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The Rock-Afire Explosion Controversy

2009-01-06 · letter vlog · Hank · 2:46 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Pop culture · mode: Comedy & performance · tags: community lore, self promotion

Hank answers John's slander of Showbiz Pizza's Rock-afire Explosion animatronic band, praising its music and characters as a remarkable real-world cartoon and refusing to take back his love.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Hank answers John's slander of the Rock-afire Explosion: what the band was, fan-programmed sets, the Birthday song; Firefox tabs gag

  • ★★ Hank says the brothers' brotherhood very likely will not survive John's slander of Showbiz Pizza's Rock-afire Explosion band. (playful, hedged) — 00:00:00 · John Green
  • ★★ Hank explains that the Rock-afire Explosion was an animatronic band, likely the premier new media of its decade, something never seen again except in YouTube clips. (playful, hedged) — 00:00:00
  • ★★ Hank says fans bought old Rock-afire Explosion sets and programmed them to sing songs like Hips Don't Lie and Love in This Club. — 00:00:00
  • ★★★ Hank says he honestly believes the Rock-afire Explosion created great music and will not rescind his love. (playful) — 00:00:39
  • ★ Hank points to the band's version of 'They Say It's Your Birthday', though he is not sure it was the song on the LP he owned; he wishes he still had that LP. (hedged) — 00:00:39
  • ★ Reopening Firefox with all his old tabs made every YouTube clip play at once and overheated his processor; Hank thinks he needs a new computer. (playful, hedged) — 00:00:39

00:01:12 — The band's characters, why an animatronic band with personalities was remarkable; Hank refuses to take it back and quotes John's praise

  • ★★ Hank introduces the band: keyboard gorilla Fatz Geronimo, drummer Dook LaRue (his favourite), Mitzi Mozzarella, Beach Bear, Looney Bird and Billy Bob Brockali. (playful) — 00:01:12
  • ★★★ Though uninteresting today, Hank finds it remarkable that people built an animatronic band singing original songs, each character with its own personality: a cartoon show, but more real. — 00:01:12
  • ★★ 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. (playful) — 00:01:48
  • ★★ Hank reminds John that last night, after Hank showed him Rock-afire videos, John said he could hardly believe it and that it was so beautiful. (playful) — 00:01:48 · John Green

00:02:14 — Plugs: Community Channel's latest video, two new Hank videos on DFTBA Records, the new outro

  • ★★ Hank tells John and Nerdfighters to check out Community Channel's most recent video, which holds a surprise for them. — 00:02:14
  • ★★ Hank has two new videos on DFTBA Records' YouTube channel: him singing and playing in a song (title unclear) and an instructional video on how to play Book 8. — 00:02:14 · DFTBA Records
  • ★ Hank closes by introducing a new outro. — 00:02:14

Humor (significant)

  • Hank calls the animatronic band likely the premier form of new media of the 1980s. — 00:00:00

    “Which probably says more about the 1980s than it does about the Rock-A-Fire Explosion”

  • Introducing the band, Hank shows Mitzi Mozzarella, whose cup holds his pens. — 00:01:12

    “She's not a very attractive mouse.”

  • Defending his love of a defunct pizza-chain band, Hank reaches for a grand comparison. — 00:01:48

    “And just because John Lennon was shot doesn't mean I don't like the Beatles.”

Threads in this video

Mentioned

People: John Lennon · Natalie Tran

Projects: DFTBA Records

Works: Birthday · Book Eight · Hips Don't Lie · Love in This Club · The Rock-afire Explosion

Organizations: ShowBiz Pizza Place

Groups: The Beatles

Characters: Beach Bear · Billy Bob Brockali · Dook LaRue · Fatz Geronimo · Looney Bird · Mitzi Mozzarella

Products: Firefox

Replies to

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