bo burnham: inside transcript

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. And then the funniest thing happened.". So we broke down each song and sketch and analyzed their meaning and context. Other than Fred Rogers, Bo Burnham is one of the most cited single individual creators when discussing parasocial relationships. Its an instinct I have for all my work to have some deeper meaning or something. I have a funky memory and I sometimes can't remember things from something I've watched, even if it was just yesterday. From the very beginning of "Inside," Burnham makes it clear that the narrative arc of the special will be self-referential. Each of the songs from the first half of the special are in line with Burnham's earlier Netflix specials and comedy albums. So this is how it ends. Not in the traditional senseno music was released prior to the special other than a backing track from Content found in the trailer. Burnham is especially aware as a creator constantly reflecting on his own life. It's so good to hear your voice. But usually there is one particular voice that acts as a disembodied narrator character, some omniscient force that needles Burnham in the middle of his stand up (like the voice in "Make Happy" that interrupts Burnham's set to call him the f-slur). Instead of working his muscles at open mics or in improv, Burnham uploaded joke songs to the platform in 2006. He grabs the camera and swings it around in a circle as the song enters another chorus, and a fake audience cheers in the background. There's also another little joke baked into this bit, because the game is made by a company called SSRI interactive the most common form of antidepressant drugs are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, aka SSRIs. You can tell that he's watched a ton of livestream gamers, and picked up on their intros, the way the talk with people in the chat, the cadence of their commentary on the game, everything. 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. Web9/10. Whatever it is, NPR's Linda Holmes, host of Pop Culture Happy Hour, has reviewed it, and she liked it. It chronicles Burnhams life during the pandemic and his journey creating the special. Maybe we'll call it isolation theater. And it has a real feel of restlessness to it, almost like stream of consciousness. And I think the pandemic was a time when a lot of people were in this do I laugh or cry space in their own minds. A gift shop at the gun range, a mass shooting at the mall. This is a heartbreaking chiding coming from Burnham's own distorted voice, as if he's shaming himself for sinking back into that mental state. Most sources discuss fictional characters, news anchors, childrens show hosts, or celebrity culture as a whole. 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. .] "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.". Get up. Went out to look for a reason to hide again. It's a reminder, coming almost exactly halfway through the special, of the toll that this year is taking on Burnham. "I didn't perform for five years," he says. I've been hiding from the world and I need to reenter.' LINDA HOLMES, BYLINE: Thank you, Michel. Feelings of depersonalization and derealization can be very disturbing and may feel like you're living in a dream.". our full breakdown of every detail and reference you might have missed in "Inside" here. ", And last but not least, for social media he put "sexually pranking unsuspecting women at public beaches" and "psychologically abusive parents making rube goldberg machines" alongside "white people using GIFs of Black people widening their eyes.". At the beginning of "Inside," Burnham is not only coming back to that same room, but he's wearing a very similar outfit: jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers picking up right back where he left off. 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 Mirroring the earlier scene where Burnham went to sleep, now Burnham is shown "waking up.". Got it? On May 30, 2022, Burnham uploaded the video Inside: The Outtakes, to his YouTube channel, marking a rare original upload, similar to how he used his YouTube channel when he was a teenager. An existential dread creeps in, but Burnham's depression-voice tells us not to worry and sink into nihilism. "I'm so worried that criticism will be levied against me that I levy it against myself before anyone else can. Now Burnham is showing us the clutter of the room, where he's almost claustrophobically surrounded by equipment. HOLMES: So before he was this celebrated filmmaker, Bo Burnham was himself a YouTube star. But Burnham is of course the writer, director, editor, and star of this show. While he's laying in bed, eyes about the close, the screen shows a flash of an open door. "You say the ocean's rising, like I give a s---, you say the whole world's ending, honey it already did, you're not gonna slow it, heaven knows you tried," he sings. But now Burnham is showing us the clutter of the room where "Inside" was filmed. 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?. 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. It's like the mental despair of the last year has turned into a comfort. 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. At various points, the gamer is given the option to make the character cry. 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. He's the writer, director, editor, and star of this show. Photograph: Netflix Its a measure of the quality of Inside 1.0 that this stuff could end up on the cutting-room floor. Self-awareness does not absolve anyone of anything, he says. HOLMES: Well, logically enough, let's go out on the closing song. 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. 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. "), Burnham sang a parody song called "Sad" about, well, all the sad stuff in the world. 20. But then the video keeps playing, and so he winds up reacting to his own reaction, and then reacting yet again to that reaction. On the Netflix special, however, Josh Senior is credited as a producer, Cooper Wehde is an assistant producer, and a number of people are credited for post-production, editing, and logistical coordinating. Finally doing basic care tasks for yourself like eating breakfast and starting work in the morning. How does one know if the joke punches down? I'm talking to you, get the f--- up.". Not a comedy per se, but a masterpiece nonetheless. this breakdown of 31 details you might have missed in "Inside,". He was only 16. 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. Is he content with its content? Years later, the comedian told NPR's Terry Gross that performing the special was so tough that he was having panic attacks on stage. Finally doing basic care tasks for yourself like eating breakfast and starting work in the morning. The penultimate song, "All Eyes On Me," is the best in the whole special, in this writer's opinion. And did you have any favorites? "I was a kid who was stuck in his room, there isn't much more to say about it. "I was in a full body sweat, so I didn't hear most of that," Burnham said after the clip played. 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. Get the fuck up! Burnham walks towards the camera and grabs it like hes grabbing the viewer by the throat. So let's dive into "Inside" and take a closer look at nearly every song and sketch in Burnham's special. Its a stupid song, and, uh, it doesnt really mean anything. The video continues. "Any Day Now" The ending credits. 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. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Burnham then kicks back into song, still addressing his audience, who seem unsure of whether to laugh, applaud, or sit somberly in their chairs. 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. "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. Here's a little bit of that. He takes it, and Burnham cries robotically as a tinny version of the song about being stuck in the room plays. It's wonderful to be with you. So we broke down each song and sketch and analyzed their meaning and context. 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 tropes he says you may find on a white woman's Instagram page are peppered with cultural appropriation ("a dreamcatcher bought from Urban Outfitters") and ignorant political takes ("a random quote from 'Lord of the Rings' misattributed to Martin Luther King"). Its folly to duplicate the feel of a live set, so why not fully adjust to the screen and try to make something as visually ambitious as a feature? But on the other hand, it is lyrically so playful. It's not. Well, well, buddy you found it, now come out with your hands up we've got you surrounded.". Netflix did, however, post Facetime with My Mom (Tonight) on YouTube. The scene cuts to black and we see Burnham waking up in his small pull-out couch bed, bookending the section of the special that started when him going to sleep. The flow chat for "Is it funny?" And it has a lot of very clever and very quick wordplay about the specific things you can get on the internet. 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?". He had a role in the film "Promising Young Woman." HOLMES: It felt very true to me, not in the literal sense. His hair and beard were shorter, and he was full of inspired energy. Burnham has said in interviews that his inspiration for the character came from real YouTube videos he had watched, most with just a handful of views, and saw the way young women expressed themselves online. Burnham wrote out: "Does it target those who have been disenfranchised in a historical, political, social, economic and/or psychological context?". He also costarred in the Oscar-winning movie "Promising Young Woman," filmed in 2019. And you can roughly think about this, I think, as a series of short videos that are mostly of him singing songs and that are sewn together with a little bit of other material, whether it's shots of him lying in bed or setting up the cameras. Still, its difficult not to be lulled back into, again, this absolute banger. HOLMES: So, as you'll hear there, on the one hand, there's a lot of sadness in what he's talking about there. 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. He has one where he's just sitting on a stool with an acoustic guitar describing our modern world. You know, as silly as that one is, some of the other ones are more sedate. jonnyewers 30 May 2021. That's what it is. Burnham reacts to his reaction to his reaction: Im so afraid that this criticism will be levied against me that I levy it against myself before anyone else can. The video keeps going. "Problematic" is a roller coaster of self-awareness, masochism, and parody. In one interpretation, maybe the smile means he's ready to be outside again. The reason he started making this special, he explains in the show, is to distract himself from shooting himself in the head, the first of several mentions of suicide (including one in which he tells viewers to just dont). I did! ", "On September 17, the clock began counting down from seven years, 103 days, 15 hours, 40 minutes and seven seconds, displayed in red," the Smithsonian reported. Next in his special, Burnham performs a sketch song about being an unpaid intern, and then says he's going to do a "reaction" video to the song in classic YouTube format. It's 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. BURNHAM: (Singing) Does anybody want to joke when no one's laughing in the background? "I'm criticizing my initial reaction for being pretentious, which is honestly a defense mechanism," he says. 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. Copyright 2021 NPR. HOLMES: Thank you. "That's a good start. As energetic as the song "S---" is, it's really just another clear message about the mental disorder that has its grips in Burnham (or at least the version of him we're seeing in this special). Just as often, Burnhams shot sequencing plays against the meaning of a song, like when he breaks out a glamorous split screen to complement a comic song about FaceTiming with his mom. The picturesque view of sun-soaked clouds was featured in "Comedy," during the section of the song when Burnham stood up and decided that the only thing he (or his character in the song) could do was "heal the world with comedy.". [1] Created in the guest house of Burnham's Los Angeles home during the COVID-19 pandemic without a crew or audience, it was released on Netflix on May 30, 2021. "And so, today, I'm gonna try just getting up, sitting down, going back to work. Doona! We see Burnham moving around in the daylight, a welcome contrast to the dark setting of "All Eyes on Me." 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. The song brings with it an existential dread, but Burnham's depression-voice tells us not to worry and sink into nihilism. MARTIN: You know, about that, because it does move into a deeply serious place at some point. My heart hurts with and for him. 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. But he's largely been given a pass by his fans, who praise his self-awareness and new approach. 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. 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." Most of the comments talk about how visceral it is to hear Burnhams real voice singing the upsetting lyrics. For fans who struggle with panic attacks (myself included) its a comfort to see yourself represented in an artist whose work you respect. Anyone can read what you share. 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. 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? But Burnham doesn't put the bottle down right, and it falls off the stool. Theyre complicated. We're a long way from the days when he filmed "Comedy" and the contrast shows how fruitless this method of healing has been. "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. You know, I was not, you know, I was alone, but I was not trapped in one room. The first half is dominated by sharp, silly satires of the moment, like a visually precise and hilarious song about social media vanity, White Womans Instagram, and a commercial for a woke brand consultant. That's when the younger Burnham, the one from the beginning of his special-filming days, appears. And I'm just wondering, like, how would you describe that? 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. Released on May 30, 2021, Bo Burnham wrote, recorded, directed, and produced Inside while in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Transcript Comedian and filmmaker Bo Burnham used his time alone during the pandemic to create a one-man show. Performing "Make Happy" was mentally taxing on Burnham. Well now the shots are reversed. 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. I got better. Bo Burnham's new Netflix comedy special "Inside" is jam-packed with references to his previous work. Oops. (SOUNDBITE OF COMEDY SPECIAL, "BO BURNHAM: INSIDE"). Accuracy and availability may vary. The song begins with a fade in from back, the shot painfully close to Burnhams face as he looks off to the side. 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. When he appeared on NPR's radio show "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross in 2018, the host played a clip of "My Whole Family" and Burnham took his headphones off so he didn't have to relisten to the song. Let's take a closer look at just a few of those bubbles, shall we? I don't think it's perfectly morally defendable.". Throughout the song and its accompanying visuals, Burnham is highlighting the "girlboss" aesthetic of many white women's Instagram accounts. 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. At first it seems to be just about life in the pandemic, but it becomes a reference to his past, when he made faces and jokes from his bedroom as a teenager and put that on the internet. It's a dangerously tempting invitation to stop caring, coming from the villain of this musical comedy (depression). He is now back to where he was, making jokes alone in his room, an effort to escape his reality. 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. ", The Mayo Clinic defines depersonalization-derealization disorder as occurring "when you persistently or repeatedly have the feeling that you're observing yourself from outside your body or you have a sense that things around you aren't real, or both. "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. Inside doesnt give clear answers like parasocial relationships good or parasocial relationships bad, because those answers do not, and cannot, exist. . Because there's also a little bit Bo Burnham the character in this almost. (For example, the song "Straight, White, Male" from the "Make Happy" special). A distorted voice is back again, mocking Burnham as he sits exposed on his fake stage: "Well, well, look who's inside again. I think this is something we've all been thinking about. 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." Open wide.. Today We'll Talk About That Day Might not help, but still, it couldn't hurt.". Still terrified of that spotlight? 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 title card appears in white, then changes to red, signaling that a camera is recording. 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. 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. Right after the song ends, the shot of Burnham's guest house returns but this time it's filled with clutter. WebBo Burnham has been critical of his past self for the edgy, offensive comedy he used to make. The penultimate song "All Eyes on Me" makes for a particularly powerful moment. Also, Burnham's air conditioner is set to precisely 69 degrees throughout this whole faux music video. Not only is this whiteboard a play on the classic comedy rule that "tragedy plus time equals comedy," but it's a callback to Burnham's older work. Burnham slaps his leg in frustration and eventually gives a mirthless laugh before he starts slamming objects around him. But, like so many other plans and hopes people had in the early months of the pandemic, that goal proved unattainable. After more sung repetitions of get your fuckin hands up, Burnham says, Get up. The whole video is filmed like one big thirst trap as he sweats and works out. ", 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.". And he's done virtually no press about it. Its called INSIDE, and it will undoubtedly strike your hearts forevermore. 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. Some of the things he mentions that give him "that funny feeling" include discount Etsy agitprop (aka communist-themed merchandise) and the Pepsi halftime show. Its a lyrically dense song with camerawork that speeds up with its rhythm. Burnham's growth is admirable, but also revealing of how little we expect from men in the industry. An older Burnham sits at a stool in front of a clock, and he says into a microphone that he's been working on the special for six months now. It's a heartbreaking chiding coming from his own distorted voice, as if he's shaming himself for sinking back into that mental state. Disclosure: Mathias Dpfner, CEO of Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member. Linda, thank you so much for joining us. Good. Burnham uses vocal tuning often throughout all of his specials. It's like Burnham's special has swallowed you whole, bringing you fully into his mind at last. A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio (John Boyega, Jamie Foxx and Teyonah Parris) onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy. Later in Inside, Burnham thanks the audience for their support while holding them at knifepoint. BURNHAM: (Singing) Could I interest you in everything all of the time, a little bit of everything all of the time? 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. Released on May 30, 2021, Bo Burnham wrote, recorded, directed, and produced Inside while in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Like, what is it? Burnham is also the main character in the game, a character who is seen moving mechanically around a room. He brushes his teeth, eats a bowl of cereal, and begins editing his videos. Don't overthink this, look in my eye don't be scared, don't be shy, come on in the water's fine."). Or was it an elaborate callback to his earlier work, planted for fans seeking evidence that art is lie? Parasocial relationships are neutral, and how we interact with them is usually a mixed bag. 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? When we saw that projection the first time, Burnham's room was clean and orderly. WebBo Burnham's Netflix special "Inside" features 20 new original songs. He says his goal had been to complete filming before his 30th birthday. Long before the phrase parasocial relationship had entered the mainstream zeitgeist, Burnhams work discussed the phenomenon. The lead-in is Burnham thanking a nonexistent audience for being there with him for the last year. 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 ". 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 / [. And so I think he's always had that stubborn insistence on holding both of those things in his head at the same time. So in "Inside," when we see Burnham recording himself doing lighting set up and then accidentally pull down his camera was that a real blooper he decided to edit in? He also revealed an official poster, a single frame from the special, and the cover art prior to its release. WebBo Burnham's "Inside" special on Netflix is an incredibly detailed musical-comedy artwork. Trying to grant his dying father's wish, a son discovers an epic love story buried in his family's distant past. Many of his songs begin seriously, then shift into the joke, but this one doesnt. All rights reserved. A college student navigates life and school while dealing with a unique predicament he's living with a beautiful former K-pop sensation. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. 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. 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. Inside, a new Netflix special written, performed, directed, shot, and edited by comedian Bo Burnham, invokes and plays with many forms. Entertainment correspondent Kim Renfro ranked them in ascending order of greatness. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. 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. 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.".

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