Bo Burnham
Encyclopedia
Robert "Bo" Burnham is an American comedian
, singer-songwriter
, musician
, actor
, and Internet celebrity. Writing comedic
and satirical
songs with a politically incorrect
slant, he achieved fame when his YouTube videos took off; they have received more than 70 million views . Comedy Central Records released both his first EP
(Bo Fo Sho
, June 2008) and his first full-length self-titled album
(March 2009). On January 29, 2011, it was announced that Burnham finished #1 overall in voting in 2011's Comedy Central Stand-up Showdown
.
In February 2008, Patricia was a staff nurse at Burnham's school, and Scott owned a North Shore
, Massachusetts construction company. Their two older children, Pete and Samm, were concurrently enrolled in their third and second years at Cornell University
and Suffolk Law School
, respectively.
Burnham attended the all-boys' Catholic high school
, St. John's Preparatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts
, where he was on the school honor roll
and was involved in theatre
and the campus ministry
program. The school's assistant principal, Wendy Olson, remarked in a February 2008 interview that while "[t]he Bo on YouTube is not the Bo we see around here, [...] no one at St. John's is surprised at his creativity or that he's pursuing his dream, which is to make a name for himself." Burnham graduated from St. John's in Spring 2008.
Burnham applied to New York University
(NYU), University of Southern California
(USC), and Yale University
, and was accepted to NYU's Tisch School of the Arts
. Although expected to begin attending in Autumn 2008, he deferred his enrollment for a year to focus on his burgeoning media career. Burnham later related that his first year on tour while friends had gone to college made him to fucking die. I'd be on the road, in South Dakota, looking on Facebook at all my friends at parties."
, Burnham was reported to be dating a girl from "a nearby suburban town". Subsequently, in an interview conducted at the 2011 Cat Laughs Comedy Festival
in Kilkenny
, Burnham revealed that he has a "girlfriend of five years".
-generation comedians like George Carlin
and Richard Pryor
.
As detailed by Burnham himself, 2006 was the beginning of what would become his musical comedy career. Rehearsing a play at St. John's that summer, Burnham began writing songs about teenage
angst
and debuting them to his fellow high school thespians. He then videotaped himself performing two songs and posted them to the video-sharing
website YouTube
in December 2006, so that his older brother Pete could watch them from college. While response to his videos on YouTube ("My Whole Family... " and "My 'little' secret...") was initially unexceptional, when they were copied to Break.com
they became an overnight sensation, with traffic to his videos
multiplying over 111 times.
Accompanying himself on guitar
or electric piano
, Burnham continued to release self-described "pubescent musical comedy" songs and videos online as his fame and recognition grew. Described by The Boston Globe
s Joseph P. Kahn as "simultaneously wholesome and disturbing, intimate in a folksy-creepy sort of way," Burnham wrote and released R-rated songs about white supremacy
, Helen Keller
's disabilities, homosexuality
, and more. All of Burnham's home-released videos were self-recorded in and around his family's home in Hamilton, Massachusetts
, most in his bedroom. Occasionally jokingly addressing his audience in his videos, ("Hello, Internet pedophiles,") Burnham rarely changes expression
or camera angle
while performing—simply setting the video camera on a stack of books. Speaking with The A.V. Club
in 2009, Burnham expressed his intent to give his productions a "do-it-yourself [feel], almost like voyeurism".
In Autumn 2007, Douglas Edley, talent agent
from The Gersh Agency
, had Burnham recommended to him by his assistant. The next day Edley called Burnham and told him: "I gotta represent you." Said Edley in a February 2008 telephone interview: "He's definitely the youngest comedian I've worked with - he was getting ready for his SATs when I called - but the quality of his writing is amazing." It was this call from Edley—whom Burnham had initially thought to be "a very advanced Internet predator
"—that was Burnham's wake-up call as to his potential professional success. In addition to Burnham, Edley also represents several top-tier comedians, including Drew Carey
and Dave Chappelle
.
for Comedy Central's The World Stands Up in January 2008 (aired ), and signed a four-record deal with Comedy Central Records
. Comedy Central Records released Burnham's first EP, the six-song Bo Fo Sho
, as an online release
-only album on . Burnham's first full album
, the self-titled Bo Burnham
, was released by Comedy Central Records on .
Burnham has performed his music in the United States, including Cobb's Comedy Club
, YouTube Live
in San Francisco, Caroline's Comedy Club
in New York City
, and internationally in London and Montreal. In August 2010, Burnham was nominated for "Best Comedy Show" at the 2010 Edinburgh Comedy Awards—"the world’s most prestigious comedy prize" with a £10,000 cash prize—after his inaugural performance (of Bo Burnham: Words, Words, Words
) at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He was instead awarded the "Panel Prize"—carrying a £5,000 prize—for "the show or act who has most captured the comedy spirit of the 2010 Fringe."
Compared to Ben Folds
, Eminem
, and Andrew Dice Clay
, Burnham's music and performances tackle such taboo subjects as race, gender
, human sexuality
, and sex
. Burnham describes his on-stage persona as a "more arrogant, stuck-up version [of] himself." When speaking with The Detroit News
about his rapping
, he expressed his intent to honor and respect the perspective and culture of hip-hop music.
popularity as illegitimate.
Burnham's first experience with controversy regarding his music came on , when fifteen Westminster College students (members of the campus' Gay-Straight Alliance
, Black Students Association, International Club, and Cultural Diversity Organization) protested his concert there that evening. Of the controversy, he said, "It's so ironic because gay bashers
were the ones labeling me in high school, [...] I try and write satire that’s well-intentioned. But those intentions have to be hidden. It can't be completely clear and that’s what makes it comedy." The Columbia Daily Tribune
related that at the end of his Westminster performance, Burnham was approached by a paraplegic
fan. While Burnham was plainly uncomfortable and nervous, given that his music mocks the handicapped, the young fan instead related a blonde joke to the teenaged musician. Despite the college's admission that they had booked Burnham while ignorant of his content, dean of students
John Comerford praised the opportunities for discourse the controversy brought the school.
Just for Laughs
festival in 2008, Burnham met with the award-winning director and producer Judd Apatow
. That September, Burnham negotiated with Universal Pictures to write and create the music for an Apatow-produced comedy film which he describes as the "anti-High School Musical
", although Burnham insists the script isn't a parody of the Disney musicals, but an attempt to emulate the high school he attended. Hoping to star in the film he's writing, Burnham told Wired
magazine that he's naming the star "Bo" in a "not-so-subtle hint [he] want[s] to be in it". In a interview with Boston's Weekly Dig, Burnham elaborated on his work with the film. When he isn't performing, Burnham spends eight hours a day writing the music, and his nights writing the script, of which he's finished the first draft. Co-writing the screenplay with Burnham is his high school friend Luke Liacos. Burnham explained the script-writing opportunity is a boon to his comedy career, as the comedian had been having complications with censors
and learning that his material wasn't well-suited to television. "It would work much better in a 90-minute format." In August 2010, Burnham told The Guardian
that his script had been submitted. In an October 2010 interview with MTV
, Burnham admitted that he doesn't know anything about the future of the project, and that it's all effectively up in the air as far as he knew.
In , viral marketing
began appearing for Funny People
, in which Burnham stars in a NBC sitcom called Yo Teach!. In the "promo", Burnham stars opposite Jason Schwartzman
, as a student in the latter's English
class.
On May 21, 2010, Burnham taped his first one-hour stand-up special entitled Words Words Words
for Comedy Central
from the House of Blues
in Boston
as part of the network's new "House of Comedy" series of stand-up specials. The special aired on Comedy Central on October 16, 2010. It was released on October 18, 2010.
reported that MTV
had ordered a half-hour long television "put pilot" from Burnham "about a kid fresh out of high school who's pursing the new American dream of being a celebrity without having any talent." Burnham will write and executive produce alongside Dan Lagana, Luke Liacos, and Dave Becky.
'Act Most Likely to Win a Million Quid' Award.
Emalee, Xavier, Dani and Alley think this is the greatest comedian ever.
Xavier Patterson Of Los Molinos did that.
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, and Internet celebrity. Writing comedic
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
and satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
songs with a politically incorrect
Political correctness
Political correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
slant, he achieved fame when his YouTube videos took off; they have received more than 70 million views . Comedy Central Records released both his first EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
(Bo Fo Sho
Bo Fo Sho
Bo Fo Sho is the first EP released by American comedian, Bo Burnham. The six-track, digital-only, comedy EP was released on by Comedy Central Records, and charted well across the Billboard charts.-Production:...
, June 2008) and his first full-length self-titled album
Bo Burnham (album)
Bo Burnham is the eponymous debut album by American comedian, Bo Burnham. Released on March 10, 2009 by Comedy Central Records, the 2-disc album contains the Compact Disc musical album, and a DVD with Burnham's Comedy Central Presents special, all of his YouTube videos, and other performances.In a...
(March 2009). On January 29, 2011, it was announced that Burnham finished #1 overall in voting in 2011's Comedy Central Stand-up Showdown
Stand-up showdown
The Comedy Central Presents Stand-up Showdown is a countdown of the 20 greatest comedy central performances. Throughout the month of January , previous episodes of the series are aired, prompting viewers to vote for their favorite comedian from a pool of 100 via text message or the internet...
.
Personal life
Bo Burnham was born the youngest of three on August 21, 1990 to Patricia and Scott Burnham.In February 2008, Patricia was a staff nurse at Burnham's school, and Scott owned a North Shore
North Shore (Massachusetts)
The North Shore is a region in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, loosely defined as the coastal area between Boston and New Hampshire. The region is made up both of a rocky coastline, dotted with marshes and wetlands, as well as several beaches and natural harbors. The North Shore is an important...
, Massachusetts construction company. Their two older children, Pete and Samm, were concurrently enrolled in their third and second years at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
and Suffolk Law School
Suffolk University Law School
Suffolk University Law School, also known as Suffolk Law School or SULS, is one of the professional graduate schools of Suffolk University. Suffolk University Law School is a private, non-sectarian, law school located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Suffolk University Law School was founded in...
, respectively.
Burnham attended the all-boys' Catholic high school
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
, St. John's Preparatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts
Danvers, Massachusetts
Danvers is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts, Danvers is most widely known for its association with the 1692 Salem witch trials, and for its famous asylum, the Danvers State Hospital.-17th century:The land...
, where he was on the school honor roll
Honor Roll
Honor Roll may refer to: HIGH GRADE STUDENT* Grade Point Average over 3.5* A list of honors students.* A similar academic honor, such as a Dean's List.* Honor Rolls of Baseball* Honour Roll Clasp of the Army – A decoration of Nazi Germany...
and was involved in theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and the campus ministry
Campus Ministry
Campus Ministry may refer to:*Religious organizations on college campuses College religious organizations*The collegiate student ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ is also called The Campus Ministry...
program. The school's assistant principal, Wendy Olson, remarked in a February 2008 interview that while "[t]he Bo on YouTube is not the Bo we see around here, [...] no one at St. John's is surprised at his creativity or that he's pursuing his dream, which is to make a name for himself." Burnham graduated from St. John's in Spring 2008.
Burnham applied to New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
(NYU), University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
(USC), and Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, and was accepted to NYU's Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University ....
. Although expected to begin attending in Autumn 2008, he deferred his enrollment for a year to focus on his burgeoning media career. Burnham later related that his first year on tour while friends had gone to college made him to fucking die. I'd be on the road, in South Dakota, looking on Facebook at all my friends at parties."
, Burnham was reported to be dating a girl from "a nearby suburban town". Subsequently, in an interview conducted at the 2011 Cat Laughs Comedy Festival
Cat Laughs
The Cat Laughs Comedy Festival is a comedy festival held over the first weekend in June each year in Kilkenny, Ireland. It was founded in 1994 in response to the burgeoning wealth of Irish comic talent with no clear national outlet for expression...
in Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
, Burnham revealed that he has a "girlfriend of five years".
Home-grown music
Burnham was performing skits ("Bo Shows") in his home by age three, and grew up listening to boomerBaby boomer
A baby boomer is a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom and who grew up during the period between 1946 and 1964. The term "baby boomer" is sometimes used in a cultural context. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve broad consensus of a precise definition, even...
-generation comedians like George Carlin
George Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
and Richard Pryor
Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor was an American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, writer and MC. Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities, and profanity, as well as racial epithets...
.
As detailed by Burnham himself, 2006 was the beginning of what would become his musical comedy career. Rehearsing a play at St. John's that summer, Burnham began writing songs about teenage
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
angst
Angst
Angst is an English, German, Danish, Norwegian and Dutch word for fear or anxiety . It is used in English to describe an intense feeling of apprehension, anxiety or inner turmoil...
and debuting them to his fellow high school thespians. He then videotaped himself performing two songs and posted them to the video-sharing
Video hosting service
A video hosting service allows individuals to upload video clips to an Internet website. The video host will then store the video on its server, and show the individual different types of code to allow others to view this video...
website YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
in December 2006, so that his older brother Pete could watch them from college. While response to his videos on YouTube ("My Whole Family... " and "My 'little' secret...") was initially unexceptional, when they were copied to Break.com
Break.com
Break.com is a humor website founded in 1998 that features comedy videos, flash games, and pictures among other material. The chief executive officer of Break is Steve Boss...
they became an overnight sensation, with traffic to his videos
Web analytics
Web analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of internet data for purposes of understanding and optimizing web usage....
multiplying over 111 times.
Accompanying himself on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
or electric piano
Electric piano
An electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
, Burnham continued to release self-described "pubescent musical comedy" songs and videos online as his fame and recognition grew. Described by The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
s Joseph P. Kahn as "simultaneously wholesome and disturbing, intimate in a folksy-creepy sort of way," Burnham wrote and released R-rated songs about white supremacy
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
, Helen Keller
Helen Keller
Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree....
's disabilities, homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, and more. All of Burnham's home-released videos were self-recorded in and around his family's home in Hamilton, Massachusetts
Hamilton, Massachusetts
Hamilton is a town located in the eastern central portion of Essex County in eastern Massachusetts. It is primarily a suburban bedroom community, most commonly known for its equestrian estates...
, most in his bedroom. Occasionally jokingly addressing his audience in his videos, ("Hello, Internet pedophiles,") Burnham rarely changes expression
Facial expression
A facial expression one or more motions or positions of the muscles in the skin. These movements convey the emotional state of the individual to observers. Facial expressions are a form of nonverbal communication. They are a primary means of conveying social information among humans, but also occur...
or camera angle
Camera angle
The camera angle marks the specific location at which a camera is placed to take a shot. A scene may be shot from several camera angles. This will give different experience and sometimes emotion. the different camera angles will have different effects on the viewer and how they perceive the scene...
while performing—simply setting the video camera on a stack of books. Speaking with The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
in 2009, Burnham expressed his intent to give his productions a "do-it-yourself [feel], almost like voyeurism".
In Autumn 2007, Douglas Edley, talent agent
Talent agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, film directors, musicians, models, producers, professional athletes, writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Having an agent is not required, but does help the artist in getting jobs...
from The Gersh Agency
The Gersh Agency
The Gersh Agency was established in 1949 by Founder . With 125 employees, 60 agents and offices in Beverly Hills and New York, TGA maintains seven full-service departments: Talent, Feature Literary, TV Literary, Theater, Comedy, Below-the-Line, and a modeling agency.-External links:***...
, had Burnham recommended to him by his assistant. The next day Edley called Burnham and told him: "I gotta represent you." Said Edley in a February 2008 telephone interview: "He's definitely the youngest comedian I've worked with - he was getting ready for his SATs when I called - but the quality of his writing is amazing." It was this call from Edley—whom Burnham had initially thought to be "a very advanced Internet predator
Online predator
An online predator is an adult Internet user who exploits vulnerable children or teens, usually for sexual or other abusive purposes.Online victimization of minors can include child grooming, requests to engage in sexual activities or discussions by an adult, unwanted exposure to sexual material ,...
"—that was Burnham's wake-up call as to his potential professional success. In addition to Burnham, Edley also represents several top-tier comedians, including Drew Carey
Drew Carey
Drew Allison Carey is an American actor, singer, comedian, photographer, sports executive, and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, Carey eventually gained popularity starring on his own sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, and serving as...
and Dave Chappelle
Dave Chappelle
David Khari Webber "Dave" Chappelle is an American comedian, screenwriter, television/film producer, actor, and artist. Chappelle began his film career in the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights in 1993 and continued to star in minor roles in the films The Nutty Professor, Con Air, and Blue Streak. His...
.
Career
Represented by Douglas Edley, Burnham recorded a performance in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for Comedy Central's The World Stands Up in January 2008 (aired ), and signed a four-record deal with Comedy Central Records
Comedy Central Records
Comedy Central Records is a record label founded by Jack Vaughn and Comedy Central that puts out comedy albums by comedians that have appeared on their network....
. Comedy Central Records released Burnham's first EP, the six-song Bo Fo Sho
Bo Fo Sho
Bo Fo Sho is the first EP released by American comedian, Bo Burnham. The six-track, digital-only, comedy EP was released on by Comedy Central Records, and charted well across the Billboard charts.-Production:...
, as an online release
Digital distribution
Online distribution, digital distribution, or electronic software distribution is the practice of delivering content without the use of physical media, typically by downloading via the internet directly to a consumer's device. Online distribution bypasses conventional physical distribution media,...
-only album on . Burnham's first full album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, the self-titled Bo Burnham
Bo Burnham (album)
Bo Burnham is the eponymous debut album by American comedian, Bo Burnham. Released on March 10, 2009 by Comedy Central Records, the 2-disc album contains the Compact Disc musical album, and a DVD with Burnham's Comedy Central Presents special, all of his YouTube videos, and other performances.In a...
, was released by Comedy Central Records on .
Burnham has performed his music in the United States, including Cobb's Comedy Club
Cobb's Comedy Club
Cobb's Comedy Club is a venue to showcase stand-up comedy. It's located in San Francisco, CA in the North Beach area. The club has been open for more than 25 years and has had many top comedians on its stage.Comics include:Tim Allen,Dave Attell,...
, YouTube Live
YouTube Live
YouTube Live was a 2008 event streamed live on the Internet from San Francisco and Tokyo. It was hosted by a variety of YouTube celebrities, including The Black Eyed Peas rapper will.i.am, Tom Dickson of Will It Blend, Michael Buckley, The Happy Tree Friends, Fred, Smosh, Esmée Denters and singer...
in San Francisco, Caroline's Comedy Club
Caroline's
Carolines on Broadway is a venue for stand-up comedy located in Times Square in New York City on Broadway between 49th and 50th Street. It is one of the most established, famous, and recognized stand-up comedy clubs in the United States. Its marketing slogan is "America's Premiere Comedy...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and internationally in London and Montreal. In August 2010, Burnham was nominated for "Best Comedy Show" at the 2010 Edinburgh Comedy Awards—"the world’s most prestigious comedy prize" with a £10,000 cash prize—after his inaugural performance (of Bo Burnham: Words, Words, Words
Words Words Words
Words Words Words refers to both a stand-up comedy routine and the derivative album by American comedian, Bo Burnham...
) at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He was instead awarded the "Panel Prize"—carrying a £5,000 prize—for "the show or act who has most captured the comedy spirit of the 2010 Fringe."
Compared to Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
, Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
, and Andrew Dice Clay
Andrew Dice Clay
Andrew Dice Clay is an American comedian and actor who played the lead role in the film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.Clay has been in several movies and has released a number of stand-up albums...
, Burnham's music and performances tackle such taboo subjects as race, gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
, human sexuality
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
, and sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
. Burnham describes his on-stage persona as a "more arrogant, stuck-up version [of] himself." When speaking with The Detroit News
The Detroit News
The Detroit News is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival Free Press's building. The News absorbed the Detroit Tribune on February 1, 1919, the Detroit Journal on July 21, 1922, and on November 7, 1960,...
about his rapping
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
, he expressed his intent to honor and respect the perspective and culture of hip-hop music.
Uphill
As Burnham progressed through his initial popularity to more mainstream audiences and venues, he received pushback from fellow comics who viewed his ascension via YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
popularity as illegitimate.
Burnham's first experience with controversy regarding his music came on , when fifteen Westminster College students (members of the campus' Gay-Straight Alliance
Gay-straight alliance
Gay–straight alliances are student organizations, found primarily in North American high schools and universities, that are intended to provide a safe and supportive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth and their straight allies .-Goal:The goal of most, if not all,...
, Black Students Association, International Club, and Cultural Diversity Organization) protested his concert there that evening. Of the controversy, he said, "It's so ironic because gay bashers
Gay bashing
Gay bashing and gay bullying is verbal or physical abuse against a person who is perceived to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender . Such abuse is used also to bully heterosexual persons and persons of non-specific or unknown sexual orientation.A "bashing" may be a specific incident, and one...
were the ones labeling me in high school, [...] I try and write satire that’s well-intentioned. But those intentions have to be hidden. It can't be completely clear and that’s what makes it comedy." The Columbia Daily Tribune
Columbia Daily Tribune
The Columbia Daily Tribune, commonly referred to as the "Columbia Tribune" or the "Tribune," is one of two daily newspapers in Columbia, Missouri. It is also the only daily newspaper in Columbia, Missouri that has circulation verified by the Audit Bureau of Circulations, and has been a member of...
related that at the end of his Westminster performance, Burnham was approached by a paraplegic
Paraplegia
Paraplegia is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek: παραπληγίη "half-striking". It is usually the result of spinal cord injury or a congenital condition such as spina bifida that affects the neural elements of the spinal canal...
fan. While Burnham was plainly uncomfortable and nervous, given that his music mocks the handicapped, the young fan instead related a blonde joke to the teenaged musician. Despite the college's admission that they had booked Burnham while ignorant of his content, dean of students
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
John Comerford praised the opportunities for discourse the controversy brought the school.
Tours
- Fake I.D. – Autumn 2009
- Bo Burnham and (No) Friends – Autumn 2010
- Bo Burnham Live (UK Tour) – June 2011
Film
While performing at the MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
Just for Laughs
Just for Laughs
Just for Laughs is a comedy festival held each July in Montreal, Quebec, founded in 1983. It is the largest international comedy festival in the world.- Information :...
festival in 2008, Burnham met with the award-winning director and producer Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is well known for his work in comedy films, especially for films he has been involved with throughout the latter half of the 2000s. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, a film production company that also developed the...
. That September, Burnham negotiated with Universal Pictures to write and create the music for an Apatow-produced comedy film which he describes as the "anti-High School Musical
High School Musical
High School Musical is a 2006 American television film, first in the High School Musical film franchise. Upon its release on January 20, 2006, it became the most successful film that Disney Channel Original Movie ever produced, with a television sequel High School Musical 2 released in 2007 and...
", although Burnham insists the script isn't a parody of the Disney musicals, but an attempt to emulate the high school he attended. Hoping to star in the film he's writing, Burnham told Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
magazine that he's naming the star "Bo" in a "not-so-subtle hint [he] want[s] to be in it". In a interview with Boston's Weekly Dig, Burnham elaborated on his work with the film. When he isn't performing, Burnham spends eight hours a day writing the music, and his nights writing the script, of which he's finished the first draft. Co-writing the screenplay with Burnham is his high school friend Luke Liacos. Burnham explained the script-writing opportunity is a boon to his comedy career, as the comedian had been having complications with censors
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
and learning that his material wasn't well-suited to television. "It would work much better in a 90-minute format." In August 2010, Burnham told The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
that his script had been submitted. In an October 2010 interview with MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, Burnham admitted that he doesn't know anything about the future of the project, and that it's all effectively up in the air as far as he knew.
In , viral marketing
Viral marketing
Viral marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of viruses...
began appearing for Funny People
Funny People
Funny People is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written, co-produced and directed by Judd Apatow, and starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, and Leslie Mann. The film was released on 31 July 2009 in North America, and on 28 August 2009 in the United Kingdom. Funny People uses considerably more...
, in which Burnham stars in a NBC sitcom called Yo Teach!. In the "promo", Burnham stars opposite Jason Schwartzman
Jason Schwartzman
Jason Francesco Schwartzman is an American actor and musician. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the Hollywood films Rushmore, Spun, I Heart Huckabees, Shopgirl, Marie Antoinette, The Darjeeling Limited, Funny People, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World...
, as a student in the latter's English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
class.
On May 21, 2010, Burnham taped his first one-hour stand-up special entitled Words Words Words
Words Words Words
Words Words Words refers to both a stand-up comedy routine and the derivative album by American comedian, Bo Burnham...
for Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
from the House of Blues
House of Blues
House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
as part of the network's new "House of Comedy" series of stand-up specials. The special aired on Comedy Central on October 16, 2010. It was released on October 18, 2010.
Television
On September 7, 2010, Variety magazineVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
reported that MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
had ordered a half-hour long television "put pilot" from Burnham "about a kid fresh out of high school who's pursing the new American dream of being a celebrity without having any talent." Burnham will write and executive produce alongside Dan Lagana, Luke Liacos, and Dave Becky.
Awards
At the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he was nominated for the main Edinburgh Comedy Award and won both the Edinburgh Comedy Awards' panel prize and the Malcolm HardeeMalcolm Hardee
Malcolm Hardee was an English comedian, author, comedy club proprietor, compère, agent, manager and "amateur sensationalist"....
'Act Most Likely to Win a Million Quid' Award.
Emalee, Xavier, Dani and Alley think this is the greatest comedian ever.
Discography
- Bo Fo ShoBo Fo ShoBo Fo Sho is the first EP released by American comedian, Bo Burnham. The six-track, digital-only, comedy EP was released on by Comedy Central Records, and charted well across the Billboard charts.-Production:...
(2008), Comedy Central RecordsComedy Central RecordsComedy Central Records is a record label founded by Jack Vaughn and Comedy Central that puts out comedy albums by comedians that have appeared on their network....
– Released as an online-only EP - Bo BurnhamBo Burnham (album)Bo Burnham is the eponymous debut album by American comedian, Bo Burnham. Released on March 10, 2009 by Comedy Central Records, the 2-disc album contains the Compact Disc musical album, and a DVD with Burnham's Comedy Central Presents special, all of his YouTube videos, and other performances.In a...
(2009), Comedy Central RecordsComedy Central RecordsComedy Central Records is a record label founded by Jack Vaughn and Comedy Central that puts out comedy albums by comedians that have appeared on their network....
– Double-disc set containing the Compact DiscCompact DiscThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
album, and a DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
with his Comedy Central PresentsComedy Central PresentsComedy Central Presents is a half-hour long stand-up show that features various stand-up comedians in each episode.-DVDs:Starting in 2008, Comedy Central started releasing "Best of" compilation DVDs, with uncensored audio...
special, all of his YouTube videos, and other performances - Words Words WordsWords Words WordsWords Words Words refers to both a stand-up comedy routine and the derivative album by American comedian, Bo Burnham...
(2010), Comedy Central RecordsComedy Central RecordsComedy Central Records is a record label founded by Jack Vaughn and Comedy Central that puts out comedy albums by comedians that have appeared on their network....
– A live performance paralleling the one hour special of the same name, also includes two studio tracks, "Words Words Words" and "Oh Bo".
Filmography
- Comedy Central PresentsComedy Central PresentsComedy Central Presents is a half-hour long stand-up show that features various stand-up comedians in each episode.-DVDs:Starting in 2008, Comedy Central started releasing "Best of" compilation DVDs, with uncensored audio...
, Himself – , Burnham is the youngest comedianComedianA comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
to be featured thereon - American Virgin (2009)
- Funny PeopleFunny PeopleFunny People is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written, co-produced and directed by Judd Apatow, and starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, and Leslie Mann. The film was released on 31 July 2009 in North America, and on 28 August 2009 in the United Kingdom. Funny People uses considerably more...
(2009) – Yo Teach! Cast Member - Bo Burnham: Words, Words, WordsWords Words WordsWords Words Words refers to both a stand-up comedy routine and the derivative album by American comedian, Bo Burnham...
(2010) - Himself - Hall Pass (2011) - Bartender
- Sin Bin (2011) – Villainous student liaison
Xavier Patterson Of Los Molinos did that.
External links
- Bo Burnham at Comedy CentralComedy CentralComedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....