I am the one who sent him this email about 7-8 years ago. I was a huge fan of homestar runner back then but strong bad emails were my favorite. He used to answer them weekly so I decided to send him this. I loved electronic music the most at the time so that is why I wrote him that particular question. If I would've had any idea he would pick mine I definitely would not have put my alias as "Silent J." Silent J was my AOL screen name. My real name is Justin. Just a little information behind this
@@_Xiagax_ believe what you want but it’s kind of sad to leave such a comment on a 12 year old comment of a homestar runner video that’s 20 years old explaining its origin. For what?
I am a software engineer who regularly is "on call" for our online systems. I have set this as my ringtone for Pager Duty on my phone. It is perfect! There is no mistaking who is calling me when I hear "the system is down."
I literally just turned 40. I watched this in my shared house on ADSL via a load of cables I installed underneath the carpet (as much as I could) so every room would have a connection. This was well before the UK smoking ban which might hit home for a few of us around the same age in pinpointing the date. Haven’t smoked in a decade, but I originally watched this with a hand rolled cutters choice and a mug of tea on my “good” CRT that I spent far, FAR too much on.
20 years later and I'm only now realizing "the system is down" was based on a real song. It's called Sentience - Break the System (D.A.V.E The Drummer Remix)
I remember walking down the halls in high school and some one would start with do do do. Then one by one people would jump in on the next parts. They wouldn't even know each other but we all knew Strong Bad.
I kind of miss those days when quality entertainment on the internet had just lost its niche status but was still sparse enough for only a small amount of things to become popular. That way, everyone would know the big stuff. That was also during the time where the neighborhood kids would still go outside and play around, so these things spread through literal word of mouth. You'd be hangin' out with the boys and one guy goes "DUDE, YOU GOTTA SEE THIS VIDEO" and they all run to his house and watch it through the dial-up connection until their land line gets a phone call.
@@berrypepperroni7708 Well, I am a fan of classic Lego video games and Lego in general. I've even signed up to the Rock Raiders United community website.
Years ago, I heard this very song in some Mario 64 blooper video. Years later, I started watching Homestar Runner. Then I remembered the song. "Hey, now that I think about it, that singer kinda sounded like Strong Bad", I thought. "Didn't Mario say it was 'strong bad music' or something?" So I looked it up, and here I am. Hello.
GlassBoxofDeath lmfaooo yeah I would always laugh when this came on on Fleskhjerta’s blooper videos, him, ShadowMario64 and Megaman765 were the best in 2007
i don't care what anyone says. I still love and miss this "show". in college everyone made fun of me for watching it but damnit, it's good wholesome fun. maybe their attitudes need a little burnination. thnickaman. sweet cuppin cakes. random nonsense! come back home star, I miss you!
Sounds like whoever you hung with in college were lame, all my college buddies were massively in this show, glad to see it's now on RUclips, expose a whole new generation to the greatness!
OMG! I was today years old when I found out that they put Homestar Runner on RUclips! College memories right here!! We lived in the best of times of the internet when this came out 👏🏽😍
0:58, STRONG BAD: The Cheat is grounded! We had that lightswitch installed for you so you could turn the lights on and off; not so you could throw lightswitch raves! Now let's go break open that glowstick and pour it into Homestar Runner's Mountain Dew. I heard they have to pump your stomach when you drink that stuff.
I worked at a comic shop in the early 00s, and we were all big techno fans. For a time, some of my coworkers and some former employees ran a small production company that threw raves, and playing this at some point in the night, usually to kick things off, was obligatory; it was their calling card.
Lying in bed. Phone light is on. Wife yells from the hall “What the hell are you doing in there?” I respond by shaking the light around and saying “THE SYSTEM IS DOWN THE SYSTEM IS DOWN”. It is 2024. This has been part of our vernacular for twenty years.
I used to randomly call people at work from other peoples phones playing this and then just hang up and listen to them call back my poor co workers who had no idea what the hell was going on.... Good times.. Good times.
I now discipline my friends kids when they do something they shouldn't like grab a cookie off the table by telling them The Cheat is Grrrrounded ( in my best Strongbad voice)
I remember this was my very first exposure to Homestar Runner, and back in the day, I just didn't find this funny. It seemed like some fad, some viral video that just got popular because it got popular. Now, I love Homestar and looking back, this is a really solid SBemail, even if it is on the shorter side like all the early emails were. Man, Homestar is a treasure, so keep on tranglin', Brothers Chaps.
I am the one who sent him this email about 7-8 years ago. I was a huge fan of homestar runner back then but strong bad emails were my favorite. He used to answer them weekly so I decided to send him this. I loved electronic music the most at the time so that is why I wrote him that particular question. If I would've had any idea he would pick mine I definitely would not have put my alias as "Silent J." Silent J was my AOL screen name. My real name is Justin. Just a little information behind this
AMAZING
LEGEND
Lol I love this
Sure bud, it was you /s
@@_Xiagax_ believe what you want but it’s kind of sad to leave such a comment on a 12 year old comment of a homestar runner video that’s 20 years old explaining its origin. For what?
I am a software engineer who regularly is "on call" for our online systems. I have set this as my ringtone for Pager Duty on my phone. It is perfect! There is no mistaking who is calling me when I hear "the system is down."
genius
This makes me so happy.
Doo do doo doo doo
Jonathan Nelson I wish I’d thought of that during my on call years. That’s brilliant (and way better than my “fuck my life” on call ringtone)!
Same here! Our whole team uses this as the alert sound. Hilarious.
This is over 15 years old and it still holds up.
“The system is down.”
I feel old
Reporting back 3yrs later: still holds up
Isn't it over 20 years old? I'm pretty sure this was on the Flash page.
. . . The website is, not the video itself 🤦🏻
I really don’t think you guys understand how much you’ve impacted modern culture.
I'm sure they understand pretty well
They absolutely understand
I'm here for high school memories. Dang. This mess touched so many generations at once.
true dat
Oh how neat, knowing the references you put in your videos
Touched many generations.... Just like Senor Cardgage...
Just like Kevin Spacey
I literally just turned 40. I watched this in my shared house on ADSL via a load of cables I installed underneath the carpet (as much as I could) so every room would have a connection.
This was well before the UK smoking ban which might hit home for a few of us around the same age in pinpointing the date.
Haven’t smoked in a decade, but I originally watched this with a hand rolled cutters choice and a mug of tea on my “good” CRT that I spent far, FAR too much on.
20 years later and I'm only now realizing "the system is down" was based on a real song. It's called Sentience - Break the System (D.A.V.E The Drummer Remix)
No. Freaking. WAY! That's it! How in the world did you know?
@@thecianinator I read it on the Homestar Runner wiki!
WHAT? lol no way, I never knew that. Nice
ruclips.net/video/4ImpOiN2bsc/видео.html
bangger!
I remember helping to throw a rave up here in seattle called "The Cheat's Lightswitch Rave" it was so much fun.
Strobe lights or GTFO
Epic!
Now THAT sounds like a good time!
Seattle is gay
@@rustyshack2349 >responds to 10 year old comment
Absolutely, unequivocally, inordinately based
This has been burned into my memory since 2004. I still sing it sometimes
Burned or Burninated?
It just happened to me as well.
Just pops in my head sometimes
Me too, my older sisters showed this to me when I was 5 or 6, somehow still remember to this day!
I remember walking down the halls in high school and some one would start with do do do. Then one by one people would jump in on the next parts. They wouldn't even know each other but we all knew Strong Bad.
This.....is a beautiful story!
Well, I remember walking down the halls, scratching my balls...
Man I would've loved to be able to do something like that. But everybody in my high school wasn't cool... They were all about rap music and crap...
I kind of miss those days when quality entertainment on the internet had just lost its niche status but was still sparse enough for only a small amount of things to become popular. That way, everyone would know the big stuff. That was also during the time where the neighborhood kids would still go outside and play around, so these things spread through literal word of mouth. You'd be hangin' out with the boys and one guy goes "DUDE, YOU GOTTA SEE THIS VIDEO" and they all run to his house and watch it through the dial-up connection until their land line gets a phone call.
That sounds amazing
This still lives rent free in my head in 2023
Strong Bad makes a techno song entirely in acapella. That's impressive.
hey, i see you everywhere
@@berrypepperroni7708 I get what you're saying. But I not literally everywhere on RUclips. There are certain parts of RUclips I dare not go.
@@Cyberbrickmaster1986 true. i mainly see you in the HSR and lego island fandoms
@@berrypepperroni7708 Well, I am a fan of classic Lego video games and Lego in general. I've even signed up to the Rock Raiders United community website.
I still get weird looks at work when an email comes in and say “it’s the email the email what what the email”
Still totally worth it.
In my head I'm like "and every week I hope it's from a female"
haha yes! I say it all the time
I do this to this day😹
Its the email baby lunch juicw
My god it's been over a decade since I've seen this.
GT6SuzukaTimeTrials Way too long.
+GT6SuzukaTimeTrials wait its 2015 and this was in 2009 so isnt it more like half a decade not trying to be picky just pointing it out
firelion sc This goes way further back than 2009. I distinctly recall seeing this around the year 2003 or 2004.
+firelion sc It was online on Homestar Runner quite a while before 2009. RUclips isnt the only source.
+firelionsc The website goes back to around 2000. This email episode is at least 15 years old. Lol.
It's 2020 and I'm checking in. Oh man the nostalgia.
I needed this,
2022 here..
Started singing it while outside and had to go back to the source. 2023 reporting in.
Today is the perfect day for this song.
I’m here today too buddy.
same here
That holds true every day.
Here specifically because of Crowdstrike
Funny, I just rewatched this oldie last night, not knowing what was coming today
This song brought me and my husband together. Been married for almost 8 years now. :D
Just introduced my daughters to this gem. They loved it and now we must have a glow stick rave to celebrate!
I love that strongbad has gone intergenerational. That's the true test.
Just introduced mine as well!!
after that are you going to teach them to draw a dragon?
Did you teach them about how to properly roll on molly at the rave?
i got into this masterpiece last week....i'm 14....and i like homestar runner
"I heard they have to pump your stomach when you drink that stuff."
That kills me every time. XD
This video birthed my love for techno way back when I was 12 years old
I love techno now but I didn’t know what it was back then. Maybe it started something with me too
Remember those old arguments on Homestar Runner Wiki over whether or not Silent J was a "clever" reference to Jay and Silent Bob or not?
it had nothing to do with jay and silent bob. It's short for Silent Juggalo
Oh, that is clever.
I mean, it's pretty obvious that's what it is referring to.
I didn't know Juggalos could be silent
@@jameshamaker9321 ruclips.net/video/ulGaxBPk2jI/видео.html
Years ago, I heard this very song in some Mario 64 blooper video. Years later, I started watching Homestar Runner. Then I remembered the song. "Hey, now that I think about it, that singer kinda sounded like Strong Bad", I thought. "Didn't Mario say it was 'strong bad music' or something?" So I looked it up, and here I am. Hello.
BountyBeast I REMEMBER THAT! On Fleskjherta's channel! It was like... X5 Super Mario Death's or something... I'm glad someone else remembers lol.
That video is the only reason I know about Strong Bad emails 😂 I should be grateful
GlassBoxofDeath lmfaooo yeah I would always laugh when this came on on Fleskhjerta’s blooper videos, him, ShadowMario64 and Megaman765 were the best in 2007
found it ruclips.net/video/fgmFBIY1-zs/видео.html
OMG XD ME TOO THAT'S HOW I FOUND IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!
His techno is going to be stuck in my head for hours now.
Try years man
blkdraco2 years maybe
Yup, you meant years
It's been in mine for a over a decade now mate Goodluck
i don't care what anyone says. I still love and miss this "show". in college everyone made fun of me for watching it but damnit, it's good wholesome fun. maybe their attitudes need a little burnination. thnickaman. sweet cuppin cakes. random nonsense! come back home star, I miss you!
oh yes
August West YUS PLEZ
Who cares what people thought of you for watching it; enjoy whatever you want without shame! Nobody has any right to judge you.
Sounds like whoever you hung with in college were lame, all my college buddies were massively in this show, glad to see it's now on RUclips, expose a whole new generation to the greatness!
EH! STEVE!
The fact that this is:
Old and nostalgic
100% accurate
and funny
makes this one of the best videos on RUclips.
Finally found it. Song's been living rent-free in my head for a while.
I love Strong Bad’s inflection at the end talking about pumping stomachs
OMG! I was today years old when I found out that they put Homestar Runner on RUclips! College memories right here!! We lived in the best of times of the internet when this came out 👏🏽😍
From the golden days of teh interwebz. My generation gets to be the first one in the nursing homes reminiscing about flash techno videos.
This is how you know this series was special, after 12 years this techno beat is still drilled into my head. The system is down.
Still reference this and imitate it to this day since seeing first time. My kids are so confused :-)
That is part of your job as a parent, to make your kids confused. This is doubly true if you are a father.
I also make the sounds. Also, meddeleee meedelee meedelleeee
It’s your duty as a parent to show them what the reference is so they can grow up cultured
They are playing this at Facebook right now.
It's just Strongbad stuffing a swiss role into the circuits at Facebook HQ
I remember listening to this back in the EARLY 2000's, and just had to find it today for the laughs to share with someone.
LOL! I went clicking on the screen to find a hidden link... forgetting I was on RUclips. haha
Holy shit that comment was 9 years ago
To this day whenever someone flicks the lights I pull out my best Strong Bad "The Cheat is grounded!"
Best line ever from strongbad
two comments two years apart, do you still ground the cheat?
this was my childhood xD i was like, 7 when i first saw it, and i fell in love with techno ever since
So cool to see how Strong Bad’s response to my email affected so many lives!
Every damn time something goes down I start singing this....all these years later. It's the ultimate stuck in your head tune.
0:58, STRONG BAD: The Cheat is grounded! We had that lightswitch installed for you so you could turn the lights on and off; not so you could throw lightswitch raves! Now let's go break open that glowstick and pour it into Homestar Runner's Mountain Dew. I heard they have to pump your stomach when you drink that stuff.
He punishes the cheat hahaha
That is my son silent J 😊 What great memories. It’s great to still see this on RUclips after all these years.
Elaborate?
Strong Bad's techno song has hit one million times!!!
Such a gem
Who dropped the cheese doodles?
Who dropped the cheese doodles?
Who dropped the cheese doodles?
Who dropped the cheese doodles?
😆
Someone dropped the cheese doodles!? I'll kill 'em!
No
James Hamaker
I thought that comment said, "He eats the cormorant".
The system is down.
The system is down.
The system is down.
The system is down.
I remember when "The Cheat is Grounded" became a running gag with my family.
The 59 dislikes are grounded.
whAt dISlIkEs
I just got an email that our system is down, and I immediately started singing this song.
did you throw a light switch rave in front of your colleagues?
@@berrypepperroni7708 not yet 🤣
Whenever I go out to drink this starts playing in my head.
Given today's events, my brain reminds me of song today 😂
Still gold after over ten years.
I have looked for this specific video for about 5+ years. I remember when these were on my iPod. I love these
I can speak from experience when I say you don't NEED to get your stomach pumped when consuming glowstick liquid
Did it show you da wei?
XD
@@N3bu14Gr4y shut up
Hope you took a piss with the lights out!
I think you misunderstood him, He was talking about Homestar's Mt Dew, not the glowstick liquid.
Before RUclips there was home star runner. Every week I was so excited win the new strong bad email came out
I still love this email, it's my all time fav, and still cracks me up till this day. I love techno, and sadly it's mostly true, lol.
I worked at a comic shop in the early 00s, and we were all big techno fans. For a time, some of my coworkers and some former employees ran a small production company that threw raves, and playing this at some point in the night, usually to kick things off, was obligatory; it was their calling card.
This is probably still my favorite SB E-mail.
TROGDOOOOOOOOR!
Thanks for the memories 💕
Lying in bed. Phone light is on. Wife yells from the hall “What the hell are you doing in there?” I respond by shaking the light around and saying “THE SYSTEM IS DOWN THE SYSTEM IS DOWN”. It is 2024. This has been part of our vernacular for twenty years.
I was just going through work emails and this came out of my mouth.
This is Facebook now.
Omg I remember this in high school/college. Still cracks me up 15 years later.
I used to randomly call people at work from other peoples phones playing this and then just hang up and listen to them call back my poor co workers who had no idea what the hell was going on.... Good times.. Good times.
Strong Bad actually compliments someone's name for once. This never happens
Still better than Skrillex
Better than deadmau5
Lol yup.
Still better then mainstream.
I hear Skrillex is coming out with a new album just called,
"BWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOWOWOWOWOWOW!"
james hamaker it's a joke dude
Watched this for the first time in maybe 16 years. Had to be in junior high when I was into this. For whatever reason, I was obsessed with this video.
This is one of the first sbemails i saw. It's still as hillarious as ever!
Coming up on 20 years and I still quote this regularly.
an aws outage again and here we go
This is my ringtone on my phone and I either get looks of confusion or appreciation. IYKYK
I can do every part but the "siren". Matt Chapman is a rare talent.
BROTHERS CHAPS FOREVER!!!!1!
look up a song called 'Invaders Must Die'. It perfectly fits S.B.'s description of a techno song.
Another song that bears resemblance to this email is "Break the System" by Sentience.
Yeah, jayztwocents referenced this, and triggered a memory, and now here I am. Re-watching, and commenting.
Yay, a fellow J2C subscriber! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who felt old and had to come back here and watch this haha.
What video!?
Nostalgia! I haven't seen these in forever!
The system is down.
doodoodadoodada doodadoodoodada
LOL, why did I stop watching these.
This will never get old
The Cheat get's to display his natural passion
Always and forever a fan
So that’s where the rave music came from in the Telltale games
I still love it. Whenever i open outlook now i sing "the email the email, wop wop the email". I miss Strongbad
Again, best Video. I will never get bored of it :D
here because cloudstrike is causing computer problems worldwide in 2024
im glad my dad showed me this channel
Your dad is a legend.
I still regularly throw lightswitch raves.
Greatest of all time.
holy it's been 11 years...
oH MY GAWD I JUST REMEMBERED THIS. My dad showed me this year's ago.
I now discipline my friends kids when they do something they shouldn't like grab a cookie off the table by telling them The Cheat is Grrrrounded ( in my best Strongbad voice)
Perfect day for this song.
lmao my band director made this into a drumline kadence XD
To this day still one of my favorites!
When you realise the game Paladins makes a reference to this very video
Ah yes... the days of Flash animation...
Well shit, that was one huge DDoS o.e
I LOVE THIS ONE!!!!!!!!! it was the first strong bad i ever watched
I remember this was my very first exposure to Homestar Runner, and back in the day, I just didn't find this funny. It seemed like some fad, some viral video that just got popular because it got popular. Now, I love Homestar and looking back, this is a really solid SBemail, even if it is on the shorter side like all the early emails were. Man, Homestar is a treasure, so keep on tranglin', Brothers Chaps.
Techno has never recovered from this, tbh
Ten years since this has been ON RUclips.... aghhhh
I texted a buddy, "the system is down". He replied, "what is?". This video will save him, glad I found it.
The Cheat is grounded! We had that light switch installed so you could turn it off and on, not so you could have light switch raves.
My only claim to fame is that my brother is the one who sent this email in and we're still shocked it did lmfao
What! That’s amazing. I would love to know what the reaction to discovering this was like.
the system is down.
DOO DOO DOO DADODO
0:34 Party!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!