People's Champion: Behind the Battle from Trent Babbington on Vimeo.

I've been sidelined from making videos by getting a tooth pulled, and should be back on it this week. but in the meantime here's a newly released documentary about hip-hop's viral "I deed it" sensation from a few years ago, Eli Porter. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but I look forward to seeing what happens when you explore the human story behind this type of internet meme. I appear in the film briefly, in my capacity as expert in the field of Random Internet Stuff.

It was hard to wrap my head around the Eli Porter phenomenon, at first. People were obviously sending the video around for the purpose of clowning him, and I didn't want to join in on that. But I couldn't deny the clip had an addictive kind of oddity to it, especially after the remixes by helios2003 that took the surreality to a whole other level.

Over time I think, or at least I'd like to think, that Eli has earned a sort of respect from the public (even if that respect is still partly tongue-in-cheek), and that he's gone from butt-of-a-joke to a sort of underdog hero. And I hope this film helps brings a bit more of that respect to Eli Porter--the actual human being--and helps make this whole viral phenomenon end up as a positive experience for him. Even if I still wish he had more enlightened views on certain social issues, such as Rosie O'Donnell's attendance at bridal showers.
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Also my friend Hari Kondabolu, who's one of my favorite comics as well, posted a couple of videos of me chatting with him and his brother Ashok (aka Dap from Das Racist).