Ras Trent

Pop-ups (15 · 6 fan picks from YouTube comments)

1. Fans point here

   2:14

   1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 13 likes.

   Into and down your throat. I see. And you always refer to them as your juices. So I got that it was his juices. Yeah. I mean, reading it back- It is kind of, I wish I had written it. Oh. You know what I mean?

2. Fans point here

   5:34

   1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 86 likes.

   Ham, first John Ham. Oh. First Jon Hamm. And it's kind of crazy because the show is so good in no small part due to Jon Hamm. But then we have this lovely Ross Trent, which, of course, he's not in.

3. Reggae and dancehall shaped the Bay Area crew

   6:17

   Andy explains that the Short grew out of the trio's love of reggae and dancehall, picked up in the Bay Area and at Reggae on the River. The character was meant to capture a type they actually knew.

   A lot of the fun of it for us was just referencing reggae and dancehall songs we've loved throughout the years.

4. Fans point here

   8:08

   1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 33 likes.

   And this dude who had been at the show walked out dressed like he was straight out of office space. You know what I mean? Like khakis tucked in, button up, and glasses. And he just walked up to us and clearly needed to… — Andy

5. The Petaluma 'excuse I' origin story

   8:13

   Andy recounts a 'Excuse I' moment at a Petaluma Itals show, where a white guy in office clothes spoke a fake patois line to the group. It became a running joke among his friends for about 20 years and inspired the Ras Trent character.

   And he just went, excuse I. And we all were like, what?
   excuse I

6. Dudes who looked like Ras Trent

   9:14

   Seth notes he saw college guys who looked exactly like Ras Trent, though the deeper layers of references were lost on him. The character is drawn from real people the hosts knew.

   we definitely had guys I was in college with who looked exactly like Ross Trent.

7. Fans point here

   15:33

   2 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 22 likes.

   Rastafarianism! Yes, I! Okay. I mean, right away, what was that college we went to? We went to a real college, and those are real students who are sitting in a real college.

8. Barrington Levy's 'Ding ding whoa'

   19:10

   The opening 'ding ding whoa' is a nod to Barrington Levy, who uses it in many songs, most famously 'Here I Come.' Seth points out it lands even if viewers don't catch the reference.

   So, but a ding, ding, ding, ding, whoa, is Barrington Levy.

9. Maya Rudolph and Joanna Newsom sing backup

   20:17

   Background vocals were recorded by Maya Rudolph and Joanna Newsom, who wrote their own harmonies and outperformed the placeholder tracks. Casey Wilson and Wig handled earlier background parts.

   Maya Rudolph and my wife, Joanna Newsome.

10. Sly and Robbie unused tracks via Universal

    21:48

    After asking Universal Music Group for authentic reggae, the crew received a CD of unused Sly and Robbie tracks, one of reggae's most famous production duos. The beat selection made the Short's sound.

    a CD of unused Sly and Robbie tracks.

11. Fans point here

    22:50

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 20 likes.

    Yeah, yeah, that's right. But I wrote it. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, we're 16 seconds in, going great. Ready?

12. Champion Sound and Smith & Wesson

    23:04

    Andy recalls Champion Sound from Super Beagle, sampled on Smith & Wesson's 'Sound Boy Burial,' a favorite high-school rap track that influenced the beat.

    I knew Champion Sound of Super Beagle first because it was on a Smith & Wesson song called Sound Boy Burial

13. Cold Stone cameo in Times Square

    36:57

    The crew walked into a real Cold Stone Creamery in Times Square and filmed behind the counter with teenage staff. The line 'me toil part-time at Jock Cold Stone Creamery' is the hosts' favorite.

    Me toil part-time at Jock Coldstone Creamery.
    me toil part time at ja

14. Dub explained by Akiva

    37:14

    Akiva explains dub as instrumental reggae built on shared rhythms, with echoes and ad-libs dropped in. It is the source of the dub-style vibe the Short draws on.

    Dub is like a instrumental style of reggae.

15. Joe's Cool Runnings pitch

    38:38

    The Cool Runnings DVD gag was pitched by Joe, a writer on the Short, as an audience-friendly joke. The hosts say it is also incredibly off base, which suits the character.

    Now, a DVD of Cool Runnings is one of two things that Jost pitched.

16. Bike Path of Righteousness: the biggest laugh

    39:33

    Andy calls Ras Trent lowering his voice for 'Bike Path of Righteousness' the audience's biggest laugh. The pitch came from Joe, and Andy thanked him after it aired.

    the biggest laugh in the audience by far, which is when Ross Trent walks past the real dreads and lowers his voice

17. Shaka, Demarco and Pliers' Murder, She Wrote

    40:48

    The hosts reference a dancehall track by Shaka Demarco and Pliers, with Seth recalling its Jessica Fletcher-style murder theme. It was part of the dancehall sets they played in clubs.

    Shaka, Demas, and Pliers have a very famous song called Murder, She Wrote.

18. Fans point here

    44:53

    2 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 22 likes.

    Is that Anthony B? I think that might be Anthony B. Yeah, it's Dancehall for sure. It could be Beanie Man, but I think it's Anthony B. Again, our listeners will clearly put it all, correct me and let me know. Are you…

19. Judy Blume reference in the Short

    45:44

    Ras Trent asks 'Are you there, God? It's me, Ross Trent,' a parody of Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. The hosts debated a longer title for the song.

    Are you there, God? It's Me and Margaret by Judy Blume.

20. Real Jamaican Rastas as extras

    47:17

    Nick Malardi found six real Jamaican Rastafarians at a nearby store, who delivered thick accents and laughed once they understood the bit. The crew was embarrassed the joke was happening in real life.

    they're like yeah but they had thick as I can't I'm not even gonna pretend to be able to do it

21. Post-record note on the abrupt ending

    52:05

    Seth explains that Jorma drove to Akiva's house after forgetting the recording, leading to a chaotic close. The Jon Hamm episode was pushed to the next standalone episode.

    Yorm realized he had missed the podcast and then drove over to Akiva's house.