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WebBo's transcripts on Scraps From The Loft. Copyright 2021 NPR. "The poioumenon is calculated to offer opportunities to explore the boundaries of fiction and reality the limits of narrative truth," Fowler wrote in his book "A History of English Literature.". Anyone can read what you share. I've been singing that song for about a week NOW. Might not help but still it couldn't hurt. This special spoke to me closer and clearer than Ive ever felt with another person. Even when confronted with works that criticize parasocial attachment, its difficult for fans not to feel emotionally connected to performers they admire. At the second level of the reaction video, Burnham says: "I'm being a little pretentious. Bo Burnham He puts himself on a cross using his projector, and the whole video is him exercising, like he's training for when he's inevitably "canceled.". Bo Burnham An ethereal voice (which is really just Burnham's own voice with effects over it) responds to Burnham's question while a bright light suddenly shines on his face, as if he's receiving a message from God. His 2014 song Repeat Stuff and its music video parodies how boy bands and other corporately-owned pop stars prey on young fans desire to feel loved by writing songs with lyrics vague enough anyone can feel like it was written specifically about them. Entertainment correspondent Kim Renfro ranked them in ascending order of greatness. He says his goal had been to complete filming before his 30th birthday. Open wide.. See our full breakdown of every detail and reference you might have missed in "Inside" here. MARTIN: This special is titled, appropriately enough, "Inside," and it is streaming on Netflix now. Bo Burnham Under the movies section, there's a bubble that says "sequel to classic comedy that everyone watches and then pretends never happened" and "Thor's comebacks.". It's just Burnham, his room, the depressive-sound of his song, and us watching as his distorted voice tries to convince us to join him in that darkness. MARTIN: So a lot of us, you know, artists, journalists have been trying to describe what this period has been like, what has it meant, what's been going on with us. The hustle to be a working artist usually means delivering an unending churn of content curated specifically for the demands of an audience that can tell you directly why they are upset with you because they did not actually like the content you gave them, and then they can take away some of your revenue for it. After more sung repetitions of get your fuckin hands up, Burnham says, Get up. "If greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current rate, then when the clock runs out, the average global temperature will be irreversibly on its way to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels.". Bo Burnham's Netflix Special, 'Inside So this is how it ends. I cant say how Burnham thinks or feels with any authority, but as text and form-driven comedy, Inside urges the audience to reflect on how they interact with creators. And he's done virtually no press about it. At the start of the special, Burnham sings "Content," setting the stage for his musical-comedy. And if you go back and you look at a film like "Eighth Grade," he's always been really consumed by sort of the positive and the negative of social media and the internet and the life of of young kids. Please check your email to find a confirmation email, and follow the steps to confirm your humanity. Well, well, buddy you found it, now come out with your hands up we've got you surrounded.". We see Burnham moving around in the daylight, a welcome contrast to the dark setting of "All Eyes on Me." ", "I do not think my intention was homophobic, but what is the implicit comedy of that song if you chase it all the way down? Bo Burnham: Inside In a giddy homage to Cabaret, Burnham, in sunglasses, plays the M.C. A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio (John Boyega, Jamie Foxx and Teyonah Parris) onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy. The label of parasocial relationship is meant to be neutral, being as natural and normal and, frankly, inescapable as familial or platonic relationships. According to a May 2021 Slate article, the piece was filmed at Bo Burnhams Los Angeles guest housethe same room used for June 2016s Are You Happy? and the closing shots of the Make Happy special. Though it does have a twist. Its called INSIDE, and it will undoubtedly strike your hearts forevermore. Burnham slaps his leg in frustration and eventually gives a mirthless laugh before he starts slamming objects around him. And it's important to remember, you know, this is a piece of theater. Yes, Bo Burnham posted a trailer via Twitter on April 28, 2021. He's freely admitting that self-awareness isn't enough while also clearly unable to move away from that self-aware comedic space he so brilliantly holds. I actually felt true mutual empathy with someone for the first time, and with someone Ive never even met, its kinda funny.. "And so, today, I'm gonna try just getting up, sitting down, going back to work. Bo Burnham ", When asked about the inspiration for the song, like if people he knew thought he was gay, Burnham said, "A lot of my close friends were gay, and, you know, I wasn't certain I wasn't at that point.". "And I spent that time trying to improve myself mentally. BURNHAM: (Singing) Does anybody want to joke when no one's laughing in the background? Bo Burnham "Healing the world with comedy, the indescribable power of your comedy," the voice sings. Thought modern humans have been around for much longer than 20,000 years, that's around how long ago people first migrated to North America. Coined in 1956 by researchers Donald Horton and Richard Wohl, the term initially was used to analyze relationships between news anchors who spoke directly to the audience and that audience itself. During that taping, Burnham said his favorite comic at the time was Hans Teeuwen, a "Dutch absurdist," who has a routine with a sock puppet that eats a candy bar as Teeuwen sings. Bo Burnham; former YouTuber, iconic Viner, and acclaimed stand-up comedian has recently released a new Netflix special. He tries to talk into the microphone, giving his audience a one-year update. Now get inside.". The question is now, Will you support Wheat Thins in the fight against Lyme disease?). Back in 2010, Burnham appeared on Showtime's "The Green Room," a comics round table hosted by Paul Provenza. You know, as silly as that one is, some of the other ones are more sedate. But the cultural standards of what is appropriate comedy and also the inner standards of my own mind have changed rapidly since I was 16. I feel very close and intimate with him in this version. Poioumenon (from the Greek word for "product") is a term created by author Alastair Fowler and usually used to refer to a kind of metafiction. Burnham starts spiraling in a mental health crisis, mentioning suicidal ideation after lamenting his advance into his 30s. The arrogance is taught or it was cultivated. True, but it can deepen and clarify art. LINDA HOLMES, BYLINE: Thank you, Michel. that shows this exact meta style. It's a hint at the promised future; the possibility of once again being able to go outside and feel sunlight again. While he's laying in bed, eyes about the close, the screen shows a flash of an open door. Bo Burnham Still terrified of that spotlight? "This show is called 'what.,' and I hope there are some surprises for you," he says as he goes to set down the water bottle. He also costarred in the Oscar-winning movie "Promising Young Woman," filmed in 2019. Down to the second, the clock changes to midnight exactly halfway through the runtime of "Inside.". At just 20 years old, Burnham was a guest alongside Judd Apatow, Marc Maron, Ray Romano, and Garry Shandling. You know, I was not, you know, I was alone, but I was not trapped in one room. But then, just as Burnham is vowing to always stay inside, and lamenting that he'll be "fully irrelevant and totally broken" in the future, the spotlight turns on him and he's completely naked. By inserting that Twitch character in this earlier scene, Burnham was seemingly giving a peek into his daily routine. Some of this comes through in how scenes are shot and framed: its common for the special to be filmed, projected onto Burnhams wall (or, literally, himself), and then filmed again for the audience. Burnham says he had quit live comedy several years ago because of panic attacks and returned in January 2020 before, as he puts it in typical perverse irony, the funniest thing happened.. Also, Burnham's air conditioner is set to precisely 69 degrees throughout this whole faux music video. And notably, Burnhams work focuses on parasocial relationships not from the perspective of the audience, but the perspective of the performer.Inside depicts how being a creator can feel: you are a cult leader, you are holding your audience hostage, your audience is holding you hostage, you are your audience, your audience can never be you, you need your audience, and you need to escape your audience. Underneath the Steve Martin-like formal trickery has always beaten the heaving heart of a flamboyantly dramatic theater kid. In the same way that earlier vocal distortion represented God, the effect on his voice in "All Eyes on Me" seems to signal some omniscient force outside of Burnham. Inside has been making waves for comedy fans, similar to the ways previous landmark comedy specials like Hannah Gadsbys Nanette or Tig Notaros Live (aka Hello, I Have Cancer) have. On the simplest level, Inside is the story of a comic struggling to make a funny show during quarantine and gradually losing his mind. 20. It's a reminder, coming almost exactly halfway through the special, of the toll that this year is taking on Burnham. MARTIN: So as you can hear in that bit, he sounds something like other comedic songwriters who do these kind of parody or comedy songs, whether it's Tom Lehrer, Weird Al or whoever. In another scene, Burnham gives a retroactive disclaimer to discussions of his suicidal ideation by telling the audience, And if youre out there and youre struggling with suicidal thoughts and you want to kill yourself, I just wanna tell you Dont! Look Whos Inside Again is largely a song about being creative during quarantine, but ends with Now come out with your hands up, weve got you surrounded, a reflection on police violence but also being mobbed by his fans. Initially, this seems like a pretty standard takedown of the basic bitch stereotype co-opted from Black Twitter, until the aspect ratio widens and Burnham sings a shockingly personal, emotional caption from the same feed. Burnham says he had quit live comedy several years ago because of panic attacks and returned in January 2020 before, as he puts it in typical perverse irony, the funniest thing happened. Linda Holmes, welcome. Most sources discuss fictional characters, news anchors, childrens show hosts, or celebrity culture as a whole. He's also giving us a visual representation of the way social media feeds can jarringly swing between shallow photos and emotional posts about trauma and loss. Bo Burnham The tension between creator and audience is a prominent theme in Burnhams work, likely because he got his start on YouTube. I mean, honestly, he's saying a lot right there. Im talking to you. "The quiet comprehending of the ending of it all," is another of Burnham's lyrics in this song that seems to speak to the idea that civilization is nearing collapse, and also touches on suicidal ideation. Exploring mental health decline over 2020, the constant challenges our world faces, and the struggles of life itself, Bo Burnham creates a wonderful masterpiece to explain each of these, both from general view and personal experience. (The question is no longer, Do you want to buy Wheat Thins?, for example. Burnham had no idea that his song would be seen more than 10 million times,nor that it would kick start his career in a niche brand of self-aware musical comedy. Please enter a valid email and try again. Oops. Netflix It has extended versions of songs, cut songs, and alternate versions of songs that were eventually deleted; but is mainly comprised of outtakes. Who Were We Running From? Inside (2021) opens with Bo Burnham sitting alone in a room singing what will be the first of many musical comedy numbers, Content. In the song, Burnham expresses, Roberts been a little depressed ii. And finally today, like many of us, writer, comedian and filmmaker Bo Burnham found himself isolated for much of last year - home alone, growing a beard, trying his best to stay sane. The global pandemic and subsequent lockdown orders of March 2020 put a stop to these plans. Hes been addressing us the entire time. It's an emergence from the darkness. With electro-pop social commentary, bleak humour and sock-puppet debates, the comics lockdown creation is astonishing. There's no more time left to add to the camera's clock. See our analysis of the end of the special, and why Burnham's analogy for depression works so well. And the very format of it, as I said, it's very much this kind of sinister figure trying to get you interested. Now we've come full circle from the start of the special, when Burnham sang about how he's been depressed and decided to try just getting up, sitting down, and going back to work. WebA Girl and an Astronaut. Likewise, the finale of Burnhams next special, Make Happy (2016) closes in a song called Handle This (Kanye Rant). The song starts as him venting his hyperbolically small problems, until the tone shifts, and he starts directly addressing the audience, singing: The truth is, my biggest problem is you / [. But then the video keeps playing, and so he winds up reacting to his own reaction, and then reacting yet again to that reaction. Inside takes topics discussed academically, analytically, and delivers them to a new audience through the form of a comedy special by a widely beloved performer. The second emotional jump scare comes when Burnham monologues about how he stopped performing live because he started having panic attacks on stage, which is not a great place to have them. The monologue increases that sense of intimacy; Burnham is letting the audience in on the state of his mental health even before the global pandemic. HOLMES: Right. All Eyes on Me takes a different approach to rattling the viewer. The result, a special titled "Inside," shows all of Burnham's brilliant instincts of parody and meta-commentary on the role of white, male entertainers in the world and of poisons found in internet culture that digital space that gave him a career and fostered a damaging anxiety disorder that led him to quit performing live comedy after 2015. Bo Burnham: Inside He was alone. Other than Fred Rogers, Bo Burnham is one of the most cited single individual creators when discussing parasocial relationships. One comment stuck out to me: Theres something really powerful and painful about, hearing his actual voice singing and breaking at certain points. See our analysis of the end of the special, and why Burnham's analogy for depression works so well. WebBo Burnham: Inside is a 2021 special written, directed, filmed, edited, and performed by American comedian Bo Burnham. Not only has his musical range expanded his pastiche of styles includes bebop, synth-pop and peppy show tunes Burnham, who once published a book of poems, has also become as meticulous and creative with his visual vocabulary as his language. Well, well, buddy you found it, now come out with your hands up we've got you surrounded.". He, for example, it starts off with him rhyming carpool karaoke, which is a segment on James Corden's show, with Steve Aoki, who's a DJ. The flow chat for "Is it funny?" When the song starts, the camera sitting in front of Burnham's mirror starts slowing zooming in, making the screen darker and darker until you (the audience member at home) are sitting in front of the black mirror of your screen. The piece also highlights Bos anxieties with becoming older and his legacy as a comedian. TikTok creator @TheWoodMother made a video about how Burnham's "Inside" is its own poioumenon thanks to the meta scenes of Burnham setting up lights and cameras, not to mention the musical numbers like "Content" and "Comedy" that all help to tell the story of Burnham making this new special. Burnham reacts to his reaction to his reaction to his reaction, focusing so intently on his body and image that he panics, stops the videoand then smiles at his audience, thanking them for watching. Now Burnham is showing us the clutter of the room, where he's almost claustrophobically surrounded by equipment. For the song "Comedy," Burnham adopts a persona adjacent to his real life self a white male comedian who is driven to try and help make the world a better place. Using cinematic tools other comics overlook, the star (who is also the director, editor and cameraman) trains a glaring spotlight on internet life mid-pandemic. It's as if Burnham knows there are valid criticisms of him that haven't really stuck in the public discourse around his work. I don't think it's perfectly morally defendable.". Bo Burnham Performing "Make Happy" was mentally taxing on Burnham. But Burnham is of course the writer, director, editor, and star of this show. But, of course, it tangles that right back up; this emotional post was, ultimately, still Content. During the last 15 minutes of "Make Happy," Burnham turns the comedy switch down a bit and begins talking to the audience about how his comedy is almost always about performing itself because he thinks people are, at all times, doing a "performance" for one another. Now get inside.". Inside is a tricky work that for all its boundary-crossing remains in the end a comedy in the spirit of neurotic, self-loathing stand-up. Instead, thanks to his ultra-self-aware style, he seems to always get ahead of criticism by holding himself accountable first. An existential dread creeps in, but Burnham's depression-voice tells us not to worry and sink into nihilism. The structured movements of the last hour and half fall away as Burnham snaps at the audience: "Get up. The clearest inspiration is Merle Traviss 16 Tons, a song about the unethical working conditions of coal miners also used in weird Tom Hanks film Joe vs. Burnhams eyes are sharply in focus; the rest of him faded out subtly, a detail you might not even notice with how striking his eyes are. Trying to grant his dying father's wish, a son discovers an epic love story buried in his family's distant past. At first hearing, this is a simple set of lyrics about the way kids deal with struggles throughout adolescence, particularly things like anxiety and depression. When you're a kid and you're stuck in your room, you'll do any old s--- to get out of it.". Bo Burnhams 2021 special, Inside. The album peaked at #7 on the Billboard 200 chart, #1 on the Comedy Albums chart, and #18 on the Independent Albums chart. The aesthetic telegraphs authenticity and vulnerability, but the specials stunning final shots reveal the misdirection at work, encouraging skepticism of the performativity of such realism. Still terrified of that spotlight? "), Burnham sang a parody song called "Sad" about, well, all the sad stuff in the world. While sifting through fan reactions to Inside, the YouTube algorithm suggested I watch a fan-made video that pitch corrects All Eyes on Me to Burnhams actual voice. He uploaded it to YouTube, a then barely-known website that offered an easy way for people to share videos, so he could send it to his brother. It's an instinct that I have where I need everything that I write to have some deeper meaning or something, but it's a stupid song and it doesn't really mean anything, and it's pretty unlikable that I feel this desperate need to be seen as intelligent.". The song, written in 2006, is about how his whole family thinks he's gay, and the various conversations they're having trying to figure it out. He tries to talk into the microphone, giving his audience a one-year update. But look, I made you some content. Viewer discretion is advised. Inside is the work of a comic with artistic tools most of his peers ignore or overlook. His new Netflix special Inside was directed, written and performed all inside one room. A Detailed Breakdown of How Bo Burnham He brushes his teeth, eats a bowl of cereal, and begins editing his videos. And the biggest risk Burnham takes in the show is letting his emotional side loose, but not before cracking a ton of jokes. And its easier to relax when the video focuses on a separate take of Burnham singing from farther away, the frame now showing the entire room. Whatever it is, NPR's Linda Holmes, host of Pop Culture Happy Hour, has reviewed it, and she liked it. He brushes his teeth, eats a bowl of cereal, and begins editing his videos. "Inside" feels like the creative culmination of Bo Burnham's career over the last 15 years, starting with his first viral YouTube video in 2006. And while its an ominous portrait of the isolation of the pandemic, theres hope in its existence: Written, designed and shot by Burnham over the last year inside a single room, it illustrates that theres no greater inspiration than limitations. The special was nominated for six Emmy Awards in 2021, of which it won three: Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special, Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special, and Outstanding Music Direction. The penultimate song "All Eyes on Me" makes for a particularly powerful moment. He's almost claustrophobically surrounded by equipment. That cloud scene was projected onto Burnham during the section of "Comedy" when Burnham stood up right after the God-like voice had given him his directive to "heal the world with comedy." Went out to look for a reason to hide again. Its an origin story of sorts. Review: Bo Burnham's 'Inside Burnham is also the main character in the game, a character who is seen moving mechanically around a room. Bo Burnham: Inside Then comes the third emotional jump scare. And I think that's what you're getting here. Like he's parodying white people who think that by crucifying themselves first they're somehow freed from the consequences of their actions. While platforms like Patreon mean creators can make their own works independently without studio influence, they also mean that the creator is directly beholden to their audience. Finally doing basic care tasks for yourself like eating breakfast and starting work in the morning. I did! But by using this meta-narrative throughout the whole special, Burnham messes with our ability to know when we're seeing a genuine struggle with artistic expression versus a meticulously staged fictional breakdown. For all the ways Burnham had been desperate to leave the confines of his studio, now that he's able to go back out into the world (and onto a real stage), he's terrified. '", "Robert's been a little depressed, no!" If "All Eyes on Me" sounds disconcertingly comforting to you, it could be because you can recognize the mental symptoms of a mood disorder like depression. Sitting in the meeting room, not making a sound becomes the perceived 24/7 access fans have to DM you, reply to you, ask you questions. Thank you so much for joining us. Most of the comments talk about how visceral it is to hear Burnhams real voice singing the upsetting lyrics.