Two years ago, I did a story about Minnesotans uploading videos to YouTube. One of those profiled was Adam Bahner, a guy you probably know as Tay Zonday.
He was a charming, quirky, interesting guy, truly passionate about social justice and interested in the idea of using his talent as a means of spreading a message. What message? That's for you the listener to decide.
Today, as part of our story on how people cash in on their 15 minutes of fame, I contacted Tay to see what he was up to. Did his 15 minutes of Chocolate Rain fame pay off?
I asked him what he was up to since we last met in 2007:
"1) Decided to stay in my Ph.D. program in American Studies at the University of Minnesota one more year, but ended up 'dropping out' (or finishing early, if the glass is half-full) with a Masters Degree in the Summer of 2008.
2) Decided to move out to Los Angeles in October of 2008 to pursue voice and film work alongside being an independent internet musician.
3) I've realized that Los Angeles is a long-term plan even for seasoned professionals. Like any other career, one has to view success in "traditional" entertainment on a five-year or ten-year timeline, even if one has a good head-start.
4) After getting stuck in an apartment for a year that was a bad place to be noisy and make music, I'm back from a hiatus and posting music on Youtube again.
5) I have been fortunate enough to stay satisfactorily employed and make the occasional headline (working with Weezer, Youtube, Intuit, and other brands) while the above events have played out. I still find myself appearing in pop culture from time to time. Last week I was a $25,000 question on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire that the contestant got right. (I guess if you're really famous you get to be a $500 question)."
I wrote back and e-mailed that I imagined people think he's "loaded" because of his 15 minutes of fame.
"'Loaded' a voyeuristic sound byte and I'd never volunteer myself for that type of headline. It's much better to let the media guess from property tax records, divorce filings, and whatever else we all read at TMZ ;-)
I would call myself "successfully self-employed." There are many Minnesota Musicians (like Lorie Line) who have done quite well with no national spotlight. Did public attention present me with a career opportunity to transition into self-employment? Certainly. The challenge is to pursue a successful business every day and that task can be independent of a national spotlight."
Tay's latest YouTube upload:
