The REAL Story Behind "Drinking Out of Cups"

Recap

The video revisits “Drinking Out of Cups,” the bizarre old-school YouTube clip of a smug lizard delivering a rambling monologue—including the immortal line, “Not my chair, not my problem.” The narrator recalls how videos like this once spread by word of mouth and how he first heard the familiar rumor that the rant was recorded while someone was tripping on LSD in a closet.

That story was false. In 2009, musician Dan Deacon said publicly that he created the monologue while sober, recording himself reacting to a TV playing with the sound off. He was performing a character inspired by Long Island culture, and the piece began as a school project before appearing on his 2003 album Meetle Mice. Deacon specifically denied taking acid, being locked in a closet, or being secretly recorded.

The lizard presentation came later, when musician and director Liam Lynch approached Deacon about making a short video for the track. The narrator jokes that a smug lizard somehow suits the rant’s Long Island attitude. The clip became a YouTube classic, even as the LSD rumor continued to circulate long after Deacon had set the record straight.

The narrator admits the real story was a little disappointing compared with the wild legend, but says the video remains memorable for its strangeness, comedy, and place in early YouTube history.

People Mentioned

• WavyWebSurf — The narrator
• Dan Deacon — Creator and performer of the monologue
• Liam Lynch — Musician and director who helped turn it into a video
• Kelly — The narrator’s coworker, who suggested discussing the video
• The lizard character — The animated face of the rant