FESTIVAL FEATURES | Bo Burnham
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any qualities, they come directly from the directly from the e sat across from input he has given me. He sat across from old and talked to me when I was a 17-year-old and talked to e me respect and me like an adult and gave me respect and He treated me listened to my opinions. He treated me ally shouldn’t like an equal when he really shouldn’t have.’ Burnham credits that time as being me as being ds his i rst hugely benei cial towards his i rst TV comedy, venture into the world of TV comedy, com Zach the mockumentary sitcom Zach ous. As star Stone is Gonna Be Famous. As star MTV show and co-creator of the MTV show hose only about a young man whose only e drive to talent is an unquenchable drive to Burnham achieve celebrityhood, Burnham those inadvertently plundered those m his videos he uploaded from his make to make bedroom merely h but friends and family laugh but d by which were then viewed by k on millions. ‘Looking back on and I myself then is terrifying, and I every thought I had abandoned every those persona I’d taken on for those way too YouTube videos. I was way too a ham. enthusiastic and such a ham. e, I think But in making Zach Stone, I think version of myself I tapped into this older version of myself h the show. But and criticised it through the show. But f it, any element even though I’m critical of it, any element e given me the taken out might not have given me the w. I’m grateful opportunities I have now. I’m grateful nd dumb joke I for every stupid mistake and dumb joke I tried to make.’
ing the goal While he was achieving the goal roject off the of getting his i rst TV project off the y writing the ground, Burnham was busy writing the ds Words, in follow-up to Words Words Words, in Edinburgh. preparation for a return to Edinburgh. our suggest Early reports of the new hour suggest rical piece that it’s a more theatrical piece e he had a than his debut and while he had a , Burnham concept i rmly in mind, Burnham g he could knew it wasn’t something he could the comedy try out in short bursts on the comedy going for is club circuit. ‘What I’m going for is he insists. bombastic introspection,’ he insists. els intimate ‘It’s a show that I hope feels intimate esentation. in theme, but bigger in presentation. Bailey and I love Tim Minchin, Bill Bailey and m trying to Hans Teeuwen and I’m trying to atre into my synthesise elements of theatre into my want it to be show a little bit more. I want it to be un to watch, surprising and rich and fun to watch, sing. It’ll be and maybe a little confusing. It’ll be
16 THE LIST FESTIVAL 8–15 Aug 2013 Aug 2013
‘I’m grateful for every stupid mistake and dumb joke’
very loud and very quiet and very sad and very happy, with very loud and very quiet and very sad an things that have you leaving the thea things that have you leaving the theatre going, “what . . . ”And not “what” with a q . . ”And not “what” with a question mark; just “what”, period.’ “what”, period.’
A younger Bo A younger Bo Burnham once stated in an in stated in an interview that ‘not enough com enough comedy makes you feel somethin feel something’. He tuts like a showbu showbusiness a veteran rel ecting o rel ecting on the raw naivety of his own of his own youth at such rash pronounc pronouncements. ‘That sounds a sounds a lot like a 19-year- old kid old kid who thinks he knows knows a lot of shit. But I do I do think the rules of com comedy generally lim limit its ability to be be more theatrical or or emotional. And yes yes, I would like people to people to feel something, but mayb but maybe my problem is calling i calling it comedy. It just puts it s puts it straight into a box and wh and while this show is hopefull hopefully funny, there will be parts be parts you can point to and say and say, “technically, is this com this comedy?”’ Burnh Burnham is able to look back o back on that dazzling Edinbur Edinburgh debut with a critical, critical, distanced eye, and can and can reassure us that he fully he fully intends to go one step bey step beyond it this year. ‘Last tim ‘Last time in Edinburgh, I was talk I was talking from a very certain plac certain place of being 19 and thinking I k thinking I knew how comedy should be. T should be. This hour is much more from a more from a healthy confusion and an ackno and an acknowledgment that I don’t quite kno don’t quite know the purpose of comedy. I hope i comedy. I hope it feels a little more humble than the humble than the last one and about wrestling with ide wrestling with ideas rather than just stating them. Hopef stating them. Hopefully, just watching me wrestle with thes me wrestle with these ideas will make
you feel something.’ you feel something.’ Bo Burnham: What, Pleasance Bo Burnham: What, P Courtyard, 556 6550, Courtyard, 556 6550, 9–19 Aug (not 13), 11.15pm, £12–£1 13), 11.15pm, £12–£13.50 (£11– £12.50). £12.50).