You know those couples that are together throughout high school or college and then break up after graduation only to reconnect a decade later and get married?

Okay, now imagine that, but as a comedically-styled singing duo.

Chris Hardwick and Mike Phirman met while attending UCLA in the mid-90s, bonding over a shared love of nerd culture and comedy. They teamed up to perform together for three years, broke up for seven (if you’re of a particular age, you’ll remember Hardwick from his hosting of shows on MTV during this time), and then reunited again in 2004 as Hard ‘n Phirm (when the universe offers you a portmanteau like that, you take it), a kind of quirky Hall ‘n Oates but with less blue-eyed soul and more references to dinosaurs and ducks.

In 2005, the duo released their first, and to date only, album, titled Horses And Grasses. Not only is the album musically diverse — touching on everything from country, to funk, to polka — but it’s also educational, with songs about “The Carbon Cycle,” the lengthy number known as “Pi,” and the fraternal order of the “Moose Lodge.”

Hard ‘n Phirm first gained widespread attention, however, with a song called “Rodeohead,” a giant medley of 19 bits and pieces from Radiohead’s catalog …. but done as bluegrass. Legendary UK radio DJ John Peel was a fan, and the song proved very popular on Napster-style file-sharing sites back when that was the method by which music went viral.

Alas, in 2009, the partners once again rode off into opposite sunsets. But worry not, everything’s in its right place, God loves his children. Ten-four.

Okay, I love the medley, but Hard ‘n Phirm’s originals deserve a listen. Here’s the opening track from the album: