Just 2 Guyz

Pop-ups (37 · 5 fan picks from YouTube comments)

1. Quadrilogy: the four Just Two Guyz videos

   1:52

   Just 2 Guyz is the first of four videos in the 'two guyz' series, made in 2004 before SNL. The hosts jokingly debate what the proper name for a four-part series is, a bit that connects to Fast and Furious' franchise naming.

   So Just You Guys is a video we made four of.
   Quaid

2. Made for fun, channeling 13-year-old selves

   2:21

   The video was made just for fun around their house, with the duo deliberately playing awkward versions of their younger selves. Jorma notes the characters are a manifestation of how they felt as teenagers.

   And this was just for fun. Something we just made around the house. And we were channeling our 13-year-old selves.

3. Freaks and Geeks as emotional reference

   3:52

   Jorma connects the Just 2 Guyz awkwardness to his junior high years, comparing it to Freaks and Geeks. The two hosts later note Pen15 appealed to them for similar reasons.

   Freaks and Geeks was an exact replication of how I felt in those particular years of junior high.

4. Fans point here

   4:35

   5 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 13 likes.

   And we've talked about this before, but—oh, I'm sorry. I got burrito in my mouth. No, no. This is fine. There are different rules when it's just me and you. You can just go nuts. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, I don't…

5. Burrito brain hits early

   4:49

   Jorma's burrito consumption on air triggers the running gag: burrito brain, the state of insanity from excessive burrito eating. The hosts riff that Akiva is 'fully brained' only two minutes in.

   Oh, guys, the burrito brain's already kicked in. We're fucked.

   Goes back to BBs, Ep. 91, 40:55: He's got a major case of the BBs.

   burrito brainBBs

6. Staying in character before the mic

   5:29

   Recording the songs required getting into character, and the hosts were so nervous they fidgeted. The awkward stage presence is partly genuine nerves on record.

   We would have to get into character and we would like, you know, whenever we were recording, we were like, playing with our pockets

7. The sweet spot of bad but not too bad

   6:16

   Getting the performance to sound intentionally bad took a while because they kept drifting into sounding too good. Akiva calls it a narrow lane they had to live in.

   There's just a sweet spot these guys have to live in that is shockingly slightly more difficult than you would think for how bad they sound.

8. No stress: videos made in the cracks

   6:56

   The Just 2 Guyz videos were made when Andy was busy, fitting into gaps, with no pressure since they were only planned for YouTube and never for SNL. The shoots were pure joy.

   So it would be the thing we would fit in the cracks when Andy was busy.

9. Jonah Goldstein, the go-to crew member

   7:15

   Jonah Goldstein, a friend from NYU who went to LA with the group, served as the reliable behind-the-camera person for their goofy projects. Crew was usually just three people.

   our friend Jonah Goldstein, who was at NYU with Chester and Andy, who came out to LA, he was our go-to guy

10. Shot at Melrose apartment

    8:05

    The first Just 2 Guyz was shot in and around Andy and Akiva's apartment off Melrose, shared after the original Lonely Island apartment was broken up when rent went up.

    Yeah, this was me and Andy's apartment pre-SNL 2004.

11. Same Reason file, swapped instruments

    8:21

    After the first video, Jorma reused the same Reason project, swapping instrumentation and sometimes slightly changing the melody, keeping the tempo nearly identical across the series. We Need Love is the exception with a slower R&B feel.

    I would just take the Reason file that we had, swap out the instrumentation.

12. YouTube comments: 'seeing 20 years ago is wild'

    9:33

    The YouTube comments are read aloud, including one noting how long ago the video was and another saying it took them 14 years to realize the guys were 'just two guys having a good time.'

    Seeing 20 years ago is wild on YouTube because YouTube barely existed.
    Quaid

13. The channel launched after Lazy Sunday

    10:17

    Lonely Island's YouTube channel was created shortly after Lazy Sunday's December 2005 release. Just 2 Guyz was among the first things posted, racking up around 13 million views.

    Lazy Sunday was December 2005, so we basically made our channel the next month or two months

14. Who invited Steve?

    10:59

    A YouTube commenter asks who invited Steve, a recurring question tied to the video's pool scene. The hosts treat it as a fan-favorite line.

    It's been 15 years and we still don't know who the hell invited Steve.

15. Party Andersons alter-ego band

    12:35

    The track came from the Party Andersons, a fake aggro rap party band of three Florida brothers (Dennis, Philip and Arnold Anderson) who drive a Subaru Brat. The band's sample-chopped medley is the basis of this song's intro.

    the premise was it was Dennis, Philip, and Arnold Anderson, who were all three brothers from Florida.

16. Fans point here

    12:39

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 3 likes.

    And the premise was it was Dennis, Philip, and Arnold Anderson, who were all three brothers from Florida. They drive around in like a Subaru Brat. Their brother has died. This is the backstory of it. It was like sort… — Jorma

17. Fans point here

    13:52

    2 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 6 likes.

    Hello, welcome to the party. Same balloons. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We definitely took the balloons shooting in one direction and then put them behind you in the other direction.

18. Anti-continuity as a point of pride

    14:16

    Early Lonely Island videos deliberately embraced messy continuity, such as shifting balloons and shoes between shots. Akiva argues you must master continuity to break it well.

    It was a point of pride to have shit be fucked up looking.

19. P-A-R-T-Y nod to Beverly Hills 90210

    20:50

    The P-A-R-T-Y reference in the video nods to Beverly Hills 90210. Steve, a character in the piece, says the line, and the hosts debate pronouncing his name.

    So P-A-R-T-Y, because we got to, was a reference to Beverly Hills 90210

20. Fans point here

    20:50

    3 YouTube comments timestamp this moment, 7 likes.

    We've heard about alcohol at parties. So P-A-R-T-Y, because we got to, was a reference to Beverly Hills 90210, which was a TV show back in the day. And I believe Dylan or somebody says it? No, I think it was Steve...…

21. Pitching Awesome Town to Fox

    26:33

    The duo pitched their sketch show Awesome Town to Fox. Akiva recalls a mid-level executive and a debate over whether to beep the word cunt, which got a big laugh and taught them to show funny material.

    we went into fox that's somebody i'm sure he was mid-level

22. Writing for G4's award show

    28:02

    G4 hired the trio as writers for its G4ia awards show, the second year it ran, led by head writer Jerry Duggan. Shooting took place backstage using Comedy Central swag.

    G4, the channel that was a cable channel that was all about video games, was this the second year of it maybe?

23. Backstage shoot during lunch

    28:53

    A G4ia set shot, filmed during lunch, required persuading the lighting guy to turn on the lights for a second. The crew wore borrowed Comedy Central t-shirts.

    we yelled at the lighting guy, will you turn on the lights for us for one second?

24. Danger Mouse house cameo

    29:18

    Jorma noted a location shoot at Danger Mouse's early home, when he lived with four musician roommates. The hosts joke they would name drop him in a future Boo episode.

    If we ever do one about the boo, we can point out when we're at Danger Mouse's house.

25. Fans point here

    29:19

    1 YouTube comment timestamps this moment, 3 likes.

    We were like we were shooting. If we ever do one about the boo, we can point out when we're at Danger Mouse's house. Not his house anymore, but like his first, you know, he had like four roommates. No, this is his…

26. Four-track recorder limits

    30:47

    The audio was made on a digital four-track recorder with no real editing, so mistakes could only be punched in. Beats were made in Reason, then moved to the BR-8.

    we didn't make this song on a computer we made this song on a digital four-track recorder

27. Freeze frames as edit jokes

    32:45

    The editing deliberately includes sloppy freeze frames and hands stuck in the frame, a stylistic choice that plays into the awkwardness of the piece.

    these freeze frames suck holes. Like that stinks where we're at

28. Pot symbol gesture

    33:34

    A running gesture for pot, making a circle with the hands for no reason, was invented in these videos as part of their built-in choreography that makes no sense.

    the symbol for pot was our making a circle with our hands for no reason

29. Whole video shot within 100 feet

    35:06

    Except for the pool scene, nearly the entire Just 2 Guyz video was filmed within about 100 feet of their apartment, using whatever locations and props were on hand.

    I think this entire video is within 100 feet.

30. Accidental graduation set

    36:29

    Hosts looked out a window one Sunday and saw a high school graduation setup on the nearby field. They ran out in outfits and shot the balloon and graduation shots with no security present.

    we looked out on a Sunday morning and saw that they had set up for a high school graduation.

31. Steve the Cunt's origin with Joanna

    39:42

    Joanna's instant love of Steve the Cunt, the 'one rung lower on the social ladder' character, became a running joke about the video's fans.

    She saw the video, went, this is my favorite, but those guys are too cool. I want the guy that's one rung lower on the social network.

32. How the SNL writers met the Lonely Island

    40:18

    Akiva recalls meeting Liz and SNL writers at the 2004 MTV Movie Awards, which eventually led to the SNL job.

    we met her at the 2004 Movie Awards, the Lindsay Lohan one, when the SNL writers showed up.

33. Q&A format is loose

    48:44

    The hosts acknowledge their Q&A approach is informal and that listeners respond well to the looseness.

    I guess if we're going to be more traditional, we're responsible for the answers, but we can play pretty fast and loose here.

34. The Greg Chun six-pack hang

    52:00

    Greg and Jorm's pay-per-view fight night turned awkward, and the hosts tie it back to the Just 2 Guyz premise.

    Yorm shows up with a six pack and Greg's there alone, which is so fucking funny and weird.
    burrito brain

35. Jorm's Greg Chun memory

    52:38

    Jorm remembers hounding Greg for future work, adding a mild but sharp moment to the hang story.

    I think I hounded him a lot to like, like do a whole bunch of work for us in the, in the future.

36. Democracy rules and the two-guy origin

    54:31

    Jorm explains the group's voting rules, which explain why Just 2 Guyz was a two-person project and not a trio.

    there were two things in Lonely Island, which was democracy rules, usually, like you can get outvoted if two guys understand a joke

37. Guys with an S versus Z

    55:12

    The on-screen title misspells 'guys' with an S on the original upload, a detail listeners noticed.

    the on-screen title reads Guys with an S rather than Guys with a Z.

38. How much of the acting was planned

    58:26

    Most of the physical bits were discovered on the day, but repeated moves became part of the performance.

    I think the only thing planned, anything planned was not planned before it.

39. Why the two guys never met

    1:00:38

    The hosts explain the awkward 'we've never met' intro as a bit of comedic logic, not a backstory.

    I think all of the intros to all just guys I like are the most awkward bizarre like setting the table in the most bizarre way possible

40. Kate asks for no more Q&As

    1:02:03

    A listener asked for fewer Q&A episodes, and the hosts promise to vary their plans going forward.

    Kate says, please don't do another Q&A episode. This is a sorority girl who listens to every episode regardless of the content.

41. Klondike reaches out via Instagram

    1:03:31

    The Klondike team sent a DM to the pod's Instagram, prompting a sponsorship conversation.

    Seth got a DM from the Klondike team, guys. Big news for those who stuck to the end of the Just Two Guys episode.

42. NYPD Blue shower scene bet

    1:06:36

    The hosts plan to watch a full NYPD Blue episode and debate whether the shower scene plays sexier in context.

    We should watch the episode that we watched the clip of where Dennis France is in the shower.