A weekly roundup of the best things from Polygon, By submitting your email, you agree to our, Bo Burnhams Inside begs for our parasocial awareness, Sign up for the His career evolved through YouTube, MTV, Vine, his movie "Eighth Grade," and now Netflix's "Inside." After more sung repetitions of get your fuckin hands up, Burnham says, Get up. 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. There's no more time left to add to the camera's clock. 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.. Teeuwen's performance shows a twisted, codependent relationship between him and the puppet on his hand, something Burnham is clearly channeling in his own sock puppet routine in "Inside.". "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. Linda Holmes, welcome. "The world needs direction from a white guy like [you] who is healing the world with comedy. 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. That's when the younger Burnham, the one from the beginning of his special-filming days, appears. The global pandemic and subsequent lockdown orders of March 2020 put a stop to these plans. 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. Many of his songs begin seriously, then shift into the joke, but this one doesnt. Went out to look for a reason to hide again. 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. Finally doing basic care tasks for yourself like eating breakfast and starting work in the morning. 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. 7 on the Top 200. The question is now, Will you support Wheat Thins in the fight against Lyme disease?). 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. 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. The special is available exclusively on Netflix, while the album can be found on most streaming platforms. The album peaked at #7 on the Billboard 200 chart, #1 on the Comedy Albums chart, and #18 on the Independent Albums chart. On June 9, Burnham released the music from the special in an album titled Inside (The Songs), which hit No. So this is how it ends. 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. Still terrified of that spotlight? The label of parasocial relationship is meant to be neutral, being as natural and normal and, frankly, inescapable as familial or platonic relationships. Entertainment correspondent Kim Renfro ranked them in ascending order of greatness. "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. The song is like having a religious experience with your own mental disorder. .] Burnham reacts to his reaction to his reaction to his reaction, focusing so intently on his body and image that he panics, stops the videoand then smiles at his audience, thanking them for watching. The song is a pitched-down Charli XCX-styled banger of a ballad has minimal lyrics that are mostly just standard crowd instructions: put your hands up, get on your feet. of the internet, welcoming everyone with a decadent menu of options while disco lights twirl. Known as "Art is a Lie, Nothing is Real," there's a bit Burnham did at the start of his 2013 special "what." Burnham lingers on his behind-the-scenes technical tinkering handling lights, editing, practicing lines. Its a feat, the work of a gifted experimentalist whose craft has caught up to his talent. Today We'll Talk About That Day Its called INSIDE, and it will undoubtedly strike your hearts forevermore. The incentives of the web, those that reward outrage, excess and sentiment, are the villains of this show. Performing "Make Happy" was mentally taxing on Burnham. Its a stupid song, and, uh, it doesnt really mean anything. The video continues. I like this song, Burnham says, before pointing out the the lack of modern songs about labor exploitation. Inside doesnt give clear answers like parasocial relationships good or parasocial relationships bad, because those answers do not, and cannot, exist. This special spoke to me closer and clearer than Ive ever felt with another person. Is he content with its content? The first comes when Burnham looks directly into the camera as he addresses the audience, singing, Are you feeling nervous? One comment stuck out to me: Theres something really powerful and painful about, hearing his actual voice singing and breaking at certain points. Yes, Bo Burnham posted a trailer via Twitter on April 28, 2021. Partway through the song, the battery icon switches to low and starts blinking in warning as if death is imminent. In one interpretation, maybe the smile means he's ready to be outside again. One of the most encouraging developments in comedy over the past decade has been the growing directorial ambition of stand-up specials. But unlike many of us, Burnham was also hard at work on a one-man show directed, written and performed all by himself. With electro-pop social commentary, bleak humour and sock-puppet debates, the comics lockdown creation is astonishing. Its an origin story of sorts. In another scene, Burnham gives a retroactive disclaimer to discussions of his suicidal ideation by telling the audience, And if youre out there and youre struggling with suicidal thoughts and you want to kill yourself, I just wanna tell you Dont! Look Whos Inside Again is largely a song about being creative during quarantine, but ends with Now come out with your hands up, weve got you surrounded, a reflection on police violence but also being mobbed by his fans. The song begins with a fade in from back, the shot painfully close to Burnhams face as he looks off to the side. "Any Day Now" The ending credits. Bo Burnham: Inside is a devastating portrait of the actor-director-singer-comedian's dysfunctional interiority and 2020's unyielding assault on mental and social health. And then, of course, he had previous standup comedy specials. 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. Is he content with its content? Bo Burnhams Inside: A Comedy Special and an Inspired Experiment, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/01/arts/television/bo-burnham-inside-comedy.html. Instead of working his muscles at open mics or in improv, Burnham uploaded joke songs to the platform in 2006. It's like Burnham's special has swallowed you whole, bringing you fully into his mind at last. Likewise. Tapping on a synthesizer, he sings about the challenges of isolation as he sits on a cluttered floor, two striking squares of sunlight streaming in through the windows of a dark room. Please check your email to find a confirmation email, and follow the steps to confirm your humanity. I've been singing that song for about a week NOW. 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?. Perform everything to each other, all the time for no reason. 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. The voices of the characters eventually blend together to tell the live Burnham on stage, We think we know you.. MARTIN: Well, that being said, Lynda, like, what song do you want to go out on? 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. In his first Netflix special (2013's "what. ", 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.". Long before the phrase parasocial relationship had entered the mainstream zeitgeist, Burnhams work discussed the phenomenon. But now Burnham is back. I actually felt true mutual empathy with someone for the first time, and with someone Ive never even met, its kinda funny.. Apathy's a tragedy, and boredom is a crime. I don't think it's perfectly morally defendable.". Open wide.. It's progress. See our full breakdown of every detail and reference you might have missed in "Inside" here. 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. Burnham's earlier Netflix specials and comedy albums. But we weren't. Bo Burnham: Inside, was written, edited, and directed by the talent himself and the entire show is shot in one room. Also, Burnham's air conditioner is set to precisely 69 degrees throughout this whole faux music video. 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. Now get inside.". I think this is something we've all been thinking about. If we continue to look at it from the lens of a musical narrative, this is the point at which our protagonist realizes he's failed at his mission. Relieved to be done? Carpool Karaoke, Steve Aoki, Logan Paul. 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. A college student navigates life and school while dealing with a unique predicament he's living with a beautiful former K-pop sensation. ", "I do not think my intention was homophobic, but what is the implicit comedy of that song if you chase it all the way down? So when you get to the end of a song, it often just kind of cuts to something else. Thank you so much for joining us. 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. Released on May 30, 2021, Bo Burnham wrote, recorded, directed, and produced Inside while in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Copyright 2021 NPR. Thematically, it deals with the events of 2020, rising wealth inequality, racial injustice, isolation, mental health, social media, and technologys role in our lives. An existential dread creeps in, but Burnham's depression-voice tells us not to worry and sink into nihilism. Burnham was just 16 years old when he wrote a parody song ("My Whole Family") and filmed himself performing it in his bedroom. Initially, this seems like a pretty standard takedown of the basic bitch stereotype co-opted from Black Twitter, until the aspect ratio widens and Burnham sings a shockingly personal, emotional caption from the same feed. 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? "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. It chronicles Burnhams life during the pandemic and his journey creating the special. Mid-song, a spotlight turns on Burnham and shows him completely naked as a voice sings: "Well, well, look who's inside again. "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.". Most sources discuss fictional characters, news anchors, childrens show hosts, or celebrity culture as a whole. Burnham is especially aware as a creator constantly reflecting on his own life. The tension between creator and audience is a prominent theme in Burnhams work, likely because he got his start on YouTube. 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. Depression acts like an outside force, one that is rather adept at convincing our minds to simply stay in bed, to not care, and to not try anymore. With menacing horror movie sound effects and hectic, dreamy camerawork, what becomes clear is Burnhams title has a double meaning: referring to being inside not just a room, but also his head. But then the video keeps playing, and so he winds up reacting to his own reaction, and then reacting yet again to that reaction. Burnham is an extraordinary actor, and "Inside" often feels like we're watching the intimate, real interior life of an artist. A distorted voice is back again, mocking Burnham as he sits exposed on his fake stage: "Well, well, look who's inside again. WebA Girl and an Astronaut. Burnham slaps his leg in frustration and eventually gives a mirthless laugh before he starts slamming objects around him. "), Burnham sang a parody song called "Sad" about, well, all the sad stuff in the world. I'm talking to you, get the f--- up.". The whole song sounds like you're having a religious experience with your own mental disorder, especially when new harmonies kick in. It's a quiet, banal scene that many people coming out of a depressive episode might recognize. Inside, a new Netflix special written, performed, directed, shot, and edited by comedian Bo Burnham, invokes and plays with many forms. Parasocial relationships can be positive too, as outlined in culture critic Stitchs essay On Parasocial Relationships and the Boundaries of Celebrity for Teen Vogue. At first hearing, this is a simple set of lyrics about the way kids deal with struggles throughout adolescence, particularly things like anxiety and depression. Theres a nostalgic sweetness to this song, but parts of it return throughout the show, in darker forms, one of many variations on a theme. And the very format of it, as I said, it's very much this kind of sinister figure trying to get you interested. He doesn't really bother with any kind of transitions. While platforms like Patreon mean creators can make their own works independently without studio influence, they also mean that the creator is directly beholden to their audience. That YouTube commenter might be understood by Burnham if they were to meet him. He was only 16. And it has a lot of very clever and very quick wordplay about the specific things you can get on the internet. this breakdown of 31 details you might have missed in "Inside,". The aesthetic telegraphs authenticity and vulnerability, but the specials stunning final shots reveal the misdirection at work, encouraging skepticism of the performativity of such realism. 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. Whatever it is, NPR's Linda Holmes, host of Pop Culture Happy Hour, has reviewed it, and she liked it. 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. Its an uncanny, dystopian view of Burnham as an instrument in the soulless game of social media. Burnham achieved a similar uncanny sense of realism in his movie "Eighth Grade," the protagonist of which is a 13-year-old girl with extreme social anxiety who makes self-help YouTube videos.