Theres always been a tension in his comedy between an ironic, smarty-pants cleverness and an often melodramatic point of view. While he's laying in bed, eyes about the close, the screen shows a flash of an open door. The arrogance is taught or it was cultivated. But Burnham is of course the writer, director, editor, and star of this show. 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. And it's important to remember, you know, this is a piece of theater. But what is it exactly - a concert, a comedy special? Many of his songs begin seriously, then shift into the joke, but this one doesnt. Instead of working his muscles at open mics or in improv, Burnham uploaded joke songs to the platform in 2006. And I don't think that I can handle this right now. I don't think it's perfectly morally defendable.". And did you have any favorites? You know, as silly as that one is, some of the other ones are more sedate. ", From then on, the narrative of "Inside" follows Burnham returning to his standard comedic style and singing various parody songs like "FaceTime with My Mom" and "White Woman's Instagram.". Its easy to see Unpaid Intern as one scene and the reaction videos as another, but in the lens of parasocial relationships, digital media, and workers rights, the song and the reactions work as an analysis for another sort of labor exploitation: content creation. Because there's also a little bit Bo Burnham the character in this almost. That quiet simplicity doesn't feel like a relief, but it is. Apathy's a tragedy, and boredom is a crime. All Eyes on Me also earned Bo his first Grammy win for Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 2022 Grammys. 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. Only he knows. It's not. The whole song ping pongs between Burnham's singing character describing a very surface-level, pleasant definition of the world functioning as a cohesive ecosystem and his puppet, Socko, saying that the truth is the world functions at a much darker level of power imbalance and oppression. On the other two sides of that question ("no" and "not sure") the flowchart asks if it could be "interpreted" as mean (if so, then it's "not funny") or if it "punches down.". "Truly, it's like, for a 16-year-old kid in 2006, it's not bad. He doesn't really bother with any kind of transitions. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. But the lyrics Burnham sings seem to imply that he wants to be held accountable for thoughtless and offensive jokes of his past: "Father please forgive me for I did not realize what I did, or that I'd live to regret it, times are changing and I'm getting old, are you gonna hold me accountable?". Well, well, buddy you found it, now come out with your hands up we've got you surrounded.". The song begins with a fade in from back, the shot painfully close to Burnhams face as he looks off to the side. How does one know if the joke punches down? This is when the musical numbers (and in-between skits) become much more grim. This special spoke to me closer and clearer than Ive ever felt with another person. But he meant to knock the water over, yeah yeah yeah, art is a lie nothing is real. Or was it an elaborate callback to his earlier work, planted for fans seeking evidence that art is lie? The flow chat for "Is it funny?" Comedian and filmmaker Bo Burnham used his time alone during the pandemic to create a one-man show. Then comes the third emotional jump scare. Hiding a mysterious past, a mother lives like a nameless fugitive with her daughter as they make hotels their home and see everyone else as a threat. Its a feat, the work of a gifted experimentalist whose craft has caught up to his talent. He is now back to where he was, making jokes alone in his room, an effort to escape his reality. 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. But it doesn't. The fun thing about this is he started writing it and recording it early on, so you get to see clips of him singing it both, you know, with the short hair and with the long hair - when he had just started this special and when he was finishing it. of the internet, welcoming everyone with a decadent menu of options while disco lights twirl. Now Burnham is showing us the clutter of the room, where he's almost claustrophobically surrounded by equipment. Bo Burnham's new Netflix comedy special "Inside" is jam-packed with references to his previous work. 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. He slaps his leg in frustration, and eventually gives a mirthless laugh before he starts slamming objects around him. His career evolved through YouTube, MTV, Vine, his movie "Eighth Grade," and now Netflix's "Inside." Transcript Comedian and filmmaker Bo Burnham used his time alone during the pandemic to create a one-man show. And then, of course, he had previous standup comedy specials. Burnham is especially aware as a creator constantly reflecting on his own life. But in recent years, theres been enough awareness of online behavior to see how parasocial relationships can have negative impacts on both the creator and the audience if left uninterrogated by both parties. Throughout the song and its accompanying visuals, Burnham is highlighting the "girlboss" aesthetic of many white women's Instagram accounts. A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio (John Boyega, Jamie Foxx and Teyonah Parris) onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy. Underneath the Steve Martin-like formal trickery has always beaten the heaving heart of a flamboyantly dramatic theater kid. As we explained in this breakdown of 31 details you might have missed in "Inside," Bo Burnham's newest special is a poioumenon a type of artistic work that tells the story of its own creation. The penultimate song, "All Eyes On Me," is the best in the whole special, in this writer's opinion. And the very format of it, as I said, it's very much this kind of sinister figure trying to get you interested. The voices of the characters eventually blend together to tell the live Burnham on stage, We think we know you.. Inside, a new Netflix special written, performed, directed, shot, and edited by comedian Bo Burnham, invokes and plays with many forms. When that future-Burnham appears, it's almost like a precursor to what he'll have shown us by the end of the special: That both he, and his audience, could never have known just how brutal the next year was about to be. Let's take a closer look at just a few of those bubbles, shall we? HOLMES: So before he was this celebrated filmmaker, Bo Burnham was himself a YouTube star. At the forefront of this shift has been Bo Burnham, one of YouTubes earliest stars, who went on to make his own innovative specials with satirical songs backed by theatrical lighting and disembodied voices. Throughout "Inside," there's a huge variety of light and background set-ups used, so it seems unlikely that this particular cloud-scape was just randomly chosen twice. When you're a kid and you're stuck in your room, you'll do any old s--- to get out of it.". MARTIN: You know, about that, because it does move into a deeply serious place at some point. WebA biotech genius tries to bounce back from the depths of grief with help from his son, who works to escape his dads shadow and save the family business. Netflix. And he's done virtually no press about it. Simply smiling at the irony of watching his own movie come to life while he's still inside? Its an origin story of sorts. In this time-jumping dramedy, a workaholic who's always in a rush now wants life to slow down when he finds himself leaping ahead a year every few hours. Burnham spoofs a PewDiePie-like figure a YouTuber who narrates his playing of a video game with a dead-eyed smugness, as shown in an image at the bottom-right corner of the screen. MARTIN: So Bo Burnham has had a lot of different identities lately. The comedians lifetime online explains the heart of most of his new songs, I made you some content, comedian Bo Burnham sings in the opening moments of his new Netflix special, Inside. People experiencing depression often stop doing basic self-care tasks, like showering or laundry or brushing their teeth. "I'm so worried that criticism will be levied against me that I levy it against myself before anyone else can. It is set almost entirely within one room of his Los Angeles guest house, the same one shown in the closing song of the June 2016 Make Happy special, titled Are you happy?. He points it at himself as he sways, singing again: Get your fuckin hands up / Get on out of your seat / All eyes on me, all eyes on me.. But also, it's clear that there's a lot on his mind. Soering New insights from various parties come to light that raise questions about Jens Sring's conviction of the 1985 murders of his then-girlfriend's parents. The song is like having a religious experience with your own mental disorder. 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. The tension between creator and audience is a prominent theme in Burnhams work, likely because he got his start on YouTube. 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. Thank you so much for joining us. 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. In White Womans Instagram, the comedian assumes the role of a white woman and sings a list of common white lady Instagram posts (Latte foam art / Tiny pumpkins / Fuzzy, comfy socks) while acting out even more cliched photos in the video with wild accuracy. My heart hurts with and for him. That's when the younger Burnham, the one from the beginning of his special-filming days, appears. Or DM a girl and groom her, do a Zoomer, find a tumor in her HOLMES: And this is what the chorus of that song sounds like. He takes it, and Burnham cries robotically as a tinny version of the song about being stuck in the room plays. He is not talking about it very much. Burnham was just 16 years old when he wrote a parody song ("My Whole Family") and filmed himself performing it in his bedroom. Were complicated. Burnham can't get through his words in the update as he admits he's been working on the special much longer than he'd anticipated. The clean, tidy interior that first connected "Inside" with "Make Happy" is gone in its place is a mess-riddled space. And many people will probably remember his 2018 movie, "Eighth Grade." "I'm criticizing my initial reaction for being pretentious, which is honestly a defense mechanism," he says. Yes, Bo Burnham posted a trailer via Twitter on April 28, 2021. Not putting a name on parasocial relationships makes the theme less didactic, more blurred while still being astutesuch sharp focus on the eyes, you dont notice the rest of the face fades into shades of blue. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. 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.". Likewise. See our full breakdown of every detail and reference you might have missed in "Inside" here. But before that can register, Burnham's eyes have closed and the special transitions to the uncannily catchy song "S---," bopping about how he hasn't showered in nine days or done any laundry. Bo Burnham defined an era when he created Inside. Parasocial relationships are neutral, and how we interact with them is usually a mixed bag. Bo Burnhams Inside begs for our parasocial awareness The comedians lifetime online explains the heart of most of his new songs By Wil Williams @wilw_writes Jun 28, 2021, 11:01am EDT And the biggest risk Burnham takes in the show is letting his emotional side loose, but not before cracking a ton of jokes. It's a reprieve of the lyrics Burnham sang earlier in the special when he was reminiscing about being a kid stuck in his room. "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.". Social media; it's just the market's answer to a generation that demanded to perform so the market said, here, perform. The penultimate song "All Eyes on Me" makes for a particularly powerful moment. "That's a good start. "I was a kid who was stuck in his room, there isn't much more to say about it. It's like Burnham's special has swallowed you whole, bringing you fully into his mind at last. It's a quiet, banal scene that many people coming out of a depressive episode might recognize. The performer, along with the record label and brand deals, encourage a parasocial relationship for increased profits. In recent years, he has begun directing other comics specials, staging stand-up sets by Chris Rock and Jerrod Carmichael with his signature extreme close-ups. So for our own little slice of the world, Burnham's two time spans seem to be referencing the start and end of an era in our civilization. Relieved to be done? An astronaut's return after a 30-year disappearance rekindles a lost love and sparks interest from a corporation determined to learn why he hasn't aged. This sketch, like the "White Woman Instagram" song, shows one of Burnham's writing techniques of bringing a common Internet culture into a fictionalized bit. Got it? Bo Burnham: Inside review this is a claustrophobic masterpiece. He decided to stop doing live performances, and instead set out to write and direct his first feature film, the critically-acclaimed 2018 movie "Eighth Grade." But now Burnham is back. 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. But we weren't. As he shows in this new sketch, he's aware at a meta level that simply trying to get ahead of the criticism that could be tossed his way is itself a performance sometimes. 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. If the answer is yes, then it's not funny. Is he content with its content? our ranking of all 20 original songs from the special here. I think this is something we've all been thinking about. LINDA HOLMES, BYLINE: Thank you, Michel. In Inside, Burnham confronts parasocial relationships in his most direct way yet. It's prison. He's showing us how terrifying it can be to present something you've made to the world, or to hear laughter from an audience when what you were hoping for was a genuine connection. The lead-in is Burnham thanking a nonexistent audience for being there with him for the last year. WebOn a budget. "You say the ocean's rising, like I give a s---," he sings. 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. MARTIN: And it's deep, too. 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. By inserting that Twitch character in this earlier scene, Burnham was seemingly giving a peek into his daily routine. I was not, you know, having these particular experiences. "Problematic" is a roller coaster of self-awareness, masochism, and parody. A harsh skepticism of digital life (a life the pandemic has only magnified) is the dominant subject of the special. WebA Girl and an Astronaut. Open wide.. I have a funky memory and I sometimes can't remember things from something I've watched, even if it was just yesterday. The frame is intimate, and after such an intense special, something about that intimacy feels almost dangerous, like you should be preparing for some kind of emotional jump scare. Later in Inside, Burnham thanks the audience for their support while holding them at knifepoint. Burnham reacts to his reaction of the song, this time saying, Im being a little pretentious. Oops. 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. The battery is full, but no numbers are moving. Good. Burnham uses vocal tuning often throughout all of his specials. But during the bridge of the song, he imagines a post from a woman dedicated to her dead mother, and the aspect ratio on the video widens. Copyright 2021 NPR. Web9/10. To save you the time freeze-framing, here's the complete message: "No pressure by the way at any point we can stop i just want to make sure ur comfortable all this and please dont feel obligated to send anything you dont want to just cuz i want things doesnt mean i should get them and its sometimes confusing because i think you enjoy it when i beg and express how much i want you but i dont ever want that to turn into you feeling pressured into doing something you don't want or feeling like youre disappointing me this is just meant to be fun and if at any point its not fun for you we can stop and im sorry if me saying this is killing the mood i just like ". Netflix did, however, post Facetime with My Mom (Tonight) on YouTube. Not a comedy per se, but a masterpiece nonetheless. A gift shop at the gun range, a mass shooting at the mall. The song's melody is oddly soothing, and the lyrics are a sly manifestation of the way depression convinces you to stay in its abyss ("It's almost over, it's just begun. Don't overthink this, look in my eye don't be scared don't be shy come on in the water's fine."). But he knows how to do this. Burnham's creative background began with being a theater then he transitioned to musical-comedy. The Volcano, which touched on labor rights. HOLMES: I liked a bunch of the songs in this, and a lot of them are silly songs about the things that his comedy has already been concerned with for a long time, right? WebBo Burnham has been critical of his past self for the edgy, offensive comedy he used to make. That YouTube commenter might be understood by Burnham if they were to meet him. And so I think he's always had that stubborn insistence on holding both of those things in his head at the same time. He was alone. 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. Remember how Burnham's older, more-bearded self popped up at the beginning of "Inside" when we were watching footage of him setting up the cameras and lighting? 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. See our analysis of the end of the special, and why Burnham's analogy for depression works so well. Gross asked Burnham if people "misinterpreted" the song and thought it was homophobic. Now, the term is applied to how viewers devote time, energy, and emotion to celebrities and content creators like YouTubers, podcasters, and Twitch streamers people who do not know they exist. And like those specials, Inside implores fans to think about deeper themes as well as how we think about comedy as a genre. Having this frame of reference may help viewers better understand the design of "Inside." Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. 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. Burnham watching the end of his special on a projector also brings the poioumenon full circle the artist has finished their work and is showing you the end of the process it took to create it. He also revealed an official poster, a single frame from the special, and the cover art prior to its release. The question is now, Will you support Wheat Thins in the fight against Lyme disease?). Look at them, they're just staring at me, like 'Come and watch the skinny kid with a steadily declining mental health, and laugh as he attempts to give you what he cannot give himself. It's a hint at the promised future; the possibility of once again being able to go outside and feel sunlight again. So we broke down each song and sketch and analyzed their meaning and context. 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. It's so good to hear your voice.
bo burnham: inside transcript