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. 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. But look, I made you some content. By keeping that reveal until the end of the special, Burnham is dropping a hammer on the actual at-home audience, letting us know why his mental health has hit an ATL, as he calls it ("all time low"). Not in the traditional senseno music was released prior to the special other than a backing track from Content found in the trailer. 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. 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. And that can be a really - if you're not very good at it, that kind of thing, where there's a balance between sort of the sarcastic and ironic versus the very sincere can be really exhausting. They Cloned Tyrone. 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. "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. In the worst case, depression can convince a person to end their life. While he's laying in bed, eyes about the close, the screen shows a flash of an open door. 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. 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. 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). This line comes full circle by the end of the special, so keep it in mind. It's self-conscious. We're a long way from the days when he filmed "Comedy" and the contrast shows how fruitless this method of healing has been. 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. '", "Robert's been a little depressed, no!" 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.". But, of course, it tangles that right back up; this emotional post was, ultimately, still Content. Research and analysis of parasocial relationships usually revolves around genres of performers instead of individuals. Because there's also a little bit Bo Burnham the character in this almost. At the second level of the reaction video, Burnham says: "I'm being a little pretentious. HOLMES: Well, logically enough, let's go out on the closing song. The lead-in is Burnham thanking a nonexistent audience for being there with him for the last year. Theres always been a tension in his comedy between an ironic, smarty-pants cleverness and an often melodramatic point of view. Mid-song, a spotlight turns on Burnham and shows him completely naked as a voice sings: "Well, well, look who's inside again. We see Burnham moving around in the daylight, a welcome contrast to the dark setting of "All Eyes on Me." Photograph: Netflix Its a measure of the quality of Inside 1.0 that this stuff could end up on the cutting-room floor. The video is an hour-long edit of footage that was deleted from the making of Inside. One of those is the internet itself. 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 we might. In this case, it's likely some combination of depression/anxiety/any other mental disorder. Like most of Burnhams specials, it includes comedic songs and creative lighting effects. He was only 16. This is when the musical numbers (and in-between skits) become much more grim. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. The penultimate song "All Eyes on Me" makes for a particularly powerful moment. In his new Netflix special, Inside, Bo Burnham sings about trying to be funny while stuck in a room. His new Netflix special Inside was directed, written and performed all inside one room. 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. Now get inside.". He is now back to where he was, making jokes alone in his room, an effort to escape his reality. Comedian Bo Burnham recently a new comedy special for Netflix aptly titled Inside which was filmed entirely by himself while under lockdown during the Coronavirus Pandemic in 2020. MARTIN: Well, that being said, Lynda, like, what song do you want to go out on? It's a heartbreaking chiding coming from his own distorted voice, as if he's shaming himself for sinking back into that mental state. An existential dread creeps in, but Burnham's depression-voice tells us not to worry and sink into nihilism. How how successful do you think is "Inside" at addressing, describing kind of confronting the experience that a lot of people have had over the past year? Performing "Make Happy" was mentally taxing on Burnham. Don't overthink this, look in my eye don't be scared, don't be shy, come on in the water's fine."). Burnham's career as a young, white, male comedian has often felt distinct from his peers because of the amount of public self-reflection and acknowledgment of his own privileges that he does on stage and off screen. 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. Got it? Parasocial relationships are neutral, and how we interact with them is usually a mixed bag. Is he content with its content? 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. Under the TV section, he has "adults playing twister" (something he referenced in "Make Happy" when he said that celebrity lip-syncing battles were the "end of culture") and "9 season love letter to corporate labor" (which is likely referencing "The Office"). I did! Burnham then kicks back into song, still addressing his audience, who seem unsure of whether to laugh, applaud, or sit somberly in their chairs. How does one know if the joke punches down? The album peaked at #7 on the Billboard 200 chart, #1 on the Comedy Albums chart, and #18 on the Independent Albums chart. I think this is something we've all been thinking about. Open wide.. The penultimate song "All Eyes on Me" makes for a particularly powerful moment. He also costarred in the Oscar-winning movie "Promising Young Woman," filmed in 2019. A part of me loves you, part of me hates you / Part of me needs you, part of me fears you / [. "You say the ocean's rising, like I give a s---," he sings. And the biggest risk Burnham takes in the show is letting his emotional side loose, but not before cracking a ton of jokes. Im talking to you. 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. MARTIN: You know, about that, because it does move into a deeply serious place at some point. BO BURNHAM: (Singing) If you'd have told me a year ago that I'd be locked inside of my home, I would have told you a year ago, interesting, now leave me alone. 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. With electro-pop social commentary, bleak humour and sock-puppet debates, the comics lockdown creation is astonishing. The clean, tidy interior that first connected "Inside" with "Make Happy" is gone in its place is a mess-riddled space. "Inside" kicks off with Burnham reentering the same small studio space he used for the end of "Make Happy," when the 2016 Netflix special transitioned from the live stage to Burnham suddenly sitting down at his piano by himself to sing one final song for the at-home audience. He's the writer, director, editor, and star of this show. 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. Most of the comments talk about how visceral it is to hear Burnhams real voice singing the upsetting lyrics. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. But he knows how to do this. The structured movements of the last hour and half fall away as Burnham snaps at the audience: "Get up. Then, of course, the aspect ratio shrinks again as the white woman goes back to posting typical content. The song untangles the way we view peoples social media output as the complete vision of who they are, when really, we cannot know the full extent of someones inner world, especially not just through social media. 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. 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. The flow chat for "Is it funny?" The final shot is of him looking positively orgasmic, eyes closed, on the cross. Mirroring the earlier scene where Burnham went to sleep, now Burnham is shown "waking up.". In his first Netflix special (2013's "what. "Trying to be funny and stuck in a room, there isn't much more to say about it," he starts in a new song after fumbling a first take. "Oh Jesus, sorry," Burnham says, hurrying over to pick it up. Tell us a little bit more about that. Comedian and filmmaker Bo Burnham used his time alone during the pandemic to create a one-man show. HOLMES: Right. Its a feat, the work of a gifted experimentalist whose craft has caught up to his talent. jonnyewers 30 May 2021. On June 9, Burnham released the music from the special in an album titled Inside (The Songs), which hit No. A gift shop at the gun range, a mass shooting at the mall. 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. When you're a kid and you're stuck in your room, you'll do any old s--- to get out of it.". But we weren't. Instead, thanks to his ultra-self-aware style, he seems to always get ahead of criticism by holding himself accountable first. 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. The vocal key used in "All Eyes On Me" could be meant to represent depression, an outside force that is rather adept at convincing our minds to simply stay in bed, to not care, and to not try anymore. He has one where he's just sitting on a stool with an acoustic guitar describing our modern world. It has extended versions of songs, cut songs, and alternate versions of songs that were eventually deleted; but is mainly comprised of outtakes. I hope to see you inside at some point. HOLMES: So, as you'll hear there, on the one hand, there's a lot of sadness in what he's talking about there. And part of it is sometimes he's just in despair. Burnham reacts to his reaction of the song, this time saying, Im being a little pretentious. He doesn't really bother with any kind of transitions. Many of his songs begin seriously, then shift into the joke, but this one doesnt. But when reading songs like Dont Wanna Know and All Eyes On Me between the lines, Inside can help audiences better identify that funny feeling when they start feeling like a creator is their friend. Good. 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? "Problematic" is a roller coaster of self-awareness, masochism, and parody. And I don't think that I can handle this right now. True, but it can deepen and clarify art. For the album, Bo is credited as writer, performer, and producer on every song. Now get inside.". 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. See our analysis of the end of the special, and why Burnham's analogy for depression works so well. 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. In Unpaid Intern, Burnham sings about how deeply unethical the position is to the workers in a pastiche of other labor-focused blues. I have a funky memory and I sometimes can't remember things from something I've watched, even if it was just yesterday. But what is it exactly - a concert, a comedy special? ", He then pulls the same joke again, letting the song play after the audience's applause so it seems like a mistake. Burnham slaps his leg in frustration and eventually gives a mirthless laugh before he starts slamming objects around him. And then the funniest thing happened.". At the end of the song, "Inside" cuts to a shot of Burnham watching his own video on a computer in the dark. But Burnham is of course the writer, director, editor, and star of this show. Its an uncanny, dystopian view of Burnham as an instrument in the soulless game of social media. Burnham lingers on his behind-the-scenes technical tinkering handling lights, editing, practicing lines. 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.. He also revealed an official poster, a single frame from the special, and the cover art prior to its release. But now Burnham is back. Partway through the song, the battery icon switches to low and starts blinking in warning as if death is imminent. Bo Burnham: INSIDE | Trailer - YouTube 0:00 / 2:09 The following content may contain suicide or self-harm topics. Good. 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. Likewise. A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio (John Boyega, Jamie Foxx and Teyonah Parris) onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy. You know, as silly as that one is, some of the other ones are more sedate. Burnham skewers himself as a virtue-signaling ally with a white-savior complex, a bully and an egoist who draws a Venn diagram and locates himself in the overlap between Weird Al and Malcolm X. Here's a little bit of that. BURNHAM: (Singing) Could I interest you in everything all of the time, a little bit of everything all of the time? I don't think it's perfectly morally defendable.". Bo Burnham's new Netflix comedy special "Inside" is jam-packed with references to his previous work. Self-awareness does not absolve anyone of anything, he says. After about 35 minutes of candy-colored, slickly designed sketch comedy, the tone shifts with Burnhams first completely earnest song, a lovely indie-rock tune with an ear worm of a hook about trying to be funny and stuck in a room. This is the shows hinge. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. And did you have any favorites? Underneath the Steve Martin-like formal trickery has always beaten the heaving heart of a flamboyantly dramatic theater kid. Were complicated. (SOUNDBITE OF COMEDY SPECIAL, "BO BURNHAM: INSIDE"). 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. I got so much better, in fact, that in January of 2020, I thought 'you know what I should start performing again. And he's done virtually no press about it. That's a really clever, fun little rhyme in this, you know, kind of heavy song. If the answer is yes, then it's not funny. 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.". Burnham brings back all the motifs from the earlier songs into his finale, revisiting all the stages of emotion he took us through for the last 90 minutes. It chronicles Burnhams life during the pandemic and his journey creating the special. Still terrified of that spotlight? It's progress. Well, well, buddy you found it, now come out with your hands up we've got you surrounded.". 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. Bo Burnhams latest Netflix special, Inside, is a solo venture about the comedian and filmmakers difficult experience in quarantine thats earned enthusiastic critical acclaim. 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. It's wonderful to be with you. Each of the songs from the first half of the special are in line with Burnham's earlier Netflix specials and comedy albums. ", 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. 7 on the Top 200. . Is he content with its content? BURNHAM: (Singing) The live-action "Lion King," the Pepsi halftime show, 20,000 years of this, seven more to go. Now, you heard me struggling to describe what this is, so help me out. Perform everything to each other, all the time for no reason. The special is hitting an emotional climax as Burnham shows us both intense anger and then immediately after, a deep and dark sadness. BURNHAM: (Singing) Start a rumor, buy a broom or send a death threat to a Boomer. He's almost claustrophobically surrounded by equipment. Burnham makes it textual, too. It's a hint at the promised future; the possibility of once again being able to go outside and feel sunlight again. Now, hes come a long way since his previous specials titled What. and Make Happy, where his large audiences roared with laughter MARTIN: This special is titled, appropriately enough, "Inside," and it is streaming on Netflix now. I got better. In a giddy homage to Cabaret, Burnham, in sunglasses, plays the M.C. 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. It feels like the ending of a show, a climax, but it's not. 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. I've been singing that song for about a week NOW. All Eyes on Me takes a different approach to rattling the viewer. The song begins with a fade in from back, the shot painfully close to Burnhams face as he looks off to the side. 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. 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. 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 / [. HOLMES: Yeah. Its horrific.". It's a hint at the promised future; the possibility of once again being able to go outside and feel sunlight again. (For example, the song "Straight, White, Male" from the "Make Happy" special). 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. They may still be comical, but they have a different feel. WebBo Burnham's Netflix special "Inside" features 20 new original songs. Netflix. 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. The comedy special perfectly encapsulated the world's collective confusion, frustration, and exhaustion amid ongoing pandemic lockdowns, bringing a quirky spin to the ongoing existential terror that was the year 2020. Like he's parodying white people who think that by crucifying themselves first they're somehow freed from the consequences of their actions. 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). Throughout the song and its accompanying visuals, Burnham is highlighting the "girlboss" aesthetic of many white women's Instagram accounts. Released on May 30, 2021, Bo Burnham wrote, recorded, directed, and produced Inside while in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. 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. "Truly, it's like, for a 16-year-old kid in 2006, it's not bad. Trying to grant his dying father's wish, a son discovers an epic love story buried in his family's distant past. Oops. Burnhams online success and an awareness of what kind of his audiences perceived closeness made the comedian key to one of the most prominent discussions in a creator- and influencer-driven era of media: the idea of parasocial relationships. Gross asked Burnham if people "misinterpreted" the song and thought it was homophobic. "All Eyes On Me" starts right after Burnham's outburst of anger and sadness. Then, the video keeps going past the runtime of the song and into that reaction itself. Something went wrong. The performer, along with the record label and brand deals, encourage a parasocial relationship for increased profits. At various points, the gamer is given the option to make the character cry. "I was in a full body sweat, so I didn't hear most of that," Burnham said after the clip played. 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. Burnham's earlier Netflix specials and comedy albums. 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. 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. Bo Burnham: Inside review this is a claustrophobic masterpiece. Who Were We Running From? 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. A distorted voice is back again, mocking Burnham as he sits exposed on his fake stage: "Well, well, look who's inside again. ", 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.". 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 then, of course, he had previous standup comedy specials. And it's important to remember, you know, this is a piece of theater. 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. We're a long way from the days when he filmed "Comedy" and the contrast shows how fruitless this method of healing has been. Anyone can read what you share. Likewise. It's a series of musical numbers and skits that are inherently about the creation of comedy itself. 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?. The question is now, Will you support Wheat Thins in the fight against Lyme disease?). Its a visual that signifies a man exposing himself, until you realize hes in a spotlight. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. He is not talking about it very much. 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. 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). Other than Fred Rogers, Bo Burnham is one of the most cited single individual creators when discussing parasocial relationships. Instead of a live performance, he's recorded himself in isolation over the course of a year. Whatever it is, NPR's Linda Holmes, host of Pop Culture Happy Hour, has reviewed it, and she liked it. It's so good to hear your voice. From the very beginning of "Inside," Burnham makes it clear that the narrative arc of the special will be self-referential. Bo Burnhams 2021 special, Inside. Netflix 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 he's largely been given a pass by his fans, who praise his self-awareness and new approach. It also seems noteworthy that this is one of the only sketches in "Inside" that fades to black. And like those specials, Inside implores fans to think about deeper themes as well as how we think about comedy as a genre. Long before the phrase parasocial relationship had entered the mainstream zeitgeist, Burnhams work discussed the phenomenon. 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 ". Social media; it's just the market's answer to a generation that demanded to perform so the market said, here, perform. 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.. I think you're getting from him, you know, the entertainment element. Burnham may also be trying to parody the hollow, PR-scripted apologies that celebrities will trot out before they've possibly had the time to self-reflect and really understand what people are trying to hold them accountable for. newsletter, On Parasocial Relationships and the Boundaries of Celebrity, Bo Burnham and the Trap of Parasocial Self-Awareness.. 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. 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. Released on May 30, 2021, Bo Burnham wrote, recorded, directed, and produced Inside while in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. 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. 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. Apathy's a tragedy, and boredom is a crime.
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