Levitating wrote: ↑Tue Feb 23, 2021 1:49 pm
I am looking at your avatars, you three people before me, and I am getting all jiggling in thinking: am I really that excited for someone's else love? Those a couple pictures!
As for other threads: I personally just went back to the timeline of their meetings, with all those tweets about each other, about how much they miss each other, about doing so many things with each other at any possible moment! Do friends do this? I have seen internet friends being this excited for each others' visits, although mostly female & hetero, but it does sounds different from them as male - specially males in 2009.
When Dan in BIG says that he has done so many things with different people in 2009, who is he talking about? Do we know anything about Dan's dailybooth contacts outside/before Phil?
I could be wrong (no guarantee) but from what I remember there was no confirmed contact outside of Phil back then. But since they only met in October, I think its safe to assume there must have been people before that?
In regards to the excitement: It's really cute isn't it? I have done this as well with friends (both actual friends, and my gf that I later ended up dating) but I think either way its kind of understandable, considering it was someone they both felt safe with (which Dan said himself was the first person in a long while).
I just stumbled across this, and am interested to see if they have to follow the podcast sponsorship rules if they don't have a true podcast where people are downloading it. Mostly I'm just interested to see how they "quite organically" say the word Stereo at least ten times lol. Podcast Sponsorship Program
Also, something else I found interesting (because I read contest terms and conditions for fun) was this
The maximum amount you, as a single user can earn (i) as part of a Stereo Content in any particular week, and (ii) withdraw, is US$100,000. The maximum amount you, as a single user, can earn during your lifetime as part of any and all Stereo Contests is USD$150,000. Once you have reached the USD$150,000 limit, you will receive a message on the leaderboard page notifying you that the maximum limit has been reached and that you are no longer eligible to enter any further Stereo Contests at any point in time. No further minutes, listener numbers or any other metric will be used towards a Stereo Contest or a place on the leaderboard.
So assuming they both are broadcasting, the most they could earn outside of the spon deal is $300k.
2. Your Participation
How you participate in the Program is up to you. You can host as many conversations on Stereo App as you choose, at the time of your choice, with the guest of your choosing. The content is up to you. All we ask is that you - quite organically - refer to Stereo at least 10 times in each of your conversations - in case helpful, we provide some examples that you might like in the box below. Then we invite you to download your content, and to share it (edited as you may choose) on your podcast platforms.
- We are live on Stereo podcasting directly to the people
- We are recording this live on Stereo!
- If you're just tuning in, we are live coast to coast on Stereo
- Follow me and don't miss my next show, every day at 8 PM live here on Stereo!
- Don't sit silently, talk to me live here on Stereo!
- Find my last episode with @someone on my Stereo profile!
- Tap on "Join Live" in my Stereo profile to be the next in line to talk to me!
- Follow my guest @someone, he's/she's one of the most entertaining people on Stereo!
- Which guest should I have on my next Stereo show?
- Send me an audio message here on Stereo
-It's always raw and uncensored here on Stereo
If they are actually signed up to this Podcast Sponsorship Program and those terms and conditions are legit... oh dear
Thank you to all you nerds who read business and technical things for fun, I love hearing the overview but I absolutely cannot be bothered to go slog through those things myself!
One thing I have found myself wondering with Stereo, and even with the lifetime cap, how much Contest money they seem to give out, as well as doing spon deals, where are they getting this money? The app itself doesn't appear to have ads for anything else (other than like shows within the app), which makes me pretty damn suspicious, especially about data collection and selling type stuff. Any of you smart online/social media business people I would love your insight on this.
Also still desperately want to know how the voice message queuing works, like is there a rhyme or reason? Is it who is quickest? how long does a message stay at the top of the queue? Is there any sort of moderation system? When the host chooses one to play do they choose from a list or does it just show them one at a time??? I have many questions. Not because I want to game the system but really because I like to understand the whole process of how things work and this part really baffles me.
Edit: two other small things, from the description of the CAH video: Phil mentions that there will be (eventually) a transcript for the stereo shows that will be available and linked to somewhere. I am very curious how he is going about this, whether stereo has some automatic transcription stuff (hope not it isn't usually very good), if he will be recording the audio and hiring transcription from someplace like Rev, or whether it will be incorporated into some sort of Amara-like community system. Either way interesting and nice for both accessibility and being able to search to find things/quotes from past shows.
Also interesting right at the bottom of the description he mentions how they do have a spon deal with stereo, but specifies that the giveaway is not part of it in any way.
Okay my timestamps didn't stay timestamps, so enjoy the essay.
Dan and Phil in 2021: The Self-Awareness
This is the return to a normal classic Dan and Phil style video. We get the nod to that in the opening line to the video about Dan and Phil in 2021, we get it in Dan’s ‘is this joint content?’ instagram story, and we get a few hints at it sprinkled throughout the video.
They know the significance of it for us and I think they’re probably still grappling with the significance of it for themselves. Dan says as much during his mini spiral (that Phil effectively pulls him from) when he’s asking if this is undermining everything they’re working towards. That’s a whole conversation right there that I’d love to be a fly on the wall for. How many times have they sat up at night planning out their future goals, their future projects, their independent journeys and if intertwining them is a hindrance more than help? It’s clear - and in my opinion, has always been clear - that joint content was the easy part for them. They know they mesh well together. They know they have chemistry. It’s the ultimate safety blanket and comfort zone. I think that’s exactly why Dan felt like he needed to step away from that in order to give himself no other option than to independently create. Sometimes taking yourself out of the comfort zone feels like the only way to progress, but that has to do with Dan’s growth more so than being over/not enjoying working with Phil. This new surge of joint content is probably the testing grounds in Dan’s mind. Will he continue to create independently when he’s also working with Phil, or will temptation to just do what’s familiar and comfortable and what works be too strong?
At (6:54) Dan says, “The year is 2021, we’re all old as fuck, we have careers on the line... It’s time to destroy my career before it’s started.” which also underlines the fact that Dan is thinking of that interplay between what he does with Phil and what he does with his forthcoming career, whatever it may entail, in terms of the content itself. I really can’t imagine Dan ever letting go entirely of the elements that have always made the backbone of his internet personality, though: snark, sarcasm, dark humor, and Phil.
I think they’ve also spent a lot of time thinking about what we might want and the reaction would be. The video announcing their move was a good tension breaker for their distance from us - they got to ‘come back’ with something big to say. But this video is the real test, isn’t it? It’s just… a normal Dan and Phil video. And they address that, too - Phil asks, “Is this the content people want for us reuniting on youtube?” and Dan answers, “This is exactly what people expect.” (8:16) They seem to both have a very keen awareness of us as an audience but Dan is the one that lurks more when he’s in the mindspace and finds it harder to tune out, which lends to his all or nothing personality.
We also get some more lovely insight into details that I’m not sure they’d have been so candid about in the past, or if they did it would be a liveshow vibe and not a main channel video vibe. Things like them talking about how they’ve stylistically grown (4:18) - two internet nerds was and to some extent still is their branding but they’re making clear delineations here with what appealed to them a decade ago vs what appeals to them now, and what items of nostalgia they really can leave behind while still acknowledging those things are iconic to us.
I’m also going to throw this in here because I think there’s some self-awareness just in the acknowledgement - they’re obviously doing the Stereo liveshows for money, but I also think it genuinely seems like… they’re just bored. Dan makes multiple references to not being able to make things (yet), and at (5:46) they have the exchange where Dan says, “I think it’s gonna be fun and give us something to do until we… have stuff.” and Phil responds with, “Yeah. We’re going crazy. We need someone to talk to. And that can be you.”
I think they might be suffering some kind of moving-and-professional version of senioritis where the light at the end of the tunnel is right there but there’s really nothing for them to do but wait. I think Dan and Phil actually make some pretty fantastic things in their boredom induced spells when they have nothing but their imagination, a camera/microphone, and each other to work with.
Dan and Phil: Phrasing and Positioning of Themselves
Setting aside all of the sexual jokes, the entire projected image of Dan and Phil in this video is a couple, a unit, together. Phil’s introduction of “We’re here, we’re queer, and the rest of it…” set the tone for the domesticity to come.
We hear about their haircut adventures. We get an update on moving - which I think answers one big question for me, how much will we be let into this? Clearly we are being folded into the update list for now, probably the surface tier but still it’s honestly more than I expected.
I also wasn’t expecting the commitment talk. I’m not sure Dan knew where he was going with that sentence - it felt like something he wanted to get out there but the first half didn’t entirely gel with the second half, and he realized that, but he plowed on anyway. Just to keep this bit of dialogue intact:
“I think that’s a lifestyle choice. We were already just locked down with each other. I feel like it’s quite a commitment for us to now go into a house purchase. Big commitment.”
“Yes.”
“And you know how Dan feels about commitments. I’d rather ghost.”
“He doesn’t... like that.” (1:50)
The assumptive joke in there (and the one Phil made in his instagram post) would be about being sick of each other, but that’s not the direction Dan goes in at all. Instead he talks about their choice of a lifestyle already locked down with each other (I’m assuming he means pre-pandemic since post-pandemic it’s not actually a choice), and then goes on to say what a big commitment it is to go into a house purchase. The fact that hand in hand with this is Dan reminding us that he’s afraid of commitment feels like the shoehorned in bit - a little relying on the old Dan persona phrases (which are rooted in reality, I’m very sure, but also exist in a handy little rolodex of Things To Say In Front of a Camera branding).
The tl;dr here: Humblebrag Howell is alive and well in this era. You’re scared of commitment but still have spent three years committing to a home you own with Phil. We get it, bub. We get it.
What the fuck even is their sexuality? Each other.
I don't actually have a ton to say here because I think this is something they're just starting to normalize and I think we'll probably see more of this in situations where it's contextually appropriate, but it still deserves a mention. So... starting with the obvious innuendo less than a minute into the video:
“I freaking did that.”
“Gasp.”
“I cut that hair.” (:36)
I genuinely don’t think Phil meant the innuendo as he said it, but you can see how smoothly he keeps on rolling when Dan makes the ‘what the fuck’ face. It gave me strong vibes of the the 2016 video “Our Past Life Animals” when Phil says he had two ‘cockies’ that morning. That’s an iconic Dan-panic moment when Dan assumes Phil will stop going but Phil just laughs and barrels on. While it felt strange enough that we all talked about it for ages back in 2016, in this current era Phil’s reaction feels exactly right for where they’re at. Dan’s the one that’s slightly hung up (that expression) but not so much that they don’t just keep going.
The rest of the references feel fairly same-y in that it’s based on the wordage of the cards. I would love to have known what Dan passed over to pick things like ‘Phil’s awkward hand’ or ‘lapdancing to toxic’ - that last one especially (13:40). The fact that Dan said both of those answers with such a strong confidence, too. He falters when faced with something Phil says that he didn’t know was coming, like the ‘I did that’ with the hair but when Dan has control over the acknowledgement of something sexual between them he actually does pretty good with it and I am here to celebrate that growth. We’ll see if it carries over into the Stereo shows!
Phil Lester, 2021
Phil is not only drinking but wants us to know that he’s drinking on the channel. It’s one step up from the mention of having had a glass of wine before answering the questions in the Q&A video.
He makes so many offhanded references to sex that I’m not really gonna list them all, but we’re out of the gate with a strong “How could I forget the sex?” (7:26) while counting in German that hurtled me bodily back in time to Dan in the festive DITL saying, “You’re gonna have… sex.”
But he still has his ground rules. He won’t say Pikachu’s gaping asshole but he’ll let Dan say it. I do really think part of it is just Phil not wanting to say certain words where people like his parents can hear, which is a frankly charming and adorable aspect of him.
Phil talks about having sex with himself (9:24 for discussion start, 9:54 for Phil’s portion) with the predictable response of yes, but the more important here is that he genuinely stops and thinks about it. I don’t think he’s so much thinking about his answer as how to phrase it in a channel safe way. When that doesn’t entirely work - meaning, Dan calls him out for overexplaining his answer - what Phil says is: “I could have just said no. I’m trying to be honest.” (10:15) And like… damn, if that doesn’t seem like the motto for Phil in 2021. He’s trying to be honest! It’s uncomfortable for him. He may not get entirely there (like with his answer to the dating question in the q&a video) but he’s trying. Making yourself vulnerable, even in a silly context if that silly context is outside of your normal box, can be really freaking scary and nerve wracking. Props to Phil for the effort.
At (12:04) Phil says that he’s never had a community guidelines breach. I do think this is a point of pride for him, and that tells me he’s not about to seriously change in any explicit ways. I really wish he hadn’t accidentally kicked the camera and detailed that line of thought because he starts one sentence with, “I wonder if I…” but doesn’t get to finish it before the camera issue then jump cutting to the next question.
This next point isn’t so much a moment of growth for Phil but it still felt like worth noting to me - he and Dan have the brief conversation about death (12:30) and you can see that it still impacts Phil emotionally. Dan says you die alone and Phil starts to argue with it saying that you’re swamped with the memories of all your loved ones, but then ends the exchange with a firm “Stop it.” There’s a jumpcut after that so if the exchange goes on we don’t get to see it, and honestly I know Dan knows Phil’s boundaries better than any one of us could but I always end up fascinated by those moments where Phil strongly expresses himself.
We’ve had a lot of conversation about Phil being unwilling to tell any stories past 2009 when it comes to his personal life so it was a really, really pleasant punch to the gut when Phil actually said the words “When I first met Dan…” (13:04). It’s not like the story itself was that emotional or held any elements
And now, back to the sex: Phil and lapdancing. He’s so genuine when he’s talking about this!
“You know what? I think out of a lot of dancing, I’d be quite good at lap dancing because it involves a chair and you’ve got a sense of balance. You can - I’m not very good - I’m not very good with my legs-”
“Of all the kinds of dancing, I think I’d be good at lap dancing.”
“I think I could!”
“Phil Lester, 2021.”
“I could hold the chair.”
“Yeah, and then what?”
“I could do a hip thrust. I could rub my butt on things. You don’t need a lot of musical coordination with a lapdance. It’s all I’m saying.” (13:49)
He’s not shy about this. He’s laughing but he’s being genuine and it feels, hilariously, like something he’s thought about before. Also props to him for listing some resume items there - it is very good to know that Phil Lester is confident in his ability to rub his butt on things and hip thrust. No, sir, we don’t need references, that’s okay, we’ll take your word for it.
The coke hitting reference (7:40) is too much, though - so we have alcohol and sex but maybe scratch drugs off the list for now.
inanerat wrote: ↑Tue Feb 23, 2021 5:07 pmOne thing I have found myself wondering with Stereo, and even with the lifetime cap, how much Contest money they seem to give out, as well as doing spon deals, where are they getting this money? The app itself doesn't appear to have ads for anything else (other than like shows within the app), which makes me pretty damn suspicious, especially about data collection and selling type stuff. Any of you smart online/social media business people I would love your insight on this.
As I touched on earlier, the app is owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Andreev who founded Badoo and previously owned Bumble and several other dating apps. The aim is to build up a huge userbase and then either look at ways of monetising it or selling it on at a huge profit. He sold his previous company for $1.5 billion.
@alittledizzy I’m torn between telling you “awww your words are soft and warm” and “alright ma’am, why don’t you pick up a knife and repeatedly stab me now? It would’ve been less painful”
alittledizzy wrote: ↑Tue Feb 23, 2021 5:55 pm
Okay my timestamps didn't stay timestamps, so enjoy the essay.
Dan and Phil in 2021: The Self-Awareness
This is the return to a normal classic Dan and Phil style video. We get the nod to that in the opening line to the video about Dan and Phil in 2021, we get it in Dan’s ‘is this joint content?’ instagram story, and we get a few hints at it sprinkled throughout the video.
They know the significance of it for us and I think they’re probably still grappling with the significance of it for themselves. Dan says as much during his mini spiral (that Phil effectively pulls him from) when he’s asking if this is undermining everything they’re working towards. That’s a whole conversation right there that I’d love to be a fly on the wall for. How many times have they sat up at night planning out their future goals, their future projects, their independent journeys and if intertwining them is a hindrance more than help? It’s clear - and in my opinion, has always been clear - that joint content was the easy part for them. They know they mesh well together. They know they have chemistry. It’s the ultimate safety blanket and comfort zone. I think that’s exactly why Dan felt like he needed to step away from that in order to give himself no other option than to independently create. Sometimes taking yourself out of the comfort zone feels like the only way to progress, but that has to do with Dan’s growth more so than being over/not enjoying working with Phil. This new surge of joint content is probably the testing grounds in Dan’s mind. Will he continue to create independently when he’s also working with Phil, or will temptation to just do what’s familiar and comfortable and what works be too strong?
At (6:54) Dan says, “The year is 2021, we’re all old as fuck, we have careers on the line... It’s time to destroy my career before it’s started.” which also underlines the fact that Dan is thinking of that interplay between what he does with Phil and what he does with his forthcoming career, whatever it may entail, in terms of the content itself. I really can’t imagine Dan ever letting go entirely of the elements that have always made the backbone of his internet personality, though: snark, sarcasm, dark humor, and Phil.
I think they’ve also spent a lot of time thinking about what we might want and the reaction would be. The video announcing their move was a good tension breaker for their distance from us - they got to ‘come back’ with something big to say. But this video is the real test, isn’t it? It’s just… a normal Dan and Phil video. And they address that, too - Phil asks, “Is this the content people want for us reuniting on youtube?” and Dan answers, “This is exactly what people expect.” (8:16) They seem to both have a very keen awareness of us as an audience but Dan is the one that lurks more when he’s in the mindspace and finds it harder to tune out, which lends to his all or nothing personality.
I love so much everything you wrote, but I fully want to add on to this because it's fascinating. The bit at 17:07 also stood out to me in relation to this, where Dan's like "Is this what I should be doing with my life? Are we undermining the things that we're working towards? Is this encouraging me to give people content quicker or much much slower?" And when Phil suggests he may want to do something to replace this ASAP, he asks Phil if this was his agenda all along. Which suggests to me.......... that Phil has spend quite some time trying to convince Dan to literally post something and that not everything needs to be serious all the time. So................ I'm glad phandom has some representation in that household lmao.
I don't know if I have a point to this at all, besides saying that I'm fascinated by the dynamic in that household and how conversations play out re: quality of content. With Phil posting 10-minute-and-1-second-long Wish hauls and Dan refusing to be present on the internet for well over a year because ~nobody cares about him sitting at home on the couch~....... Bitch, we literally beg to know what TV show you're watching.
I think in the end, the boredom you mentioned later in your post won out and despite the quality threshold Dan's envisioning for his new career, Phil won out too. I think Dan's just realizing that you're allowed to have balance in the content you make. Just because you're a mental health activist doesn't mean you can't go making some Dan & Phil content because it's corny and stupid. Perhaps the real lesson here is that: In coming back and making D&P videos and live shows again - if only briefly - you're momentarily improving the mental health of thousands of fans that just love to see your chemistry. And surely, doesn't that meet the arbitrary mental health activism quality threshold you've set for yourself, Dan?
Or like. Setting the phandom aside - yes. There's a comfort in D&P working together. It comes easy to them. And it's fun - they clearly have fun. So, there's a boost to their own quarantined mental health (she says knowing full well that every minute of every hour is a D&P collab in their home so it probably doesn't make all that much of a difference but STILL).
IDK where I'm going with this. I'm just thankful for Phil fighting the good fight and Dan giving into it because.... just look at those cute smiles. I love them so much ;-;
I'll also add really quickly that I'm aware and understand that Dan also just needed the time away to work on himself and his shit and so did Phil, but like. That time's clearly a little bit over and I'm glad that it didn't take Joint Content aware from us permanently.
inanerat wrote: ↑Tue Feb 23, 2021 5:07 pmOne thing I have found myself wondering with Stereo, and even with the lifetime cap, how much Contest money they seem to give out, as well as doing spon deals, where are they getting this money? The app itself doesn't appear to have ads for anything else (other than like shows within the app), which makes me pretty damn suspicious, especially about data collection and selling type stuff. Any of you smart online/social media business people I would love your insight on this.
As I touched on earlier, the app is owned by Russian billionaire Andrey Andreev who founded Badoo and previously owned Bumble and several other dating apps. The aim is to build up a huge userbase and then either look at ways of monetising it or selling it on at a huge profit. He sold his previous company for $1.5 billion.
Thank you for this, I saw your earlier post and that definitely makes sense as to where initial money is coming from, but it's nice to have the insight on where companies and apps like this are going, from a business perspective. I guess I know some stuff about user data collection (usage patterns, topics, demographics, etc.) but I hadn't thought about it being a business to amass a user base to basically sell off to someone else. Basically like,, selling the opportunity to sell something to someone? I guess that's what renting a billboard is. It's just some strange next-level capitalism that I don't dip my toe into much.
one thing that i have been thinking, as i’ve seen a couple of people talk about this now, is that i think we’re interpreting this:
“I think that’s a lifestyle choice. We were already just locked down with each other. I feel like it’s quite a commitment for us to now go into a house purchase. Big commitment.”
- the wrong way. i think dan worded himself kind of clumsily what i think he actually meant was: “we’ve already been stuck in covid lockdown together for the past year. i think it’s an interesting/dubious lifestyle choice for us to then go into buying a house together from there. we’re really committing to being locked down together for even longer and in more ways than one.”
obviously, they bought the house back in 2017, so it’s not a factually accurate joke, plus we all know that they were gonna spend lockdown together regardless
essentially, i think he’s trying to say the same thing as phil does in his insta caption. i am getting the feeling that that’s their new little domestic joke they’ve been telling everyone about themselves - like maybe they’ve joked about it to people they know and now they’re joking about it with us too. like, “oh, how crazy of us to go from one lockdown together and straight into another kind of lockdown haha!!” it sounds self deprecating, but it really is a bit of a humblebrag about the strength of their relationship, i think.
which, ok fellas, some of us are single here...
i totally agree that they, in part, seem bored. there’s really not much to do here at the moment whilst we’re in strict lockdown.
i’m about to make a lot of assumptions, but i would hazard a guess their house is ready to move into/they don’t have much else they can do to their house right now, given that they sounded like they’d expected to be there by now at the beginning of CAH, only they’re facing more delays, so dan doesn’t even have that to keep him entertained anymore. his book is done, i assume, plus his other projects are still on hold. phil has his youtube channel to work on, but dan doesn’t have that, given his own personal rules on what he can and can’t post there. i guess it makes sense that he’s looking for something to entertain himself in ways that he maybe hasn’t for the past year (and that makes two of us dan, i totally feel you sir).
it just sounded like that boredom is the straw that broke the camel’s back and led to us getting joint content again and you know what, i can’t believe covid finally came through and provided us with something wonderful like TWICE WEEKLY dan and phil content...
snoopysadie wrote: ↑Tue Feb 23, 2021 9:13 pm
i connected and the first words i heard were: "vaginal energy".
what the frick did i miss????
You missed that Phil's zip broke and he got stuck in his coat dangerously close to the start of the show. A nice well wishing message from someone, a stupid message from someone called 'Adam' and Dan saying that if he was coming back people need to be nice to him loll.
I really want to know what all these joint business meetings and zoom calls are for. Trying not to get too hopeful for future official joint content...
Guys. My nerves were NOT PREPARED for the level of insight this show is offering. And all future shows. I.... this was.... I never imagined this. I don't know how to react.
i honest to god.... i’ve missed dnp liveshows so much. i honestly hadn’t realised how much. and the fact that they’re as honest and unfiltered~ as they are in 2021... this is like the 2018 liveshows on gay acid. i’m feeling so very overwhelmed right now.
onemoresock wrote: ↑Tue Feb 23, 2021 9:44 pm
i honest to god.... i’ve missed dnp liveshows so much. i honestly hadn’t realised how much. and the fact that they’re as honest and unfiltered~ as they are in 2021... this is like the 2018 liveshows on gay acid. i’m feeling so very overwhelmed right now.
I am sorry. What the. What. We've gone from I'm not gay to I'm gay to
Don't worry it was ONLY me that saw Phil's naked ass?
This is overwhelming. I need to relisten to the Phil butt story again (also did I imagine that they talked about their bedroom?) and then just lay down for a bit and breathe.
This is a lot. They’re sharing much more than I thought they would. Phil’s genuine embarrassment at Dan trying to tell the stories (and Dan genuinely feeling bad)... I mean wow. I need a lie down
Things that fascinate me: The fact that the Phil's Naked Ass story was immediately told and was less embarrassing to Phil than a story about people leaving "boomer karen" comments on his selfie. That the latter story was what Phil almost held back from telling us????
I just.... Who are these men and who allowed them to have this effect on me?
I love these liveshows and it's the middle of my work day here and I can 100% say it has materially improved my work day to listen to them while working
