Cantankerous Episode #7: Reed’s House – A Video Tour
It’s been a long time coming, but you guys are in for a real treat. Last weekend myself, Sean and our good friend Roman paid Reed Farrington a visit to the Shatcave (a.k.a. Reed’s House). We brought some gear and decided to lay down a very special VIDEO edition of Cantankerous, giving you all what you so badly need: a tour of Reed’s House. What ensued was an intimate look into the soul of a man whose on-camera downward spiral into the realm of insanity left us questioning both his motives and our own universal relevance. Initially, Reed came across as an endearing and gracious host, but gradually his charms receded, letting his dark side seep through. Hoarding stuffed creatures for his own amusement. Single-handedly destroying entire colonies of lower life forms, simply to prolong the existence of his precious First Contact chocolate bars. A self-admitted psychopath and megalomaniac, ‘Reed’s House’ provides a candid and disturbing portrait of one of the 20th century’s most notorious (action) figures. Enjoy!
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Comments (103)
Wow– so soon! Awesome episode.
Posted by Jon Rocks on May 11th, 2009This is so funny and so scary.
Reed, we have the same keyboard!
Posted by Henrik on May 11th, 2009Holy Shit! That was awesome. You’re right, Jay: it started off as good ole quirky Reed, but then it got a little sad and frightening towards the end. Good work.
Posted by dan on May 11th, 2009That was amazing and disturbing at once.
Posted by Marina on May 11th, 2009This is a big hit at work
Posted by Peter H. on May 11th, 2009“This is a big hit at work”
Ah yes, I remember the days of sitting in my cube and suddenly hearing the intro to Cooking with Gerry emitting from the cubicles around me, followed by ‘WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!!!!!?!?!??’ and laughter.
Posted by Jay C. on May 11th, 2009Fuck this was awesome.
Posted by swarez on May 11th, 2009Sad as it is though, my last place was just as cluttered with DVDs and collectibles as Reeds house.
There are random outbursts of laughter all around the 8th floor right now.
Please relay our thanks to Reed. Great job Jay, this was terrific.
Posted by Peter H. on May 11th, 2009Awesome job guys! Sean, what type of camera did you use for this video?
Posted by David Chen on May 11th, 2009I believe it is a Panasonic HVX but I’m sure Jay will correct me if I’m wrong.
Posted by Sean on May 11th, 2009During the rock band sections I thought I was going to pass out I was so light headed form laughter. Jay you have an amazing talent for comedic editing. Amazing. Congrats guys.
Posted by dirrrtyfrank on May 11th, 2009Hey David,
I’ll field this one: It’s the Panasonic HVX200. I’ve been shooting with it for the past three years and it gives awesome results in many different situations. I think it has gone down in price since I purchased mine as well.
Either way, thanks for the comments! Reed will be DELIGHTED.
David Chen: Any chance you guys might have room for this piece in your VOTD feature?? wink wink
Posted by Jay C. on May 11th, 2009Sweet Jesus.
This is going to be a tough episode to top.
Posted by Matt Gamble on May 11th, 2009awesome
Posted by rus in chicago on May 11th, 2009Loved the Curb Your Enthusiasm music, brilliant..
Posted by patrik on May 11th, 2009I think I have one of those Fedora’s in my apt omg!
Posted by Ian on May 11th, 2009http://www.granateseed.com/futilepodcast/wp-content/uploads/683_9.jpg
Hahahahahahahaha!
Posted by Kasper F. Nielsen on May 11th, 2009Awesomeness all around. I dug the lie-detector framing device and the musical choices.
Posted by Kurt on May 11th, 2009Props on the editing, too. The last freeze-frame close-up on Reed is effing hysterical. Love that Peanuts music cue, as well.
Posted by dan on May 11th, 2009amazing.
Posted by Bob The Slob on May 11th, 2009I agree with dan…that freeze frame slayed me.
Posted by Bob The Slob on May 11th, 2009This came sooner then expected. Overall really enjoyable both from a technical standpoint aswell as a comedic one. Reed singin “Paranoid” is possibly the funniest thing this week ..oh its monday.
Keep up the good work. It´s appreciated.
Posted by Andreas on May 11th, 2009I’ll have a smile on my face for the rest of the day. Thank you.
Posted by Rian on May 11th, 2009I think when Reed dies (and what a sad day that will be), his house and all of its contents should be preserved as is as an eternal testament to Mr. Farrington. And also, no one’s gonna want to move all of that stuff out of there.
Posted by Nate on May 11th, 2009Amazing job. The TV antennas in the dining room might be one of the best things I have ever seen.
Posted by RJ on May 11th, 2009Really good work, guys.
Posted by Dave on May 11th, 2009Jerry talkin about melted vulvan wax hand symbols right next to a copy of the book “enterprising women” Ferrington express©
Posted by kris on May 11th, 2009any footage during pon farr ?
Reed is totally a shoe-in for:
http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2007/01/02/leo_narrowweb__300×464,0.jpg
Posted by dario on May 11th, 2009It blew my mind that Reed actually has a flat screen TV. Also, some of those stuffed animals are really freaky – I expect to have nightmares.
Great job.
Posted by RJ on May 11th, 2009I think Reed has an awesome house! And I think the bookshelves are awesome to!
Posted by Drew on May 11th, 2009Jay, the written intro for this post was fantastic! You should get a job writing cover-copy for DVDs.
As a side note, when I was in university, I used to do string-art collages along with 3-D Bristol board shapes on my dorm room ceiling. Don’t know why I felt the need to mention that.
Posted by Reed Farrington on May 11th, 2009good stuff. Reed, I’m assuming you have some Trek novels too? I used to have a bunch of the TNG/DS9/etc ones back in the day. And have you ever read any of them?
Posted by Snorfle on May 11th, 2009Thanks for this. Read is awesome.
Posted by Raph on May 11th, 2009Woops, Reed ofcourse
.
Posted by Raph on May 11th, 2009Snorfle, I have a ton of Trek novels. I have all the older ones. I’m slowly reading through them. The plots are forgettable. I think Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman, and Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens are my favorite Star Trek writers. I think most Trekkies would have these writers in their favorite lists as well.
Posted by Reed Farrington on May 11th, 2009Yeah, Peter David was the one I remember liking. They always gave him the “giant” novels with topics like the Borg (”Vendetta”) and Q (”Q-Squared” was my favorite trek novel). the other ones i remember liking were the DS9 novels “Fallen Heroes” and the one that Andrew Robinson (Garak, of course) wrote. Oh those days of Nerdom…I’m finally selling 99% of the books (and i had like 70+) in a garage sale next month.
Posted by Snorfle on May 11th, 2009and calling most of the plots “forgettable” is generous. I plowed through some fairly horrendous exposition and dialogue in my quest to be a Trek completist, which ultimately failed because they pumped those things out at the rate of like 2 per month.
Posted by Snorfle on May 11th, 2009Amazing episode! Loved the music selections, editing and heck, Reed, I Iove you too!
I think I still have a complete set of the First Contact chocolate bar wrappers. They’re still at my parents house in a dresser drawer with other useless stuff like my baptism candle. Reed, if you want to preserve perishable memorabilia like chocolate, I would invest in a tank freezer. We keep easter eggs in the freezer and they stay perfectly preserved for years. Not only that, if there are microscopic insect larvae or eggs in the food, freezing them will kill them off.
Posted by Nuno on May 11th, 2009I’ll give you $400 for that baptism candle.
Posted by Jay C. on May 11th, 2009Jay: Sold! I’ll even throw in a rosary that my aunt brought back from the Vatican that was blessed by Pope John Paul II.
Posted by Nuno on May 11th, 2009“I only like ones that resemble actual animals”
This video might be the best thing you guys have ever done. Great stuff.
Posted by rob on May 11th, 2009I remember the first time I entered his house.
I asked, “Gerry, did you just move in?”. haha
Great touch with the Vince Guaraldi Trio soundtrack Jay.
Posted by Matt R on May 11th, 2009I also recognized the table Reed was sitting at with his lie detector as the table where he ate his dish in Cooking with Gerry. Why didn’t Roman ever pitch in with some witty quips? He just stood there with the boom! I personally would of loved to hear some quips from him.
Posted by Drew on May 11th, 2009I’m disappointed by this….because it’s too short! Can you make a 90 minute documentary on Reed? Please!!
Posted by katie on May 11th, 2009katie: We’ll do a 90 minute documentary on Reed if you agree to have an annual Reed Olympics event in your backyard. Deal?
Posted by Jay C. on May 11th, 2009Thanks for this, great editing. Reed is awesome. Most impressive, Captain.
Posted by James on May 11th, 2009This was freakin hilarious. Great job Jay, Sean, Roman & of course Reed. Is this part 1 of a 2 part series? I noticed the 2nd floor was never explored.
Posted by Primal on May 11th, 2009Epic win.
Reed – what are some of your favorite (non-Trek) books? I’m always looking for new stuff.
Posted by joe on May 11th, 2009Every time I hear it, Reed’s VHS retention logic keeps sounding more and more absurd. Man, why didn’t you just eat that chocolate when it was fresh. What a waste. Take a photo of it, eat it, and save the wrapper. You can put the photo in the wrapper. Loved: “Jerry, you’ve eaten worse things.”
Posted by Mason on May 11th, 2009Did you catch the titles of any of those books on the shelves? “Against Depression”. “Is There Life After Death?”, “The Happiness Myth”. Deep.
How many degrees of separation can something be from Star Trek to be considered a Star Trek collectible? (You could actually have the movie “Six Degrees of Separation in that room, since Jerry Goldsmith did the score, as well as for a few Star Trek films.)
Excellent short film, Jay. Sundance is waiting.
Awesome. Can’t wait to buy this on DVD.
Posted by ShenEvil44 on May 11th, 2009One of the best things I’ve ever seen.
Posted by Joe Campanella on May 11th, 2009Mason and I watched this while eating dinner and it was more entertaining than some of the TV I’ve seen lately.
Thanks Reed for letting us into your house. In your defense I have several dead plants in the apartment and haven’t thrown them out despite being unemployed for two months. It’s ridiculous but easy to keep putting off.
Butttt if you ever want to clean some stuff out I’ll be on your doorstep with a box of trash bags in no time. The clutter in your house driving me crazy. (It’s a weird girl thing)
Posted by froggiegirl on May 11th, 2009look at all this feedback….
seriously Jay, you could really stretch this out to a long feature and it would be very funny and watchable. Its almost Maysles-ish, just let Reed be Reed and catch it on film. No narrative to construct, no need. Do it!
Posted by Goon on May 11th, 2009HOW MUCH FOR THE HELLO KITTY DVD PLAYER
I CAN DRIVE THERE AND PICK IT UP
I AM NOT KIDDING
YOU HAVE TWO OF THEM, REED COME ON
Posted by manicpanda on May 11th, 2009Reed– why was there Ketchup in your Star Trek room?
Posted by Jon Rocks on May 11th, 2009I concur with Goon. I would gladly pay upwards to $15 for the Reed Farrington DVD.
Posted by Dave on May 11th, 2009I would totally watch a feature length documentary on Reed. It would be entertaining to see him go about his days–going to the library, bargain hunting, on expedtions in search of collectibles. With Reed waxing philosophical about life and existence and the nuances of being frugal. I imagine it would be some fascinating, poignant stuff(not to mention hilarious). With your directorial style, Jay, it would be awesome.
Posted by dan on May 11th, 2009I also imagine it would be kinda dark with stuff going on beneath the surface, like this episode. Good stuff.
Posted by dan on May 11th, 2009Scary, but i was exactly like Reed before founding my family and now (after the kids have gone living their own lives) I´m slowly on the way back.
I still own some unopened Star Wars Episode V-Cereals – yeahhh.
Posted by theDia on May 11th, 2009Loved the show. I know it’s easy to hate on Reed, but I find him very endearing. Perhaps its because I can see a little too much of myself in him. There but for the Grace of a blond woman who didn’t know any better at the time go I. Reed seems to be the real life incarnation of Steve Carrel in the 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN. The main thought I had while watching this was, “What would a woman think of this house?” She’d probably think she was never coming out alive. I have to say that I kind of agree with everyone that this could be stretched out a bit, although a feature may be pushing it. I’m thinking something in the vein of CRUMB.
Jay, if you don’t mind, I have a couple of technical questions.
1. I know you are not using the camera mics, but are you recording directly into the camera, or are you using a external device? If so, which one?
2. Are you doing your audio post in FCP or another program?
Thanks for indulging me.
Again, great episode.
Posted by Phil G on May 11th, 2009I don’t even know what to say really. That was a 4. I don’t want to start gushing, but you guys seriously can do no wrong. Jay, you’re insane if you don’t do a feature on Mr. Darth Nameless himself. Never before has there been such a fascinating, hilarious, and weird – but strangely endearing – man. Maybe you can document his pioneering attempts to back up the internet on his old VHS tapes.
Posted by Neil M on May 11th, 2009I’ll just add my name to the pile of enthusiasts on this short. Great work. Love the lie detector freeze frame opening.
And I think I actually have all of those TNG chocolate bars. They’re in a box in my parent’s basement I think. I may have to warn them about the maggots that come with the chocolate from the factory. Ha!
I want more of this.
Posted by Andrew James on May 12th, 2009Fantastic!
Posted by dom_g on May 12th, 2009Wow. I am truly humbled by all of your comments everyone. I wish I could say that Reed Farrington is only a character I portray. As the old saying goes, “It’s better to be laughed at and be a loser than to have never laughed at all.” Or something like that.
BTW, I found a video tape where I backed up some Star Trek web-sites. I should convert some of it to YouTube format to show you all a bit of it.
I’ll answer a few of the queries from the comments:
Jon Rocks, the Heinz Ketchup has a Limited Edition Celebrity Label. The celebrity in question is William Shatner. The label says, “Fixes burgers at warp speed.”
manicpanda, I would gladly sell you one of my Hello Kitty DVD players, but I’m terrible at bargaining.
froggiegirl, I did a spiel about how clutter would eventually become in vogue. I don’t think that made it to the final edit.
Mason, I actually have been collecting Jerry Goldsmith soundtracks, but not just because he composed Star Trek scores. I like his music. I recently picked up his “Our Man Flint” original motion picture score on vinyl for a dollar!
joe, not sure if you’re asking about fiction or non-fiction books. I haven’t been able to find any recent fiction writers that can hold my interest. For example, I have books by Dan Simmons and George R.R. Martin, but I haven’t been able to get into them. As for non-fiction, I recommend the author Leonard Shlain. I have 3 of his books and they’re all filled with interesting theories and facts.
Posted by Reed Farrington on May 12th, 2009“I found a video tape where I backed up some Star Trek web-sites”
I have no idea what this means but I want to know more. You can back up websites on VHS tapes?? What kind of 1980’s Doc Brown madness is this?
Posted by Dave on May 12th, 2009That was the best 15 minutes of my whole day
Posted by Cy-Ed on May 12th, 2009great job guys.
Rock on Reed!
Man that was awesome! I think the video content like this is what makes you guys a cut above the other podcasters/ film sites.
Posted by AdamH on May 12th, 2009Well done fellas
MAN I can´t stop laughing at the beginning:
“Mnnooo” *shakes head*
Beat-> BUZZ
ARRG And freeze frame and the music kicks in.
Brilliant editing! Brilliat!
Posted by ColinZeal on May 12th, 2009Epic, just epic! Is there any chance this will ever turn into a feature-length documentary? How could Reed afford this!? In Germany we call a person who collects everything and isn’t able to get rid of ANYTHING a “messy” …
Posted by Stefan on May 12th, 2009Awesome. Great.
Bring up more. More from Reed’s Entertainment room.
How can you even move in all your collected thongs, Reed? You are the real Trekkie!
Greets from Germany
Mike
PS: I’m telling everybody here to watch this, so we can make this big!
Posted by Mike on May 12th, 2009Yes!! I’d definitely have a Reed Olympics if you made Reed into a full length documentary. I’d also need Reed to attend my party to judge the games.
Games we’d have:
- a lie detector test
- star trek trivia
- maggot chocolate bar eating competition
What game was he singing with? We’d have to play that game too!
Posted by katie on May 12th, 2009Awesome stuff! This is so entertaining. That’s reality TV at its best. Thanks for the great work.
Posted by Sly on May 12th, 2009Dave, I point my video camera at the computer monitor and film it as I maneuver through all the screens of the web-site with the mouse. I even adjust the shutter speed to compensate for the incompatible frame rates. Note: I only did this for a few web-sites that didn’t allow me to save pages. I haven’t done this again in over a decade.
katie, I was playing Rock Band. My required attendance at the Reed Olympics party might be a deal-breaker, because I’m painfully shy.
I wanted to mention that the lie detector actually made cool sounds and had ominous music playing from it. The boom mike wasn’t able to pick up on it, I don’t think. There were two “pain” settings. Jay and Sean were too chicken to try it out. On the other hand, Roman was able to keep his hand on the lie detector even at the highest pain setting!
Posted by Reed Farrington on May 12th, 2009loved every minute, Great Work Guys!!
Posted by Joe C on May 12th, 2009Seems like the guy behind the camera is a jerk. There is no reason to be so condescending toward Gerry.
Posted by trekker on May 12th, 2009Sublime. Good job. You’ve managed to top ‘Cooking With Gerry’ which is no mean feat. Thanks.
Posted by Paul Andrews on May 12th, 2009“Seems like the guy behind the camera is a jerk. There is no reason to be so condescending toward Gerry.”
Is it jerky of me to think it’s funny that this comment was made by a guy named ‘trekker’? I’m guessing you also have a collection of maggot filled First Contact chocolate bars?
Posted by Jay C. on May 12th, 2009Haha great work Jay and Sean, you guys really should do a Reed’s House Part 2. I’m sure the rest of his house is just as strange and would be very fascinating to see.
Posted by Steven C. on May 12th, 2009trekker, thx for coming to my defense, but I actually encouraged Jay and Sean to make quips at my expense. I realize my house is kind of strange. I was prepared to remain off camera and have the guys just roam around my house making jokes.
I’m hoping Jay is playing at condescension for comedic effect, but it is kind of hard to tell sometimes because he’s such an a**-hole. (I’m kidding. Jay is one of the few people who can put up with my antics.)
Posted by Reed Farrington on May 12th, 2009Any chance of getting this on itunes?
I really want to watch but I do most of my viewing/listening on my ipod on my commute.
Posted by Liana on May 12th, 2009“Dave, I point my video camera at the computer monitor and film it as I maneuver through all the screens of the web-site with the mouse.”
Reed, you are out of your damn mind.
Please include some of this web site archival footage in the full length Reed documentary. I’d also like the camera to follow Reed on a typical day, as well as perhaps a trip to the States to pick up special Star Trek garbage.
I really enjoyed the editing of the opening, but the Curb music took me out of it a bit. Overall, it was great.
Posted by Jeff on May 12th, 2009That was better than the tour of Tom Savini’s house on the Two Evil Eyes BD.
Posted by Ryan M. on May 13th, 2009genius
Posted by catho on May 13th, 2009This was fucking wicked! I loved the dead plants.
Posted by doug nagy on May 15th, 2009You gotta make a 90 minute doc about Reed. He is more interesting than Daniel Johnston.
Posted by The Het on May 15th, 2009I’m late to the game on this one … but this deserves 70 more minutes and a theatrical release. Hilarious work Jay, I didn’t want it to end.
Posted by Erik P on May 28th, 2009In case people didn’t already know, let me tell you that Jay’s working on a long form documentary feature about someone who is way more interesting than me.
Posted by Reed Farrington on May 29th, 2009There you go man, being all modest and shit.
By the way, I’ll buy that hat off of you…
Posted by Tomas on May 30th, 2009I think I have the exact same Star Trek Enterprise toy that made the sound effects in the dinning room. It was a Christmas gift from years ago.
Posted by Nick D on June 22nd, 2009Nick D, that Star Trek toy was a bank replica of the desktop computers on Star Trek: The Next Generation. I think it’s somewhat common. Nice to know we have something in common.
Posted by Reed Farrington on June 22nd, 2009WHY THE FUCK IS THEIR KETCHUP IN THE DIERAMA
Posted by Kasey Ruiz on June 24th, 2009Sh*t, I’m going right now to get that damn ketchup bottle out of there! Thx, Kasey. (And I love how you spell diorama. Ha ha.)
Posted by Reed Farrington on June 25th, 2009I want more.
Now.
Posted by sitromdrol on July 6th, 2009I still haven’t worked up the nerve to watch all of what Jay edited into the “Reed’s House” video. There’s probably footage “on the editing room floor,” but if Jay didn’t think it was interesting enough to make the cut, then I would trust his judgment. I think the only thing we didn’t get to in my house was the Mona Lisa over my toilet. Oh, and I have a piece of my baby clothing hanging on a wall.
Posted by Reed Farrington on July 7th, 2009“I think the only thing we didn’t get to in my house was the Mona Lisa over my toilet. Oh, and I have a piece of my baby clothing hanging on a wall.”
This is relevant to my interests. I guess you guys have to go do a Reed’s House Part 2 now. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.
Posted by James on July 8th, 2009We should film a Reed’s House Party with invited guests from the celebrity world like Greg, Doug Nagy and Tomas Baychuk. But no hip hop music, sorry.
Posted by Reed Farrington on July 8th, 2009Oh my God that was fucking awesome! I laughed, I cried, I questioned the mental stability of a single man living alone with maggoty chocolate bars, realistic sucking monkeys and episodes of “Moonlighting”. Thanks for sharing Reed!
Posted by Adam on July 21st, 2009Adam, I do feel the sanctity of my humble abode has been violated, but as long as people like yourself enjoy the experience, then I suppose I can live with it.
As Sean has noted elsewhere, we recently recorded a Cantankerous that had the longest recording session so far. Sean and Jay feel obligated to edit the boring stuff out like our discussion of Canadian film, so it might take a week or two before it’s released. I thought I would try to be more composed, but as always happens, I get tongue-tied and my voice goes up an octave under the tension. I suspect I’m getting more incomprehensible as time goes on despite my best efforts.
Posted by Reed Farrington on July 21st, 2009LOL
Posted by chris on August 22nd, 2009good stuff! hell of a camera jay – very clean and clear
WOW!The house is crazy and cluttered! Do you even know what you collectibles you have anymore? Get rid of the dead plants it is killing your fung shui! It is time to get the ladies from How Clean Is Your House? to come in sir!
Good show guys!
Posted by Andrea on August 26th, 2009Even after months of not having a job to go to, I still have all the dead plants.
Mark my words, “cluttered” will become a home fashion style in a year or two.
Posted by Reed Farrington on August 26th, 2009Seriously impressive. Funny and so so embarrassing at the same time.
Brilliant editing.
Posted by Billy Boyd Cape on September 13th, 2009Embarrassing, Billy Boyd Cape? Oh, no wonder Sean and Jay avoid being seen in public with me anymore.
We might be recording a new audio Cantankerous tonight. Depending on what Jay thinks is interesting or humorous, we might be discussing:
- Freezing watermelon to make inexpensive Popsicles.
Posted by Reed Farrington on September 13th, 2009- Turning my garage into a drive-in theater.
- A renowned atheist who now believes in God.
- The idea of people never leaving their homes (and I don’t mean their parents’ homes).
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