“Dylan’s Couch” is a 2007-2008 YouTube series that features Dylan, a 14-year old who shares anecdotes of his life in school, at home, and with friends. I remember watching Dylan’s Couch with my cousin in our grandma’s computer room, while he was still coming out with new episodes. It’s honestly a trip for me to think that it’s been nine years since those days. It’s an even bigger trip for me to watch these videos now and notice how the camera quality, cultural references, and hackneyed editing style all call back to the distinct feeling of the mid-to-late 2000s.
One of the quintessential Dylan’s Couch episodes is a 2007 video titled “Dylan’s Couch – Episode Eight – The Project.” In it, Dylan talks about about a history project he had on the Cold War with a partner who didn’t know the first thing about American History. The best part of the video is its beginning when Dylan talks for maybe three seconds about something that happened to him, says “And I was like…,” and then proceeds to show his reaction/facial expression over a short clip of music or sound effects.
Dylan’s mannerisms are exuberant and funny, in a way that reminds me of a lot of my favorite Disney Channel shows airing at the same time period (e.g. “Suite Life of Zack and Cody” and “Hannah Montana”). If you watched these shows as a kid, think back to the flustered, rushed, high tone of Cody’s voice all those times he lamented that Zack would end up in jail some day. Or, think back to the classic scene in “Hannah Montana” where Miley spilled spaghetti all over herself, her face exuded shock, and her arms sort of sprung up and then bounced back down to her sides. I think they displayed it in the show’s opening credits. In 2007, Dylan’s humor activated the same type of squirming, gleeful reaction in me that those shows did. I would say, though, that he was the more unvarnished, unregulated version of what Disney was doing at that time.
It’s pretty interesting to see what Dylan is up to these days. If you visit his channel, you’ll see that he’s in a band called “The Ruby Shots.” They have a really cool sound, in my opinion. It has an alt-pop feel to it, which harkens back to the very era in which his videos were created. Plus, the melodies are really good. Aside from a video uploaded four years ago entitled “Dylan’s Couch – Episode 29 – The Rebirth?!” in which Dylan slowly raises his head into the camera’s view and says “hello,” it seems that Dylan’s Couch is done. That’s okay, because his videos will live forever as a time capsule for all those things that made 2007 so beautiful.
