Shirley Șerban

Just want to say how positive and wonderful it was to see so many images coming out of the US over the weekend, and from US citizens in other countries, taking to the streets in protest. As someone on the outside and looking in with concern, I want to remind you that the world knows that Donald isn't everyone. Racism, bigotry, callousness and greed aren't everyone. And we see you taking to the streets and sighing in your homes. Stay strong. Do all you can to resist this awfulness. The world understands. And this will pass one day. Bring it on.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 515

Shirley Șerban

Thank you to the wonderful person who alerted me about this. Just to make it clear, I will not quote scripture to you (unless you really need it,) will not give out my Whatsapp number and certainly won't promise you a double portion of excellent grace and a total restoration of progress in your life and your family if you sow seeds of favor (there's two clues there - I use British spelling, not American, and if I want money, I'll ask for it without religiouseese) for an upper-case ORPHANAGE in Nigeria. In short, this isn't me, okay? I have reported it. If you see this comment in response to any of yours, feel free to do the same. And have a scam-free day, lovely ones!

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 134

Shirley Șerban

This was 5 years ago today, during our national Covid Lockdown. I'd just put out a little video to amuse myself when the lockdown started about a week beforehand. It went nuts on YouTube. I got millions of views. The local newspaper wrote a piece about it.
I had NO IDEA it would be the start of my adventure in making videos to keep myself (and hopefully some of you) smiling in these times. (And these times sure do keep coming, don't they?!)
Since then, I've put out 192 videos, have had over 56 million video vides and gained over 176,000 subscribers. YIKES! 🤯Anyway, happy 5 year reflection, I guess! 😄

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 348

Shirley Șerban

Yes, I'm working on a new song again, and for those who like jigsaw clues, here you go. Link to the puzzle is jigex.com/hu555.
This is the iconic album cover art from an album I LOVED as a teen and listened to on repeat, especially the song I'll be doing. I've had a few people ask for this song already, and if you're a fan of the Canadian band, (seemed appropriate at this time,) you will probably know the song immediately from this puzzling image. Anyway, the song is coming soon. If you know what I'm covering, keep the answer to yourself for the sake of those who want to figure the puzzle out.

1 month ago | [YT] | 90

Shirley Șerban

This song's been in my head a LOT this past week. Remind you of anyone?

1 month ago | [YT] | 42

Shirley Șerban

It seems appropriate to remember this song again at the moment.

1 month ago | [YT] | 73

Shirley Șerban

Okay, I've given my Patreon team advance notice, (and got some great results,) so now it's YOUR turn too! Want to be famous(ish) in my next video? Have no shame? Then this is the perfect assignment for you! I need short clips of people dancing any of the moves for the hit song, GANGNAM STYLE! Yes, that's where we're going!!! If you don't know the moves, look it up on Youtube - it's fun! Please film yourself horizontally. Anywhere is fine. Wearing anything you like is fine. What's important is that you're enjoying yourself! If you don't want to show your face, no worries - get someone to film you from behind! Send your clips to me at shirley @ shirleycan dot com and get your friends involved too! I can't wait to put everything together for this video. It's going to be a fun one!

1 month ago | [YT] | 88

Shirley Șerban

Sooooo, I need YOU to be in my next video!!! Yes, YOU! The details are secret to all but my Patreon crew, so if you'd like to be in the know, come join the club there. No $$ needed at all if you don't want to.
I'm SO excited about this next video, and would love to have you in it if you're brave and don't mind being a little shameless for the camera. (Nothing too much expected at all. Just a few seconds of dancing!)
www.patreon.com/ShirleySerban

1 month ago | [YT] | 55

Shirley Șerban

A friend forwarded this to a Whatsapp friend group I'm in. So now you KNOW it's got me all inspired and writing another song! Thanks, Pip!!

1 month ago | [YT] | 144

Shirley Șerban

I've sung a fair bit about Donald Trump in the last years. If you think I'm silent about him now because he won, you're kind of right. I'm disgusted. But I keep having hope. And joy. And since my channel is (see the header) all about relyriced songs to bring joy in these times, I'll continue writing and singing them. They may not be about him because he sickens me, truly.

In comments, I'm often asked why. Apart from my wondering why such an obvious answer can't be figured out, this might help. I recently came across this description of Donald Trump, written in 2019 by Nate White. It describes why many British people don't like him. I'm from South African descent, moved to New Zealand when I was 12 after living internationally on a ship for most of my childhood, and have been a New Zealand citizen since I was a teen. We have a very similar culture to the Brits. Every word of this resonates with me. And it's even tame - it was written BEFORE he caused the death of hundreds of thousands with his Covid mismanagement, (which was what started me singing about him in the first place,) before his tantrums and not accepting an election loss, before January 6th, before his criminal convictions in a court of law. But it's great writing, and captures why so many non-Americans, like myself, find this man utterly, utterly repulsive:

A few things spring to mind. Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed. So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.

Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever. I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman. But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.

Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers. And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.

There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface. Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront. Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul. And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that. He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat. He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.

And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead. There are unspoken rules to this stuff – the Queensberry rules of basic decency – and he breaks them all. He punches downwards – which a gentleman should, would, could never do – and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless – and he kicks them when they are down.

So the fact that a significant minority – perhaps a third – of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think ‘Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:
• Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are.
• You don’t need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.

This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss. After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum. God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid. He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws – he would make a Trump.

And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish: ‘My God… what… have… I… created?' If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set.

3 months ago | [YT] | 295