What What
Written byBobby Ciraldo
Andrew Swant
Samwell
Directed byBobby Ciraldo
Andrew Swant
StarringSamwell
Music byMike Stasny
Samwell
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersBobby Ciraldo
Andrew Swant
Running time3:49
Original release
ReleaseFebruary 14, 2007 (2007-02-14)
Related
  • "Protect Respect"

"What What (In the Butt)" is a viral video created by Andrew Swant and Bobby Ciraldo for the song of the same name by Samwell.[1] It is known for its numerous blatant and camp references to homosexuality and anal sex. The lyrics of the song, a production of Mike Stasny, mostly revolve around the title. The video was made in Milwaukee, Wisconsin[2] and uploaded on Valentine's Day 2007 to YouTube.[3] As of November 2023, the video has over 75 million views.[4]

Themes and imagery

On 5 March 2007, with regard to the Christian imagery in the video, Samwell said, in an interview with KROQ-FM, that the opening image is "not a cross, but a flaming symbol that [he] just happened to use".[5] According to Stasny, however:

"[Samwell] wanted it because he's a Christian but he doesn't do Christian morality. For him, having a burning cross is a way to pay respect to his beliefs."[3]

The video also parodies the flower petal scene from the movie American Beauty (1999).[6]

On April 8, 2007, Brownmark Films released an interview with Samwell, in which he discussed the public reception of the song at length.[7]

Performances and appearances

In April 2008, Samwell appeared on the BBC television show Lily Allen and Friends for an interview and performed a live version of "What What (In the Butt)" with choreographed dancers.[8] The video was also featured in episode #53 of ADD-TV in Manhattan.[9] "What What (In the Butt)" was an official selection at the Milwaukee International Film Festival and the Mix Brasil Film Festival.[10][11]

In June 2010 Samwell appeared on an episode of Comedy Central's Tosh.0, television show about viral videos. The segment told the story of how the "What What" video was created, followed by an acoustic duet version of the song by Samwell and Josh Homme, lead singer for Queens of the Stone Age and former guitar player for Kyuss.[12]

In 2009, the creators of the video, and Samwell himself, claimed that a feature film called What What (In the Butt): The Movie was in the works.[13][14]

On November 12, 2010, Brownmark Films filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against MTV Networks, South Park Studios, and Viacom for their use of "What What in the Butt" in a 2008 South Park episode.[15] In July 2011, a federal judge decided that South Park's use of the video fell under the fair use exception to copyright law, and thus the defendants did not owe damages. The decision was unusual in a copyright lawsuit because it was made on a motion to dismiss, before summary judgment.[16][17] The appeal was dismissed by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals on June 7, 2012.[18] Additionally, the district court awarded attorneys' fees to the defendants because the lawsuit was "objectively unreasonable".

In January 2013, a behind-the-scenes video was released which showed footage from the original 2006 green screen shoot.[2]

  • In the April 2, 2008 episode of South Park, "Canada on Strike", the boys post a viral video on "YouToob" (a fictional version of YouTube) of Butters performing "What What (In the Butt)".[19]
  • In October 2011 a porn parody of Comedy Central's Tosh.0 was released called Tosh Porn Oh. The film (porn star Dane Cross' directorial debut) contained a segment based on the "What What (In the Butt)" video with Samwell replaced by the pornographic actress Skin Diamond. The segment features a recreation of the original video which, according to the end credits, was fully licensed by Brownmark Films.
  • The "What What" song surfaced on an episode of Sweden's Got Talent in which four naked young men danced to the song.
  • The creators of the "What What" video projected images of Samwell's iconic pink zeppelin onto buildings in Los Angeles for the five-year anniversary of the project.[20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Milwaukee Decider by DJ Hostettler (February 5, 2009), "Screening Room: Andrew Swant and Bobby Ciraldo". Retrieved 02-09-2009.
  2. 1 2 "Special Entertainment celebrates 50 million views of "What What (In the Butt)" with behind-the-scenes video | Film | Local Newswire | the A.V. Club Milwaukee". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2013-03-06.
  3. 1 2 "Samwell asks the eternal question: "You want to do it in my butt?"". Riverfront Times. 2007-02-28. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  4. ↑ YouTube video with upload date and current view count
  5. ↑ "Radio interview". Kevin and Bean on KROQ-FM. 2007-03-05. Archived from the original (MP3) on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  6. ↑ "New Samwell Video - "What What (In the Butt)"". Stereogum. 2007-02-16. Retrieved 2007-05-01. The piece de resistance has gotta be either the extended smile, or the "What" on each ass cheek.
  7. ↑ "Samwell "Interviewed"". 2007-04-08. Retrieved 2008-04-09 – via YouTube.
  8. ↑ "BBC - Lily Allen and Friends". Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  9. ↑ "ADD-TV Episode #53 "Electro"". YouTube. 2008-10-08. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
  10. ↑ "2007 Milwaukee Film Festival - Events By Title - Detail View". 2007-12-14. Archived from the original on 2007-12-14. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  11. ↑ "2007 Mix Brasil Film Festival schedule - Events By Title - Detail View". Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  12. ↑ Luczak, Renata "Daniel Tosh Is Back with More Internet Epic Fails Web Redemptions and Fan Challenges as the Second Season of Tosh.0 Continues with 16 New Episodes Archived 2010-05-24 at the Wayback Machine Beginning on Wednesday, June 2 at 10:30 P.M. ET/PT""; Comedy Central; May 12, 2010
  13. ↑ "The Onion A.V. Club "Screening Room: Andrew Swant & Bobby Ciraldo"". The A.V. Club. 2009-02-05. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
  14. ↑ ""Behind Samwell's What What (In the Butt)" Feast of Fun Podcast Interview". 2009-11-17. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
  15. ↑ "Images.eonline.com" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-01-20. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
  16. ↑ 'South Park' Wins Lawsuit Over 'What What (In the Butt)' Parody Hollywood Reporter
  17. ↑ Music Video Owner Takes One In The...: South Park Spoof Held Fair Use Title 17
  18. ↑ Brownmark Films, LLC v. Comedy Partners, et al., No. 11-2620 (7th Cir. 2012)
  19. ↑ "Canada on Strike" at South Park Studios
  20. ↑ "What What (in the Butt)" Viral Video Inspires L.A. Art, Five Years Later" L.A. Weekly; 2/15/2012
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