What up yo.
I’m all for supporting people out there like myself who feel the need to create because if they don’t they’ll lose it. I can identify with needing to create, to be heard….to be a singular voice that is distinguishable from all others….because we are all special.
I write this because when I first Brandon Hardesty‘s videos that was the immediate impression I got from him.
A man, who stands up, unafraid to be who he is. Says fuck you to the people that may not get him, says fuck you to the idea of those people…the notion of the spirit snipers out there we all know so well. The people who are too afraid to live, so they set camp somewhere out of sight, in the dark, take out their rifles, load them full of doubt, adjust the sightings on their scopes, and take aim at the hopes and dreams and courage of others who choose life.
I was online a few years ago looking for a little Gene Wilder footage from “Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory” to cheer me up and instead, I found this.
Brandon Hardesty as Willy Wonka & Grandpa Joe
Now…Normally I would see that I had stumbled on the wrong video and I would search again, but this time I watched instead.
And thank god I did.
I knew instantly, as soon as I saw him start to freak out and put everything he had into this performance that this guy was my cup of gasoline.
I had to see more. I dove into his site. I then found this from “The Dark Knight”
Brandon Hardesty as The Joker & 3 Gangsters
It’s one thing to do the videos. Fine. It’s another to DO THE VIDEOS. with everything you have. Give it 120%. No one may watch them. Ever. You may look like a fool. You may get stares from people that would never dare put themselves out there like that. Screw it, go for it.
That’s what he does, in video after video…he risks it all and throws himself into these performances completely. Acting out all the parts on his own. Nailing the dialogue and patterns…he is a one-man army, I applaud his courage and all that…but it’s how goddamn funny he is that kills me. How brave, and honest. I see life in these videos.
I share them with you.
Brandon Hardesty as Gunnery Sargent Hartman, Private Joker, Private Cowboy & Private Pyle
Bravo to Brandon.
I would watch 2 hours of his re-enactments over most 2 hour Hollywood films any day of the week and because of the impression these videos left on me…years later when I was searching for the same Gene Wilder scene…
I found myself instead searching for Brandon’s version.
Stop by Brandon’s YouTube channel herewhere you will find a cornucopia of funny material for your viewing pleasure, and his homepage is Brandon-Hardesty.com.