Dan & Phil Part 83: Where in the World is Daniel Howell

kavat · Wed Mar 06, 2019 7:15 pm

nigel ratburn wrote: ↑Wed Mar 06, 2019 6:19 pm completely random post after seventeen years of inactivity, but i'm listening through solange's new album and one of the interludes (we deal with the freak'n) samples the music dan used for the sexy endscreen dance and i couldn't stop laughing-- i know dan is a big fan of the album per his twitter replies so i need to hear him talk about this, please and thank you

This is absolutely hilarious and completely short circuits my brain.

alien · Wed Mar 06, 2019 7:48 pm

kavat wrote: ↑Wed Mar 06, 2019 7:15 pm
nigel ratburn wrote: ↑Wed Mar 06, 2019 6:19 pm completely random post after seventeen years of inactivity, but i'm listening through solange's new album and one of the interludes (we deal with the freak'n) samples the music dan used for the sexy endscreen dance and i couldn't stop laughing-- i know dan is a big fan of the album per his twitter replies so i need to hear him talk about this, please and thank you
This is absolutely hilarious and completely short circuits my brain.

god we really are living in a simulation aren't we? lol i'd love to hear dan talk about this.

Philena · Wed Mar 06, 2019 8:00 pm

alien wrote: ↑Wed Mar 06, 2019 7:48 pm
kavat wrote: ↑Wed Mar 06, 2019 7:15 pm
nigel ratburn wrote: ↑Wed Mar 06, 2019 6:19 pm completely random post after seventeen years of inactivity, but i'm listening through solange's new album and one of the interludes (we deal with the freak'n) samples the music dan used for the sexy endscreen dance and i couldn't stop laughing-- i know dan is a big fan of the album per his twitter replies so i need to hear him talk about this, please and thank you
This is absolutely hilarious and completely short circuits my brain.

god we really are living in a simulation aren't we? lol i'd love to hear dan talk about this.

@nigel ratburn thank you so much for sharing! That absolutely made my entire week.

fancybum · Wed Mar 06, 2019 8:14 pm

Hm today really seems to be the day for dead creators talking to their audience, eh? It’s a good thread (but I kind of can’t wait for Dan to like it and give everybody a new heart attack on top of the kind of continuous one happening for some).

plinthofmylife · Wed Mar 06, 2019 10:54 pm

Just watching Phil out there hitting like on Tyler's tweet about butt-enhancing underwear containing a gif of him in briefs....

Musings:
Loved Charlie's tweet thread as a creator and a 12-year Coollike fan. As phan!trash, a little worried existentially about how close it seems to Dan's experience.

One key difference being Dan has a supportive, long-term business partner/roommate still on youtube who didn't have the screw ups, awful behavior, and PR disaster that Alex Day, Charlie's old roommate/bandmate/co-youtuber did.

I can't imagine what having his branding tied to Alex's must've done to Charlie as he wanted to change his image. Cherimon used to be a bigger ship than Phan, not to mention their musical careers were tied up 3 ways to Sunday.

-- Love to see that PJ is out there commenting implied smut on Crabstickz's annual comeback video ---

Also thank you @nigel ratburn for giving me information that made everything so much better.

Amiaw · Thu Mar 07, 2019 12:59 am

Martyn commented on Phil’s picture from yesterday asking if the shop is in a cave and I know we’ve seen the background before and are assuming it’s a lift but I can’t quite get a read on what Martyn means. I would post a screenshot but am on mobile.

Is he just making fun of our collective response whenever a new background appears or is he confused about the background too?

BuffyFiona · Thu Mar 07, 2019 1:48 am

autumnhearth wrote: ↑Wed Mar 06, 2019 12:45 pm
My husband and I love the “oh dear” teasing and I know exactly what you mean by the porpoise noises (he claps/flaps sometimes too yeah?) I will happily spend today watching compilations searching for one with high pitched voices, but for now here is one just with “oh dear”

AHHHH!!!!!!!! Late reply but yessss!!!! Thank you for this!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's interesting how much he's said it without the super obnoxious voice but he got higher and higher pitched I guess......... what an adorable dork........... also watching this my brain was just like "THEYRE HUSBANDS" and the baby!Phil's "oh dee-ahhh" at the end........... BESTILL MY HEART :happytears:

knq · Thu Mar 07, 2019 5:47 am

@Amiaw I went digging for Martyn's comment because this is #content now. I don't take it to mean anything other than that the background looks like a cave. Presumably he's been to their flat many times, and I kind of think they wouldn't take photos in a lift that distinctive anyway if it was where they lived, so maybe they spent pancake day with a friend or family who lives in the building with the lift. Or maybe Martyn just felt like roasting their swanky lift.

(It is a lift according to Dan. Dan photos beneath the cut because why not.)

Unrelated thoughts about old liveshows
I had to take my kitty on a 2 hour trip yesterday and I'm not a big fan or driving that far, but we listened to a few liveshows on danisnotinteresting and I found some things thought provoking.

I have hobbit hair now
Audience feedback/piano playing
50:13, 51:32 (he gets distracted in the middle)
Dan plays a few notes on the piano. People comment he's amazing. He objects. Someone comments he missed the notes. "Am I amazing, or am I a dork? Welcome to the internet, people. Do you think you could survive this maelstrom? Imagine yourself [deciding to learn a few notes on the piano] and then imagine thousands of opinions attack you. People are saying 'you're amazing'. Then somebody else says 'you're shit'. How do you deal with that?"

We've had conversations here before about this exact topic but it's always interesting to see Dan has thought about and is aware of the same stuff we think about (I don't know why that manages to surprise me. He's an analytical person. I'm too used to fictional fandoms and a solid fourth wall.) When it's been suggested that Dan should take on more feedback or concrit from fans, others have pointed out that as the audience is a diverse group of people who by the majority will not have expertise in whatever Dan is doing and whose opinions will differ, truly taking those criticisms (or compliments) to heart isn't something he'd survive for very long.

kavat · Thu Mar 07, 2019 7:06 am

Speaking of Twitter threads, this one is great. She talks about collaborating in the British yt community, how the scandals caused a cancel culture and the creators relationship with an audience. I feel like Dan (and Phil) would relate to at leasst parts of it.

obsessivelymoody · Thu Mar 07, 2019 7:49 am

knq wrote: ↑Thu Mar 07, 2019 5:47 am so the thing happened
this isn't new to me or anything, but I was reminded that watching Dan's sarcastic response to the rumor that Phil had a secret wife was the moment I went from thinking Dan and Phil were probably a couple to thinking... wow Dan and Phil are probably a couple, aren't they.

I think some people who believe they're together were still unexpectedly shocked by ttlmt and the implication that, as a couple, Dan and Phil probably have sex? It was like that, but for me it was just Dan looking sort of tired and talking about Phil's 'real family' that managed to knock me upside the head. Some of it's his delivery, some of it's the wording: "this is just a fake apartment that he uses for filming when he's not spending time with his real family" and "you guys with your theories on the internet are just so good"

And it's funny because as I said, I already thought they were together, but watching that gave me some tiny epiphany. Fans being quick to believe and discuss and form 'our theories' around the possibility of Phil having a 'real' spouse--you know, a female one--went from seeming funny to seeming disrespectful to dan and to his partnership with phil. Invalidating. Like what Dan and Phil have, even for those of us who believe they are together, isn't real enough or family enough.

Dunno quite what I'm trying to communicate here! Remembering that moment just gave me a punch to the chest. And before I offend antiphans, this isn't a logical argument meant to convince anyone of anything, and I never and would never call it or anything else 'phan proof,' so please don't mistake it for that. I just think it's funny that I could believe something based on more compelling information, see the love letter video, read the phan timeline and various other classic 'welcome to the phandom, phan is a thing' compilations and believe something about Dan and Phil based on that, but somehow not realize it until much later, listening to an interaction that was neither romantic nor sexual.

First, I just want to say I loved reading your whole post, it was so great and such a nice little journey to go on, and you brought up so many interesting things! And Martyn's comment is puzzling but I think I'm going to take it as him taking the piss out of their elevator.

Anyway, I think this bit in particular is so fascinating. I don't think I've really reflected much on phangate since it happened, and I was here for it in real time. I literally remember sitting in class refreshing the blog, waiting for whatever dumbassery that was to come next. Good times.

To kind of build off what you said about being hit in the face with it, I remember feeling quite similarly! I actually found it surprising that either of them brought it up in liveshows, and while Phil did a typical Phil thing where he played along for a bit, Dan's dry tone and his laughter at the end was worthy of an amused eye roll from me, but I remember in that moment feeling like it was just another time where they were being a bit blatant about their relationship. You know, in that read between the lines kind of way they favour. I think the fact that it was an obvious fandom joke plays a role in that for me, but also Dan's body language and delivery in the liveshow kind of hit their glass closet business for me.

I think Dan and Phil thrive off of showing the little things, and I think something like that, our "theories on the internet" being "just so good" in something so obviously a joke plays into a bit of meta about Dan and Phil being able to maintain their glass closet through fandom. I'm sure we all know how seriously the media and general population take fandom and its members, and from that dismissal of fandom comes the ability for Dan and Phil to maintain a rigid glass closet--and one on their own terms. They're out to those who care enough to read between the lines (a space that is sometimes much larger than the lines themselves imo), but in most cases to those who care not to, those who do care are stuck in their own fan delusion (ie, our "theories on the internet"). So making a whole thing out of Phil having a secret wife and child and how there's pROoF of it because LoOK wHat i HaVE oN tHIs BLog aND My REAL CONneCTionS tO dNp!!1! is how a lot of people see phan shippers as (at least back then especially. idk about now I've stopped seeking that stuff out, and given the amount of press from their tour and book(s) they had it was easier to find and easier for people to judge because of that). And Dan and Phil know that. We know that. So idk. Post-baking universe, no idea what's going to happen that year since there isn't any tour, people are bored so let's cook up something so stupid and unbelievable that it ripples back to Dan and Phil who know that us guys with our "theories on the internet are just so good". Because "that's quite funny" all things considered, isn't it?

liola · Thu Mar 07, 2019 8:23 am

knq wrote: ↑Thu Mar 07, 2019 5:47 am so the thing happened
this isn't new to me or anything, but I was reminded that watching Dan's sarcastic response to the rumor that Phil had a secret wife was the moment I went from thinking Dan and Phil were probably a couple to thinking... wow Dan and Phil are probably a couple, aren't they.

I think some people who believe they're together were still unexpectedly shocked by ttlmt and the implication that, as a couple, Dan and Phil probably have sex? It was like that, but for me it was just Dan looking sort of tired and talking about Phil's 'real family' that managed to knock me upside the head. Some of it's his delivery, some of it's the wording: "this is just a fake apartment that he uses for filming when he's not spending time with his real family" and "you guys with your theories on the internet are just so good"

And it's funny because as I said, I already thought they were together, but watching that gave me some tiny epiphany. Fans being quick to believe and discuss and form 'our theories' around the possibility of Phil having a 'real' spouse--you know, a female one--went from seeming funny to seeming disrespectful to dan and to his partnership with phil. Invalidating. Like what Dan and Phil have, even for those of us who believe they are together, isn't real enough or family enough.

Dunno quite what I'm trying to communicate here! Remembering that moment just gave me a punch to the chest. And before I offend antiphans, this isn't a logical argument meant to convince anyone of anything, and I never and would never call it or anything else 'phan proof,' so please don't mistake it for that. I just think it's funny that I could believe something based on more compelling information, see the love letter video, read the phan timeline and various other classic 'welcome to the phandom, phan is a thing' compilations and believe something about Dan and Phil based on that, but somehow not realize it until much later, listening to an interaction that was neither romantic nor sexual.

This is a very interesting take on the subject actually. I remember this moment clearly, and it struck me how forward Dan was being in the way he worded this bit. At the time I felt about it the way I felt about TTLMT (before the disaster liveshow after) - I was just surprised that Dan chose to speak about it, and the way he did.

Neither of those things necessarily changed or cemented the way I view their relationship, because for me the belief that they're together comes with their whole history, but speaking about phangate, I get what you mean by being smacked in the face, because it was quite unexpected that Dan (and Phil too) would comment not only on a phandom rumour, but one that clearly involved the elephant in the room of are-they-are-they-not.

Looking back on it, and thinking about the timing of the rumour and the liveshow - a few months after BONCAs and post-baking universe began, with Phil's 30th birthday approaching, the fact that they were already hinting at the move, the fact that 2017 would see the phandom getting to know Dan travelling with Phil on family vacation (and later in the year, Christmas at the Lesters) ... i think all of those things might play on what you're saying and Dan's reaction. 2017 was indeed the year where they seemed to open up the glass closet a little bit (or maybe just - clean the glass a bit just so a shadow can be seen, if you're looking for it) and it must've been quite frustrating and at the same time amusing. knowing the year was going to bring changes in the way they presented themselves to the public (firstly but not only moving together once again in a more "adult" apartment when there was no need for it, money wise) and seeing that the phandom was still discussing their relationship as something convenient and not real.

Basically, I still think it's funny, but now I can't help but wonder what they told each other when they obviously discussed it.

Aeryth · Thu Mar 07, 2019 8:52 am

never looked at it that way, but the way he talked about "Phil's wife" always amused me

on a related note, just this morning I had a dream in which they came out to us

Stakhanov · Thu Mar 07, 2019 9:04 am

Coming from the perspective they are not a couple, I sincerely wonder if you notice the irony of building theories about the glass closet and how they must have felt about the theory of 'phil's secret wife'? These theories about the reaction to "Phil's secret wife theory" are a baffling example to me of how this phandom can lack self-awareness. Dan and Phil have responded sarcastically about many a phan theory, and phan itself.
I understand we're all bound to speculate about a lot of things they say or do as we just don't know enough about the facts of their life let alone their thinking and motivation on specific issues. What does keep surprising me is just how far this fandom goes in selectively using just tiny bits of information and building huge theories around it. "Forever house, the 'opening up' narrative, busgate, ...)

Disclaimer: I am sharing my genuine reaction to reading all of these interpretations. They are not meant to offend or be condescending. But if you feel highly offended reading this differing interpretation, that is not my problem.

glitterintheair · Thu Mar 07, 2019 10:42 am

Oh, man, phangate was fun, I kinda miss it? I don't remember many people taking it seriously, tho. The majority was just making fun of that rumour and that's why I was surprised when dnp talked about it (not only in liveshows but Phil also mentioned it in the Predicting My Future video) because honestly.. that was just a very unbelievable theory and it didn't really need a clarification or an acknowledgement from dnp's part, but they did anyway and it made me laugh. One could say that they got spammed in the chat with comments about it and that's why they said something about it, but they're masters at avoiding topics they don't want to discuss, no matter how much people want them to, so they could've easily pretended not to see.
I do think Dan was a tiiiiiny bit annoyed by the implications, tho. His tone of voice when he talked about it, boy... there was a subtle - or not so subtle - hint of annoyance in it, but in a "that's very funny but also very stupid, how can you really think that?! " way.

Stakhanov · Thu Mar 07, 2019 11:23 am

Yea I pick up on that annoyed tone too. That's how Dan often seems to react to theories about him that he knows are wrong or finds stupid. Sarcasm with a hint of annoyance. I can relate. It's just very annoying when people start building up theories and expectations about you that can be based on the outlandish ideas. I hate trying to correct those even with family, friends and coworkers, I can't imagine how annoying it must be when you have an audience of millions (with a large chunk of it being teens) does that, and even worse they often do it because they care for you but don't really know you. So you can't even be to angry at them

Ah well, at least the fame of being a wildly successful youtuber comes with some good perks

Thu Mar 07, 2019 1:43 pm

obsessivelymoody wrote: ↑Thu Mar 07, 2019 7:49 am
knq wrote: ↑Thu Mar 07, 2019 5:47 am so the thing happened
this isn't new to me or anything, but I was reminded that watching Dan's sarcastic response to the rumor that Phil had a secret wife was the moment I went from thinking Dan and Phil were probably a couple to thinking... wow Dan and Phil are probably a couple, aren't they.

I think some people who believe they're together were still unexpectedly shocked by ttlmt and the implication that, as a couple, Dan and Phil probably have sex? It was like that, but for me it was just Dan looking sort of tired and talking about Phil's 'real family' that managed to knock me upside the head. Some of it's his delivery, some of it's the wording: "this is just a fake apartment that he uses for filming when he's not spending time with his real family" and "you guys with your theories on the internet are just so good"

And it's funny because as I said, I already thought they were together, but watching that gave me some tiny epiphany. Fans being quick to believe and discuss and form 'our theories' around the possibility of Phil having a 'real' spouse--you know, a female one--went from seeming funny to seeming disrespectful to dan and to his partnership with phil. Invalidating. Like what Dan and Phil have, even for those of us who believe they are together, isn't real enough or family enough.

Dunno quite what I'm trying to communicate here! Remembering that moment just gave me a punch to the chest. And before I offend antiphans, this isn't a logical argument meant to convince anyone of anything, and I never and would never call it or anything else 'phan proof,' so please don't mistake it for that. I just think it's funny that I could believe something based on more compelling information, see the love letter video, read the phan timeline and various other classic 'welcome to the phandom, phan is a thing' compilations and believe something about Dan and Phil based on that, but somehow not realize it until much later, listening to an interaction that was neither romantic nor sexual.

First, I just want to say I loved reading your whole post, it was so great and such a nice little journey to go on, and you brought up so many interesting things! And Martyn's comment is puzzling but I think I'm going to take it as him taking the piss out of their elevator.

Anyway, I think this bit in particular is so fascinating. I don't think I've really reflected much on phangate since it happened, and I was here for it in real time. I literally remember sitting in class refreshing the blog, waiting for whatever dumbassery that was to come next. Good times.

To kind of build off what you said about being hit in the face with it, I remember feeling quite similarly! I actually found it surprising that either of them brought it up in liveshows, and while Phil did a typical Phil thing where he played along for a bit, Dan's dry tone and his laughter at the end was worthy of an amused eye roll from me, but I remember in that moment feeling like it was just another time where they were being a bit blatant about their relationship. You know, in that read between the lines kind of way they favour. I think the fact that it was an obvious fandom joke plays a role in that for me, but also Dan's body language and delivery in the liveshow kind of hit their glass closet business for me.

I think Dan and Phil thrive off of showing the little things, and I think something like that, our "theories on the internet" being "just so good" in something so obviously a joke plays into a bit of meta about Dan and Phil being able to maintain their glass closet through fandom. I'm sure we all know how seriously the media and general population take fandom and its members, and from that dismissal of fandom comes the ability for Dan and Phil to maintain a rigid glass closet--and one on their own terms. They're out to those who care enough to read between the lines (a space that is sometimes much larger than the lines themselves imo), but in most cases to those who care not to, those who do care are stuck in their own fan delusion (ie, our "theories on the internet"). So making a whole thing out of Phil having a secret wife and child and how there's pROoF of it because LoOK wHat i HaVE oN tHIs BLog aND My REAL CONneCTionS tO dNp!!1! is how a lot of people see phan shippers as (at least back then especially. idk about now I've stopped seeking that stuff out, and given the amount of press from their tour and book(s) they had it was easier to find and easier for people to judge because of that). And Dan and Phil know that. We know that. So idk. Post-baking universe, no idea what's going to happen that year since there isn't any tour, people are bored so let's cook up something so stupid and unbelievable that it ripples back to Dan and Phil who know that us guys with our "theories on the internet are just so good". Because "that's quite funny" all things considered, isn't it?

I love both of these posts - and the others, I just don't want to quote everything for space issues. I just rewatched that clip for the first time in ages and wow he's more sarcastic than I remembered... and it's followed by that kind of breathless 'moving on now' laugh he does when he's said anything he knows people are gonna react to and just wants to push past.

I decided to take a trip down memory lane and see how people on IDB reacted to that when it was first posted, here are a couple quotes from early 2017 posts under the spoiler.

So yeah, that was definitely a takeaway from Dan's tone both then and now. (Though at the time, more people were discussing younow earnings and a few other things he said in the liveshow, plus whether they were invested in the gaming channel at that point or not, and what kind of life changes they were hinting at. Plus Dan shadily confirming he was going out of town on Phil's birthday weekend, which was a shocker for people.)

flarequake · Thu Mar 07, 2019 2:35 pm

I think Martyn’s cave joke might be cos Phil’s jumper looks like it could for going hiking, caving etc, it’s a slightly hardcore kind of jumper.

Thu Mar 07, 2019 6:09 pm

I'm having a busy work day and procrastination exists for busy days, so: cutest 2009/2010 moment (Dan, Phil, phan, whatever) please. I want to continue my nostalgia trip that I started on tumblr.

Winston · Thu Mar 07, 2019 7:40 pm

Alright, dizzy. It worked. I'm once again snugged up in my bin.

thestigdrivesamini · Thu Mar 07, 2019 8:29 pm

Phil said he’s editing a video that’s been requested for years! I wonder what it could be?? My immediate reaction was something Martyn related? But I doubt it. Anyone have any ideas?

I’m so excited!!

noodlebum · Thu Mar 07, 2019 8:46 pm

thestigdrivesamini wrote: ↑Thu Mar 07, 2019 8:29 pm Phil said he’s editing a video that’s been requested for years! I wonder what it could be?? My immediate reaction was something Martyn related? But I doubt it. Anyone have any ideas?

I’m so excited!!

Where did he say this?
Oooh intriguing! I'm stupidly hoping Dan is in it, just because I miss their bants

However maybe it's another home video one, or who knows me better - brother or best friend? Doubt it though.

glitterintheair · Thu Mar 07, 2019 8:47 pm

I thought about something involving Martyn as well but I am not convinced. I can think of lots of things that we want him to do with Dan (this sounds sexual but i swear it's not... this time) but I don't think it will be a joint video. The problem is that I can't think of a single thing we might have requested for years that involves Phil only. Mmh.

The post:

Thu Mar 07, 2019 8:59 pm

A video with Martyn is the only thing I can really think off considering that we're probably not getting content with Dan before he uploads that mythical first video of his. But at the same time I kinda doubt that's it?? I'm excited and mildly nervous to see what kind of video this is gonna be.

susan2 · Thu Mar 07, 2019 9:13 pm

Is the "yearrrrs" supposed to be some kind of a clue, or just Phil being Phil?

Hmmm...the only things I can think of that are highly requested for solo Phil are:
- video with Martyn / brother vs. best friend
- skincare routine
- try new things

I'd be surprised to see the first one happening (as if Martyn wanted to be on camera surely it would've already happened, also Dan), he's just done an ad (so I'm ruling out skincare routine cos y'know that'd be an ad!), so I'm tentatively leaning towards try new things. It would tie in nicely with a spon for his new-ish merch, and was also one of the member suggestions he liked back in January.

He did say he might try some new things out....a perfect opportunity awaits Phil.

autumnhearth · Thu Mar 07, 2019 9:19 pm

I don’t suppose it has anything to do with this? Is he literally just sharing cute dog pics he likes with us now? Or is he teasing us?