On most occasions I can be referred to as an esoteric fellow. I enjoy obscure films, have a very specific way I like to receive my ethanol poisoning and yes, I do actually have a favorite Renaissance era composer. But ya know what? Sometimes I just have to indulge the simpler pleasures in life. Thus, I have decided to compile a series of Youtube videos featuring fat men dancing.

This is no 2-dimensional matter, though. As I have discovered, there are many varieties of Fat Guy Dancing videos available on the Internet. Take the above rendition of the unbelievably stupid Black Eyed Peas song "Lady Humps". I'm almost certain that user fatboygetdown is at least a little serious about his presentation. He's not making fun of himself or being ironic. In fact, I don't think anyone who enjoys "Lady Humps" at face value is capable of understanding such a complex concept as irony. Still, this video is an amazing work of near-art if only because fatboygetdown throws his whole self into the performance. And for a guy like him, there are precious few things in this world that can contain his whole self.

On the opposite end of the portly prancing spectrum you will find unapologetic goofballs like the guy in user kimmestep's video who does an uncomfortable reproduction of the Backstreet Boys' "Bad Boy" dance. There is no pretense of seriousness here. Our flip-flop wearing performer is obviously doing this for a laugh, which unfortunately makes it less funny by default. There's a reason why clowns are no longer the gold standard for modern comedic excellence. In short, reality is funnier than any crafted joke because its absurdities come from some inexplicable source rather than from the flimsy imagination of a mere mortal. Also, I'm a bit put off by this guy's apathetic performance. I know it's hard to lift your own leg, pal, but I came here for a show.

The bizarre beauty of Youtube is its ability to find the most unusual middle ground between the fake and the real. It is a medium seemingly designed to confuse us, to cause us to question the very nature of human ambition. For example, is the guy in costas92's video just goofing around, or is he completely serious about the dance routine he obviously spent a lot of time choreographing? I have seen far too many people take Beyonce's "Single Ladies" with a severe lack of irony to dismiss this Fat Guy Dancing video outright. I'm particularly fascinated by the white hanky that shows up after one of several careless edits around the 50-second mark. It serves no actual purpose for the dance, so it may just be there to wipe the performer's profusely perspiring brow.

I have only just begun to plumb the foul-smelling depths (and folds) of the Fat Guy Dancing phenomenon on Youtube. There are countless videos depicting that very specific act, some with more theater than others. I may revisit this uncanny territory one day, but for now I must venture forth into more svelte sectors of this electronic jungle.