Satan: I'm Your Big Fan (Tenacious D)

The red horned one and the man in black

The picture has two figures. On the left is a man with dark shoulder-length hair in a black T-shirt, hands on his hips and a scowl on his face; this is Jack Black. On the right is a red character with long curled horns, a pointed ear, and a little gray beard; his body is painted red, and one arm is raised as if he is explaining something with feeling. Behind them is a dark panel that looks like a wall of speakers.

The content of the frame is simple: the devil stands beside the hero and addresses him. Everything else gets its meaning from the caption.

The film it comes from

The source is the 2006 comedy The Pick of Destiny, in which Jack Black and Kyle Gass play themselves, members of the rock duo Tenacious D. The devil in the film is played by Dave Grohl. The line is delivered as: 'Well, I just want to say that I'm your big fan.'

According to descriptions, the frame is taken from a behind-the-scenes video about the film, which appeared on YouTube on September 23, 2017. This explains the look of the picture: the background resembles a studio rather than a movie shot.

Summer 2020: from one post to a trend

The picture circulated online before, but the explosive growth came in summer 2020. According to descriptions, on June 21, 2020 a Reddit user posted it as a reaction, and the post gathered more than twenty-two thousand upvotes. By the end of June the template was being used humorously on various platforms.

The typical format: someone ends up in hell, and Satan tells him he is a big fan of his work, for example of the creator of an irritating commercial. Since then the meme has periodically returned as a reaction to strange or annoying behavior.

How the joke works

The devil traditionally symbolizes evil, and if even he admits to admiration, the person must have done something outstanding in a questionable sense. The joke is built as a compliment in reverse.

The caption usually describes the act at the top ('At the meeting I said, "let's discuss this in the chat"') and states the outcome: 'Satan: I just want to say that I'm your big fan.' Black in the frame looks displeased, and that adds an ironic note: the hero is not happy about the recognition.

Invented examples

'A coworker left a teaspoon inside a mug in the shared kitchen until Monday.' A small but telling bit of everyday nastiness, and the devil admires it.

'The person who put in earbuds and played a video with the sound off while boarding a plane.' The joke catches recognizable annoying behavior.

'Whoever hit "Reply All" on an email sent to five hundred addresses.' The absurd scale makes the phrase land.

'An author who puts spoilers in the title without a warning.' The caption aims the meme at one specific kind of behavior.

How to use the template

The best option is a short heading above the picture describing the act, and, if needed, Satan's line at the bottom. If the phrase is already recognizable, there is no need to add it.

Choose small, everyday offenses for captions: the smaller the act, the funnier the loud compliment from the devil. Avoid captions about real people and their personal circumstances: the picture is about an invented scene.