2023 to have no takedowns or videos being blocked. Hell, I've even been strike-free for a decade now, but honestly, I'm not sure how long that streak will last at this point. While I have made content in spite of YouTube and not because of it for most of my channel's existence, it really does feel like the end. I fear that I'll be the next busnut or Hellion Hero due to my content being "ToO fIlThY aNd NoT aPpRoVeD bY oUr sAnItIzEd StAnDaRdS!!!"

I don't want to alarm anyone just yet. If you see a new YTP from me, then you'll know I'm at least still hanging on. It's not that I want to stop making content, but it's losing that motivation. I've had urges to retire before when things have gotten stressful over the years, but it has never been this persistent.

I'm sorry for the rant, but I just feel hopeless. I really hope this wasn't all for naught.

So, to all my subscribers and supporters, I want to ask you what this channel means to you. What do you like about my YTPs the most, what keeps you coming back and what do I mean to you personally?

I really don't want to hang it up just yet, but I feel at a loss. Regardless of where the future of my channel lies, I just want to know if it was worth it and that people gave a shit about what I did.

4 months ago | [YT] | 8

Airshots22

Captions for LOL in the Family are finally done. Thanks for bearing with me throughout all of this and I hope you still all enjoyed the YTP in spite of everything. I'm not sure if it was even worth the trouble, but if you got some good laughs out of it then that's all that matters to me.

For now, I hope I can leave all of this behind me.

7 months ago | [YT] | 7

Airshots22

For anyone who wants them, captions for my last two YTPs have been completed. The new Trump one in particular was very time-consuming which was why I didn't do them right away. In other words, it was a lot of work, but it was really WORth it. 😌

9 months ago | [YT] | 11

Airshots22

Hey guys, airshots22 here. I know it's only been about a month since my last upload and it hasn't been that long of a gap, but still feel the need to make an announcement. Ever since I made the sequel to my Canadian Politics YTP, I've felt a strong lack of motivation. It was a rewarding video for me personally. Not only to make a sequel that's on par with the first one, but to create something that's possibly one of my favorite YTPs I've made to date. You'd think the lack of motivation would start with that, but there's another reason.

2024 has been an absolute dumpster fire of a year for me. Not for any personal reason other than the fact that all the negativity lingering in the air is affecting me in some way and has made me feel jaded and just very bitter and edgy. And I'm not American, so this doesn't have much to do with the 2024 election as I don't have as much of a stake in it as others. Unfortunately, the tedious leadership going on in my country has added to my mood among other things. The state of politics isn't better here, that's all I'll say on the matter.

I know I recently made the switch to political YTPs and while it's been fun, it's been a bit of a hassle lately. Just to open Vegas and try to make the magic happen when I'm already very fatigued on a political level is a damning task. Especially with everything that's going on right now with the attempted assassination on Trump and Biden dropping out today. It can not only be emotionally taxing at times, but it can also be very hard to release them in a timely matter due to the volatile nature of the landscape. I'm not going to stop making them or anything cause I still enjoy it. In fact, I plan to release a YTP of Biden as a farewell special of sorts, but I've decided that I'll make these videos at my own pace. Also, the Biden/Trump debate YTP is likely not happening due to the irrelevancy of the source material and the lack of progress that was made with it. Now that I've tried my hand in the genre, I really have to give mad props to content creators like very tall bart as he makes it look easy.

So basically, the point of this announcement is that YTPs are going to take a backseat for the near foreseeable future. I'm 27 and I will be turning 30 in a couple years. Yet, I don't have anything close to the life I want. I have a lot of things holding me back and it may be time to consider that these videos could be holding me back to the life I want. Maybe it's about time to focus on me. Especially when as far as creative work goes, I'm working on my first novel and that is something that I've been focusing on more than YTP lately.

This isn't anything close to retirement or even something that's set in stone yet. I just want to throw this out in the air just in case you see an absence from me that lasts longer than 4-5 months. I've been making these videos ever since I was 14 and I feel like having this channel be my main focus is becoming less viable. Especially when I have no intentions of monetizing anything.

So, that's pretty much it. This probably won't happen overnight. It won't be tomorrow and it may not even be next year. It might be a more gradual process. I just thought I'd be transparent about it instead of leaving all of you in the dark.

That is all. Take care of yourselves, everyone. These are crazy times we are in.

1 year ago | [YT] | 17

Airshots22

👀You won't believe your eyes when you see this next YTP! 👀

I've rarely done sequels due to the past mindset of it having to live up to the first one, but a sequel to this was inevitable.

I can't guarantee that it will be better, but it will be more chaotic, more spicy and more personal than the first one.

Coming sooner than you think.

1 year ago | [YT] | 9

Airshots22

Guess who reached 2K? This guy! 😎

But seriously, thanks so much for the subs. It took the power of Flex Caulk to get me there, but it made my sub count rise like Phil Swift's caulk. ;)

Thanks to everyone who subbed to me in the past 13 years I've been doing this.

1 year ago (edited) | [YT] | 26