What What (In the Butt)
{{Short description|2007 American music video}}
{{redirect|What What|the hip hop vocalist What? What?|Jean Grae|the 2018 Dillon Francis album|Wut Wut}}
{{Infobox television
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| director = Bobby Ciraldo
Andrew Swant
| producer = Bobby Ciraldo
Andrew Swant
| writer = Bobby Ciraldo
Andrew Swant
Samwell
| narrated =
| starring = Samwell
| music = Mike Stasny
Samwell
| cinematography =
| editor =
| released = {{start date|2007|2|14}}
| runtime = 3:49
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget =
| related = {{Plainlist|
- "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.[http://milwaukee.decider.com/articles/screening-room-andrew-swant-and-bobby-ciraldo,23371/ Milwaukee Decider] by DJ Hostettler (February 5, 2009), "Screening Room: Andrew Swant and Bobby Ciraldo". Retrieved 02-09-2009. 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,{{Cite web |url=http://www.avclub.com/milwaukee/articles/brownmark-films-celebrate-50m-views-of-what-what-i,83511/ |title=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 |website=The A.V. Club |access-date=2013-03-06 |archive-date=2013-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121222124/http://www.avclub.com/milwaukee/articles/brownmark-films-celebrate-50m-views-of-what-what-i,83511/ |url-status=dead }} and uploaded on Valentine's Day 2007 to YouTube.{{cite news| url = http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2007-02-28/news/samwell-asks-the-eternal-question-you-want-to-do-it-in-my-butt| title = Samwell asks the eternal question: "You want to do it in my butt?"| newspaper = Riverfront Times| date = 2007-02-28| access-date = 2007-05-01}} As of November 2023, the video has over 75 million views.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbGkxcY7YFU YouTube video with upload date and current view count]
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".{{cite web|url=http://www.brownmarkfilms.com/bm/whatwhat/Samwell_KROQ_Interview.mp3 |title=Radio interview |publisher=Kevin and Bean on KROQ-FM |date=2007-03-05 |access-date=2007-05-01 |format=MP3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008172859/http://www.brownmarkfilms.com/bm/whatwhat/Samwell_KROQ_Interview.mp3 |archive-date=2007-10-08 }} 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."
The video also parodies the flower petal scene from the movie American Beauty (1999).{{cite web| url = http://www.stereogum.com/archives/004637.html| title = New Samwell Video - "What What (In the Butt)"| website = Stereogum| date = 2007-02-16| access-date = 2007-05-01| quote = The piece de resistance has gotta be either the extended smile, or the "What" on each ass cheek.| archive-date = 2007-04-20| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070420011545/http://www.stereogum.com/archives/004637.html| url-status = dead}}
On April 8, 2007, Brownmark Films released an interview with Samwell, in which he discussed the public reception of the song at length.{{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFU7jmuxzVo| title = Samwell "Interviewed"| via = YouTube| date = 2007-04-08| access-date = 2008-04-09}}
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.{{cite web| url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/lilyallen/celeb_samwell.shtml| title = BBC - Lily Allen and Friends| access-date = 2008-12-10}} The video was also featured in episode #53 of ADD-TV in Manhattan.{{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOT47Qippb0| title = ADD-TV Episode #53 "Electro"| website = YouTube| date = 2008-10-08| access-date = 2008-08-26}} "What What (In the Butt)" was an official selection at the Milwaukee International Film Festival and the Mix Brasil Film Festival.{{cite web| url = http://www.milwaukeefilmfest.org/tixSYS/2007/filmguide/title/detail/?AlphaRange=UZ&ShowShorts=Y&ShowPast=Y| title = 2007 Milwaukee Film Festival - Events By Title - Detail View| date = 2007-12-14| access-date = 2008-12-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214064100/http://www.milwaukeefilmfest.org/tixSYS/2007/filmguide/title/detail/?AlphaRange=UZ&ShowShorts=Y&ShowPast=Y |archive-date=2007-12-14}}{{cite web|url=http://www.mixbrasil.org.br/mixbrasil2007/p_curtamixbrasil_what.shtml |title=2007 Mix Brasil Film Festival schedule - Events By Title - Detail View |access-date=2008-12-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706161519/http://www.mixbrasil.org.br/mixbrasil2007/p_curtamixbrasil_what.shtml |archive-date=July 6, 2011 }}
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.Luczak, Renata [http://www.comedycentral.com/press/press_releases/2010/051210_tosh-new-episodes-june2.jhtml "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] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100524024430/http://www.comedycentral.com/press/press_releases/2010/051210_tosh-new-episodes-june2.jhtml |date=2010-05-24 }} Beginning on Wednesday, June 2 at 10:30 P.M. ET/PT""; Comedy Central; May 12, 2010
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.{{cite web| url = http://www.avclub.com/milwaukee/articles/screening-room-andrew-swant-and-bobby-ciraldo,23371/| title = The Onion A.V. Club "Screening Room: Andrew Swant & Bobby Ciraldo"| website = The A.V. Club| date = 2009-02-05| access-date = 2010-01-12}}{{cite web| url = http://www.feastoffun.com/podcast/2009/11/17/fof-1095-behind-samwells-what-what-in-the-butt-11-17-09/| title = "Behind Samwell's What What (In the Butt)" Feast of Fun Podcast Interview| date = 2009-11-17| access-date = 2010-01-12}}
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 the 2008 South Park episode "Canada On Strike".{{Cite web |url=http://images.eonline.com/static/news/pdf/SouthParklawsuit.pdf |title=Images.eonline.com |access-date=2010-11-17 |archive-date=2016-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160120105044/http://images.eonline.com/static/news/pdf/SouthParklawsuit.pdf |url-status=dead }} 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.[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/south-park-wins-lawsuit-what-210849 'South Park' Wins Lawsuit Over 'What What (In the Butt)' Parody] Hollywood Reporter[http://title17.net/2011/07/music-video-owner-takes-one-in-the-south-park-spoof-held-fair-use/ Music Video Owner Takes One In The...: South Park Spoof Held Fair Use] Title 17 The appeal was dismissed by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals on June 7, 2012.[http://www.ca7.uscourts.gov/tmp/IR14CTIF.pdf Brownmark Films, LLC v. Comedy Partners, et al., No. 11-2620 (7th Cir. 2012)]{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Additionally, the district court awarded attorneys' fees to the defendants because the lawsuit was "objectively unreasonable".{{citation needed|date=July 2013}}
In January 2013, a behind-the-scenes video was released which showed footage from the original 2006 green screen shoot.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{youTube|fbGkxcY7YFU|"What What (In the Butt)"}}
- [http://officialsamwell.com/what-what/ Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105041041/http://officialsamwell.com/what-what/ |date=2010-11-05 }}
- [https://southpark.cc.com/clips/165193 "What What" re-created segment on South Park]{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
- [http://blogcritics.org/brownmark-films-qa-with-the-creators/ Blogcritics Magazine interview with the creators of the video] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029200037/http://blogcritics.org/brownmark-films-qa-with-the-creators/ |date=2013-10-29 }}
- {{IMDb title|1219256}}