| What What (In the Butt) | |
|---|---|
Image from the video |
|
| Written by | Bobby Ciraldo Andrew Swant Samwell |
| Directed by | Bobby Ciraldo Andrew Swant |
| Starring | Samwell |
| Country of origin | US |
| Language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Bobby Ciraldo Andrew Swant |
| Running time | 3:49 |
| Distributor | Brownmark Films |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | "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 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 uploaded on Valentine's Day 2007 to YouTube[2] and as of December 2011, it had nearly 45 million views.[3]
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With regard to the Christian imagery in the video, Samwell said, in an interview with KROQ-FM, said that the opening image is "not a cross, but a flaming symbol that [he] just happened to use,"[4] but according to Stasny, "[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."[2] The video also parodies the flower petal scene from the movie American Beauty.[5] Brownmark Films released an interview with Samwell on April 8, 2007, in which he discussed the public reception of the song at length.[6]
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.[7] The video was also featured in episode #53 of ADD-TV in Manhattan.[8] "What What (In the Butt)" was an official selection at the Milwaukee International Film Festival and the Mix Brasil Film Festival.[9][10] In March 2010 Special Entertainment released an iPhone App called Shaky Advice from Samwell that functions much like a Magic 8 Ball, with video clips of Samwell giving advice.[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 Them Crooked Vultures.[12]
The creators of the video, and Samwell himself, claim that a feature film called What What (In the Butt): The Movie is in the works.[13][14]
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 judgement had even begun. The case is currently on appeal to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.[16][17] Meanwhile, the district court awarded attorneys' fees to the defendants because the lawsuit was "objectively unreasonable." Brownmark Films LLC v. Comedy Partners, 2011 WL 6002961 (E.D. Wis. Nov. 30, 2011).