• Reuters, Monday, September 11, 2006 11:15 AM

More evidence that YouTube could become the provider of a new generation of global superstars: South Korean student Lim Jeong-hyun produced a video several months ago of a mysterious man (himself) bathed in sunlight playing guitar. It became one of the most-watched videos of all time at the online video-sharing site. The New York Times identified Lim as the man behind the video dubbed "guitar," which appeared eight months ago on YouTube. It featured a young man sitting between his desk and a bed hammering away at an electric version of Johann Pachelbel's wedding anthem, "Canon." You don't see his face, and his real name is never mentioned. He calls himself "funtwo." It took a Times article to make him famous--because after it ran, Lim found himself bombarded by interest from South Korean media. A popular topic of discussion on YouTube is whether Lim is actually playing on the video. Decide for yourself. Search for "funtwo" and "canon" on YouTube. Even if he isn't faking, the arrangement Lim plays is not his own: It was arranged by a Taiwanese guitarist named Jerry Chang. Reuters says there's no doubt Lim is the guitarist in the video; they flew him into their studio to have him play the piece for Reuters Television.

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