Dan & Phil Part 90: Fish Daddies

[Secretstanner]

Also to add in Phil's new video did he refer to us as Phil's viewers? Bit weird knowing that most people watch both of them.

Noticed that too. He slightly paused like maybe he was going to say our viewers but then said “Your viewers”. I think it’s clearer than ever that they are distancing themselves professionally. I think when Phil said “you might see us pop up together on YouTube from time to time” It will probably will be like dan helping out phil like he did in this video. I’m still holding out on a mukbang together but I don’t have faith. Feels weird to think we might not have any Halloween baking this year. My favourite content will always be them doing stuff together but it’s been so long they have been doing that. I can see why they want to change that and I’m still taking this partly as not wanting to monoties their relationship aswel as wanting different career outcomes.

[Amiaw]

I can’t really understand dan either tbh but I could imagine them not advertising that dan was in the video was because they don’t want to make it look like joint content is in any way back. Phil didn’t even mention dan in the tweet. Dan also never promoted the joint merch sale so if it’s something that involves both of them and YT I kind of expect him to shy away.

I’ve been wondering about what dan’s plans are for awhile now. The only time he really pops up these days is to advertise his merch or to post a picture so I don’t know if he’s still working on things behind the scenes or if he’s trying to figure his next steps out but until he’s ready to tell us we’re all going to have to remain in the dark about it

[wiccamoody]

I've given up trying to understand most of what Dan does because he does stuff that doesnt make sense to most of us all the time and we never get answers for a good 90% of it. Espeically when it comes to things he says. Without a script, Dan's mind works faster than whatever is coming out of hit mouth, that's why he has so many word flubs and says shit that makes zero sense really often. I also think Dan on social media is still trying to figure out how to be Dan On Social Media. He kind of shifts and changes how he acts and what he wants to do often, so idk. I'm not gonna hold it against him for not retweeting or liking something because I don't think it'll end up meaning that much in the end, and also Dan just...does whatever Dan wants. I do think they still want to work together, they've made that really clear, so I think we will get joint content of some kind before the end of the year.

I'm guessing Dan on his own though is still figuring stuff out. It may be almost 4 months since BIG but it's a lot to process and come back from, and I think Dan now especially doesn't want to do anything he might regret or make any promises he might not be able to keep. Idk call me naive, but I think Dan will come back eventually, and I definitely think we will get joint content before the end of the year.

[Grey]

I haven’t gotten over the shock of getting liveshows back yet. But I liked the new setup / format. I appreciated that it seemed like he put a decent amount of effort into it and was trying new things with it. I’m fully down.

Re Dan. At this point I have zero expectations for him. This works great honestly (for me) because then if/when he does do something, I’m super impressed and thrilled.

[Ataraxia25]

Phil uploaded The liveshow on LessAmazingPhil!

[wiccamoody]

Here's the liveshow for anyone wanting it

[sugar]

semi joint content and a liveshow in two days? talk about well-fed. i don't want to get my hopes up but i do hope dan will do liveshows again at some point. i miss him so bad.

i really didn't mind this new liveshow format and i think it can only get better as time goes on. i'm excited to see what the rest of this year will bring.

[alittledizzy]

semi joint content and a liveshow in two days? talk about well-fed. i don't want to get my hopes up but i do hope dan will do liveshows again at some point. i miss him so bad.

i really didn't mind this new liveshow format and i think it can only get better as time goes on. i'm excited to see what the rest of this year will bring.

My guess is that Dan will come and go from the liveshows but that they feel more comfortable establishing them as a just-Phil thing so that it's not something we expect/demand or get upset when Dan isn't there. (The same way I think that joint content will come back properly, but they feel better the less we're holding them to rigid standards and therefore upset if their life plans and those standards don't mesh sometimes.)

[sapienveneficus]

I missed the liveshow but was able to watch it just now over on LessAmazingPhil. I'm glad Phil's posting these on his side channel again, especially since it sounds like there were loads of issues with YouNow.

I thought I'd start with what I liked about the show. First off, Phil! At this point, I'm so starved for content that just seeing either of their faces is exciting. Second, though I'm not much of a pet person, the Norman cam bit was cute. It's fun to see him so genuinely excited about something. Going off of that, I also liked watching him play about with the various green screen backgrounds and his camera's zoom features. You could tell he was enjoying himself. Finally, I liked the deleted moments from his video. Showing those clips didn't really work as a game, but I'll take all the joint content I can get. Also, as someone whose eyesight is significantly worse than Phil's (only -3.75? ha! lightweight), I have played the "without my glasses" game IRL many a time. Usually, I'll play it outside. I love walking around the park in the fall when the leaves are at their peak, it's like walking around in a Monet painting. I highly recommend this to my fellow visually impaired folks, but be sure to bring a friend or two along to keep you safe while you wonder. I've had several close calls with tree roots and stones.

But back to the liveshow, now that I've shared the parts I enjoyed, I need to talk about the rest. Overall, despite being incredibly content-starved and desperate for liveshows, I found this one pretty boring. The technical issues weren't an issue for me as I was watching a cleaned up version on YouTube after the fact, no, for me I think the issue is the content itself. Full disclosure, Phil's solo shows were never my favorites. Their joint ones were, of course, the best, and then Dan's solo ramble sessions, and then Phil's. I liked Phil's the least of the 3 because they were the most impersonal. Dan'd be over in his room bearing his soul while Phil talked about his top 3 favorite houseplants.

Not that I want Phil to bare his soul exactly, but I like liveshows because they're a casual chat between creator and audience, and this show wasn't that. He could have talked more about his recent trip up north, maybe a funny story about visiting the zoo or gone into detail about seeing Ad Astra (did someone sit in their seats? did he try a new type of popcorn?). You can be personal without sharing too much. It's a line he's walked for years, and I think it's in his best interested (professionally speaking) to redraw that line to a place that feels comfortable rather than simply cutting off personal stories altogether.

I was also getting Super Amazing Project vibes from this new format. The problem is that SAP, like the radio show, worked because Dan and Phil did it together. They were able to bounce off of each other, and that's where they found the comedy. Phil alone is like lone cymbal, without its partner, the instrument makes no sound (ooo, deep). I don't fault Phil for trying something new, but this did not work. If he wants to make it more structured, there are ways to do that that can still be entertaining. I listen to a few podcasts that have recurring segments which are hilarious. But if he wants to make it entertaining while keeping it 100% impersonal, that's a pretty tall order. Liveshows, by their very nature, are personal. I wish him luck, but I don't see how he can pull that off.

[Susanisnotafish]

Phil’s glasses vid is #27 trending in the U.S.! Go Phil!

[itasca00]

I liked this liveshow! In general, the thing I like most about liveshows is that they’re live; we all get to experience with Phil a few moments in time together. Otherwise, solo liveshows have definitely never been my most favorite form of content, so I really didn’t mind Phil trying new things. Here are my highlights:

• [0:08] Phil comments that he has a new setup (a greenscreen and a new mic), which he’s excited about, and he and Dan have fast internet now, meaning he can do liveshows.
• [4:07] Phil introduces “Norman Cam,” a supposedly live shot of Norman swimming around in his tank. He uses the “Norman Cam” bit several times throughout the liveshow, always showing the same clip. He did explicitly confirm that it’s not actually a live video of Norman, but he did so in a part of the livestream that ended up being cut from the uploaded video (around [13:15]).
• [8:00] Phil talks about the change in his hair color that many people noticed from his last video and this liveshow. Phil explains that he was growing his hair out a bit just to see what would happen, but he thought the difference in color between the dark top and light sides was too jarring. So he dyed it again to try to bring unity to his hair using a color called “iced chocolate.”
• [10:52] Phil wants to play a game using outtakes from his latest video where everyone tries to guess what the blurred out image is along with him in the video. The first outtake appears at [11:11]. The second (of a possum licking a frappe, which Dan relates to spiritually) appears at [12:23]. The third appears at [13:16]. The fourth and final appears (much later) at [39:47].
• [14:01] Phil says that the chaos involved in the connection problems associated with trying to execute such a complicated game reminds him of the first radio show he and Dan did because the radio show also had such a complicated format. To this day, hearing “Scream & Shout” by will.i.am feat. Britney Spears, which was playing before the start of their first radio show, fills Phil with dread.
• [15:17] Phil transitions to Segment 2 of the liveshow: NEWSTORY OF THE WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK. In this week’s news story, a woman dreamt while riding a train that robbers on the train wanted to steal her engagement ring. To protect the ring, she swallowed it and, upon waking up, found that she had also swallowed her engagement ring in real life. At [18:14], Phil explains that the doctors presented her with a choice: allow the ring to pass naturally or retrieve it surgically. He thinks it would be better to pass it naturally, remaining vigilant for a few days while you wait.
• [19:29] Phil tells a sleep-related story. While he was in college, he woke up while he was throwing a glass of water all over his bed, and his roommates all though he had peed the bed.
• [22:58] Phil tells another sleep-related story. One time, his mom and his aunt shared a hotel room, and his mom was woken up in the middle of the night by his aunt screaming in her face, “You shouldn’t be here! You need to leave!”
• [24:36] Phil tells a third sleep-related story. When he was a child, he used to stand by his parents’ bed because he was too scared to sleep on his own, which is how he ended up sharing a bunk bed with his brother.
• [24:54] Phil is asked by a person in the chat to grow a beard. He references showing his stubble on Instagram “the other week” (i.e., four months ago), and he says he didn’t like the look and thought it was super itchy. Also, he says the beard edits are so good that he already knows what he’d look like with a beard, and he’s not that into it.
• [26:41] Phil says that he’d like to do some gaming during his livestreams, perhaps starting as soon as next week. He’s looking to play funny, short games, not epic story-based games.
• [27:51] Phil says he’s enjoying being back on YouNow again because it’s fun to hang out with his audience.
• [30:42] Phil talks about Norman for a while: the fish ownership information he’s learned, what Norman likes, etc.
• [33:13] Phil says he might do a Halloween-themed video this year, but he hasn’t thought about it yet.
• [34:18] Phil ponders the idea of attempting to do some nail art during a liveshow. He says Cristine Rotenberg (Simply Nailogical) has sent him some of her Holo Taco nail polish, and he would love to see some holo nails on himself. But then he backtracks saying he’d probably end up making a mess of his desk.
• [35:36] Phil is asked if he’s getting enough sleep, and he doesn’t answer the question. He does say that he’s been waking up every morning at 5am, and it takes him about half an hour to get back to sleep.
• [38:59] Phil says he’s always wondered if he’d end up getting a tattoo, but he hasn’t because he’s afraid of committing to something being on his body forever.
• [41:34] Phil is asked how his plants are doing. He says his peace lily is “insane” now, but he also got a venus fly trap that died pretty much as soon as he bought it. Apparently, he was dealing with a fruit fly infestation at the time, but it’s since cleared up.

[knq]

Duuuude Phil tried so hard and he did so good!

He even compared it to the first radio show, as apparently he's noticed he tends to plan complicated games on new platforms when maybe he should try to ease in. It reminds me of Phil getting everyone to play gameshows where he's the host at parties.

It's obliviously a much less chaotic experience for me, watching the video afterwards, but I thought it was a great way to incorporate his creative content with his liveshows.

The 'werid' things you've done in your sleep segment was also clearly tailored to the type of audience interaction Phil's expressed liking before, the viewer comments beneath his 'why I was a weird kid videos.' (You're waking up at 5 because only half you brain sleeps when you're in a new place, philly )

I'm quite surprised to see Norman Cam in what looks like their new place. Or at least I don't recognize it as either of the old flats. I'd thought the green screen was a hard line decision against sharing any of their living space with the internet, but immediately seeing a clip of Norman in their new flat changes that right up.

Either way, Phil seems to be enjoying his new professional setup and it's fun to watch Phil having fun.

In conclusion I loved it, I love him, and I love that we're going to get a chance to see him live again in just a week!

Thank you itasca00 for the wonderful timestamps!

[noodlebum]

Oh I'm glad he uploaded it, I missed lots of the bits you talked about above (more Norman chat, a couple of the deleted scenes) and probably can't commit to watching them live each week.

[glitterintheair]

I can’t really understand dan either tbh but I could imagine them not advertising that dan was in the video was because they don’t want to make it look like joint content is in any way back. Phil didn’t even mention dan in the tweet. Dan also never promoted the joint merch sale so if it’s something that involves both of them and YT I kind of expect him to shy away.

I’ve been wondering about what dan’s plans are for awhile now. The only time he really pops up these days is to advertise his merch or to post a picture so I don’t know if he’s still working on things behind the scenes or if he’s trying to figure his next steps out but until he’s ready to tell us we’re all going to have to remain in the dark about it

I don't necessarily think that Dan needed to be advertised in the video/tweet anyway, mostly because I'm used to people like Jenna Marbles who never announces when Julien is in her videos. Like, even with the Trying to See Things Without My Glasses vid, Jenna didn't mention Julien in the title of the vid or anything because it was a given that he would be there. She announces Julien only when the video is about HIM, like the last one she uploaded. Now, I don't know if that's a route dnp want to take as well, but it would make sense to me because it's obvious that DanAndPhil as a brand is over but Phil and his best friend/companion through life/soulmate Dan are not. So, I can totally see Dan popping up every now and then in Phil's vids without it being a proper collab, and I can see proper collabs whenever they feel like it (mukbang please. No seriously I will be livid if they don't give us the mukbang).

I don't know what Dan wants to do, he probably doesn't know it either and I just stopped expecting something from him for my own peace of mind.

[flarequake]

Ooh, he put it up on the side channel. It’s nice to see him again. So good to read everyone’s thoughts and the timestamps. I’m a bit dozy this morning and the expression of joy on that tiny poo emoji really made me smile.

I wonder about the mukbang, as well as baking, cos I think they actually said very little about it. I only remember Phil saying he’d be up for doing a mukbang again and then in the draw my life the mention of some classic content here and there, though I might be misremembering his wording. So we can only hope and they may have seen people’s hopes too, but I’m not sure we’re on the same page.

[coffeepenguin]

I didn't even try to watch the liveshow as it was happening because younow never works for me, but it still felt very exciting as I was reading all the reactions here and on twitter just finished watching the upload on LAP, very glad he put it there! I have to say, I just absolutely adore the fact that they/Phil have stuck to the same format since SAP with a news segment and a question asked in advance for audience interaction, that's commitment, especially for people who say they don't like commitment joking, but not really, I do love that. Speaking about commitment, isn't his answer about tattoos the one that Dan's always been giving?

All in all, happy to see Phil's face. I believe the main issue (aside from the younow not working properly, but everything's already been said about that, I think) is that for these segments Phil needs to get used to interacting with/bouncing off a live audience in the chat instead of Dan like he's been doing for the last 8 or so years. It might need a bit of time but he'll get there, I'm sure. The last part where Phil just answered messages was absolutely fine, imo. And I'm actually quite excited about gaming!

[glitterintheair]

I'll be honest, I don't know how to feel about gaming mostly because didn't Phil say that one of the reasons of dapg's death was 'cause people care about the bants more than the gameplay anyway and teased about a channel's rebrand? And now he's doing gaming alone on a platform more broken than my sanity? I am confusion.

[GalaxyDarling]

I don't know what Dan wants to do, he probably doesn't know it either and I just stopped expecting something from him for my own peace of mind.

This! Maybe Dan for real does not know what he wants to do with his life. Maybe he should go back to university. I think he belongs in academia. Sociology or psych, something like that. And get that dog so he would have a good reason to go outside every day, to go walk it.

[Megancita75]

This! Maybe Dan for real does not know what he wants to do with his life. Maybe he should go back to university. I think he belongs in academia. Sociology or psych, something like that. And get that dog so he would have a good reason to go outside every day, to go walk it.

I have thought about this too for Dan. In the US it is very common to have non-traditional age students at the undergraduate level, especially in public institutions. Is that the same in the UK or is that uncommon?

[madzilla84]

If that was something he wanted to do - and I don’t feel like it would be, but who knows with Dan honestly - I reckon he’d be more likely to go the Open University route or similar. He could do it at his own pace and from home (I admit I have a hard time imagining Dan showing up to 9am lectures with a bunch of 18 year olds, but then again I’d have had a hard time imagining him training for a marathon until this year so like I said - who knows).

[flarequake]

You do get a handful of mature students on degree courses, though it might vary for different subjects. I’ve always thought Dan belongs on stage tbh. I’m not sure how much he’d be happy to write papers, though he loves learning all the things.

[alittledizzy]

I haven't rewatched the liveshow yet but I keep thinking of Phil's comment about Brad Pitt and just feeling... amazed at the subtle but definite shift. Like yeah he might have made that joke a year ago but it would have been playing on a sense of comfort in the glass closet and with his audience. We all got it, we all accepted it.

But he made that joke in the liveshow as an out gay man for the first time and he didn't flinch or hesitate and he wasn't nervous after and none of us made a big deal out of it really. I think this is actually why I'm okay with the new format of the liveshows. It's not that I don't miss the old ones, because I also loved the facade of intimacy at him just sitting cozily on his couch, but I also think that in a way I look at every content prior to their coming out videos with the underlying knowledge of what they were keeping segmented from us about their lives? I have no bitterness or resentment toward it, I don't think he was inauthentic because he was closeted, but it is a fact of being closeted that you have to keep key things from the people you aren't out to. On top of that knowing all of the job struggles, the stress, the family issues - I just watch old stuff now with a bit of melancholy.

And yesterday watching that liveshow - even if he was nervous overall about being live in front of an audience, even if he needs to find his footing with solo live content again after a solid year of joint only - I just looked at him and thought: This is Phil, engaging with us with a new layer of trust in us and a new layer of vulnerability from him, and I just feel soft and warm and excited for the reassurance that he's doing that and he's going to continue to do that. And I think knowing that there is a more solid foundation of Phil having confided in us on an overall level makes me not scrutinize the moment to moment perception of distance. Like - he took a huge fucking step forward with his coming out and Draw My Life so if he wants to baby step it a little bit right now I'm not mad at it.

[GalaxyDarling]

I’ve always thought Dan belongs on stage tbh. I’m not sure how much he’d be happy to write papers, though he loves learning all the things.

Yeah, Dan seems comfortable on stage, but not so much in crowds/gatherings of many people. Maybe his (mild) agoraphobia has a role in that. Remember how he said that he went to that first course, to the lecture hall, saw all those people there, and decided to sit at the back corner for the whole year. And what comes to his procrastination, I think the problem was that he wasn't motivated to study law. I think he would like human sciences much more.

[flarequake]

Pastel rainbow dreams are alive. Bryony posted too, from the look of her story with one of the rainbow cheesecakes, the pink one might be Dan’s. The sleuthing is real

[coffeepenguin]

I’ve always thought Dan belongs on stage tbh. I’m not sure how much he’d be happy to write papers, though he loves learning all the things.

Yeah, Dan seems comfortable on stage, but not so much in crowds/gatherings of many people. Maybe his (mild) agoraphobia has a role in that. Remember how he said that he went to that first course, to the lecture hall, saw all those people there, and decided to sit at the back corner for the whole year. And what comes to his procrastination, I think the problem was that he wasn't motivated to study law. I think he would like human sciences much more.

I don't of course presume to really know Dan, and he may do whatever he wants, he might actually enjoy and benefit from listening to some lectures in philosophy or sociology, but please, god, let him be kept away from academia in any professional capacity. Can you imagine the agony whenever he needs to write a paper and commit to a particular theory/terminology? What I think is great with being on stage for him, or doing regularly scheduled live programs as was the case with the radio show, is actually the pressure, however counterintuitive it may seem, accompanied by the temporary nature of it. I mean, in these situations he couldn't really bail at the last moment without seriously letting down a lot of people, and it's live, so even if he procrastinates and doesn't prepare that well, he still must do something and he doesn't get to redo it either, whatever done is done, so less problem for his perfectionism.