By Robert Scucci
| Published
I was first exposed to Bo Burnham’s comedy when I came across his 2013 Netflix stand-up special, What.and I had mixed feelings about it after my first viewing. I distinctly remember turning to my wife and saying, “This kid is very talented and funny, but he’s not going to come up with something really profound until life tells him.” bring it down a little. » I was pleasantly surprised when the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns forced a tired and isolated Bo Burnham to self-produce what I consider his best work at the time of writing: 2021. Bo Burnham: Inside.
Even if I had always approached Burnham’s comedy (even his first YouTube content) with guarded enthusiasm due to the level of immaturity one might expect from a young artist struggling to cope with his meteoric rise to fame, I kept an eye on his career from a distance, knowing that he was destined for greatness. I felt in my gut that Bo Burnham was a raw nerve waiting for the right stimuli (or lack thereof) to push him into the darker territory that Inside explores in a claustrophobic way, and it turns out I was right.
I also felt great guilt for being happy that my prophecy had come true, because it meant that a real person had to battle their personal demons in order to painstakingly create their magnum opus.
The interior configuration
Bo Burnham has always had a complicated relationship with the Internet, his audience, parasocial relationships, his creative process and, most importantly, himself. Bo Burnham: Inside fearlessly addresses all of these insecurities while forcing audiences to feel the same level of discomfort that ultimately led him to walk away from acting altogether in 2016 following the release of his film. Make happy special.
Pick up where Make happy leave alone, Bo Burnham: Inside takes us back to the guest house where he took refuge at the end of his penultimate special, but this time he’s ready to start performing again. The only problem is that there’s nowhere to play, because he’s trapped, as the title suggests, inside.
Low but high eyebrow concept
Set entirely in a guesthouse filled with cameras, laptops, light fixtures, and an unthinkable amount of existential dread, Bob Burnham: Inside is not traditional comedy specialbut rather a disjointed exploration of the creative process, perfectionism, the dark side of fame, self-inflicted (and government-mandated) isolation, and sarcastic synth-pop bangers about Jeff Bezos that make you want to applaud between fits of sobbing.
Just below the intimidating and catchy tunes found Bo Burnham: Insidethe inner workings of a madman are revealed through Burnham’s colorful songs about FaceTiming with his mother, sexting with his girlfriend because our communication devices replace physical relationships, massive media conglomerates profiting from our internet addiction and the idea that as a society we are more connected than ever, but also the most isolated we have ever been.
Comes full circle
Between each sketch, song and existential exploration found in InsideBo Burnham pulls back the curtain showing us his backstage. After pulling off what you think is a perfect performance take, there are several jarring transitions that take us to Burnham sitting alone at his computer and scrutinizing his own work before saying “again” and preparing to repeat the entire thing of the song from the beginning. . As the weeks turn into months, Burnham’s hair and beard grow to unmanageable lengths, to which he responds by telling the audience that he booked a haircut that was cancelled.
Any Bo Burnham fan will tell you they know the story that led to the creation of Insidebut that didn’t stop the then 30-year-old actor from launching into his most confessional composition, “All Eyes On Me.”
Lowering his voice several octaves to capture the full extent of his melancholy as he sings over a brooding synth chant, Burnham reveals, amid laughter and applause, that he stopped performing because he had severe panic attacks on stage during his last tour. Revealing that he worked on his mental health during his five years away from the stage, he looks into the camera and says that as he was about to return to the stage, “the funniest thing happened produced…”
It’s all a bit
To take full advantage Bo Burnham: Inside, you have to recognize that the entire special is scripted and has been meticulously planned down to the smallest detail. While there is no doubt in my mind that Burnham spent more time alone than he probably should have in putting together this special that certainly came from the dark recesses of his imagination, he is still playing a fictional and hyperbolic version of his character on stage.
If you want to take an intimate look at the creative process led by a reclusive perfectionist, Bo Burnham: Inside should be the next comedy special you queue up on Netflix. And if you don’t believe me when I say this is all a charade, The interior ResultsAlso streaming on Netflix, is the perfect companion that tells you that “everything will be okay.”
