your funeral
From Homestar Runner Wiki
Strong Bad Email #168 |
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Strong Bad makes plans for his funeral.
Cast (in order of appearance): Strong Bad, Strong Sad, Lady, Homestar Runner, Marzipan, Taranchula, The Cheat, Strong Mad, Bubs, Coach Z, Pom Pom, The King of Town
Places: Computer Room, Visitation Room, Marzipan's House, The Field, Futuristic Warehouse (Easter egg)
Computer: Lappy 486
Date: Monday, March 12, 2007
Running Time: 3:56
Page Title: Lappy 486
DVD: strongbad_email.exe Disc Six, Sbemails' 50 Greatest Hits DVD
Contents |
Transcript
STRONG BAD: {singing} Strong Bad, how you gonna check that email? With my boxing gloves, with my boxing gloves!
subject: funeralDear Screaming Yellow Strong Bad,
What do you think your funeral would be like?
Sincerely Yours,
Bibendum
STRONG BAD: {typing} Oh man, Addendum. My funeral's going to be off all of the following: the hook, the chain, the charts, the grid, and most importantly, the wagon. {clears screen} First, I'll have to deal with the most difficult decision a newlydead faces: what to do with my stinking, rotten remains. I don't wanna just be lying there surrounded by sweet-smelling flowers—
{Cut to Strong Bad with his eyes blacked out and paler skin lying surrounded by flowers in a coffin with the word "COUGHIN'" on the side. Organ music is heard. Behind him is a noticeably fat person wearing a ducky shirt.}
STRONG BAD: {voiceover} —and sweat-smelling followers.
LADY: Oh, he looks so peaceful.
STRONG BAD: {turns his head} Shut up, lady! Peaceful is not how I roll.
{Cut back to the Lappy}
STRONG BAD: That's why I'm gonna be taxidoimied! Nothing sums up my life's achievements quite like my stuffed corpse—
{Cut to a white background. Strong Bad is standing on a log that says "Yosemite National Park" and holding a cougar}
STRONG BAD: —suplexing a cougar. {high voice} Mrow! {normally} It'll be kept in a place of honor for {fade to Marzipan's house} all the world to want to make out with.
{Homestar Runner enters from the right with a brown hat and jacket; he hangs them on the Strong Bad statue.}
HOMESTAR RUNNER: Marzipan, I'm home!
MARZIPAN: {leaning in from the left} Did you find the DNA evidence?
HOMESTAR RUNNER: Not yet, but I'm getting close!
{Cut back to the Lappy}
STRONG BAD: Well, maybe I'll just preserve myself fetal pig-style in a mason jar filled with the salty tears—
{Cut to a jar filled with a liquid looking like water with a mostly-preserved Strong Bad inside. The corpse is missing several pieces of flesh and has an exposed ribcage.}
STRONG BAD: —of all the heartbroken private school girls that will pine-uh for me-uh.
{Cut back to the Lappy}
STRONG BAD: That way, there'll be something left to re-animate once the zombie uprising cometh. {speaks hurriedly, pausing between sentences} In 2046. On March 31st. At 2:03 pm. {clears screen, talks normally} And while I'm a big fan of the classic {sings to the tune of Chopin's funeral march} "dunh-dunh-da-dunh-Dunh-da-dunh-da-dunh-da-dunh," {normally} my funeral dirge would be written and performed by Taranchula!!
{Cut to the Field. Strong Sad is wearing a black tie and carrying the jar containing Strong Bad's remains. Metal music begins to play.}
TARANCHULA: Ooh hoo ha ha haaa.
{Pan out; Strong Sad and the jar are silhouetted and The Cheat is following behind, whipping Strong Sad with a whip. Strong Mad and Bubs follow.}
TARANCHULA: {singing} Brother in a jar! Brother in a jar! Brotherinajar!
{Cut back to the Lappy}
STRONG BAD: Since I'm not very confident in Strong Mad or The Cheat's public speaking abilities, I'll pre-record my own eulogy and have it played back on 5 boomboxes—
{Cut back to the field: five boomboxes, including the booOOMbox and one made of cardboard, are stacked between two large vases with roses in them.}
STRONG BAD: —stacked on top of each other!
STRONG BAD: {playing off of boom boxes} Greetings, blubbering masses! Pull yourselves together! And turn off the snot works! We are gathered here to di— {electronic noises}
COACH Z: {playing off of boom boxes} I hope I'm not recording over anything important! OK, drap it! {rhythmically} Coach, Z, Coach, Z, 1, 2—
{Cut to Bubs and Coach Z. Both are wearing ties, and Coach Z notably is sulking his head, has bags under his eyes, with eyelids depressingly lowered. While Coach Z's voice continues, Bubs turns slowly to angrily glare at Coach Z, who begins to doink and move his arms to the beat without changing his expression.}
COACH Z: —3, 4, I said Coach, Z, Coach, Z, 1, 2—
{Cut to Homestar Runner in a black suit and propeller cap standing behind a pulpit between two vases of roses. Pom Pom and the King of Town are facing him, silhouetted.}
HOMESTAR RUNNER: {sadly} Thank you, Strong Bad. {Coach Z's music is replaced with organ music} And now, a reading from the book of phone. {places and opens a phone book on the pulpit} Chapter 16, {turns page} Pizza Places. Aardvark Pizza. Abraham Lincoln's Pizza Cabin. {turns page} Acupuncture and Pizza: {voice begins to waver} Open late, free delivery! {closes and puts phone book away} And now, Strong Sad will perform an interpretive dance based on his brother's life.
{A gong sounds, followed by drums. Cut to Strong Sad dancing onto the scene wearing a leotard. Strong Sad and the music stop at the sound of shattering glass; some drops of water fly in from the left. Cut to Strong Bad's corpse, which has broken open the jar. His eyes remain black and his body disfigured. The audience gasps. Strong Bad shakes his head dry.}
ZOMBIE STRONG BAD: {speaking in a distorted voice} Sorry, everybody. Funeral's over. Not even death can stop me from stopping my leotarded brother prancing around in my honor.
{Cut back to Strong Sad}
STRONG SAD: But you never got to see my Chaup au Fan!
{Cut to Strong Bad}
ZOMBIE STRONG BAD: You keep your chappy thong to yourself, Mister!
{Cut back to the Lappy}
STRONG BAD: Hordes of locusts and famine got nothing on the sight of Strong Sad dancing interpretively. So, in order to spare the world, I guess I can just never die. Okay! Man, I hope the zombies still let me fight on their side. I've got my own tattered jeans and mouthful of grape jelly. Anyone? {softer and with progressively smaller text} Zombies? Jelly? Grapity?
{The Paper comes down.}
Easter Eggs
- Click on "Bibendum" to see a picture of Strong Sad as the Michelin Man (aka Bibendum) with a caption that reads "Chaup Au Fan!!".
- Click on the phone book when Homestar says "Acupuncture and Pizza" to see an ad for it.
- At the end of the email, click on the word "zombies" (the first occurrence) to see a clip of Pom Pom and Strong Sad in their 2046 forms.
- {Cut to a scene with a future Pom Pom and Strong Sad in a purple room with cardboard boxes and flickering lights. Both are smoking cigars. Pom Pom has a gray flat top and is wearing an ammo belt. Strong Sad's arms are muscular and he is covered with scars; his face is covered in stubble. The phrase "THE YEAR 2046..." is subtitled onscreen. Heavy metal music is heard in the background.}
- FUTURE STRONG SAD: {deep and raspy voice} Fall back. The zombies have broken through our defenses!
- {Cut to a pale orange room with Strong Bad standing in front of an open door. Strong Bad has stuck part of a brain on the left side of his head and is wearing ripped denim jeans.}
- STRONG BAD: BLAUGHRG! {grape jelly oozes out of his mouth}
- {Cut back to Strong Sad and Pom Pom.}
- FUTURE STRONG SAD: We need to activate the doomsday device. {zoom in on Strong Sad's face} Get the leotard!
- TARANCHULA: Brotherinajar!
Fun Facts
Explanations
- "Off the grid" is a method of providing power, water and other utilities to a building that does not use the public utility grids. It is also a slang term for living outside of normal society, so that one cannot be traced by the government or other authorities.
- "Off the wagon" is a phrase meaning a recovering alcoholic has started drinking again.
- A suplex is an offensive move often used in professional, Olympic, and collegiate wrestling where a wrestler essentially flips their opponent over their shoulders.
- Taxidermy is the practice of preserving dead animals (usually sport game shot by a hunter) by stuffing them full of sand or sawdust to retain their natural posture for display as trophies.
- An addendum is "something added or to be added, especially a supplement to a written work."
- Strong Bad's reference to "fetal-pig style" refers to the use of unborn pigs, a by-product of the meat packing industry, being commonly packaged in formaldehyde and used for study in high school biology.
- A thong is an underwear item.
- Acupuncture is a technique of inserting and manipulating filiform needles into "acupuncture points" on the body with the aim of restoring health and well-being.
- The reading of the phone book during the funeral refers to the practice of reading out of the Bible or other religious text during most religious funerals.
- Books in the Bible are usually referred to as the "Book of _____".
- The classic funeral march Strong Bad sings is from the third movement of Frédéric Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, op. 35.
Trivia
- This email was actually available several hours before the official "New Strong Bad Email" button appeared. It was accessible by clicking on the "email soon" button or by typing in the URL.
- This email originally did not have a visible loading screen at the beginning or the Bibendum Easter egg. Both were added several hours after the email was released.
- "Chaup Au Fan" is intended to sound like French, but doesn't really mean anything. It probably refers to the French names for many ballet dance steps.
- The summary for the Podstar Runner RSS feed reads, "Strong Bad details his off the hook funeral plans."
- This is also the YouTube description for this email.
- Chapter 16 of the phone book contains pizza places. P is the 16th letter in the English alphabet.
Remarks
- The Easter egg is the first time Strong Sad is seen with visible teeth (although it is a different incarnation than usual).
- When Strong Sad carries the jar, the liquid inside defies the laws of physics: it ought to be level with the horizon, but is at the same angle as the jar.
- The coat that Homestar hangs on the stuffed cougar has sleeves for arms, but Homestar has no visible arms.
- When Strong Bad is dead, his eyes are those of his 5th design, but black.
Goofs
- When Strong Sad is carrying the jar before the funeral, the image of Strong Bad as a corpse has been reversed (the ribs on Strong Bad's right side are exposed rather than the ones on his left side) compared to the other two times he's shown like that (on the table and when he breaks out of the jar).
- When Strong Sad is carrying the jar, Strong Bad's leg bones are visible through the rips at his knees, but when he breaks out, there is skin on both legs.
- The first shot in Strong Sad's Easter egg shows 2046 Strong Sad with scars on his body and no belly button. However, his body in the close-up shot has a belly button and no scars.
- In the same Easter egg, viewing the Flash file shows that when Strong Sad lifts his arm, he grows another arm.
Glitches
- One pixel's worth of Homestar's eyes is visible when he closes his eyes as he reads his eulogy, at the bottom of where his left eye is (on the viewer's right) when it is open. The pixel blinks at the normal Homestar rate.
- This is not visible when zooming in any way into the Flash file, whether the viewer is on the HTML file or the Flash file itself.
Inside References
- This is the fourth email in a row mentioning DNA evidence.
- This is another mention of Strong Bad typing with boxing gloves on (though not directly addressed).
- The fat man at Strong Bad's funeral is wearing a duckie shirt.
- The lady commenting on Strong Bad's peacefulness and Strong Bad saying, "Shut up, lady!" is a reference to bottom 10, when a lady with a similar voice commented on the "desserts with dangerous names", with the same response by Strong Bad.
- "Coughin'" is a homophone.
- One of the boomboxes is named Twicestyle.
- Strong Bad performing a suplex on the cougar is another example of a professional wrestling move.
- This is another reference to Prancing.
- 2046 Strong Sad and Pom Pom are shown smoking. Strong Sad also appears with a cigar in the Bibendum Easter egg.
- Abraham Lincoln's Pizza Cabin is another mention of both pizza and Presidents.
- In the Bibendum Easter egg, Strong Sad has the same carefully arranged row of peas and corn on his dinner plate as in looking old.
- Strong Bad's comment about his party being "off the wagon" is another reference to alcohol.
- This email heavily involves death.
- The 2046 version of Pom Pom has the same style of hair as the wig he wore in Halloween Potion-ma-jig.
- Strong Bad's desire to record his own eulogy alludes to his previously expressed doubts regarding the coherency of The Cheat's and Strong Mad's speech in cheat talk.
- The vocal effect used for Strong Bad after he breaks out of the jar is the same one used by Strong Bad, Homestar, and Bubs as paramecia in high school.
- Strong Sad says "Chaup Au Fan" with the same accent and hand motions he used to say "Chaperone" in senior prom.
- Coach Z's recording (Coach Z, Coach Z, 1-2-3-4) is similar to the first few lines of These peoples try to fade me.
- The tape in the booOOMbox reads "my COOLogy". COOLogy is a portmanteau.
Real-World References
- "Screaming Yellow Strong Bad" is a reference to Screaming Yellow Zonkers, which was a snack product consisting of yellow glaze-covered popcorn. They were discontinued in 2007.
- The Bibendum Easter egg is a direct reference to the classic ad in which Michelin introduced Bibendum, later to become the company's mascot.
- Yosemite is a national park located in California.
- One of the most common predators in the area is the cougar, which is featured on the statue.
- Abraham Lincoln was born in a one-room log cabin, and the concept of the log cabin is often associated with him, although it likely came much sooner.
- Coach Z's dance and facial expression are reminiscent of Michael Jackson's music video for Thriller, which also featured zombies.
- The video is also referenced by Strong Bad claiming to have his own "mouthful of grape jelly". Grape jelly was used for the gory effects in the video, and in one shot of a zombie, a mouthful of "gore" drips from its mouth.
Fast Forward
- The DNA scene would be revisited in the big toon DNA Evidence, which also includes a scene where Homestar actually wears the trenchcoat while visiting the House of the Brothers Strong.
- Coach Z would again start a rap song by saying "Drap it!" in the email being mean.
- The 2010 Calendar would list March 31st as the date of the 2046 Zombie uprising.
YouTube Version
- The title of the video doesn't include the "Strong Bad Email #168" prefix.
DVD Version
- The DVD version features hidden creators' commentary. To access it, switch the DVD player's audio language selection while watching.
Commentary Transcript
(Commentary by: Mike Chapman, Matt Chapman)
MIKE: Hey, get this: "Hey man... your funeral. Heh."
MATT: What?
MIKE: "Hey man, your funeral. Heh."
MATT: Why do you think that's funny?
MIKE: "Hey man, your funeral."
MATT: Stop saying that! {Mike laughs} Why do you think that's funny?
MIKE: Oh... that's the title of this cartoon. "Hey man, your funeral."
MATT: Augh! Stop saying! I'm gonna start this over... {Mike laughs} if you're not careful. You better start saying something good and interesting. And insightful.
MIKE: {reading off the screen} "...the wagon. First, I'll have to deal with the most..."
MATT: {overlapping} Augh, I'm starting this ove—
MIKE: No, come on, come on, come on! Alright, sorry.
{pause}
MIKE: Um, have you ever thought about Strong Bad's funer...? {trails off}
MATT: I like that guy's sweat-smelling follower. That guy's disgusting. {both laugh}
MIKE: He was not very, um... well-dressed for Strong Bad's funeral.
MATT: Hey, wearing a duck shirt to Strong Bad's funeral is pretty... appropriate.
{pause}
MATT: Oooh, the DNA evidence.
MIKE: What episode is this of the DNA—? We're doing these commentaries out of order.
MATT: Yeah, this is a few episodes in, I think.
MIKE: Two or three in.
MATT: "Unnatural" I think is the first one.
MIKE: Oh, okay.
MATT: Maybe. I dunno.
MIKE: So is that a really small Strong Bad or a really giant counter and jar?
MATT: Well, in that picture it's just supposed to make you think that there's a really small Strong Bad. But then he's, later on, in a really giant jar.
{pause as Strong Bad sings the funeral march}
MATT: {singing the punchline riff} Doo doot doot doo doot doot!
MATT and MIKE: Dink!
MATT: Is that a King's Quest that did that, or Space Quest?
MIKE: Oh yeah... I think it was a King's Quest?
MATT: Oh yeah, brother in a jar!
{pause while the "Brother in a Jar" song plays}
MATT: That was a good song!
MIKE: Mm hmm.
MATT: {imitating guitar} Waaaaooo. {Mike laughs} Ooh. I like Strong Sad's thin black tie.
MIKE: Yeah. Think it was leather? We had a thin black leather tie, right?
MATT: I had one.
MIKE: Used to wear it with a red shirt, I think?
MATT: Red, yeah, there's a picture.
MIKE: Maybe to... Uncle John's...?
MATT: Cousin Jim's...
MIKE: Cousin Jim's graduation, maybe?
MATT: No, Cousin Jim's, uh...
MIKE: Wedding?
MATT: Wedding!
MIKE: You think? No...
MATT: No, that's the one where we both have navy blazers with khaki pants {Mike laughs} and red ties.
{pause}
MATT: '"D" batts, yo!' That's what you put in that jambox. I like that Coach Z very forlornly starts busting a move. {both laugh}
MIKE: He can't help it!
MATT: Bubs has a pretty nice wide tie there, too. Short tie.
MIKE: It's got one of those, what do you call it, a Windsor knot?
MATT: Is that Windsor?
MIKE: Really thick...
MATT: I learned, I learned... that's the only one I can really tie. I think I know how to tie a Windsor knot well. 'Cause there was instructions included with my...
MIKE: One of your ties?
MATT: ...H&M suits that I bought.
MIKE: Oh.
MATT: It told me how to tie a tie.
{pause}
MATT: Say! Say! {pause} Oh that's good. I like that music in the background. Some random bongos and a gong.
{pause as Strong Bad breaks out of the jar and Strong Sad wants to demonstrate his chaup au fan}
MIKE: It's, uh... What do you think his chaup au fan is?
MATT: Uh, it's where you put your hands over your head in a little, in a little half-circle, or a circle.
MIKE: Is that it though? So did he show us his chaup au fan right there? Or more?
MATT: No no no, but I'm sure... I think you're probably prancing at the same time.
MIKE: We can talk about the Easter egg that you, we won't have commentary over, with the zo— the zombie-killer Strong Sad and Pom Pom that's pretty good.
MATT: I'd like to make a cartoon with them someday.
MIKE: Yeah, we should.
MATT: I like that. {The Paper comes down} Dook!
Fun Facts
- "It's your funeral" is a colloquialism used to suggest someone will have to suffer the consequences of an unwise decision.
- The first email mentioning DNA evidence was strong badathlon, not unnatural as Matt guesses.
- King's Quest and Space Quest are classic Sierra games, referenced in several places throughout the website, especially Peasant's Quest.
- A Windsor knot is a knot used to tie a necktie, wider than most other knots.
- H&M is a fast-fashion clothing company providing relatively inexpensive formal wear.
External Links
- watch "your funeral"
- watch "your funeral" on YouTube
- watch "your funeral" on the old Flash site
- view the Flash file for "your funeral"
- forum thread re: "your funeral"