Michael Lockwood prepares to record a Fourth of July episode for his social media channel Dr. Dew Wednesday at his Longview apartment. (Les Hassell/Longview News-Journal Photo)

LONGVIEW — Does a pitcher of Best Maid pickle juice and Dr Pepper make for a refreshing beverage?

Is the combination of plain white milk and a Monster energy drink a nutritious way to start the day?

And does the taste of Twisted Tea mixed with Mountain Dew take one’s taste buds to the tropics or send them heading for the hills?

Those are the kinds of questions a rising social media star in Longview aims to answer. His name is Michael Lockwood, but online — around the country and the world — he’s known as Dr. Dew.

Lockwood, 25, has amassed tens of thousands of followers on social media platforms Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X and TikTok by filming himself mixing creative concoctions of sodas, beers, energy drinks and more, chugging them in a matter of seconds and then assigning them a rating — and a unique name.

“I want to give people a new idea of what kind of drink they want to drink on a wonderful day, night, party, holiday, all that,” Lockwood said.

He has another goal, too: to give people a glass full of positivity.

‘I’m Dr. Dew’

Lockwood is neither a glass-half-empty nor a glass-half-full kind of guy. Most of the time, his clear glass mug is filled to the brim with his latest libation.

Those who decide to belly up to Lockwood’s virtual bar will hear of a number of drink names that few eyes have gazed upon, few bellies have been filled with, few taste buds have salivated over and store shelves have never carried — perhaps for good reason.

“Gonster,” a mix of Guinness beer and Monster. “Viva la Dew,” a brew of Vita Coco coconut water, Mountain Dew and Jarritos soda. “Sprite-hoo,” the fusion of Yoo-hoo chocolate drink and Sprite. The possibilities are endless.

It started when Lockwood was a student at Spring Hill High School. He got involved in the school’s audio-visual program and learned about video editing. He and brothers Brandon and Aiden created their own YouTube channel called “Spikey Pineapple Boys,” a testament to one’s spiky hair and the similar texture of the tropical fruit.

They made vlogs, or video blogs, of themselves playing video games and posted the action for others to enjoy.

In late 2021, Lockwood moved into an apartment with his brother Josh, and he made a big announcement: The Spikey Pineapple Boys era would come to an end, and the YouTube channel would feature new content.

“I will continue to make videos, vlogs, everyday, all right?” he said in a video about the change. “Don’t worry. I want y’all to like this new life.”

One day earlier that year, Lockwood finished up a shift at Papacita’s Mexican Restaurant, where he busses tables. The calls of Dr Pepper and Mountain Dew both beckoned to his belly — which one would he choose?

Why not both at the same time?

He filmed himself drinking his concoction to see how viewers on his channel would receive it. Little did he know he would drink himself to “influencer” status — an informal title younger generations use to describe social media stars. From then on, he’d be posting drinking videos.

“All my friends and workers I work with started calling me the Dr. Dew,” Lockwood said. “Then my manager started calling me that, too. I’m like, you know what? Fine. From now on, I’m Dr. Dew.”

‘I care for everyone’

A day after making his first potation post, the clip had amassed 600 views. Ever since then, he’s posted more and more wild concoctions and his following has grown, soaring past 35,000 followers on Instagram. That’s his most popular platform.

He comes up with most of his drink ideas himself, and he gets his supplies at gas stations and a grocery store near his apartment in Longview, he said.

Each video begins with a question: “You guys want to know something?” Lockwood then explains what he’ll be drinking that day and why. When the deed is done, he gives the post a caption and adds a song to it. Then, his followers dive in.

Mountain Dew and Dr Pepper remains his favorite mix so far. After all, that’s the one that propelled him to stardom. His least favorite: chicken broth and Dr Pepper.

“Not the one, man, not the one,” he said.

He did, however, like mixing milk and Pepsi. But as he sat in his apartment on a recent afternoon, preparing to make his next video, a News-Journal photographer enlightened him that the 1970s sitcom “Laverne & Shirley” already popularized that mixture.

So far, his most widely viewed brew has been one he made for Philadelphia Eagles fans a few days before their Super Bowl appearance in 2023: Mountain Dew Pitch Black and regular Mountain Dew, representing the team colors. It garnered more than 1 million views and gained him 10,000 followers, he said.

Among his followers are his coworkers at Papacita’s. Manager Dean Palmer said staffers are faithful viewers — and so are some customers.

“We’ve had families come in here traveling across the state that wanted to stop in and see Dr. Dew,” Palmer said. “We run into people all the time that are. We even have phone calls. People will be like, ‘Hey, I’m calling from Wisconsin. I need to talk to Dr. Dew.’ ”

Everyone at the restaurant wants to support Lockwood, Palmer said.

“He’s a great guy, and he looks after everything that he can possibly look after as far as this restaurant is concerned,” Palmer said. “He’s very conscientious. He’s very personable. Everybody loves him to death.”

That’s a type of support Lockwood hasn’t always had. He and his family moved around a lot during his childhood. His mother was developmentally disabled, and his father had poor health. Lockwood said he was about 12 when he walked by himself from Marshall to Longview at night to see his father, who had suffered a heart attack.

He and his siblings were in foster care and were taken in by cousins in Longview, Gina and Joe Reeves, in 2011. They’ve done a lot for Lockwood and his siblings, he said.

His upbringing, or lack thereof, could have been a barrier, but nothing will hold him back, Lockwood said.

“I want people to know that, all over the world, we are seeing negativity around us,” he said. “I create videos so that I could give them the positivity that people have never had in their whole entire lives. I want them to know that I care. I care for everyone. I want them to have the same positivity like I do.”

He doesn’t just make drinking videos. He sings along to popular songs and, in some cases, teaches people about history — especially Texas history. He enjoyed teaching his fans about the Texas Revolution and those who “fought and died in the name of the Lone Star State,” he said.

If viewers like his palette for drinks, perhaps they’ll enjoy his flavors of food, too. He’s made a foray into the realm of cooking, recently, letting fans feast on a video about how to prepare a Philly cheesesteak burger.

‘Do not let words hurt you’

Warning labels be darned. The amount of added sugar Lockwood consumes in his beverages is undoubtedly more than the recommended daily amount. But even though his brews aren’t the envy of dietitians and doctors, Lockwood is keeping an eye on his health, he said.

He doesn’t want to end up like his father, who had diabetes. Nor does he want to end up like other social media stars who consume nothing but junk food all day and have more than enough weight to prove it.

When he’s not making drink videos, water is his go-to. He also tries to eat healthy foods and work out, he said.

For folks who want to make their own tasty liquid treats, however, Lockwood has some advice: “Make sure it is the one right there.”

That’s the slogan of approval for tasty beverages. He assigns each one a ranking on a scale of 1 to 10.

After wrapping up an interview , Lockwood got ready to make a video. He placed his iPhone in a stand in front of him and opened the camera app, getting the “selfie” video mode ready for action. He adjusted his Houston Texans hat and began recording.

His viewers were in for a Fourth of July treat: Lockwood mixed three Red Bulls — one red, white and blue — together in his glass mug and gave it a chug for “this wonderful country.”

Purple drops fell from his face as he gulped it all down.

“U.S. Bull right there, y’all,” he said, christening the drink with its own moniker. “9.2 out of 10, and this is the one right here, y’all.”

So, what could have been better?

“It could have gotten where it has a little more flavoring in there,” he said. The cans were small, too.

Followers were still fulfilled. One Instagram user commented: “Dr Dew- you’ve done it again! Unite the country!”

Not all followers, however, are quite so friendly. Lockwood said some have insulted and demeaned him. But he doesn’t listen to “haters,” and he doesn’t think anyone else should, either.

“Do not let words hurt you,” Lockwood said. “I always tell my fans, do not let words get to you. Do not let them hold you back.”

Most of the words on his posts are encouraging, however. Lockwood plans to keep mixing drinks — and fans’ thirst shows no signs of drying up.