Sarah couldn’t be there that night, but she hosted another tribute show a few days later at Largo, where she discovered you nine years before. Chelsea Peretti did a set straight from the depths of her soul. You seemed to drive her bananas, but she clearly loved you. (I think this is how most people who loved you felt.) Also, Jon Brion played. Jon Brion, Harris! You would have died. Again. Ha.
Sarah posted this series of tweets the night you died:
Did you know she felt this way? That she loved you so much? She truly loved you. Sometimes, I scroll through Instagram and see a photo she’s posted of you and her together, and it disorients me every time—like you two had been hanging out that day and took the photo then. But then I see lots of comments with multicolored heart and teardrop emojis and have to re-remember that you didn’t.
Most of the Parks and Rec actors and writing staff got on stage to share their favorite Harris stories. There were dozens and dozens of them. They must’ve talked about you for close to an hour. Everyone had something to say. Most of the ladies’ memories involved a marriage proposal from you to them. Amy Poehler looked right at Mom and thanked her directly for the gift of you. Mike Schur explained that you had “many passions. Most of them were pointless garbage.” Then he and Joe Mande, another writer on the show, acted out a series of texts between you and Mike over the years, many of which related to Phish (pointless garbage) and many of which were completely ignored by Mike. Some favorites included:
OCTOBER 26, 2012
Harris: Dude sick Tweezer from Halloween 1990 show on XM 29. Then amazing segue from Foam into Fee, prob my fave set from pre-Rift era.
Mike: [silence]
Harris: Welp, take ’er easy!
JULY 8, 2013
Harris: Phish opened set two with “Energy” by Apples in Stereo. You like those guys, right? I’d never heard the song but it was enjoyable.
Mike: Get back to work.
Harris: Was this one of the most important texts you have ever received?
Mike: No.
DECEMBER 29, 2013
Harris: I’m backstage at Phish and all of Mike Gordon’s family is raving about Parks and Rec to me. So I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart. Do you want me to request Sample in a Jar for you?
Mike: Glad for you. I kind of think we should ask Phish to be on the show, for the Unity Concert episode. They seem like they’d be into it.
Harris: The good news is I kiiiiinda maybe already floated it by their manager. He’s into it.
Mike: So the “good news” is that you unilaterally acted on the show’s behalf and made a major production decision for what might be the series finale?
Harris: That is correct, yes.
Mike: Oh Harris. Don’t ever change.
Harris: Love ya bud!
May 5, 2014
Harris: Yawn, second time as the answer to a Jeopardy clue, no biggie.
Mike: [silence]
MAY 14, 2014
Harris: Just realized that Dr. Saperstein is the name of the OB-GYN in both our show and Rosemary’s baby. Coincidence?
Mike: [silence]
May 20, 2014
Harris: Listen, you’re better at symbolism and metaphor than I am. I’ll give you a mountain bike if you watch the new Jake Gyllenhaal movie on demand and explain to me. It’s called Enemy.
Mike: [silence]
May 23, 2014
Harris: Horny?
Mike: I desperately hope this wasn’t meant for me and was sent accidentally.
Harris: Nope. 100% for you, friend. I was trying to build up as many unresponded-to texts as possible to show people at lunch next week cause it was getting funny to me.
JULY 18, 2014
Harris: I couldn’t come in today because of butthole stuff. Went to a doctor. Just keepin’ it trill with you.
Mike: “Butthole stuff?”
Harris: If you want me to get technical with you I can…
How did you keep a job? Mike was your boss. Truly astounding.
Matt Besser, one of the UCB co-founders, got up and read an incensed email from an audience member who had been deeply offended by “Badger’s Promise,” a weekly show that you and Armen used to do. The email-writer vowed to boycott the theater as a result. He hated it more than anything he had ever hated before in his entire life. Recounting the story brought a tremendous smile to Matt’s face.
At some point, someone got up and read a letter from Louis C.K. I honestly can’t remember who it was. Pieces of the night are blurry. Regardless, it was intense and sad and beautiful:
Harris was a rare guy. He cared so much about his work and about comedy in general. He was a kind and wise kid. That’s how I thought of him. A sweet, fucked-up kid. Always a little unshaven, always a bit of pervert in his smile, but such a decent chap, and he cared compulsively about you when he talked to you. I think he was so in touch with his own flaws and fears that he had sympathy for everyone.
I worried about him all the time. I didn’t know if he had his shit together. I knew he felt too big in all directions. I knew life broke his heart every day. You could see that. I had lost touch with him in the last few years which I really regret now.
I had no idea he struggled so much with heroin. I have lost too many friends to heroin. I hate it. It makes me mad. But when I heard Harris was gone… What a horrible shock.
Two weeks after you died, you were supposed to start shooting Master of None. Eric Wareheim ended up playing the role, which was based on you and originally named Harris. However, in true Hollywood fashion, you had to screen test to play yourself, which caused a fair amount of anxiety and stress. What if you didn’t get the
