Public figures: musicians
165 people with no personal tie to the brothers in the registry, grouped by the field in their registry kind, most-mentioned first. Back to the people overview.
| person | date | role | what is said | video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor Swift (musician) | 2009-12-30 | cited | The song says a Georgia flood left thousands homeless and seven dead, while the news was about Kanye West and Taylor Swift. | The STUPIDEST NEWS STORIES of 2009 (a song) (00:00:27) |
| 2014-09-16 | cited | John says colloquial 'slay' is already metaphoric: a Taylor Swift song didn't kill you, but the experience was so awesome you are metaphorically dead. | It's Question Tuesday! Cheesy Jokes, Paper Towns Movie, and Dinosaur Butt Brains (00:02:08) | |
| 2015-02-03 | passing | John says his favorite Taylor Swift song is probably Blank Space, which Henry calls 'Boys Love Torture'. | Beards, Birds, and the Paper Towns Release Date: Question Tuesday! (00:01:24) | |
| 2016-03-25 | passing | Asked how the book writing goes, John says he is writing; the last word he wrote is 'coffee', in a line about stirring milk into morning coffee that he gives 50-50 odds of surviving. | Snapchat Question Time! (00:02:58) | |
| 2023-01-06 | cited | Hank imagines a living computer would be huge news on Friday and not even new gossip by Wednesday (11 January 2023), the gossip 40 years from now still being Harry Styles and Taylor Swift doing something; a year later, introducing a computer friend would be nothing weird. | After 12 hours in LA I'm a stand-up comic doing ASMR with a side gig as a music promoter (00:02:35) | |
| 2023-09-14 | cited | John says the panel feels to him like his daughter interviewing Olivia Rodrigo or Taylor Swift: four of his heroes, Dr. Animesh Sinha, Dr. Carole Mitnick, Nandita and Phumeza. | Talking Tuberculosis, GeneXpert, J&J, and more with MY HEROES (00:00:42) | |
| 2023-09-27 | cited | John compares seeing these TB fighters to how his daughter would feel seeing Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift the same night; they invited him to dinner and he tried to keep his cool. | John Goes ... to the UNITED NATIONS? (00:00:29) | |
| 2023-10-27 | cited | Thinking of Taylor Swift, Hank says outrage content is easy and fast, but harder does not mean worse: making things people love and building on strong foundations can take over the world, as she has. | I Keep Thinking About Taylor Swift (00:01:29) | |
| 2024-02-27 | cited | As of late 2023 Jessica had a positive opinion of Taylor Swift. | I Was Wrong about the Average American (00:02:55) | |
| 2024-04-30 | quoted | John says he feels weird being anything but overjoyed with his absurdly fortunate life, and borrows a Taylor Swift line asking whether he is allowed to cry. | Not Doing That Great (00:00:29) | |
| 2024-06-14 | cited | Hank says a cultural technology won't work if it seems super cringe, everything sounds cringe now, so cringe must be overcome: loving Taylor Swift is a bit cringe, yet people still do it. | Some Reasons why People Suck (00:05:53) | |
| 2024-08-07 | cited | Hank says fame comes in waves, most visibly for big celebrities: Taylor Swift is on top of the world, then collectively hated, then back stronger; now is a hate moment. | Dear Hank and John Livestream! (00:08:59) | |
| 2024-09-24 | cited | Hank says the video is not made to go viral, not a cause video like We Are the World, not a cameo-packed Taylor Swift video, but an amateur office Christmas party video that happens to star Whoopi Goldberg and George Clooney, which makes it special. | The Forgotten Viral Video that Could Never be Made Today (00:03:53) | |
| 2025-03-25 | subject | Asked to connect Taylor Swift to TB, John cites a line of her song about the lakes as a reference to England's Lake District, where poets and others with tuberculosis were often sent to recover. | Taylor, Dr Pepper, and My Anxiety Strats: It's Question Tuesday (00:00:00) | |
| 2025-08-26 | cited | John says that fame now works person by person: apart from stars like Taylor Swift or Rihanna, the fractured information landscape leaves no shared celebrities. | Not to Criticize Hank… (00:00:47) | |
| 2026-02-13 | cited, joke | John says what he loves more than the source material of any fandom, whether BTS, Taylor Swift or his own books, is the community that emerges around it. | Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! (07:18:05) | |
| 2026-03-24 | subject | Linking a Taylor Swift song about poets going to the lakes to die, John says poets went to the Lake District to recover their health and were dying of tuberculosis. | How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis (00:03:00) | |
| Justin Bieber (musician) | 2010-05-10 | joke | For Justin Bieber songs stuck in your head ('Bieber fever'), John prescribes a heavy dose of the Mountain Goats and the website themountaingoatswillcureyourbieberfever.com. | Advice on Dumb Boyfriends, Going to College, and More (00:02:54) |
| 2010-10-22 | cited | John asks what keeps Hank from being the next Justin Bieber: he has lyrics, guitar and a nerdy look, and his quark song shows he writes about subjects that matter. | Making Adorable Music (00:01:09) | |
| 2010-12-15 | joke | Hank sings that love is hard and messy, can hurt worse than fire and make you want to tear down a building, but is also the best thing that has ever happened to him. | Adult Female: A Song (00:01:36) | |
| 2010-12-31 | cited | Hank notes a recurring autocomplete trend of asking whether people are gay: Daniel Tosh, Justin Bieber and Nate Berkus, whom Hank does not even know. | Is Lady Gaga a Man? (00:00:51) | |
| 2011-01-03 | cited | After the 'is Bieber' autocompletes (gay, in jail, a girl, really 51, dead, going to North Korea…), John says the answer to all is either no or 'ahhh', and that in 2007 they did not imagine a world where Google thinks we want to know such things. | Is bronchitis contagious? Is black a color? (00:01:51) | |
| 2011-03-30 | cited | Hank says it was sweetened up for the 2000s for 'our little friends', as in Justin Bieber's Baby. | The Ice Cream Changes (00:02:34) | |
| 2012-05-29 | joke | John tells Hank that, though he is the younger brother, his marriage continues to be an inspiration to John. | Nerds at the Beach: A REUNION VIDEO! (00:02:12) | |
| 2014-02-11 | subject | John says he doesn't think he has ever heard a Justin Bieber song, so he listens to Bieber's top five songs on camera. | A Middle Aged Man (00:01:06) | |
| 2015-07-24 | cited | John lists important cultural institutions that came out of online video in eight years: Gangnam Style, Justin Bieber, the double rainbow guy and the Ice Bucket Challenge featuring Bill Gates. | From the Main Stage of VidCon! (00:00:58) | |
| 2017-01-24 | joke | John's first problem with motivational quotes is that they aren't true: tough people die like everyone, and many worthwhile things, like bananas, come easily. | On Motivation (00:00:26) | |
| 2021-10-14 | cited | Asked why one remembers trivia like Justin Bieber's rented Lamborghini but not the names of one's children's classmates' parents, John admits he always thinks one parent is Jim, and it's never Jim. | Pizza Sized Johns or John Sized Pizza? It's Question Thursday (00:02:29) | |
| 2023-12-24 | passing | John and Hank Hanging Out but they Keep Getting Younger and More Pixelated (01:52:54) | ||
| Beyoncé (musician) | 2011-01-03 | cited | John answers a run of autocomplete questions: BearShare is not safe; Bam Margera is technically still married; Beyoncé is not pregnant; Brett Favre is married; Beezid is a rip-off, not a scam; bronchitis is contagious; Bleach is not over. | Is bronchitis contagious? Is black a color? (00:00:09) |
| 2014-01-21 | joke | Joking, John invokes a 'rule of Twitter following' he just made up: you may call anyone you follow on Twitter by first name — like Barack, Beyonce and Ellen. | Are Poor Countries Doomed? (00:00:46) | |
| 2014-03-25 | cited | John says we imagine creative work as singular feats of genius, like James Joyce writing Ulysses or Beyoncé's surprise album, but even they rely on vast networks of influence. | I Gotta Go: Signing Off and Thinking about Inspiration (00:02:36) | |
| 2016-08-16 | recommended | John says Beyoncé released maybe the best album of the decade not made by the Mountain Goats. | Some Good News: 16 Ways 2016 Is Not a Total Dumpster Fire (00:03:30) | |
| 2017-01-24 | cited | John once said popular music was dead, only to really like Beyoncé's album Lemonade. | On Motivation (00:02:12) | |
| 2017-02-07 | passing | Among the good news, Beyonce is pregnant and a new Zelda game is forthcoming. | Good News, YA Books, and Bears: It's Question Tuesday (00:00:29) | |
| 2017-02-21 | joke | Asked whether rich people have better Wi-Fi, John says money can buy almost anything but not freedom from Comcast; Beyoncé surely resets her router like everyone. | Does Human Life Have Real Meaning? (00:00:10) | |
| 2023-09-28 | cited | Hank says the UN is weird and complicated but has vital goals, does much work, and has so far achieved its main goal of not repeating World War II, a big win. | What the Heck is the UN? (00:06:44) | |
| 2024-11-22 | cited | Hank sees a parallel in leaders sticking to authoritative news outlets rather than accessible ones like Joe Rogan's; they must act human, less on stage with Beyonce. | Populism, Media Revolutions, and Our Terrible Moment (00:31:21) | |
| 2026-08-21 | cited | Hank suggests perhaps today's Mozarts already exist: Stevie Wonder, David Byrne, Jacob Collier, Beyonce and Björk. | Not (Just) Dunking on Jeff Bezos (00:01:56) | |
| Britney Spears (musician) | 2007-04-10 | cited | John argues modelling behaviour is far more complicated than imitation: that Britney Spears seems addicted to methamphetamine makes him less likely to use it, not more. | Brotherhood 2.0: April 10th: Role Models (00:01:16) |
| 2007-05-08 | joke | By 11 p.m. in Indianapolis John had seen about 12 houses, all nice but needing work, and had about 30 minutes to edit and upload; he is very stressed. | Brotherhood 2.0: May 8th: House Hunters (00:01:41) | |
| 2007-09-06 | cited | John jokes that Hank's anger once taught him the older brother isn't necessarily the stronger, and says the song just toughens Hank's image, like Britney Spears releasing Toxic. | September 6th: The Book Club Returns (00:00:00) | |
| 2007-09-18 | subject | John says he cares very little about Britney Spears; he pities her as a 'narcissistic drug addict' but saves that pity for addicts without her money. | September 18: In Defense of Chris Crocker (00:00:35) | |
| 2007-09-26 | cited | John says Wiener escaped that fate and became an adult genius: he invented the field of cybernetics and is a hugely important applied mathematician. | September 26th: Norbert Wiener (00:02:19) | |
| 2007-11-21 | joke | John jokes he would like to write a paper, 'Does the Awesomeness of a Body Depend Upon Its Nerd Content?', proving that accumulating knowledge increases worldwide awesome (except knowledge about Britney Spears). | November 21st: What I'm Grateful For (00:00:09) | |
| 2008-02-08 | joke | John says the character Alaska is not simply based on a real person: in some ways she is based on him, in other ways on other people. | QUESTION TUESDAYS (On Friday) (00:02:36) | |
| 2008-08-21 | passing | A parent in the report says the brothers send a strong message about young people in America growing up as individuals. | INTERNET SENSATION B$%CH (00:02:58) | |
| 2009-01-28 | credited | Stock Adviser (Via Britney) (00:03:02) | ||
| 2014-02-11 | cited | John wonders why the image of Britney Spears' shaved head is imprinted on his mind, taking up space he could use for, say, Dutch. | A Middle Aged Man (00:02:24) | |
| Jonathan Coulton (musician) | 2007-05-09 | cited | Hank officially accepts John's challenge to write a song every two weeks, which 'the other guy from Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone From Your Pants' suggested; he will sing on each of his Wednesdays. | My 9th: Singing and Randy (00:00:10) |
| 2007-07-17 | credited | John announces that Tuesday, July 17 is the day of his punishment. | Brotherhood 2.0: July 17: Topless Dancer (00:00:10) | |
| 2007-08-14 | credited | Looking for a cat to lick, John asks people whether they own a cat or have close friends who do; he tells Hank the cat licking will have to wait till Thursday (16 August 2007). | August 14th: The Blenderized Happy Meal (and Leg Waxing) (00:00:09) | |
| 2008-05-23 | credited | The description credits the music: Julia Nunes' 'Short and Sweet', Abby Simons' 'My Scientist', Jonathan Coulton's 'Fancy Pants' and Distemper's 'Think Who Is Your Friend'. | Happy (Belated) Birthday, Hank (00:00:00) | |
| 2010-04-28 | cited | Hank lists people he loves but has never met and wants to hug because he is impressed with their work, from They Might Be Giants and Wil Wheaton to Ursula Le Guin, plus many YouTubers. | Who's in Your Hug Bucket? (00:01:38) | |
| 2010-06-07 | subject | John casts singer-songwriter Jonathan Coulton (who once bought him a beer) as, for today's purposes, a small media company, set against the somewhat larger Viacom. | Viacom PWNED on Piracy (00:00:00) | |
| 2011-05-02 | passing | Hank says Sunday, the first of May, was a fantastic day: breakfast downtown with Katherine, a part in friends' movie, Win Win, and A Clash of Kings on his porch. | Osama Bin Laden is Dead (00:00:01) | |
| 2011-11-09 | subject | Hank went to a They Might Be Giants show in Spokane this weekend, with Jonathan Coulton opening. | 27 Part Video (00:00:36) | |
| 2011-11-16 | credited | At No. 2, John picks Left 4 Dead 2 as the only zombie video game featuring Jonathan Coulton's 'Re: Your Brains', which he calls the best zombie apocalypse song. | Top 5 Zombie Apocalypses OF ALL TIME (00:02:22) | |
| 2014-03-07 | credited | Hank thanks Paul and Storm, Jonathan and Drew for putting the cruise together, calling it something so amazing. | Thoughts from a Cruise (00:00:00) | |
| 2014-03-07 | passing | Hank was on the ship for the fourth annual JoCo Cruise Crazy, a floating nerd adventure with semi-celebrity nerds including John Hodgman, Wil Wheaton, Hank himself and Jonathan Coulton. | Thoughts from a Cruise (00:01:18) | |
| Julia Nunes (musician) | 2008-04-16 | recommended | Hank says Julia Nunes deserves all the fame she is going to have in two years' time. | ITCHY MUSIC! (00:02:24) |
| 2008-05-23 | credited | The description credits the music: Julia Nunes' 'Short and Sweet', Abby Simons' 'My Scientist', Jonathan Coulton's 'Fancy Pants' and Distemper's 'Think Who Is Your Friend'. | Happy (Belated) Birthday, Hank (00:00:00) | |
| 2008-09-04 | passing | John announces an October 16 New York launch party for Paper Towns' release with Hank, their parents, the Yeti, Maureen Johnson and other authors; Julia Nunes is floated as a 'rumor'. | Paper Towns Tour Dates! (00:01:12) | |
| 2008-09-23 | passing | John says Julia Nunes will not be at the New York event but will be at the Boston event. | Paper Towns and Touring Question Tuesday (00:02:10) | |
| 2008-10-21 | passing | The camcorder he has filmed every video with since January 2, 2007 did not really blow up; he left it at the event space while watching Julia Nunes play in Boston. | Travel Tips, Delivered Hoarsely (00:00:33) | |
| 2009-03-18 | credited | Hank admits he created a Facebook fan page for Dr. Manhattan's dong yesterday, became a fan, and sings a short ditty about it. | Dr. Manhattan's Dangle and Brain Crack (00:00:00) | |
| 2009-05-20 | credited | Hank announces the DFTBA Records compilation album goes on pre-order today and ships June 1st, bundled with Chameleon Circuit's first album, and lists its artists. | Ulcerative Colitis: A Song (00:02:50) | |
| 2009-12-09 | passing | Hank lists who will attend: Nerdfighteria creators from CharlieIsSoCoolLike to WheezyWaiter and online video stars including Michael Buckley, Dave Days, Shay Carl, Natalie Tran and Shane Dawson. | ANNOUNCING! VidCon: Online Video IRL (00:01:29) | |
| 2012-02-14 | cited | John is a huge fan of ways to connect people directly with the stuff they like, like Kickstarter: Julia Nunes no longer needs venture capitalists or record companies to fund an album, a very big revolution. | Things I Can Do (00:02:26) | |
| Kimya Dawson (musician) | 2012-08-03 | takes part | Hank says he sometimes doesn't understand his life: the Olympic gymnast and Nerdfighter signing to millions, Kimya Dawson buying a Nerdfighter shirt from him without his knowing, and his diving off a stage into a crowd. | I Don't Understand My Life (00:00:08) |
| 2012-08-04 | personal story | At the Vera Project show Hank watched Harry and the Potters, played bass guitar and crowd-surfed; earlier Kimya Dawson gave him presents. | EXTRA! Thoughts from Tour (00:00:00) | |
| 2012-08-24 | cited | People have drawn, sculpted and knitted the brothers; Kimya Dawson, Lupe Fiasco and Minecraft creator Notch watch, and John got to hang out with Rainn Wilson. | Happy Birthday John Green! (00:01:42) | |
| 2013-01-15 | takes part | John films backstage at Housing Works, where they are rehearsing for tomorrow's Carnegie Hall show; Kimya Dawson is there. | North Korean Chicken, Stagecoach Travel, and other Thoughts from before Carnegie Hall (00:01:01) | |
| 2013-01-15 | takes part | Hank says he met Kimya Dawson at a tiny warehouse show while on tour with Harry and the Potters; she liked his music, found Nerdfighteria and immediately became a Nerdfighter. | An Evening of Awesome at Carnegie Hall (02:18:10) | |
| 2013-01-18 | credited | Hank thanks Neil Gaiman, Kimya Dawson, The Mountain Goats, Ashley and Daniel, Hannah and Grace, Elyse, their parents, their wives and all of Nerdfighteria for making the show possible. | Thoughts from Carnegie Hall (00:01:44) | |
| 2015-03-27 | passing | Hank lists guests: fantasy, sci-fi and YA authors (Rothfuss, Clare, Black, Kowal, Scalzi, Bacigalupi, Woodson, Perkins), musicians Kimya Dawson and Dessa, and shows Welcome to Night Vale, Wits and Story Collider. | Announcing NerdCon: Stories (00:03:06) | |
| 2019-12-17 | passing | That Evening of Awesome included the Mountain Goats, Kimya Dawson, Neil Gaiman and many friends, with Sarah, Katherine and the brothers' parents all there. | The Best Days of My Decade (00:00:28) | |
| 2021-09-14 | passing | John's best professional day was January 10, 2013, when he, Hank, Kimya Dawson, the Mountain Goats, Neil Gaiman and others played Carnegie Hall; he uploaded a video that morning. | I do this every. single. tuesday. (00:00:29) | |
| John Lennon (musician) | 2009-01-06 | cited | Hank refuses to take it back: Showbiz Pizza no longer existing doesn't stop him liking the band, just as John Lennon's shooting doesn't stop him liking the Beatles. | The Rock-Afire Explosion Controversy (00:01:48) |
| 2009-01-07 | cited | Hank recorded many of his YouTube hits with Schmidt, who he says owns THE music studio in Missoula, played on Weezer albums and made music for That '70s Show. | Hank Green: Behind the Music (00:01:03) | |
| 2013-09-17 | passing | After Nat names Paul and blue, John jokes that his own favourite Beatle and colour are John and green. | Question Tuesday with Nat Wolff (aka Isaac in The Fault in Our Stars movie) (00:03:28) | |
| 2014-11-11 | recommended | Asked for a favourite book, Halston Sage answers Paper Towns and asks John whether he has read it. | Lacey and Angela Question Tuesday: Pizzamas Day 2 (00:02:22) | |
| 2022-05-24 | joke | Cree says she read the book, calls it gorgeous, and says she devoured it very quickly. | Hello! Meet Daisy! (00:00:29) | |
| 2022-07-05 | passing | Hannah's favourite Beatle is Paul McCartney since watching a new documentary; before that it was John Lennon. | Director Hannah Marks Is Nervous To Meet You (00:02:19) | |
| 2023-11-28 | subject | For fans of music and rock-and-roll history John recommends This Boy by his mentor Ilene Cooper, a children's book about the childhoods of John Lennon and Paul McCartney that he loved. | John's (Mostly Book) Holiday Gift Recommendations (00:01:27) | |
| 2024-09-24 | credited | Hank counts Gal Gadot's Instagram video of celebrities singing John Lennon's Imagine in many keys among the pandemic's harms, though far down the list. | The Forgotten Viral Video that Could Never be Made Today (00:00:00) | |
| Weird Al Yankovic (musician) | 2007-02-16 | credited | For his own question, Hank names Weird Al's 'White and Nerdy' as far and away the best song he heard this year (2007). | Brotherhood 2.0: February 16th (00:01:29) |
| 2007-02-19 | cited | John calls a few first concerts awesome: one viewer saw the Dead Milkmen, 'one of our favorite bands', but another wins with a State Fair show where Weird Al Yankovic opened for 'the three remaining' Monkees. | Brotherhood 2.0: February 19, 2007 (00:00:39) | |
| 2009-01-07 | cited | Hank recorded many of his YouTube hits with Schmidt, who he says owns THE music studio in Missoula, played on Weezer albums and made music for That '70s Show. | Hank Green: Behind the Music (00:01:03) | |
| 2010-04-14 | cited | Hank playfully declares that fun, Stephenie Meyer, Austin Powers and Weird Al Yankovic are important, and he doesn't care who hears him say it. | Fun is Important. Being Serious Isn't (00:01:20) | |
| 2012-04-10 | cited | John doesn't know what Yo Gabba Gabba is about but says it has more good music than MTV, with the Shins, Weezer, Weird Al and Mos Def. | A Surreal Descent into Madness: Reviewing Children's TV (00:02:03) | |
| 2021-05-21 | cited | Runner-up music fact: the Beatles' Yesterday originally had silly placeholder lyrics about scrambled eggs, which Hank sings; it is as if they wrote the Weird Al version of their own song first. | The 19 Best Facts (00:00:58) | |
| 2025-01-31 | passing | Hank says both he and Shmed were huge Weird Al fans, and working together felt like doing a little Weird Al stuff. | Thanks, Shmed (00:02:02) | |
| David Bowie (musician) | 2007-02-02 | credited | First reason: a friend has Guitar Hero; Hank plays David Bowie's 'Ziggy Stardust', sliding up and down the neck. | Brotherhood 2.0: February 2nd (00:01:45) |
| 2009-09-01 | cited | Hank recorded a cover of a song called 'Can't' (credited to 'Alan and Tom', unclear), which he jokes sounds like David Bowie singing through him. | I AM COMPUTER MAN!!! (00:00:00) | |
| 2014-11-21 | passing | John: today is the last day of Pizzamas, the last day to buy items with his mustachioed face, such as Pizza John shirts or a baby onesie; link in the description. | The Sleepiest Sleepyhead in Sleeptown (00:00:22) | |
| 2016-11-10 | cited | The staff tour Pizza John designs by year: the 2010 original; 2012 green, neon nineties, eyes, vampire and evil; a 2013 hoodie; 2014 Bowie, glowy, halftone, Obey; 2015 Warhol, rainbow, blue neon, Pisa, Misfits, faux-knitted and nebula. | The Museum of Pizza Johns Past (00:01:18) | |
| 2024-08-20 | passing | John says Bromley was once home to David Bowie, Charles Darwin and H. G. Wells. | Thoughts from Places: BROMLEY! (00:00:29) | |
| 2026-10-30 | cited | Hank notes that David Bowie, Prince, Alan Rickman, Muhammad Ali, Carrie Fisher and George Michael all died in 2016. | The Last Normal Year (00:01:30) | |
| Harry Styles (singer) | 2014-09-16 | passing | Asked how they chose baby names, John says they just stole their grandparents' names. | It's Question Tuesday! Cheesy Jokes, Paper Towns Movie, and Dinosaur Butt Brains (00:02:51) |
| 2015-10-06 | joke | Asked where he would live for a year anywhere in the world, John says that right now it would be this house. | Question Tuesday: My Social Media Hiatus, My Excellent German, and Books! (00:03:28) | |
| 2023-01-06 | cited | Hank imagines a living computer would be huge news on Friday and not even new gossip by Wednesday (11 January 2023), the gossip 40 years from now still being Harry Styles and Taylor Swift doing something; a year later, introducing a computer friend would be nothing weird. | After 12 hours in LA I'm a stand-up comic doing ASMR with a side gig as a music promoter (00:02:35) | |
| 2024-05-20 | joke | Hang on tight, spider monkey, it's the P4A 2024 MEME REVIEW!! (00:16:18) | ||
| 2026-02-13 | joke | Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! (00:54:46) | ||
| 2026-02-15 | passing | John announces a new 2027-themed poll on the best thing about 2027: living underwater, the fish having the land, six-seven being over, Harry Styles as prime minister, all human problems solved, or the lungs on our backs. | Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! (02:40:57) | |
| Joe DeGeorge (musician) | 2012-08-04 | personal story | Joe DeGeorge made the E.T. cornfield noise before a show, and Hank listened to Joe and Neil Cicierega interpret the E.T. theme. | EXTRA! Thoughts from Tour (00:01:29) |
| 2013-11-15 | takes part | Hank is making the album with some of his favorite musicians: Nick Jenkins (who films, edits and directs Crash Course Chemistry), Rob Scallon, Joe DeGeorge of Harry and the Potters, and Andrew Huang of Songs To Wear Pants To. | I Have a Band? (00:00:23) | |
| 2014-03-28 | credited | Hank says he just finished his album: fourteen songs with his new band Hank Green and the Perfect Strangers (Hank, Andrew Huang, Rob Scallon, Joe DeGeorge). | New Album, New Channels, New Fabric, New Internet Thing! (00:02:33) | |
| 2015-05-05 | cited | John says a podcast about stuff they like would bore people; he likes high-concept podcasts such as Night Vale and the DeGeorges' podcast told from a cephalopod's perspective. | Reunions! Birthdays! Podcasts! Mountains! Happy 35th Birthday, Hank (00:01:01) | |
| 2016-06-03 | quoted | Hank quotes his bandmate Joe DeGeorge, who said in the tour van last week (week of 23 May 2016) 'Tonight, we feast on the labor of centuries', a line Hank will never let go of. | Redefining What it Means to Matter (00:02:44) | |
| 2025-01-31 | personal story | Hank recalls that for his last album, Incongruent, Paul and Joe DeGeorge, Rob Scallon and Andrew Huang came out to record with Shmed, who added many tracks and weird ideas. | Thanks, Shmed (00:00:29) | |
| Kanye West (musician) | 2009-10-13 | criticized, passing | Hank sarcastically says he missed the flood news because some supposedly bigger national story (per the title and description, Kanye West) overshadowed it. | Nine Die in Georgia Floods - Kanye is a Jackass (00:00:34) |
| 2009-12-30 | cited | The song says a Georgia flood left thousands homeless and seven dead, while the news was about Kanye West and Taylor Swift. | The STUPIDEST NEWS STORIES of 2009 (a song) (00:00:27) | |
| 2016-07-19 | subject | John calls Sarah's Art Assignment video The Case for Kanye West brilliant; since watching it he has listened more carefully to Kanye's music. | Pretty Bad Ways to Start a Conversation (00:00:02) | |
| 2016-11-25 | performed | Nathan says he is not good at a lot of things: sports, pottery, juggling, and he would make a terrible doctor. | You're Not Good Enough (00:00:18) | |
| 2018-01-12 | cited | 'I Got a Woman' was sampled recently in Kanye West's super popular 'Gold Digger'. | 5 Songs You've Never Heard That You've Heard 1000 Times (00:00:59) | |
| 2022-10-07 | passing | Planets Don't Exist (00:13:49) | ||
| Drake (musician) | 2013-09-24 | subject | John says he has been listening a lot to Drake's "Started from the Bottom", an excellent song to run to. | Started from the Bottom: Benjamin Franklin and Drake Compared (00:00:00) |
| 2015-11-10 | joke | John recommends Hank's last video on P4A as very funny, with dance moves equal to or slightly better than Drake's. | It's a Pizzamas Miracle! (Pizzamas Day 2) (00:00:59) | |
| 2016-11-25 | joke | Nathan says he is not good at a lot of things: sports, pottery, juggling, and he would make a terrible doctor. | You're Not Good Enough (00:00:18) | |
| 2018-01-12 | cited | Timmy Thomas's 'Why Can't We Live Together', a weird mix of organ and percussion, sped up with reverb and the high end taken off, becomes Drake's 'Hotline Bling'. | 5 Songs You've Never Heard That You've Heard 1000 Times (00:02:04) | |
| 2021-02-19 | joke | Memes show Hank turning his back on Dave the Fish, a previous P4A mascot, for Beanie Sanfurbs; Hank notes he didn't even have Dave the Fish this year (2021). | Bean Meme Review (00:04:25) | |
| Lady Gaga (musician) | 2009-07-23 | joke | 50 MORE JOKES in FOUR MINUTES (00:02:09) | |
| 2009-10-31 | passing | Hank's favourite Halloween thing so far: Molly Lewis (SweetAfton23) dressed as Lady Gaga and sang Poker Face on a ukulele; he points viewers to the video. | Vegas Baby...It's like...well. Hrmm (00:01:56) | |
| 2010-01-13 | joke | John rides the Frog Hopper, screaming; the ride's audio is cut because Lady Gaga music was playing; afterwards the operator says he was the biggest guy she'd seen on it. | Froghoppin' with Gatsby (00:00:29) | |
| 2010-12-31 | cited | Hank reports that after 'is Facebook down', the second most common Google question starting with 'is' is 'is Lady Gaga a man?', and answers for everyone: no. | Is Lady Gaga a Man? (00:00:39) | |
| 2011-02-21 | joke | Engen says the mayor is responsible for the day-to-day operations of Missoula, which has about 500 full-time city employees. | Hank Interviews His Mayor (00:02:24) | |
| Michael Jackson (musician) | 2007-09-04 | joke | John lists 'blank and the blanks' names by genre, from Barry and the Hatchets (death metal) to Schrodinger and the Maybe Dead Cats (art rock) and Holly and the Louias (gospel). | September 4th: Negative Suck Cubed Equals Awesome (00:00:39) |
| 2008-11-30 | joke | Hank says the video consists of fifty jokes sent in by Nerdfighters, which he then tells in rapid succession. | 50 Jokes (Yes...actually 50 jokes) (00:00:13) | |
| 2009-07-23 | joke | 50 MORE JOKES in FOUR MINUTES (00:01:19) | ||
| 2013-10-25 | credited | A billion seconds ago was 1982 — the time of Michael Jackson's Thriller, E.T. and the Falklands War. | When Was it a Million Seconds Ago? (00:01:02) | |
| 2018-06-19 | cited | A later, much worse signature move, a snapping 'Hello there' greeting, also failed, so John went through life without a signature move. | My Signature Move (00:00:31) | |
| Neil Cicierega (comedian, musician) | 2012-08-04 | personal story | Joe DeGeorge made the E.T. cornfield noise before a show, and Hank listened to Joe and Neil Cicierega interpret the E.T. theme. | EXTRA! Thoughts from Tour (00:01:29) |
| 2012-08-17 | credited | The description thanks Harry and the Potters and Neil Cicierega for helping inspire the song. | Open Letter to the Wizards (00:00:00) | |
| 2014-06-20 | credited | Hank says the animutation was probably the first internet-native genre of video, pioneered by Neil Cicierega, later known for The Mysterious Ticking Noise. | Pre-History of Online Video (00:02:31) | |
| 2015-02-13 | recommended | Asked for favourite things few people know, Hank names the anime Kodocha, Locke & Key comics, Paolo Bacigalupi, Neil Cicierega's creations, the board game Robot Ricochet and TheThirdPew. | Draw My Life + 16 Other Suggestions (00:01:30) | |
| 2017-04-14 | credited | The description says VidCon Europe was amazing, special and beautiful, and that Amsterdam and the Netherlands are gorgeous with very nice people. | ★★★★ Review: The TFiOS Bench - Amsterdam (00:00:00) | |
| Paul DeGeorge (musician) | 2009-06-30 | takes part | John says Paul DeGeorge, half of Harry and the Potters, was in his house, and tells Nerdfighters who do not know the band that their lives are about to get better. | Nerdfighter MARRIAGE PROPOSAL (00:00:00) |
| 2012-08-04 | personal story | Hank slept at the house of artist Nicole Georges, who drew E.T. art on Paul and Joe's shirts. | EXTRA! Thoughts from Tour (00:02:16) | |
| 2015-05-05 | cited | John says a podcast about stuff they like would bore people; he likes high-concept podcasts such as Night Vale and the DeGeorges' podcast told from a cephalopod's perspective. | Reunions! Birthdays! Podcasts! Mountains! Happy 35th Birthday, Hank (00:01:01) | |
| 2019-10-28 | credited | The description thanks the Pizzamas artists and DFTBA, and Paul DeGeorge for making John laugh harder than at any other point in 2019. | PIZZAMAS IS HERE!!!! (00:00:00) | |
| 2025-01-31 | personal story | Hank recalls that for his last album, Incongruent, Paul and Joe DeGeorge, Rob Scallon and Andrew Huang came out to record with Shmed, who added many tracks and weird ideas. | Thanks, Shmed (00:00:29) | |
| Woody Guthrie (musician) | 2009-09-09 | cited | Hank lists things better than TV crime shows: John Green's books, all books, odd objects like fake hands, video games, and YouTube. | Television Crime Shows Suck (00:02:43) |
| 2009-09-28 | passing | Reading a lolspeak comment built on a Woody Guthrie line he used in Paper Towns, John says Guthrie could not have imagined it. | Paper Towns Winners and Ningmasters (00:02:18) | |
| 2009-10-21 | credited | Hank says the title rips off Woody Guthrie's 'This Machine Kills Fascists' and a YouTube commenter who wrote 'That machine pones noobs', whom he thanks for naming the album. | Balloon Boy: A Short Song (00:02:45) | |
| 2015-09-29 | passing | John tours the wall's relics: Willy, a puppy-sized elephant, a card of Hank humping Peeps, Daniel Biss's 'bloated triangles' paper, an Agloe road map, An Imperial Affliction 'stolen' from the movie set. | Writing, Walling, Racing, and Wizard Schooling (00:01:35) | |
| 2026-02-13 | passing | Showing a photograph of Woody Guthrie whose guitar says 'this machine kills fascists', John notes that this used to be uncontroversial, when everyone opposed fascism. | Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! (03:13:44) | |
| Alex Wolff (actor and musician) | 2014-05-12 | personal story | Inside, Nat and Alex Wolff played a concert, and John and Shailene lay on the floor to peek under the curtain. | Perfect Puff and Endless Interviews: Touring and Hollywood Press Junkets (00:02:00) |
| 2015-04-14 | takes part | John met up with Justice Smith, 'a.k.a. Radar', Alex Wolff and Nat Wolff at another hotel, and they drove to the awards. | A Long Good Day (00:01:02) | |
| 2015-07-14 | performed | The Dallas stop of the Paper Towns tour at The Bomb Factory features a performance by Saint Motel, whose song 'My Type' is on the film's soundtrack, and is hosted by Allison and Gaby of Just Between Us. | On Exhaustion (00:00:00) | |
| 2015-07-28 | personal story | John loves Nat and his brother Alex and watching them play music together, which reminds him of his own relationship with Hank. | Paper Towns, Agloe, and Touring: Thoughts from (Many) Places (00:01:37) | |
| Elton John (musician) | 2011-05-09 | passing | At the Museumplein, where John says a hundred thousand drunk people were listening to music, Tobias tried to teach him to say Koninginnedag and they were photobombed. | Trading Underwear for Rice Crispy Treats: Queens Day in Amsterdam (Thoughts from Places) (00:01:30) |
| 2013-02-05 | subject | John did a radio interview at the BBC, where they let him play Elton John's actual piano. | Headless Statues and Elton John's Piano: Seeing Sights in London (Thoughts from Places) (00:00:00) | |
| 2018-02-02 | subject | After googling Elton John outfits, Hank picks the one he calls Sparkly Banana Beetlejuice. | What is That Plane Rainbow? (It's Question Tuesday) (00:03:27) | |
| 2024-08-07 | cited | Retelling a story of Elton John saying he is 'just Elton John' for a living, Hank says that is what people imagine influencing is: being yourself and getting paid. | Dear Hank and John Livestream! (00:23:41) | |
| Eminem (musician) | 2009-01-20 | cited | His high-school songs range from rants against capitalism to lyrics raunchier than Eminem, which he won't share for fear of embarrassment or being flagged on YouTube. | Hank's Journal!!! (00:01:39) |
| 2018-01-12 | cited | Hank badly wants to know how the Eminem track happened and invites Eminem to email him. | 5 Songs You've Never Heard That You've Heard 1000 Times (00:01:59) | |
| 2020-05-22 | criticized | Hank says Eminem undoubtedly has a mastery of language, rhyme, storytelling and meter, and he does not understand how Eminem's brain works. | The Meteor Men Beg to Differ // Judging by the Hole in the Satellite Picture (00:01:01) | |
| 2024-09-30 | joke | Hank keeps thinking about a TikTok joke from six months ago, Eminem ordering a coffee from a barista and asking for a little cinnamon; it did poorly, partly because his delivery wasn't Eminem-like enough. | Put a little bit of cinnamon in it (00:01:03) | |
| Ludwig van Beethoven (composer) | 2008-12-15 | quoted | John notes W.C. Fields's last words were addressed to Carlotta, his mistress, not his wife Hattie; he says he tones the quote down for young nerdfighters. | Famous Last Words (00:02:37) |
| 2012-09-18 | cited | John says this is not a call to prefer Beethoven to the Mountain Goats, noting Bradbury wrote in science fiction, a genre not traditionally associated with high-culture ideas. | Existential Airport Anxiety (00:02:00) | |
| 2013-01-04 | joke | 53 Terrible Jokes! (00:02:08) | ||
| 2020-12-31 | cited | Within decades the song became part of Scotland's New Year's Eve, Hogmanay, rooted in winter solstice rituals; by 1818 Beethoven had arranged it and it was spreading through Europe and the English-speaking world. | Auld Lang Syne: The Anthropocene Reviewed (00:08:02) | |
| MC Frontalot (musician) | 2010-04-28 | cited | Hank lists people he loves but has never met and wants to hug because he is impressed with their work, from They Might Be Giants and Wil Wheaton to Ursula Le Guin, plus many YouTubers. | Who's in Your Hug Bucket? (00:01:38) |
| 2010-04-28 | passing | Hank will play w00tstock in Portland and Seattle on May 7 and 8, meeting Adam Savage, MC Frontalot and Wil Wheaton, adding 'two and a half' names from his list. | Who's in Your Hug Bucket? (00:02:38) | |
| 2010-05-12 | personal story | Landing in Seattle, Hank spent three hours talking with nerdcore rapper MC Frontalot, then met Molly with her boyfriend and assistant, and hung out with the Presidents of the USA's drummer. | Hank Raps about w00tstock...for real (00:00:42) | |
| 2010-05-12 | passing | Hank performed on a bill with Savage, Fraction, Frontalot and Loading Ready Run, and the crowd was so loud he couldn't believe it was happening to him. | Hank Raps about w00tstock...for real (00:01:34) | |
| 2011-09-09 | credited | Hank says the tribute album, with Tom Milsom, Molly Lewis, MC Frontalot, Driftless Pony Club and Mike Lombardo, is on CD at minkcarcover.com, iTunes or Bandcamp, benefiting the FDNY Foundation. | 10 Years after September 11th, and Diablo III (00:03:04) | |
| 2012-09-07 | passing | Hank says PAX was amazing: he got signed MC Frontalot posters and enjoyed going to a conference he is not running, then shows his footage. | Can You Really Light a Fart? (00:00:05) | |
| Ringo Starr (musician) | 2014-11-25 | passing | Asked the meaning of life, Tyler Oakley answers: love. | Tyler, Ingrid, Troye, Hannah, Mandy, Jenn, and Rosianna Visit Paper Towns (00:00:45) |
| 2015-11-12 | joke | Asked by a viewer who had just started to like his beard why he shaved it, John says it was mostly for the mustache joke, and it was also kind of itchy. | Cheez Doodles Guy, Ringo Silver, and Dad Jokes (Pizzamas Day 4) (00:00:50) | |
| 2022-05-24 | passing | Asked for her favourite Beatle, Cree gives her sister's favourite, Ringo; her favourite colour is burgundy. | Hello! Meet Daisy! (00:00:00) | |
| 2025-03-25 | cited | John's favorite fact cut from the book: Ringo Starr had TB as a young child, learned to drum out of boredom in a sanatorium, and survived thanks to newly available curative treatment. | Taylor, Dr Pepper, and My Anxiety Strats: It's Question Tuesday (00:01:27) | |
| 50 Cent (musician) | 2007-07-27 | joke | John argues most contemporary insults are lame; he doesn't mind being insulted, only being insulted so poorly. | July 27: How Nerdfighters Drop Insults (00:01:15) |
| 2013-01-04 | joke | 53 Terrible Jokes! (00:00:20) | ||
| 2023-01-06 | cited | Hank wonders whether people were as freaked out when computers first did math problems as they now are when AI writes a requested poem. | After 12 hours in LA I'm a stand-up comic doing ASMR with a side gig as a music promoter (00:02:00) | |
| Alanis Morissette (musician) | 2010-09-27 | criticized | Hank tells Alanis Morissette that getting a death-row pardon two minutes too late is extremely unfortunate, but not ironic. | Stop Embarrassing Yourself (00:00:48) |
| 2011-07-18 | joke | John calls it irony that Tom, in a racist rant, credits 'Nordics' with producing civilization while the diners produce nothing, not even lighting their own candles. | Gatsby's American Dream: Reading The Great Gatsby Critically, Chapter 1 (00:02:55) | |
| 2013-06-18 | cited | Grace's media markers: NPR as a car preset, a specific favorite Simpsons episode, finding the new Arrested Development season more nostalgic than groundbreaking, reblogging the New Yorker, Wes Anderson, Ira Glass, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ken Jennings on Twitter, Alanis Morissette's misuse of 'ironic'. | 50 Ways to Pretend to Be Smarter (00:03:15) | |
| Mike Phirman (musician) | 2011-02-16 | credited | The description says Hank will play $20 shows in Seattle and Portland with musical comedians Paul and Storm and Mike Phirman. | This Video Brought to you by Nyquil (00:00:00) |
| 2011-02-21 | passing | Hank will play music in Seattle and Portland at the end of March with Mike Phirman and Paul and Storm; tickets are $20 and selling fast. | Hank Interviews His Mayor (00:03:18) | |
| 2011-03-25 | takes part | Hank says he is on a tiny mini tour of the Pacific Northwest with Paul and Storm and Mike Phirman. | Hank is an Adorable, Drunk Princess (00:00:31) | |
| Paul McCartney (musician) | 2013-09-17 | passing | After Nat names Paul and blue, John jokes that his own favourite Beatle and colour are John and green. | Question Tuesday with Nat Wolff (aka Isaac in The Fault in Our Stars movie) (00:03:28) |
| 2022-07-05 | passing | Hannah's favourite Beatle is Paul McCartney since watching a new documentary; before that it was John Lennon. | Director Hannah Marks Is Nervous To Meet You (00:02:19) | |
| 2023-11-28 | subject | For fans of music and rock-and-roll history John recommends This Boy by his mentor Ilene Cooper, a children's book about the childhoods of John Lennon and Paul McCartney that he loved. | John's (Mostly Book) Holiday Gift Recommendations (00:01:27) | |
| Rebecca Black (singer) | 2011-04-01 | passing | In a P.S., John urges Nerdfighters who haven't seen Hank's Ice Cream Chords video to watch it to learn what Rebecca Black and Slipknot have in common. | Many Truths, 1 Lie! (00:02:36) |
| 2011-06-06 | joke | John says the assumption that editors exist mainly to fix grammar is wrong; he could just read the Chicago style manual for that. | Men Running on Tanks and the Truth about Book Editors (00:02:37) | |
| 2026-03-06 | cited | Hank says Rebecca Black's Friday, one of the biggest cultural moments in internet history, was at least partly about mocking a 13-year-old girl. | How Do You Create When You Don't Feel Safe (00:00:59) | |
| Skrillex (musician) | 2015-11-11 | passing | Hank shows Rachael Nedrow, whose voice is on a couple of Skrillex songs, reacting to her competitive cup stacking; unsure how hard it is, he is there for her reaction. | Watch This If You Want To Smile (Pizzamas Day 3) (00:00:40) |
| 2021-12-07 | passing | John reads Hank's tweet asking whether anyone nearby could get him in touch with Skrillex; Hank no longer knows why he wanted to. | Reading Hank's Decade-Old Tweets (00:02:22) | |
| 2023-12-24 | passing | Hank says the communication revolution felt in 2011 like going up a roller coaster; now it feels like going down, further than it went up. | John and Hank Hanging Out but they Keep Getting Younger and More Pixelated (00:18:28) | |
| Snoop Dogg (musician) | 2008-11-30 | joke | 50 Jokes (Yes...actually 50 jokes) (00:01:19) | |
| 2009-02-04 | joke | 51 Jokes (in Four Minutes) (00:00:47) | ||
| 2009-09-29 | passing | Hank says Rhett and Link are new DFTBA artists; their front-page video 'Live on the Internet' features Shiba Inu puppies and Snoop Dogg. | DFTBA TAKEOVER!!! (00:00:00) | |
| Willie Nelson (musician) | 2007-06-22 | cited | John got his haircut at Louie's in D.C., whose barber had cut the hair of Bill Clinton and Willie Nelson, figures John admires but whose hairstyles he doesn't want. | Brotherhood 2.0: June 22: The Senator (00:01:13) |
| 2019-02-01 | cited | Hank says he often uploaded others' content, like a music video for a Willie Nelson song and his arguably parody song The Subway Where I Used to Go; none were blocked, only claimed, their AdSense money going to the labels. | We Have Destroyed Copyright Law (00:01:27) | |
| 2026-02-13 | passing | John says Willie Nelson, at 94, is still on the road, and that he went to see him not long ago. | Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! (01:04:53) | |
| Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composer) | 2010-11-24 | joke | Walking Vienna, John lists what he saw: Goethe, a two-headed eagle, narcissistic graffiti, Mozart, more babies and space invaders opposed to homophobia. | Babies and Catacombs: VIENNA (Thoughts from Places) (00:01:00) |
| 2011-07-08 | joke | Another 'fact', John says: his Sing-a-ma-jig compositions are excellent, but inferior to Mozart. | Kill the Dollar Bill! (00:00:09) | |
| 2026-08-21 | subject | In a clip Hank plays, Jeff Bezos says he would love to see a trillion humans living in the solar system, which would give a thousand Mozarts and a thousand Einsteins at any time. | Not (Just) Dunking on Jeff Bezos (00:00:58) | |
| Andrew Gregory (musician) | 2010-08-10 | credited | Hank says he sang a little song about a bedroom intruder with Andrew Gregory of the Gregory Brothers and invites viewers to check it out. | JOIN THE PEN15 CLUB!! (00:02:50) |
| 2023-11-21 | personal story | John says Casey McIntyre, a young woman he knew a little, has just died of cancer; she was married to his friend Andrew Rose Gregory and worked for years at John's publishing house. | Minus Its Charms (00:02:33) | |
| Billie Holiday (singer) | 2012-11-20 | cited | They will try to put on Carnegie Hall's greatest show, though with Richard Pryor, Andy Kaufman and Billie Holiday as competition they aim only to beat Jenkins. | Great at Being Terrible: The Florence Foster Jenkins Story (00:01:57) |
| 2024-06-11 | cited | John says it is almost impossible to explain to young people today how cool smoking was in the 20th century: everybody cool smoked, like Billie Holiday, Albert Einstein and Dick Trickle. | BEEF DAYS (00:02:26) | |
| Björk (musician) | 2016-06-28 | passing | John says he is a huge fan of Iceland, which has many things he loves: hot baths, an improbably excellent football team and Björk. | New Iceland (00:00:34) |
| 2026-08-21 | cited | Hank suggests perhaps today's Mozarts already exist: Stevie Wonder, David Byrne, Jacob Collier, Beyonce and Björk. | Not (Just) Dunking on Jeff Bezos (00:01:56) | |
| Calvin Harris (musician) | 2014-08-08 | credited | Hank says he will do it again, in the spirit of questionable copyright, with the help of 'my friend Calvin Harris'. | Who Owns a Monkey's Selfie? And a Song About Meningitis! (00:02:45) |
| 2014-08-15 | cited | Last week (week of 4 August 2014) Hank made John a song about his inflamed nervous system using the instrumental of Calvin Harris's 'Summer' — a blatant copyright violation that is somehow okay. | The Bizarre State of Copyright (00:00:00) | |
| Chris P. Bacon (composer) | 2011-02-28 | cited | Chris P Bacon is a Los Angeles film composer with music in Gnomeo and Juliet, Michael Clayton and I Am Legend, and wrote the whole score of Space Chimps. | Harry Baals & Dick Trickle: The Funniest Names in History (00:02:18) |
| 2011-03-02 | cited | Responding to John's video on Ima Hogg, Harry Baals and Chris P Bacon, Hank says a parent's job is to help a child avoid unnecessary anguish, and a bad name can cause significant anguish. | How to Name Your Baby Properly (00:00:10) | |
| Christina Grimmie (singer) | 2016-06-17 | personal story | Hank writes in the wake of the Orlando attacks, noting that the night before, his colleague Christina Grimmie was killed by a man with a violent history who had bought two guns the week before. | Hey, Let's Change Some Things (00:00:00) |
| 2016-07-15 | subject | After Christina Grimmie was murdered, Hank ran away from home, camping with friends without cell service, avoiding the reality that someone who shared his passions was killed meeting fans after a show, as he had just been doing. | On Lives and Mattering (00:00:04) | |
| David Byrne (musician) | 2009-09-01 | credited | Hank got a review copy of David Byrne's Bicycle Diaries, which excites him because it is not officially out yet. | I AM COMPUTER MAN!!! (00:00:47) |
| 2026-08-21 | cited | Hank suggests perhaps today's Mozarts already exist: Stevie Wonder, David Byrne, Jacob Collier, Beyonce and Björk. | Not (Just) Dunking on Jeff Bezos (00:01:56) | |
| Dessa (musician) | 2015-03-27 | passing | Hank lists guests: fantasy, sci-fi and YA authors (Rothfuss, Clare, Black, Kowal, Scalzi, Bacigalupi, Woodson, Perkins), musicians Kimya Dawson and Dessa, and shows Welcome to Night Vale, Wits and Story Collider. | Announcing NerdCon: Stories (00:03:06) |
| 2016-07-29 | passing | Hank says John will be at NerdCon: Stories, along with guests including John Scalzi, Mary Robinette Kowal, Dylan Marron, M. T. Anderson, John Darnielle, Maureen Johnson and Patrick Rothfuss. | Thoughts from Comic-Con (NO MORE CHEETO MEDIA!) (00:03:23) | |
| Elvis Presley (musician) | 2010-10-04 | joke | Walking a long, beautiful path, John jokes that he took the road more traveled to avoid getting lost and was mostly deciding whether to pee in the woods; he walked back to the park restroom. | The Terrible Burden of Destiny: Chicago and Waupaca (00:00:55) |
| 2022-09-30 | passing | In college, at a diner in Mount Vernon, Ohio, a friend proposed seeing Graceland right now, and they paid and drove 11 hours straight there. | COMMIT TO THE BIT (00:01:35) | |
| Gordon Gano (musician) | 2007-12-21 | joke | In the dream Hank was a member of the Violent Femmes who didn't know the chords to 'Blister in the Sun', while the crowd waited for it; a little girl could stop the world ending. | December 21: Hank Accepts His Punishment (00:00:53) |
| 2023-11-03 | personal story | Hank says that in high school he was obsessed with Gordon Gano and Helen Hunt. | We Need to talk about Sarapocial Relationships (00:00:00) | |
| Gotye (musician) | 2012-05-25 | credited | In the description Hank thanks Phil (DeFranco) for shouting the channel out and welcomes 'the DeFranco nation'; Michael Aranda shot and edited the music video. | The Subway Where I Used To Go (Somebody That I Used To Know / Gotye Parody) (00:00:00) |
| 2019-02-01 | cited | Hank says he often uploaded others' content, like a music video for a Willie Nelson song and his arguably parody song The Subway Where I Used to Go; none were blocked, only claimed, their AdSense money going to the labels. | We Have Destroyed Copyright Law (00:01:27) | |
| Hank Williams III (musician) | 2011-08-15 | cited | Hank coins the verb 'to Hanklerfish'; John sums up a Hanklerfish as an anglerfish drawn by a Hank, Hank agrees any Hank can make one, and John offers Hank Williams III. | HANKLERFISH! (00:02:40) |
| 2023-12-24 | passing | After having his gallbladder removed, John says he can't do the sandwich punishment and asks viewers to suggest another for Hank to pick. | John and Hank Hanging Out but they Keep Getting Younger and More Pixelated (02:08:36) | |
| Hannis Brown (composer) | 2020-12-31 | credited | The episode was edited by Stan Muller, mixed by Joe Plourde and scored by Hannis Brown, and produced by Jenny Lawton and Rosianna Halse Rojas. | Auld Lang Syne: The Anthropocene Reviewed (00:00:00) |
| 2021-01-26 | credited | The description credits Nadim Silverman for the art (all of TAR's art), Stan Muller for editing, Hannis Brown for music, Jenny Lawton and Rosianna Halse Rojas as producers, Joe Plourde as technical director; John wrote it. | The Sycamore Tree: The Anthropocene Reviewed (00:00:00) | |
| Jay-Z (musician) | 2007-11-15 | joke | John jokes that the surest evidence of a permanent US economic downslope is Jay-Z holding a wad of 500-euro bills in his newest music video: even Jay-Z worries about the dollar. | Nov 15: Jay-Z, the Inkys, Nerdfighteria, and Venn Diagrams! (00:00:00) |
| 2009-10-25 | cited | John asks whose respect you want, the 'silverback gorilla' of your life's jungle: Ellen DeGeneres, Shakespeare or Jay-Z is fine; Lindsay Lohan calls for a hard look at yourself. | Fame: The Road Trip (00:03:05) | |
| John Coltrane (musician) | 2008-02-21 | credited | For a trip to the Evil Baby Orphanage John would take A Love Supreme by John Coltrane and something by the Mountain Goats, though evil baby Stalin would steal them. | People Who Love Giraffes Who Love Giraffes (00:01:14) |
| 2022-11-08 | cited | John says the first sample tastes as if Dr Pepper were John Coltrane's A Love Supreme. | Dr Pepper Enthusiast John Green Taste Tests Dr Pepper and Its Misbegotten Pretenders (00:00:31) | |
| John Field (composer) | 2008-12-15 | quoted | John notes W.C. Fields's last words were addressed to Carlotta, his mistress, not his wife Hattie; he says he tones the quote down for young nerdfighters. | Famous Last Words (00:02:37) |
| 2010-10-08 | cited | John reads last words from the book's F's: Douglas Fairbanks ('I've never felt better'), Ben Franklin, composer John Field, Richard Feynman ('this dying is boring'), Marshall Field II, Robert Frost. | GEEKING OUT Over Dying Declarations (00:00:55) | |
| John Flansburgh (musician) | 2007-09-25 | passing | Hank's footage shows John Linnell being struck by a black bra during 'The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas' and pushing it away from his instruments. | September 25th: TMBG and NYT (00:00:46) |
| 2010-04-28 | cited | Hank lists people he loves but has never met and wants to hug because he is impressed with their work, from They Might Be Giants and Wil Wheaton to Ursula Le Guin, plus many YouTubers. | Who's in Your Hug Bucket? (00:01:38) | |
| John Linnell (musician) | 2007-09-25 | subject | Hank's footage shows John Linnell being struck by a black bra during 'The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas' and pushing it away from his instruments. | September 25th: TMBG and NYT (00:00:46) |
| 2010-04-28 | cited | Hank lists people he loves but has never met and wants to hug because he is impressed with their work, from They Might Be Giants and Wil Wheaton to Ursula Le Guin, plus many YouTubers. | Who's in Your Hug Bucket? (00:01:38) | |
| Justin Timberlake (musician) | 2008-08-21 | joke, passing | A parent in the report says the brothers send a strong message about young people in America growing up as individuals. | INTERNET SENSATION B$%CH (00:02:58) |
| 2021-10-07 | joke | Hank says 15 years ago, when Justin Timberlake was bringing sexy back, Facebook was only for high school and college students; now it is the sixth most valuable corporation and possibly the most influential. | We're Thinking About Facebook Wrong (00:01:56) | |
| La Toya Jackson (singer and TV personality) | 2007-02-19 | cited | John reads out viewers' first concerts (NSYNC, Paula Abdul, Chicago, Huey Lewis and the News, New Kids on the Block, the Spice Girls, the Oak Ridge Boys, LaToya Jackson) as proof of bad childhood taste, mocking LaToya Jackson. | Brotherhood 2.0: February 19, 2007 (00:00:39) |
| 2026-02-27 | cited | Hank lists names he knows that share a name: Percy Jackson and LaToya Jackson; Isaac Mizrahi, Isaac Asimov, Oscar Isaac and Walter Isaacson. | Can We Do a Science Together?? (00:00:29) | |
| Leonard Cohen (singer-songwriter) | 2016-11-15 | subject | John reports that Leonard Cohen, one of his favorite songwriters, died last week (week of 7 November 2016). | Good News/Bad News: A Pizzamas Video in Nine Slices (00:01:57) |
| 2022-04-26 | joke | John can't say what they are filming today, only that it's not at a Chuck E. Cheese, and thinks what is happening instead might be better; it has been the most amazing day. | An Amazing Day (00:02:12) | |
| Ludacris (musician) | 2008-09-26 | joke | The song urges listeners to vote for Barack Obama, wishes him luck and says he will be the next president. | Obama Llama Song (00:00:02) |
| 2014-02-11 | credited | 'Baby' featuring Ludacris seems familiar, perhaps from a cover, so John concludes he has heard one Justin Bieber song, he thinks. | A Middle Aged Man (00:01:45) | |
| Luke Conard (musician) | 2010-02-22 | credited | Hank says ALL CAPS' second album is available for pre-order and thanks the band's Luke and Kristina for letting him use their song. | TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND!! (00:00:00) |
| 2011-07-01 | credited | Hank says the montage music is a karaoke track of Shake a Booty from Ellen Hardcastle, produced by Luke Conard, his first dance song; the full version comes eventually. | Humping the Town (00:02:39) | |
| Lupe Fiasco (rapper) | 2012-08-24 | cited | People have drawn, sculpted and knitted the brothers; Kimya Dawson, Lupe Fiasco and Minecraft creator Notch watch, and John got to hang out with Rainn Wilson. | Happy Birthday John Green! (00:01:42) |
| 2013-08-13 | quoted | John says he has been thinking about this since Lupe Fiasco tweeted about it; he often disagrees with Lupe but finds the questions interesting and provocative. | Shailene's Hair, Unfair Monopoly, and the Just World Fallacy (00:01:36) | |
| Miley Cyrus (singer) | 2008-12-17 | joke | John asks how the battery trick works and says he does not know because of poor scientific education. | Project for Awesome: DonorsChoose.org (00:00:58) |
| 2010-03-03 | cited | Hank calls most of this new content 'social video': even Miley Cyrus vlogging is a personal interaction, not reality television but reality. | VidCon Schedule Spectacular! (00:01:46) | |
| Neil Diamond (musician) | 2007-07-05 | passing | John objects to the soundtrack mashing up Neil Diamond and Martin Luther King: 'You're embarrassing us!' | July 5th: The Regions Bank Freedom Blast (00:02:21) |
| 2022-01-28 | subject | Hank says Neil Diamond released Sweet Caroline in 1969 and that it became an American classic. | The Most Dangerous Thing We've Ever Done on Stage (00:00:00) | |
| Niall Horan (singer (One Direction)) | 2014-01-28 | recommended | After phoning Meredith to ask which One Direction member is nerdiest, John names Niall his favorite, then jokes about how old he is. | Question Tuesday! TFIOS Movie Trailer, Penguin Knees, and Backflips (00:01:35) |
| 2014-09-16 | passing | Asked how they chose baby names, John says they just stole their grandparents' names. | It's Question Tuesday! Cheesy Jokes, Paper Towns Movie, and Dinosaur Butt Brains (00:02:51) | |
| Paula Abdul (singer and TV personality) | 2007-01-16 | subject, passing | In mock entertainment news for TV-less Hank, John says Paula Abdul has a drug problem and calls Ivanka Trump 'improbably attractive'. | Brotherhood 2.0: January 16, 2007 (00:01:11) |
| 2007-02-19 | cited | John reads out viewers' first concerts (NSYNC, Paula Abdul, Chicago, Huey Lewis and the News, New Kids on the Block, the Spice Girls, the Oak Ridge Boys, LaToya Jackson) as proof of bad childhood taste, mocking LaToya Jackson. | Brotherhood 2.0: February 19, 2007 (00:00:39) | |
| Pink (singer) | 2016-02-12 | passing | Hank says there is always a different song in his head and wonders why his brain is set up that way. | Doing the Hard(er) Thing (and some very bad news) (00:00:23) |
| 2021-10-14 | cited | John signed up for Hank's daily Pizzamas pizza-joke texts; yesterday's (13 October 2021) taught him that Pink worked at Pizza Hut, the only fact he remembers learning all week. | Pizza Sized Johns or John Sized Pizza? It's Question Thursday (00:01:57) | |
| Rihanna (musician) | 2025-08-08 | joke | Hank explains the club: subscribers get a new pair of underwear designed by an independent artist every month from MeUndies and Good Store. | I'm Glad I Ignored That Billionaire (00:02:59) |
| 2025-08-26 | cited | John says that fame now works person by person: apart from stars like Taylor Swift or Rihanna, the fractured information landscape leaves no shared celebrities. | Not to Criticize Hank… (00:00:47) | |
| Soulja Boy (rapper) | 2013-02-15 | joke | Hank observes that internet dance-craze songs are mostly bilingual (English plus Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Moldovan), a trend predating internet culture, though unilingual crazes remain possible. | Baby, Harlem, Obama, Dance Crazes, Big Week (00:01:03) |
| 2013-02-22 | performed | Having translated Soulja Boy too, Hank never wants to dance to that song again, and apologizes for ruining all these songs. | Translating Dance Songs (00:03:17) | |
| Sting (musician) | 2008-01-04 | joke | John asks everyone to find the new site in the video info, build a profile and become his friend, since Hank has more friends than he does. | Nerdfighting in 2008, Pakistan, and Hillary Clinton (00:00:36) |
| 2018-07-27 | credited | Hank says that pitch sold the show, for its first season at least, to a ridiculously star-studded cast: Whoopi Goldberg, Meg Ryan, LeVar Burton and Sting. | Why Environmentalists Hate Captain Planet (00:00:48) | |
| Tomoe Shinohara (musician) | 2007-10-11 | personal story | Hank acknowledges this is far less difficult than coming out as gay, but says it is a little difficult because he likes to see himself as into harder music. | October 11th National Coming Out Day (00:02:31) |
| 2008-04-16 | credited | Hank calls Shinohara Tomoe's 'Ultra Relax', the intro to a show about kids in school, the pinnacle of J-pop and one of his all-time favorite songs. | ITCHY MUSIC! (00:01:38) | |
| Zayn Malik (singer (One Direction)) | 2014-09-16 | passing | Asked how they chose baby names, John says they just stole their grandparents' names. | It's Question Tuesday! Cheesy Jokes, Paper Towns Movie, and Dinosaur Butt Brains (00:02:51) |
| 2014-11-25 | passing | Asked the meaning of life, Tyler Oakley answers: love. | Tyler, Ingrid, Troye, Hannah, Mandy, Jenn, and Rosianna Visit Paper Towns (00:00:45) | |
| Adele (singer) | 2016-11-25 | cited | Nathan says his problem is that if he is not amazing at something he asks what the point of doing it is, e.g. why sing when people can listen to Adele. | You're Not Good Enough (00:01:24) |
| Alan Jackson (country singer) | 2011-01-28 | personal story | Hank reveals to Twitter followers the two truths and a lie he posted (first gray hair; trombone in high school; closet Alan Jackson fan), with the answer behind a click. | Is Hank Green Batman? (00:03:23) |
| Amy Winehouse (musician) | 2007-11-28 | joke | John jokes that Amy Winehouse may not have a drug problem but a liquified brain she must keep snorting back up, which is why she cancelled her concerts. | November 28th: Amy Winehouse and Brain Liquefication (00:01:37) |
| Andrew W.K. (musician) | 2012-08-04 | personal story | In Olympia Hank played his own show and heard Harry and the Potters, then drove to Seattle listening to Andrew W.K. | EXTRA! Thoughts from Tour (00:02:16) |
| Antonius Nazareth (musician) | 2012-07-27 | credited | The credits: Molly Gallagher plays Hipster Ariel and Elizabeth Oldak the Fangirl, beside Hank and the Nazareths; Elizabeth Oldak made the Ariel costume and puppet; Antonius Nazareth wrote the lyrics with Hank and the music; Vijay Nazareth and Michael Aranda shot and edited. | Tumblr: The Musical (00:00:00) |
| Ashley Tisdale (actor and singer) | 2007-12-20 | joke | John says Nerdfighters get bloodthirsty at punishment time and reviews suggested punishments he had to dismiss. | December 20th: HANK SHALL BE PUNISHED! (00:01:28) |
| Billie Eilish (musician) | 2026-02-13 | passing | John tells Henry that he once met Billie Eilish. | Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! (03:03:01) |
| Billy Ray Cyrus (musician) | 2026-02-13 | joke | John grew a thick mustache for the Project for Awesome, planning it for about 16 weeks while Sarah asked why he didn't shave. | Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! (00:20:40) |
| Bob Marley (musician) | 2015-12-01 | passing | John recommends Marlon James's A Brief History of Seven Killings, an oral-history-format novel revolving around the 1976 shooting of Bob Marley in Jamaica. | John's Book Giving Guide for the Holidays! (00:01:46) |
| Bonnie Raitt (singer) | 2016-02-12 | passing | Hank says there is always a different song in his head and wonders why his brain is set up that way. | Doing the Hard(er) Thing (and some very bad news) (00:00:23) |
| Bree Sharp (singer) | 2024-09-24 | subject | In 1999, the year Napster launched, Bree Sharp released 'David Duchovny', a well-produced, funny X-Files fan song about being in love with the actor who plays Fox Mulder. | The Forgotten Viral Video that Could Never be Made Today (00:02:26) |
| Brian Ritchie (musician) | 2007-12-21 | joke | In the dream Hank was a member of the Violent Femmes who didn't know the chords to 'Blister in the Sun', while the crowd waited for it; a little girl could stop the world ending. | December 21: Hank Accepts His Punishment (00:00:53) |
| Brian Setzer (musician) | 2007-04-23 | joke | Asked to comment on reports he is on someone's free pass list, Hank notes he is apparently a celebrity, declines to comment, is fine with it, and is disappointed to rank after Brian Setzer. | April 23rd: Celebrity (00:02:19) |
| CG5 (musician) | 2024-07-09 | personal story | Hank says CG5 approached him in the VidCon lobby, knowing Hank once tweeted that he unironically enjoys CG5's music, and Hank apologized. | Is the Inside of Your Mouth a Soup? (a vidcon reunion video) (00:02:36) |
| Dan John Miller (actor-musician) | 2008-07-30 | takes part | John says the best part of the trip was hearing his narrator, Dan John Miller, record the audiobook. | Audiobooks and 8 8 08 (00:01:59) |
| Danny Weinkauf (musician) | 2014-08-22 | credited | Hank wrote a song with Danny Weinkauf, the bassist of They Might Be Giants, about a kidney that lived in four different people. | Kidneys, LlamaJohn, Frankenstein, Back to School, and The Nerdfighter Online Video Workshop! (00:00:32) |
| Daði Freyr (musician) | 2020-07-24 | credited | Hank's favorite song lately is Think About Things by Daði Freyr, whose name he admits he is mispronouncing. | Could I Spare some Change for Gas? (00:01:09) |
| DJ Wise (musician) | 2008-08-04 | credited | Hank shows the crew to the tune of '21 Jump Street', not the TV theme but a song about the show by DJ Wise and Red Cloud, courtesy of Syntax Records. | Breakdancing in Missoula Montana (00:00:29) |
| Doc Watson (musician) | 2007-05-10 | credited | On the third day of his house hunt John says he and Sarah ('the Yeti') have seen 26 houses in two days. | Brotherhood 2.0: May 10: House Hunted? (00:00:03) |
| Donald Glover (actor, comedian, musician) | 2015-02-13 | passing | Asked about Spider-Man, Hank answers 'Donald Glover, all the way'. | Draw My Life + 16 Other Suggestions (00:00:23) |
| Earl Sweatshirt (rapper) | 2015-02-03 | recommended | John says Nat and Justice introduced him to rap artists on the Paper Towns set, including Earl Sweatshirt, whom he likes a lot; in turn he introduced them to the Mountain Goats. | Beards, Birds, and the Paper Towns Release Date: Question Tuesday! (00:01:50) |
| Ella Fitzgerald (jazz singer) | 2015-12-25 | personal story | For Hank this time of year means friends, video games, Christmas trees, Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy the Elf's enthusiasm and cats on Christmas trees. | On Hating Christmas (00:01:54) |
| Elle Cordova (musician) | 2023-12-01 | credited | Hank says the CD includes a song by Elle Cordova, recently popular on TikTok and Instagram but a YouTuber back in 2007. | It's OK if you think less of me after this! (00:00:34) |
| Faith Hill (country singer) | 2011-08-24 | passing | Hank says the East Coast earthquake that alarmed people was about 23,000 times less powerful than the earthquake that hit Japan. | HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN! (00:00:29) |
| Fiona Apple (musician) | 2007-10-04 | joke | Against commenters saying pirates pwn, John says pirates haven't been cool since Goonies, and names the online series Ask a Pirate as one of the best in history. | October 4th: Happy Dances, Feuds, and Raccoon Infestations (00:02:26) |
| Flava Flav (musician) | 2009-08-06 | joke | A Nerdfighter emailed that 20Q guessed Flava Flav for Holden Caulfield; John jokes that the two have a lot in common. | Robert Pattinson and DJ Railstone (00:00:40) |
| Florence Foster Jenkins (singer) | 2012-11-20 | subject | John calls Hank's Friday video brilliant and says it has had him thinking about Florence Foster Jenkins. | Great at Being Terrible: The Florence Foster Jenkins Story (00:00:00) |
| Gary Numan (musician) | 2013-01-04 | joke | 53 Terrible Jokes! (00:01:21) | |
| Gene Cawley (musician) | 2010-01-22 | credited | Maureen Johnson introduces herself and says she will be filling in for John while he is off being a father, for the next few days or weeks. | ThisIsNotJohn (00:00:00) |
| George Michael (singer) | 2026-10-30 | cited | Hank notes that David Bowie, Prince, Alan Rickman, Muhammad Ali, Carrie Fisher and George Michael all died in 2016. | The Last Normal Year (00:01:30) |
| Giuseppe Verdi (composer) | 2012-11-20 | passing | She could not sing at all but truly believed she could; she came on stage wearing wings to sing Verdi, a disaster except that she and the audience had fun. | Great at Being Terrible: The Florence Foster Jenkins Story (00:01:00) |
| Greg DiCostanzo (musician) | 2011-03-25 | takes part | Hank says he is on a tiny mini tour of the Pacific Northwest with Paul and Storm and Mike Phirman. | Hank is an Adorable, Drunk Princess (00:00:31) |
| Gustav (musician) | 2008-04-16 | recommended | Hank's random find: 'We Shall Overcome' by a woman called Gustav, whom he thinks is German; probably the best song he stumbled across this year (2008). | ITCHY MUSIC! (00:02:24) |
| Hank Williams (musician) | 2019-04-30 | quoted | Every reprieve is only temporary; as Hank Williams sang, you'll never get out of this world alive; the miracle won't last forever, but John doesn't need forever. | The Thing with Feathers (00:02:25) |
| Hank Williams Jr. (musician) | 2009-06-17 | joke | Hank sings that great women - Earhart, Nightingale, Curie, Tubman - were polished by their fathers into 'powerful pearls'. | The Fathers of the Founding Fathers (00:00:39) |
| Iggy Azalea (rapper) | 2014-07-25 | joke | Hank lists things he doesn't know: why Mario is the best-known video game character, why guitars are shaped as they are, why Iggy Azalea is popular. | Towering Mountains of Ignorance (00:00:09) |
| Imogen Heap (musician) | 2011-12-05 | cited | John says the name Imogen comes from Shakespeare's Cymbeline and is probably a transcription error for Innogen, so Imogen Heap's name rests on a typo. | 5 Worst Typos of History (00:00:51) |
| Jack Johnson (musician) | 2014-11-11 | credited | Halston Sage's favourite song is 'Banana Pancakes' by Jack Johnson. | Lacey and Angela Question Tuesday: Pizzamas Day 2 (00:01:29) |
| James Lord Pierpont (songwriter) | 2009-12-23 | cited | Hank says Jingle Bells was originally a Thanksgiving song, which is why it never mentions Christmas; a fact check says it was written in 1857 for a Thanksgiving program by James Lord Pierpont. | Amazing Christmas Facts With John and Hank (00:03:18) |
| Janelle Monáe (musician) | 2018-04-27 | recommended | Hank recommends Janelle Monáe: he feels late to the party, but every time he listens to her music he feels better. | Finding Respite in 2018 (00:03:21) |
| Jason Derulo (singer) | 2018-05-11 | joke | Looking for Alaska Movie (BUT BETTER) and YouTuber Things (00:03:57) | |
| Jason Finn (musician) | 2011-03-25 | passing | Hank says that at soundcheck the night before he filmed, Jason Finn, drummer of The Presidents of the United States of America, a band he geeked out about in high school, drummed along to 'I'm Gonna Kill You'. | Hank is an Adorable, Drunk Princess (00:01:10) |
| Jennifer Lopez (singer-actor) | 2012-06-05 | joke | John says if the movie is made casting will go as always: everyone is upset at the announcement, then sees the film and finds the actor perfect, as with Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss. | The Dangling Rope of Terror: It's Question Tuesday (00:02:47) |
| Jim Boggia (musician) | 2014-03-07 | recommended | Hank's description points viewers to Sara Watkins's and Jim Boggia's YouTube channels and to The Thrilling Adventure Hour's website. | Thoughts from a Cruise (00:00:00) |
| Jim Morrison (singer of the Doors) | 2012-10-05 | credited | Since the video is short, Hank adds a promo of the brothers' other YouTube channels, SciShow, Crash Course, Lizzie Bennet and HankGames, which he says are doing quite well. | 21st Century Sherlock: A Sherlock / Doors Song (00:01:29) |
| Jimi Hendrix (American musician) | 2012-09-04 | cited | The worst place to vomit is your own lungs, because it can be fatal: aspiration of vomit killed Jimi Hendrix and many others. | The Five Worst Places to Vomit (00:00:29) |
| Jimmy Buffett (musician) | 2018-02-23 | joke | Hank often wishes people would get used to the revolution in human communication before revolutionizing global finance with cryptocurrency and just slow down, then notes this makes him Jimmy Buffett. | Dear Young People, You Terrify Me (00:02:03) |
| Joe Jonas (singer) | 2009-07-21 | joke | Hank finds Rodney Mullen is a super awesome skateboarder, accepts the Perez Hilton guess for himself, and reports 20Q thinks he is Joe Jonas when he plays as himself. | Twenty Questions and Michael Collins (00:01:38) |
| Joe McElderry (singer) | 2010-02-08 | cited | Hank says Rage Against the Machine got a profanity-laden 1992 song to the top of the UK Christmas charts, beating X Factor winner Joe McElderry by about 50,000 units through an online campaign. | Hypocrisy: All They Want is Money (00:00:29) |
| John Bliss (musician) | 2009-06-24 | credited | The description credits the illustrations to SharkeyeJones and the jazz guitar to John Bliss, a professor the uploader met in Oregon, and offers the images for download. | LOLCat with a Ball Bat (00:00:00) |
| Johnny Cash (musician) | 2007-09-07 | cited | Hank credits John with getting him into Brotherhood 2.0 and challenging him to write and perform an original song every Wednesday; he now has a repertoire in several styles. | September 7th: Fatalities, Dances and Thanks (00:02:40) |
| Jon Wurster (drummer) | 2013-01-15 | credited | An Evening of Awesome at Carnegie Hall (01:43:14) | |
| Jonathan Antoine (singer) | 2012-09-25 | cited | John notes Nerdfighters make awesome things: a Nerdfighter from Britain's Got Talent's first album, Elmify's Etsy store, This Star Won't Go Out banners in Nerdcrafteria; only some have commercial life. | Do Businesses Need to Suck? (00:00:29) |
| Jonathan Biss (pianist) | 2007-02-19 | passing | John says the opening was Brotherhood 2.0's 'resident mathematician' Daniel Biss, who is there because his brother Jonathan is playing a concert at Carnegie Hall. | Brotherhood 2.0: February 19, 2007 (00:00:00) |
| Kina Grannis (musician) | 2014-11-20 | credited | Hank's description: registration for VidCon 2015 is officially open at VidCon.com. | Announcing VidCon 2015! (00:00:00) |
| Kurt Cobain (musician) | 2007-09-18 | cited | John notes Chris Crocker recently made a YouTube video crying in defense of Britney Spears; he won't judge, having felt bad for Kurt Cobain at Chris's age. | September 18: In Defense of Chris Crocker (00:00:35) |
| LaurenOC12 (musician) | 2008-04-16 | recommended | Hank adds three YouTube musicians he did not get to mention in the video: ReinaDelCid, SweetAfton23 and LaurenOC12. | ITCHY MUSIC! (00:00:00) |
| Liam Payne (singer (One Direction)) | 2014-09-16 | passing | Asked how they chose baby names, John says they just stole their grandparents' names. | It's Question Tuesday! Cheesy Jokes, Paper Towns Movie, and Dinosaur Butt Brains (00:02:51) |
| Lil Jon (musician) | 2007-11-15 | joke | John jokes that the surest evidence of a permanent US economic downslope is Jay-Z holding a wad of 500-euro bills in his newest music video: even Jay-Z worries about the dollar. | Nov 15: Jay-Z, the Inkys, Nerdfighteria, and Venn Diagrams! (00:00:00) |
| Luther Perkins (musician) | 2008-07-30 | passing | John says Dan John Miller is in Blanche, one of John's favorite bands, and played Luther Perkins in the movie Walk the Line. | Audiobooks and 8 8 08 (00:02:23) |
| Marcus Mumford (musician) | 2015-04-17 | cited | Hank says Carey Mulligan and the man from Mumford and Sons were childhood pen pals who both became famous independently, reconnected and married. | 7 Weirdest Marriages (or Lack Thereof) From an Airport (00:03:12) |
| MC Chris (rapper) | 2024-09-24 | passing | The song was also a hit with the X-Files crew, and two people who worked on the show filmed and edited a music video for it purely to play at their Christmas party. | The Forgotten Viral Video that Could Never be Made Today (00:03:24) |
| Michael Stipe (musician) | 2011-06-06 | personal story | John went to a party with R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, writer of 'Stand', to which John and Hank choreographed a dance in 1989 that their dad videotaped and lost. | Men Running on Tanks and the Truth about Book Editors (00:00:19) |
| Mick Jagger (musician) | 2010-08-16 | passing | The club's owner told John it was the most people they'd had since Mick Jagger's son played there. | Lust and Folly in London and Edinburgh (00:02:00) |
| Narciso Lobo (musician) | 2008-04-16 | recommended | Hank recommends Narciso Lobo, whom he thinks is active in YouTube's singer-songwriter community; his originals beat his covers; he links 'The Song We Never Wrote'. | ITCHY MUSIC! (00:02:24) |
| Nicki Minaj (musician) | 2014-02-11 | credited | John has never heard 'Boyfriend' (about 300 million views) or 'One Time', though he likes both, nor 'Beauty and da Beat' featuring Nicki Minaj. | A Middle Aged Man (00:01:15) |
| Orla Gartland (musician) | 2018-04-27 | recommended | Hank recommends Orla Gartland, who does the singer-songwriter thing so well; he is happy her music is in the world. | Finding Respite in 2018 (00:03:37) |
| Paul Sabourin (musician) | 2011-03-25 | takes part | Hank says Paul of Paul and Storm, calling the song the same three chords over and over, played it on the piano, and soundcheck turned into dreams coming true. | Hank is an Adorable, Drunk Princess (00:01:32) |
| Peter Yarrow (musician) | 2009-04-19 | personal story | In the video description John says Peter Yarrow is really nice. | Weekend of Surreality (00:00:00) |
| Porter Wagoner (musician) | 2026-08-26 | subject | Jad says Dolly came to Nashville at 21 in 1967 to join Porter Wagoner, then the biggest deal in country music with a syndicated show, ostensibly as his backup singer. | Jad Abumrad on Dolly Parton: 'The Unicorn of Unicorns' (00:04:17) |
| Prince (musician) | 2026-10-30 | cited | Hank notes that David Bowie, Prince, Alan Rickman, Muhammad Ali, Carrie Fisher and George Michael all died in 2016. | The Last Normal Year (00:01:30) |
| R. Kelly (musician) | 2007-12-04 | joke | Asked what appeals to him in Walt Whitman's Song of Myself, John says readers will find out when Paper Towns comes out, in September. | December 4th: Question Tuesday!!!! (00:02:07) |
| Rachael Nedrow (singer) | 2015-11-11 | cited | Hank shows Rachael Nedrow, whose voice is on a couple of Skrillex songs, reacting to her competitive cup stacking; unsure how hard it is, he is there for her reaction. | Watch This If You Want To Smile (Pizzamas Day 3) (00:00:40) |
| Redcloud (rapper) | 2008-08-04 | credited | Hank shows the crew to the tune of '21 Jump Street', not the TV theme but a song about the show by DJ Wise and Red Cloud, courtesy of Syntax Records. | Breakdancing in Missoula Montana (00:00:29) |
| ReinaDelCid (musician) | 2008-04-16 | recommended | Hank adds three YouTube musicians he did not get to mention in the video: ReinaDelCid, SweetAfton23 and LaurenOC12. | ITCHY MUSIC! (00:00:00) |
| Rick Astley (singer) | 2014-07-18 | credited | In October Hank left 30 seconds of nothing at the end of a video and had to dance around his house as Carrie Bradshaw singing 'Never Gonna Give You Up': the infamous Hankroll. | EVERY VLOGBROTHERS PUNISHMENT! (00:01:59) |
| Ricky Martin (singer) | 2012-11-08 | passing | John praises Hank's Puerto Rico video, saying Hank already heard as much from Ricky Martin, and says the week of daily videos really is like Brotherhood 2.0 again. | VOLT! A Dream Comes True. (00:00:00) |
| Ritchie Valens (musician) | 2011-03-30 | passing | Hank shares something fascinating he recently discovered while searching for songs to play on guitar, not on Reddit: the '50s progression. | The Ice Cream Changes (00:00:00) |
| Robert Austin (musician) | 2020-12-04 | credited | The description says The Christmas Creature sold out on Erin's store, so a pre-order is up at DFTBA.com. | The Christmas Creature (00:00:00) |
| Samantha Ronson (DJ) | 2009-04-26 | joke | John says he can follow about six news stories at once and lists them: the economic crisis, Iraq, Pakistan, the Craigslist killer, North Korea and Lindsay Lohan's breakup. | Peanut Butter Face Discusses Sri Lanka (00:00:07) |
| Sara Watkins (musician) | 2014-03-07 | recommended | Hank's description points viewers to Sara Watkins's and Jim Boggia's YouTube channels and to The Thrilling Adventure Hour's website. | Thoughts from a Cruise (00:00:00) |
| Schmidt (musician and producer) | 2009-01-07 | credited | Hank recorded many of his YouTube hits with Schmidt, who he says owns THE music studio in Missoula, played on Weezer albums and made music for That '70s Show. | Hank Green: Behind the Music (00:01:03) |
| Shanda Lear (singer) | 2011-02-28 | cited | Shanda Lear, daughter of the founder of the Learjet corporation, grew up to be a lead singer in swing bands. | Harry Baals & Dick Trickle: The Funniest Names in History (00:02:02) |
| Shawn Mendes (singer) | 2016-11-25 | cited | Nathan says his problem is that if he is not amazing at something he asks what the point of doing it is, e.g. why sing when people can listen to Adele. | You're Not Good Enough (00:01:24) |
| Sonny Bono (musician and politician) | 2010-01-11 | joke | Hank says the steep downhill skiing he avoids killed a Kennedy and Sonny Bono in 1997, the year he turned 17. | Ecosystem Services 101 with Hank (00:00:00) |
| Steve Harwell (musician) | 2020-08-11 | criticized | Asked in comments, John calls Smash Mouth's August 2020 live concert in South Dakota idiotic and harmful amid the worst pandemic in over a century and tells its lead singer to stay home. | never get bored (00:00:00) |
| Susan Boyle (singer) | 2009-12-30 | cited | The song says one of the year's biggest stories was that Susan Boyle could sing, reminding a public used to autotuned pretty people that talent needn't be hot. | The STUPIDEST NEWS STORIES of 2009 (a song) (00:01:43) |
| T-Pain (musician) | 2007-11-15 | joke | John jokes that the surest evidence of a permanent US economic downslope is Jay-Z holding a wad of 500-euro bills in his newest music video: even Jay-Z worries about the dollar. | Nov 15: Jay-Z, the Inkys, Nerdfighteria, and Venn Diagrams! (00:00:00) |
| Teresa Brewer (singer) | 2008-04-16 | performed | Hank shares a version of 'Cotton Fields' arranged for 1940s-50s singer Teresa Brewer, with yodeling and weird choreography, which he calls amazing to watch. | ITCHY MUSIC! (00:03:08) |
| The Notorious B.I.G. (rapper) | 2007-10-08 | joke | John says his puff levels are high, not from stress but because he needs a haircut. | October 8th: Zombies v. Unicorns (00:00:00) |
| Tiffany (singer) (singer) | 2017-02-07 | credited | The first was probably Tiffany's I Think We're Alone Now, but also New Partner by the Palace Brothers and Love Love Love by the Mountain Goats. | Good News, YA Books, and Bears: It's Question Tuesday (00:02:58) |
| Tim McGraw (country singer) | 2011-08-24 | passing | Hank says the East Coast earthquake that alarmed people was about 23,000 times less powerful than the earthquake that hit Japan. | HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN! (00:00:29) |
| Tré Cool (musician) | 2012-07-17 | cited | John shares a favorite word, 'monorchid', a person with one testicle, and lists prominent monorchids: Mao Zedong, Lance Armstrong, Hermann Göring and the drummer from Green Day. | Hitler and Sex! (00:01:45) |
| Vanilla Ice (musician) | 2009-08-11 | credited | John recalls the brothers may already have a choreographed dance to Vanilla Ice's 'Ice Ice Baby' from childhood, and maybe one to R.E.M.'s 'Stand', and hopes they stay unseen. | The Island of Nerdfighteria? (00:01:01) |
| Victoria Beckham (singer and fashion designer) | 2009-10-06 | joke, passing | John says a Nerdfighter may have found an even better example: Victoria Beckham's book 'That Extra Half an Inch', subtitled 'Hair, Heels, and Everything in Between'. | Victoria Beckham In Your Pants (00:00:32) |
| Wyclef Jean (musician) | 2010-08-10 | criticized | Hank reports Wyclef Jean is running for president of Haiti, with his supposed strength being that he is not a politician and doesn't know Haitian politics. | JOIN THE PEN15 CLUB!! (00:00:29) |
| Yasiin Bey (rapper and actor) | 2012-04-10 | cited | John doesn't know what Yo Gabba Gabba is about but says it has more good music than MTV, with the Shins, Weezer, Weird Al and Mos Def. | A Surreal Descent into Madness: Reviewing Children's TV (00:02:03) |