Living Vicariously has a lot of history. While the old internet show launched in 2007, the marriage of personal webpage and integrated media can be traced all the way back to the year 2000 – nearly a full decade ago.

Screen cap of my first website. I couldn't be bothered to properly spell
"unauthorized" or "completely". Click to enlarge. (2001)

This is QKoRn. It was a website hosted on MaxPages that I ran as a teen for five years (2000-2005).  During my summer break from school I would “revamp” the site every year. It got all the way up to QKoRn V, which also spawned a network of websites that had differing areas of focus. During the end I had the main site, QKoRn SuMMer, QKoRn Music,  the boaRd, and ZERO’S VIEW – a shortly lived satire website.

These sites were something else. Going through them now is like unearthing an ancient relic that was buried through time – for good reason.  Maybe concepts such as “Funny Things to Call People” and a “Gay Stuff” section didn’t age too well, but everyone has to start somewhere, right?  In 7th grade, my friends made a few websites much like QKoRn.  They both said some rather unflattering things about a few teachers. Those said comments actually got them expelled from middle school. Yes, expelled. I suspect they didn’t take death threats in the form of song all too lightly.

QKoRn went through various cosmetic changes while I attended middle school and early on in high school.  The content also changed, becoming quite personal and escalating in levels of angst. It’s best left forgotten,  believe me. One notable edition to the site was a mock radio program called LiveWire.  It was basically me interviewing my friends and then playing a 1-minute song sample to serve as the buffer between segments.  I consider this to be a major contributor to what became Living Vicariously years later.

LiveWire graphic. Description may or may not be accurate. (2004)

Once LiveWire fizzled out I began writing what I haphazardly dubbed “satire” in the form of ZERO’S VIEW.  Juvenile inexperience reigned supreme.  ZERO’S VIEW served its purpose as a gateway to a different,  albeit emulated, style of writing. I had articles of relentless criticism of prom, cellphones, Ireland (?) for some reason, and a little ditty known as “Extreme Burger.” I’m actually quite proud of that one. Dare I call it brilliant? You’ll see it again some day.

ZERO'S VIEW. You can see the "Day in the Life" thing from EP.3 was planned
out years before it was implemented. This was my last website. (2005)

After ZERO’S VIEW ran its short course I didn’t do anything in regards to web development for quite awhile.  QKoRn was gone after 2005. The other sites fizzled out. But later on in the year I got that proverbial itch to do something creative again. That something was a radio show in the same vein of LiveWire. Podcasts were all the rage during this time, so why not? That idea was never realized, instead came forth the idea to do a sort of video podcast. And FINALLY, that idea transformed into what became Living Vicariously.

In December of 2006, I began shooting videos of things with the intention of putting them together for a web show. The earliest  segment was also what became the most popular: Wii Kids!  My school yard chum, Andrew “The Mighty” Culp – whom was also interviewed for the old LiveWire shows, collaborated with me to make the video.  I waited 12 hours to get my Wii on launch day just a few months prior. Such dedication deserves a video (and scrutiny), no? Watch the first edition of From the Vault to see it.

Wii Kids in all their glory. Paying homage to the N64 Kid. This
video alone is just shy of 100K views. (2007)

Episode 1 of my new internet show, Living Vicariously, launched in January of 2007.  The initial format was a talk show, and my first guest of the evening was none other than Andrew “The Mighty” Culp. Betcha didn’t see that one coming?  We discussed his recent appearance on the Judge Mathis court show. The whole joke was that he was just in attendance, not actually on the show as advertised.  I snuck in a video game review of Burgertime and the Wii Kids segment,  topping it off with the infamous Holiday Jones Soda drinking contest.

This episode began the cycle. Every month I was to release new 30-minute shows full of original content.  The show moved away from the talk show bits and became more of a parody program.  After having numerous computer problems that admittedly constantly delayed Living Vicariously, as well as scheduling conflicts, things began to unravel.  Ultimately there are 7 full episodes, a Best Of show and a Summer Special.  More things were filmed and may be released through From the Vault.

Living Vicariously went dormant thoughout 2008 and most of 2009.  During this time period I bought a more powerful laptop and a HD camcorder. That changed everything, and I immediately began planning the return of Living Vicariously.  In fact, the first idea to do a website again was in December of 2008!  The question was: how? How would I do this properly and not just use Freewebs or MaxPages like I did in the past? I explored my options all year and ultimately came to the fascinating world of WordPress.  Long story short, Living Vicariously (the site) began in May of 2009 and opened in November of the same year.

Unused conceptual ideas for the Living Vicariously website. (2009)

Living Vicariously was rebranded, moving away from the episodic format and overall style.  That meant a new intro, new graphics, new logo, and a new motif.  Living Vicariously now gives me the chance to post any wacky ideas, video projects, album reviews, writings, and anything else under the sun in one place – this one.  In many ways everything has come full circle since the good ole’ QKoRn era.

I thank you all for the support over the years and hope this history lesson has either been a trip down memory lane or a stumble down a manhole you never asked to fall into. Happy trails! Thanks for the interest. – DZ

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