Posted by Katherine St Asaph on 02/13/2012 at 10:49 AM Videos

The Popdust Files: bon iver, the internet, wtf

Who is Bon Iver? The bearded dude with falsetto whose sudden Grammy love launched a thousand post-”Who Is Arcade Fire?” Tumblrs. (The serious one, the sarcastic one.) Problem is, not everyone’s asking who Bon Iver is. They’re asking about some other thing.

See, Bon Iver’s not pronounced to rhyme with “gone fiver.” It’s derived from “bon hiver,” French for “good winter.” If you pronounce it slightly off (mainly the “bon”), it sounds like “Bonnie Bear.” And why shouldn’t an indie rocker be named “Bonnie Bear”? We’ve already got Panda Bear, Grizzly Bear, Minus The Bear; it’s a full-blown cliche.

But as it turns out, Bonnie Bear is already accounted for, the star of a series by BabyFirst TV. The Internet being what the Internet is, that video’s now in the multiple hundreds of thousands of views and collecting Bon-related comments. Normally, this would not be worth a post. However, the video (made years ago) is just too hilariously coincidental:

- Bonnie Bear’s best friend is called Mr. Gramophone. The Grammys got their name from gramophones and were once called the Gramophone Awards. Sure, Bon Iver’s relationship with the Grammys is better described as “frenemies.” That only makes it funnier.

- Bonnie Bear’s whole schtick is identifying sounds, largely nature sounds like cows and roosters. (There’s another video with crickets, owls and snores.) (In case we’re being too subtle, this is where you can insert a joke if you’re so inclined.)

- There’s a painting of a cabin outside toward the end. Like Bon Iver’s cabin in the woods!