EPISODE 336 — NOT Farts and Procreation 4

[DanWhite_95339 11]

I didn't think it was going to hit me like this. I've never been affected by the loss of someone I've never met. The montage at the end made me burst out loud laughing and then uncontrollably start crying. I feel like I lost a member of my family.

 

Scott. Thank you for bringing amazing people into my life. The fact that Harris's death has crushed me so much shows the power of this podcast. Thank you.

 

I'm gonna miss you Harris. You did more in your 30 years on this Earth than most of us will ever do. I wish I had something funny to say, but i'm absolutely crushed right now. Thank you for everything.

[BrandonRiedie 2]

I've never met Harris, and I never will. Both of those realities truly, truly sadden me. What saddens me most, though, is that he is no longer a part of this living world. He was a comedic giant; one whose death truly is a loss. I don't know what I'm trying to say at this point. I'm so emotional and sad for this. I still can't believe he's gone. I loved him so much, and I miss him.

[Bob Drillboids 181]

Its the perfect Tinder status.

 

I was just thinking how Harris' twitter bio would also make the perfect tinder status: "i love chillin, hangin out, havin fun and just fuckin chillin."

[Traceratops 4]

Oh, so this is what it took to get me to make an account on the forums.

 

Comedy Bang Bang, and it's various spin-offs and associated podcasts and the tv show and all of that, is... so fucking funny. There's something unique about the format, and the kind of absolute freedom it has, where there's just... no boundaries at all. There's no ham-fisted story line or characters or realistic scenarios where the comedy has to shoved into a little tiny box and shrink-wrapped so it can get past the censors. The only rule is that you're supposed to laugh and have fun, anything that's funny is the priority. No fucking around, they get straight to the thing that's actually funny, and they keep doing it for 90 minutes, and no one apologizes for it.

 

You know how like in the Dune books they've got the spice, but then there's the water of life that's like this pure, unfiltered, hyper-potent chemical that the spice is a product of? Comedy Bang Bang is like the water of life to the entire rest of the industry's spice.

 

And then there's Farts & Pro'. Farts & Pro' takes that pure, unfiltered, raw ass rock and roll hooliganism and makes it look like a yuppie who works in a cubicle. The Farts episodes are so god damned funny that they make the entire rest of the show look like a waste of time. That sounds like a backhanded compliment, and maybe it is, because as the months drew on from the summer of '14 I found myself growing progressively more impatient waiting for FnP4. But to clarify, what I'm saying is that when you put Scott, Chelsea, Scott, and of course Harris into a room together with no rules, the result makes even the highest caliber of comedy gold feel like an also-ran.

 

This podcast has brought me so much joy and happiness, and over the past three years it's filled a hole in my life I thought could only be satiated with alcohol. No sob stories, but you get the idea. When I heard Scott mention several times on various episodes how he considered the FnP episodes to have dimishing returns, and his doubt about whether there would even be another, it bothered me. It bothered me because I was being told that this wonderful, completely free and pure thing in the world was going to be shut down, that CBB from now on would follow a strict format and powerful men in suits would stamp "rejected" on a piece of paper and that would mark the end of it. That FnP was SO pure and SO beautiful that it simply could not continue to exist in a world this empty and spiteful.

 

And then it turned out that Scott's attitude as a big time TV exec had nothing to do with it. And now, because I guess I was under the impression for some reason that new episodes came out on Wednesday, I am just now finding out that the universe found out I was enjoying something again, and had to kill Harris Wittels just to spite me.

 

I am very, very sad, and incredibly angry. The jokes on you, though, god, because I still got Farts n' Pro 4 in the end, and even though I never knew the guy personally, I at least know that he wouldn't have wanted a little thing like his death to bring comedy to a screeching halt. I paused just after the intro, but I suspect it won't be long until I can laugh again, he was basically the funniest motherfucker on the planet, after all.

 

Thank you, Scott, for releasing this. It means so much to me. You can't stop doing this show, maybe it seems dumb or stupid to you, but motherfuckers need to laugh. And thank you for the other 300+ shows, and for the U2 show and all the rest. If it weren't for you, I would have never heard Harris' comedy, and I might not even be here at all.

 

Sorry if a big long first post bothers anyone, but I feel very strongly about this, and I just thought this might be an appropriate place to chime in about why I loved Harris Wittels so much. I'm sorry that I'm a little late on the news, too.

[gjones999 10]

Just wanted to say thanks to Harris for all of the laughs over the years and I'm very sorry for this loss to all of the people that knew him in reality as well as those who knew him from all of these podcasts. His untimely death hit me harder than any other person I've never met that I can remember. I've spent the past 5 days re-listening to his appearances on CBB, Analyze Phish, U2, and Who Charted and it has been a weird, funny and sad experience, but primarily very funny.

 

Since that Hollywood Bowl AP podcast was released, it's been commonplace for my girlfriend and I to respond to "it's good" with an "it's funky." Such a dumb line and not even meant as a joke, but it's brought us many laughs and continues to do so.

 

We also watched the last episode of Parks and Rec tonight and enjoyed it very much and the impact of Harris on that show and the end of the show coupled with his passing hit us really hard when it was over.

 

Thank you Scott and to everyone at Earwolf for releasing this very unexpected episode on Monday, it was the last thing I was expecting and am really glad we got one last time to hear from Harris on the show.

 

Thanks guys, I love all of your sub-podcasts.

[nrkist 71]

Scott and Co., this was a brave thing you did. I can't imagine how hard this must have been to go back and edit this material, to listen to it again, so soon.

 

This news had flown under my radar, but I had been digging up all the Foam Corner eps religiously just the week before, cause I hadn't had my fill in a while on CBB. Perhaps the germ was in my head with the finale of Parks and Rec. I was delighted when the new CBB showed up in my feed and it was Farts and Pro. I thought Scott's intro was a really overlong setup to a new Wittel's character...and then I heard Scott's voice start to break.

 

I wish this hadn't happened, I wish this wasn't so difficult, but I'm happy you made the choices you made at earwolf. It would be a crime to hide any little bit of Wittels from the world.

 

He leaves a really bizarre and singular hole in the universe to those that don't even know him. I'm still in denial and believe he just evolved into his final form of purely hilarious and untwitterable foam.

[Bozos of Basketball 3689]

Thanks to Harris for being the funniest guy ever. Don't worry, dude, we'll always remember you as chill.

 

Thanks to Brett and the crew for putting together that ending.

 

Thanks to Scott for sharing Harris with us. If Scott didn't have the ridiculously keen eye for talent he does we probably wouldn't have been exposed to much Harris at all, which would be even more depressing.

 

Thanks to Paul Rust for the way he used to laugh at Harris jokes. That was always my favorite thing for some reason.

[SarahBethKeshishian 32]

Im not saying anything that hasn't already been said but damn this took me a bit to listen too. I've never been heartbroken for someone I had never met before. Having someone talk in your earholes somehow makes it more intimate, like they are talking to you in a one sided conversation. So the loss of Harris has been super rough.

 

That being said, thanks for releasing this ep. After finally listening to it I was glad I did. Beautiful memoriam.

[golden arrow 135]

The new Don't Stop Or We'll Die video will definitely make you smile.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yk4lp2GTdE

[golden arrow 135]

Also, for those who have not seen this yet, definitely check out the short film that he directed with Armen. I really love the look and feel of the film.

 

http://vimeo.com/80115332

[CraigEminger 468]

The new Don't Stop Or We'll Die video will definitely make you smile.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yk4lp2GTdE

 

Damn for some reason this happy video is the thing thats brought me closest to tears.

 

Really fun though, some good cameos of familiar faces. Going to check out that other video now.

[Martha Dumptruck 5]

Like everyone else, I'm sad and overwhelmed by this. I created this account because I wanted to thank Scott for this episode specifically, for all the Comedy Bang Bang laughs in general, and for introducing so many of us to the wonderful world of Harris.

 

The intro to this episode is heartbreaking, as is Kulap's intro for Who Charted. The intros are about as far as I can go right now. It’s a form of denial: if I don’t listen to these episodes, then all is well in this insular little podcast dimension.

 

I’m in awe of Harris’ ability to have deeply affected such a massive amount of people, probably most of whom had never even met him. I wonder if he had any idea that so many random podcast listeners cared so much about him. I truly hope that he did.

 

And I hope that Scott and the Earwolf family realize how beloved they and their comedy are to so many. Bringing joy into people's lives is no small feat.

[Kngdkdkssl 56]

[Poika 615]

The intros are about as far as I can go right now. It’s a form of denial: if I don’t listen to these episodes, then all is well in this insular little podcast dimension.

I did the same thing. Monday I focused on NNF's Player's Club, Wednesday I focused on the Hooray Show. I did return back to CBB and Who Charted, and it was cathartic and depressing and hilarious. I haven't wanted to post because I don't really have anything to add that hasn't already been said.

 

It's been a loooong time since I cried about a death of someone I didn't actually know. Freddie Mercury, Frank Zappa, and now, Harris (It's been a while). I loved his work so much, and the work of the people that loved him.

 

The intimacy of podcasting is very real.

[nrkist 71]

 

That's awesome. Can you do another where the bubble letters inside the skull read 'Foam' and 'motherfuckers wanna laugh' is sorta wrapped around the edge of the head?

 

Excellent, tribute.

[MichaelSeymourBlake 1]

Episode made me laugh like hell. Not boring at all. The emails were great. I don't know a ton about Harris, but he's spot on hilarious.

[jerseypin 89]

Still sad about Harris, and listening to this ep for the 3rd time. But I'm so glad that Harris made a call-back at the last minute to the original Farts & Pro ep from 4 years ago:

 

You had me at "On that guy's!"

[PWestgate 9]

The whole Mark acting coach / Ice Chris / Fire derailed improv was so fucking funny. I just listened to it again. "Sucking....the....beautiful....!!"

[SquiggleyPuff 2]

Seriously thank you for releasing this, Scottrick. I can't think of a better way to say goodbye to such an amazingly funny person.

[Bob Drillboids 181]

I hope this thread keeps going forever.

[DonaldGarber 4]

I didn't start watching Parks & Rec until maybe two years ago, when it all became available on Netflix... Hulu? That show quickly became my and MY WIFE's favorite show. We still watch it as comfort.

 

Hot Saucerman, I choked up right with you when I listened to your introduction to the show. It was so weird that this episode was recorded just before his passing. He seemed like a guy who loved life, he had fun and just happened to have an addiction.

 

Also: Am I the only one who was totally quite disappointed to see ZERO reference to Harris at the finale of P&R? NBC couldn't have added a 5 second slide at the end? Also, the cast get-together on the Tonight Show, I'm surprised no one mentioned it, though I KNOW everyone in the cast was numbed by the loss of their friend.

 

-Don in Seattle

 

Pro: Legal weed

Con: Give the ball to Marshawn, for fuck's sake!

[DanEngler 5249]

There was, Don. A screengrab was posted earlier in this thread:

 

[VajayjayLeno 336]

It was on the NBC feed, but not on Hulu. I was also disappointed until I learned that.

[WEdidITagain 458]

What did Scott call them?

 

I'm thinking it's the F word.

[ICMexican 151]

It's a bit from Eardrop iirc.

http://www.earwolf.com/episode/mar-31-2011/ around 4:34