There's very little on TV that can match the same thrilling levels of "what am I watching and why was it made" as a good public access television show. Here are some of my all-time favorite clips, presented (as ever) as context-free as possible.

”My Name is John Daker” - Poor John Daker. It’s not his fault.

“What Is Wrong With You?” - To hell with public access TV… This is nothing short of great art.

“Bringing Some Information to the Community at Large” – This caller is far more subtle and effective than others of his ilk. I’m guessing this is a clip from a 1987 program called “College Radio DJs Interview Unix Programmers.”

“The Spirit of Truth” - You can never see this enough. The lord works in mysterious ways. (Warning: extremely extreme language)

“Chairdance for God” Remember that thing I just said about the lord, and how he works, and how it’s all mysterious? It’s also awesome sometimes.

“Adorable Goth Dork And Mom" - My old theory was that this poor kid’s mom told him he could do a public access TV show if he got straight As on his report card, and his creative vision turned out to be not necessarily compatible with escaping unembarrassed into the 21st century. Honestly? Looking at it now I have no idea if it’s even a legit clip; this could very well be the work of a guerilla (and brilliantly dry) Tim and Eric acolyte (of note, it’s hosted by the same YouTube user hosting what I hope was the creepiest thing you saw on July 23, 2009). Either way, if you haven’t seen this, you’re quite welcome.