So people think you're funny / How do we get those people's money?
January 13, 2011 11:39 AM Subscribe
Bo Burnham, the crown-prince of puerile, obscene, yet surprisingly clever and catchy Youtube videos has turned reflective (NSFW for language).
Or, at least, he's trying to appear reflective.
There have been things posted about Burnham on the Blue before, and he has been almost unanimously trashed. Some of his new videos are presented as parody, although it's hard to ignore the juvenile tone of nearly all of the videos that came before.
His music skills don't seem to be getting particularly better, but he has a gift with words. He's no Lin-Manuel, but few are.
Or, at least, he's trying to appear reflective.
There have been things posted about Burnham on the Blue before, and he has been almost unanimously trashed. Some of his new videos are presented as parody, although it's hard to ignore the juvenile tone of nearly all of the videos that came before.
His music skills don't seem to be getting particularly better, but he has a gift with words. He's no Lin-Manuel, but few are.
I always thought he was funny in a sort of untested way. PS, he never called.
posted by hermitosis at 11:48 AM on January 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by hermitosis at 11:48 AM on January 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
You know how college sophomores know everything?
posted by MrMoonPie at 11:48 AM on January 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by MrMoonPie at 11:48 AM on January 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
I instantly thought of Peter's "You Suck" song from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which this sounds an awful lot like, without the benefit of being funny.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:51 AM on January 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:51 AM on January 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
He never bothered me. He has a few decent jokes here and there.
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 11:58 AM on January 13, 2011
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 11:58 AM on January 13, 2011
Wow, having watched the video, I have to admit: I really like this. I don't even care if it's all a put-on, though I don't think it is. I think he really does think about these things -- as do many of the successful artists that I've spoken with.
posted by hermitosis at 11:58 AM on January 13, 2011
posted by hermitosis at 11:58 AM on January 13, 2011
I'm not familiar with his earlier videos, and based on the descriptions and links maybe that's for the best -- but this particular song isn't bad. I'd even go so far as to say that it's pretty good.
I'm kind of okay with the fact that his previous work apparently has a juvenile tone given that he was a juvenile at the time.
posted by ook at 12:28 PM on January 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'm kind of okay with the fact that his previous work apparently has a juvenile tone given that he was a juvenile at the time.
posted by ook at 12:28 PM on January 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Oh? And would you forguve somebody's art for being jejune just because they happen to empty of food, hungry, or meager?
Hm. That one doesn't work as well. DAMN YOU LATIN.
posted by Astro Zombie at 12:32 PM on January 13, 2011
Hm. That one doesn't work as well. DAMN YOU LATIN.
posted by Astro Zombie at 12:32 PM on January 13, 2011
I like that he said this out loud.
Bo and I are about the same age (he's nine days younger than I am) and in general he really irritates me. Or not him personally but his fans. Because he's not special. He operates on the same level as any other kid my age. He just had a combination of luck/lack of self-reflection/ability to tolerate masses of idiots that generated the particular mass of idiots that follow him.
It's that third point that really matters, I think. The bar for "what people will enjoy" is really fucking low. So the two real inhibitors for people who are trying to break through are a lack of courage and a lack of tolerance. Lots of people are just too scared/self-conscious to force their particular line of bullshit on other people; you can spin this as either they're too polite to force it or they're simply not brave. But among people who are completely comfortable with the fact that everything is shit and if it's all shit it might as well be your shit, there's another inhibitor, and that's that, universally, any crowd of people is the shittiest crowd that has ever gathered. Always. Period.
I've seen success with a number of things. I've had essays, poems, plays, viral videos, blog themes, web sites, all attract audiences. But the sorts of people who'll seek a connection with you just because you made a single entertaining thing or a single pretty thing, they're pretty much always not the kinds of people you want to meet. There're exceptions, and I've met some wonderful people through my work. But whenever I'm faced with millions or even thousands of people my instinct is always to immediately shut myself away from all of them, get myself back in a place where I feel less cheap.
I don't begrudge people who're able to put themselves in front of that many people without starting to feel shitty about themselves. I just assume they're shallow people and leave it at that. Shallow's not a bad thing. And it's why I enjoy people who become celebrities by celebrating and mocking the shallowness of celebrity. The Bowies and the Gagas. I feel like if you're going to be famous and still hold on to your soul (and by "soul" I mean that feeling like you're still doing things for you and not for them) you can't be entirely serious about it.
But a part of me is still really happy to hear Bo sing this song. Because I like that it makes him seem self-conscious and not just a pandering asshole who doesn't realize he's pandering. It humanizes him. I like that.
posted by Rory Marinich at 12:44 PM on January 13, 2011 [5 favorites]
Bo and I are about the same age (he's nine days younger than I am) and in general he really irritates me. Or not him personally but his fans. Because he's not special. He operates on the same level as any other kid my age. He just had a combination of luck/lack of self-reflection/ability to tolerate masses of idiots that generated the particular mass of idiots that follow him.
It's that third point that really matters, I think. The bar for "what people will enjoy" is really fucking low. So the two real inhibitors for people who are trying to break through are a lack of courage and a lack of tolerance. Lots of people are just too scared/self-conscious to force their particular line of bullshit on other people; you can spin this as either they're too polite to force it or they're simply not brave. But among people who are completely comfortable with the fact that everything is shit and if it's all shit it might as well be your shit, there's another inhibitor, and that's that, universally, any crowd of people is the shittiest crowd that has ever gathered. Always. Period.
I've seen success with a number of things. I've had essays, poems, plays, viral videos, blog themes, web sites, all attract audiences. But the sorts of people who'll seek a connection with you just because you made a single entertaining thing or a single pretty thing, they're pretty much always not the kinds of people you want to meet. There're exceptions, and I've met some wonderful people through my work. But whenever I'm faced with millions or even thousands of people my instinct is always to immediately shut myself away from all of them, get myself back in a place where I feel less cheap.
I don't begrudge people who're able to put themselves in front of that many people without starting to feel shitty about themselves. I just assume they're shallow people and leave it at that. Shallow's not a bad thing. And it's why I enjoy people who become celebrities by celebrating and mocking the shallowness of celebrity. The Bowies and the Gagas. I feel like if you're going to be famous and still hold on to your soul (and by "soul" I mean that feeling like you're still doing things for you and not for them) you can't be entirely serious about it.
But a part of me is still really happy to hear Bo sing this song. Because I like that it makes him seem self-conscious and not just a pandering asshole who doesn't realize he's pandering. It humanizes him. I like that.
posted by Rory Marinich at 12:44 PM on January 13, 2011 [5 favorites]
This rules. I was a big fan of bo; a friend showed me "my whole family" when it was first posted and I remember eagerly waiting each of his videos as they came out. Maybe I'm immature, but I'm also all kinds of queer and I was never offended by anything he said. (That's not to say anyone offended by his videos shouldn't be). I love his word play - I mean, "my whole family thinks I'm gay/what do they know anyway/they think they see it in the way I walk/what makes them think that I like... boys" and "I'm physically straight, but you're bound to find/I'm mentally gay 'cause I'll blow your mind" crack me up every time.
posted by wayland at 12:44 PM on January 13, 2011
posted by wayland at 12:44 PM on January 13, 2011
True story*: back in my freshman year a prof called my paper sophomoric, and gave me extra credit for being a year ahead of the curve.
*not actually a true story
posted by ook at 1:20 PM on January 13, 2011
*not actually a true story
posted by ook at 1:20 PM on January 13, 2011
Bo Burnham is good at what he does. What he does is create silly songs with a great density of wordplay. That's fine. At his worst he's not that bad and I think a lot of people in comedy sort of resent his success because he's young and what he does is probably easier in some ways than creating 45 minutes of funny jokes which is what most people try and do.
But I think what a lot of comics need to realize that they might be being a little bit dumb trying to make 45 minutes of funny jokes. That in restricting themselves in the myriad of ways that they do most standups are making getting people to laugh and have a good time much harder than it needs to be. I mean sure it's more impressive to wrestle a moose to the ground with just your bare hands but that doesn't mean that they guy who kills the moose with a gun is doing anything wrong*.
*It is.
posted by I Foody at 2:17 PM on January 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
But I think what a lot of comics need to realize that they might be being a little bit dumb trying to make 45 minutes of funny jokes. That in restricting themselves in the myriad of ways that they do most standups are making getting people to laugh and have a good time much harder than it needs to be. I mean sure it's more impressive to wrestle a moose to the ground with just your bare hands but that doesn't mean that they guy who kills the moose with a gun is doing anything wrong*.
*It is.
posted by I Foody at 2:17 PM on January 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
He got panel prize in Edinburgh last year and I think it hurt him that the comedy festival went with a Brit, and it was Russell Kane, who looks just like him but has a totally weird self-help vibe.
posted by parmanparman at 5:06 PM on January 13, 2011
posted by parmanparman at 5:06 PM on January 13, 2011
Those who are poised to dismiss him based on his raunchy path to stardom might want to withhold judgment and check out his absolutely brilliant performance at the Fringe festival. It's kind of disconcerting how pure his talent is.
posted by stroke_count at 9:51 PM on January 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by stroke_count at 9:51 PM on January 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
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posted by Kitteh at 11:44 AM on January 13, 2011