Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff
Standing atop a desk at a Prince George private school, calling out "O captain, my captain," a local songwriter sang his praise for the late Robin Williams.
Scott Dunbar's video homage to the great clown prince has now gotten hundreds of online hits and share-hits on Facebook on an ever-growing popularity arch. Despite the outpouring of global grief over the beloved entertainer's recent suicide, it is Dunbar's video that has found a position in the YouTube Top 10 if you search for "O Captain My Captain Tribute to Robin Williams." (http://youtu.be/1M5te2nzIQE)
The video, shot by Steph St. Laurent of VideoNexus, begins with a blurry image of Dunbar in a preppy sweater vest and tie, brandishing a guitar, hair slicked back, climbing atop a school desk as Williams iconically did in the film Dead Poets Society. Gradually it comes into focus on Dunbar as he sings impressions of Williams.
The leading persona for Dunbar, however, is the Dead Poets Society teacher who turns an indifferent group of students and a hostile parent body into believers in the classic arts. The famous "O captain, my captain" speech delivered atop a desk in that fictional classroom was itself a reference to a Walt Whitman poem about one generation giving over to the next in surges of adventure and eventually grief - in much the same way Williams has gone leaving Dunbar behind, sadly wishing for more time with this mentor.
"Instantly when I heard that news, it hit me that I wanted to write a song about it," Dunbar said. "Robin Williams was so full of joy and love and profundity, and delivered all that goodness and life to people. I knew I wanted to talk about that in a song, and put those thoughts together but I was getting stuck on it, but then I heard [comedic actor] Russell Brand talking about it and he said isn't it strange that our brightest lights are extinguishing themselves? That was the missing puzzle piece for me. I just spun off into a commentary on mental illness and social self esteem, and I reference that in the song."
There are a lot of references crammed into the tune, which is more of a classic ballad than pop ditty. There are touches of Williams's film repertoire and there are bits of Dunbar's opinions about society's lack of support for the infirm and unconventional.
He admits the video was somewhat bumpy. They only had about an hour, but the final cut was satisfying for both of them, especially considering it was supposed to reflect the raw and spontaneous emotions behind this creation.
"In a way this is the first time I've written something that came out of a big public event," Dunbar said.
"Some songs just write themselves. Something takes place and you feel something and you have to communicate it or say something about it. Like when you write a love letter or a note that you hand to someone to read later - it is a different language than you'd usually use, and goes way beyond the content of literal words. That's what songwriting is, to me."
Like something out of a movie, this song is growing with Williams fans all around the world.
It surpassed 1,500 views on Wednesday which, for six days on the air, suggests a wide rate of interest.
Dunbar is buoyed by this reception, and he knows well the sensations of YouTube success. He has dozens of videos on the online channel, singing original songs and cover versions from coast to coast, as part of touring groups like Apocalyptic Sex Folk and as the Scott Dunbar One Man Band. Several have surpassed 100,000 hits, some passed the half-million mark, and his acoustic busker version of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean has more than 1.7 million views.
