Bo Burnham

Bo Burnham
Burnham in April 2018
Born Robert Pickering Burnham
(1990-08-21) August 21, 1990
Hamilton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation
  • Comedian
  • musician
  • actor
  • poet
  • director
  • producer
Years active 2006–present
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
  • synthesizer
Labels Comedy Central Records
Website Official website Edit this at Wikidata

Robert Pickering "Bo" Burnham (born August 21, 1990) is an American comedian, musician, actor, filmmaker and poet.[1][2][3] He began his performance career as a YouTuber in March 2006, and his videos have been viewed over 234 million times[3][4] as of June 2018.

Burnham signed a four-year record deal with Comedy Central Records and released his debut EP, Bo Fo Sho, in 2008. His first full-length album, Bo Burnham, was released the following year. In 2010, Burnham's second album was released, and Words Words Words, his first live comedy special, aired on Comedy Central. His third album and second comedy special, what., was released in 2013 on his YouTube channel and Netflix. Burnham finished first overall in voting in 2011's Comedy Central Stand-up Showdown.[5] His third stand-up comedy special, Make Happy, was released exclusively on Netflix on June 3, 2016.[6]

In addition to his career as a comedian, Burnham co-created and starred in the MTV television series Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous and released his first book of poetry, Egghead: Or, You Can't Survive on Ideas Alone, in 2013.[7] His first feature film as writer and director, Eighth Grade, was released in July 2018 to widespread critical acclaim.

Early life and education

Burnham was born on August 21, 1990, in Hamilton, Massachusetts, the youngest of three children of Scott Burnham, a construction company owner, and Patricia, a hospice nurse whose work was shadowed in a 2014 episode of This American Life.[8][1][9][10] In 2008, he graduated from St. John's Preparatory School in Danvers, Massachusetts, where he was on the honor roll and involved in theatre and the campus ministry program.[1][9] He was admitted to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts to study experimental theatre,[11] but instead deferred his admission for a year to pursue a career in comedy.[12]

Career

Burnham performing at The Improv in September 2008

In 2006, Burnham videotaped himself performing two songs and posted them on YouTube to share with his family.[13] They quickly became popular through YouTube, Break.com, and other sites.[1]

Accompanying himself on guitar or digital piano, Burnham continued to release self-described "pubescent musical comedy"[13] songs and videos online as his audience grew. Described in The Boston Globe as "simultaneously wholesome and disturbing, intimate in a folksy-creepy sort of way", Burnham wrote and released songs about white supremacy, Helen Keller's disabilities, homosexuality, and more.[1] All of Burnham's home-released videos were self-recorded in and around his family's home in Hamilton, Massachusetts, most in his bedroom,[1][9] and had an intentional "do-it-yourself [feel], almost like voyeurism".[14]

Burnham's music and performances tackle such subjects as race, gender, human sexuality, sex, and religion.[15] Burnham describes his on-stage persona as a "more arrogant, stuck-up version [of] himself".[16] 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.[3]

Represented by Douglas Edley, Burnham recorded a performance in London for Comedy Central's The World Stands Up in January 2008 (aired June 30, 2008),[1][17] and signed a four-record deal with Comedy Central Records.[18] Comedy Central Records released Burnham's first EP, the six-song Bo Fo Sho, as an online release-only album on June 17, 2008.[12][13] Burnham's first full album, the self-titled Bo Burnham, was released on March 10, 2009.[19]

Burnham has performed his music in the United States, including Cobb's Comedy Club, YouTube Live in San Francisco,[20] and Caroline's Comedy Club in New York City,[12] and internationally in London and Montreal. In August 2010, Burnham was nominated for "Best Comedy Show" at the 2010 Edinburgh Comedy Awards after his inaugural performance (of Bo Burnham: Words, Words, Words).[21] He instead received the "Panel Prize", a £5,000 prize for "the show or act who has most captured the comedy spirit of the 2010 Fringe".[22][23]

Burnham's first experience with controversy regarding his music came on March 3, 2009, 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." Despite the college's admission that they had booked Burnham while ignorant of his show's material, dean of students John Comerford praised the opportunities for discourse the controversy brought the school.[15][24]

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; it aired on Comedy Central on October 16, 2010. It was released on October 18, 2010. Burnham's second special, titled what., was released on both Netflix and YouTube on December 17, 2013.[25] Burnham's latest special, Make Happy, was produced by Netflix and released on June 3, 2016.[26]

Film

Burnham performing in Pittsburgh in April 2012

While performing at the Montreal Just for Laughs festival in 2008,[12] Burnham met with 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",[9][27] although Burnham insists the script is not a parody of the Disney musicals, but an attempt to emulate the high school he attended. Hoping to star in the film he was writing, Burnham told Wired magazine that he named the star "Bo" in a "not-so-subtle hint [he] want[s] to be in it".[28] In a March 2009 interview with Boston's Weekly Dig, Burnham elaborated on his work with the film. When he is not performing, Burnham spends eight hours a day writing the music, and his nights writing the script, of which he has finished the first draft.[29] Co-writing the screenplay with Burnham was his high school friend Luke Liacos.[30] In an October 2010 interview with MTV, Burnham admitted that he did not know anything about the future of the project, and that it was all effectively up in the air as far as he knew.[31] In May 2009, 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.[32]

Burnham wrote and directed his first feature film, Eighth Grade, which was produced and distributed by A24 and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2018.[33] The film has been received well by critics: it garnered a 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 193 ratings,[34] and holds an average rating of 90 out of 100 on Metacritic.[35]

Television

In 2010, Burnham wrote, executive-produced, and starred in Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous alongside Dan Lagana, Luke Liacos, and Dave Becky.[36][37] The series was not picked up for a second season and officially ended on June 26, 2013.[38]

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 Hardee "Act Most Likely to Make a Million Quid" Award.[39]

Personal life

Burnham has been in a relationship with screenwriter Lorene Scafaria since around 2013. They live together in Los Angeles.[40]

Tours

Year Title Ref.
2009 Bo Burnham: Fake ID Tour [41]
2010 Bo Burnham and (No) Friends [42]
2011–2012 Bo Burnham Live [43]
2013 Bo Burnham: what. Tour [44]
2015–2016 Bo Burnham: Make Happy Tour [45]

Discography

Title Release date Notes Label Ref.
Bo Fo Sho June 17, 2008 EP album Comedy Central Records [13]
Bo Burnham March 10, 2009 Studio album Comedy Central Records [19]
Words, Words, Words October 18, 2010 Studio album Comedy Central Records [46]
what. December 17, 2013 Studio album Comedy Central Records [47]

Filmography

Film

Title Year Functioned as Notes Ref.
Director Writer Producer Actor Role
American Virgin 2009 Rudy [48]
Funny People 2009 Student [32]
Words, Words, Words 2010 Performance Himself Stand-up special [49]
Hall Pass 2011 Bartender [50]
Adventures in the Sin Bin 2012 Tony [51]
what. 2013 Performance Himself Stand-up special [52]
Make Happy 2016 Performance Himself Stand-up special [53]
The Big Sick 2017 CJ [54]
Rough Night 2017 Tobey [55]
Jerrod Carmichael: 8 2017 Stand-up special [56]
Eighth Grade 2018 [33]
Chris Rock: Tamborine 2018 Stand-up special [57]

Television

Title Year Functioned as Notes Ref.
Creator Writer Actor Role
Comedy Central Presents 2009 Performance Himself
  • 1 episode
  • Stand-up special
 [58]
CollegeHumor Originals 2010 Himself
  • 2 episodes
  • Sketches
 [59]
Conan 2010 Performance Himself 1 episode [60]
Funny as Hell 2011 Performance Himself
  • 1 episode
  • Stand-up special
 [61]
Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous 2013 Zach Stone 12 episodes [37]
Parks and Recreation 2014 Chipp McCapp 1 episode [62]
Just for Laughs: All Access 2014 Performance Himself
  • 1 episode
  • Stand-up special
 [63]
Key and Peele 2015 Lyle
  • 1 episode
  • Sketch
 [64]
Kroll Show 2015 British Contestent 2 episodes [65]
We Bare Bears 2015 Andrew Bangs
  • 1 episode
  • Voice
 [66]
Comrade Detective 2017 Sergiu
  • 1 episode
  • Voice
 [67]

Bibliography

  • Egghead: Or, You Can't Survive on Ideas Alone (2013)[68][69]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kahn, Joseph P. (February 13, 2008). "Nonfamily humor, straight from home". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on October 29, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2009. Irreverent songs win Hamilton youth a cult following
  2. ↑ Connelly, Brendon (June 11, 2009). "Bo Burnham and Judd Apatow's Anti-High School Musical Wants Your Help". /Film. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Graham, Adam (October 28, 2010). "YouTube star Bo Burnham mixes raps, laughs". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on October 29, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Bo Burnham YouTube Channel". YouTube. June 8, 2018. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Comedy Central Stand-Up Showdown Results, 2011". comedians.jokes.com. Archived from the original on January 31, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  6. ↑ boburnham (May 20, 2016), Bo Burnham: MAKE HAPPY Trailer - NETFLIX [HD], archived from the original on June 2, 2016, retrieved May 21, 2016
  7. ↑ "Egghead by Bo Burnham – review". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. July 30, 2014. Archived from the original on July 31, 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Death and Taxes - This American Life". April 25, 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Kit, Borys (September 25, 2008). "Singing comic joins Apatow clan". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 25, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
  10. ↑ "Scott Burnham, President". Burnham Construction. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  11. ↑ "Bo Burnham meets Tim Key". YouTube. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Giltz, Michael (July 26, 2008). "Young comedian Bo Burnham is heading up charts". Daily News. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Wortham, Jenna (June 11, 2008). "YouTube Star Bo Burnham Readies Debut EP, Bo Fo Sho". Wired. Archived from the original on June 12, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
  14. ↑ Heisler, Steve (April 4, 2009). "Bo Burnham". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on January 22, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  15. 1 2 Gottlieb, Jed (March 9, 2009). "Bo-dacious comedy: Hamilton's Burnham moves from the bedroom to Hollywood". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts, USA: P. Steven Ainsley. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
  16. ↑ Johnson, Nick (February 5, 2009). "Internet celebrity pushes envelope in performance". The Daily Collegian. University Park, Pennsylvania, USA: Pennsylvania State University. Archived from the original on June 12, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
  17. ↑ Olson, Kris (July 3, 2008). "Ready, set … Bo! (Burnham, that is)". The Patriot Ledger. Quincy, Massachusetts, USA: Rick Daniels. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
  18. ↑ Ingram, Matthew (September 26, 2008). "Bo Burnham: Teenaged YouTube star". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Phillip Crawley. Archived from the original on November 5, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
  19. 1 2 Comedy Central Records (February 18, 2009). "COMEDY CENTRAL Records(R) to Release 'Bo Burnham' CD/DVD on March 10". New York, United States. PR Newswire. Archived from the original on February 22, 2009. Retrieved February 18, 2009.
  20. ↑ Hartlaub, Peter (October 16, 2008). "Teenage angst has paid off well for Bo Burnham". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
  21. ↑ Clark, Tim (August 25, 2010). "Bo Burnham nominated for Edinburgh Comedy Award". London, England: Get Comedy. Archived from the original on January 23, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
  22. ↑ "Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2010 – 2009 winners". Edinburgh, Scotland: Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Archived from the original on January 23, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  23. ↑ "Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2010 – judging". Edinburgh, Scotland: Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Archived from the original on January 23, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  24. ↑ Greaney, T.J. (March 4, 2009). "In-your-face comedy". Columbia Daily Tribune. Archived from the original on March 9, 2009. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
  25. ↑ Kroeger, Jake (December 17, 2013). "BO BURNHAM'S WHAT. RELEASED TODAY ON NETFLIX AND YOUTUBE". Nerdist. Nerdist Industries. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  26. ↑ Schwartz, Dana (June 6, 2016). "Bo Burnham Is Grown Up and Making Happy". New York Observer. Archived from the original on June 16, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  27. ↑ Hall, Julian (November 14, 2008). "Rising Star: Bo Burnham, comedy actor". The Independent. Independent News & Media. Archived from the original on July 12, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
  28. ↑ Wortham, Jenna (October 1, 2008). "YouTuber Bo Burnham Scripting New Judd Apatow Movie". Wired. Archived from the original on May 31, 2009. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  29. ↑ Clark, Andrew (March 2009). "Bo burnham". Boston's Weekly Dig. Archived from the original on 2009-03-22. Retrieved March 6, 2009.
  30. ↑ Cornwell, Tim (August 28, 2010). "Preview: Bo Burnham, comedian". Edinburgh Festivals. Archived from the original on August 31, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  31. ↑ Vena, Jocelyn (October 14, 2010). "Bo Burnham on Making The 'Anti-High School Musical' With Judd Apatow". MTV. Archived from the original on January 15, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
  32. 1 2 Connelly, Brendon (May 28, 2009). "Funny People Viral Marketing: Yo Teach!". /Film. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
  33. 1 2 Debruge, Peter (November 29, 2017). "Sundance Film Festival Unveils Full 2018 Features Lineup". Variety. Archived from the original on November 30, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  34. ↑ "Eighth Grade (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Eighth Grade Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  36. ↑ Levine, Stuart (September 7, 2010). "MTV orders pilot from Bo Burnham". Variety. Archived from the original on September 13, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010. Rising comedian just finished run at Edinburgh fest
  37. 1 2 "Proper Bo". Chortle. September 8, 2010. Archived from the original on September 13, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2010. Burnham lands US sitcom deal
  38. ↑ "Bo Burnham responds to 'Zach Stone' cancellation: I'm the luckiest guy I know". LAUGHSPIN. June 27, 2013. Archived from the original on April 19, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  39. ↑ "Scottish Television report, August 31, 2010". Archived from the original on September 6, 2010. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
  40. ↑ Luscombe (2018-07-28), Time Magazine - "How Bo Burnham Turns Anxiety Into A Work Of Art"
  41. ↑ "Bo Burnham announces national tour". Punchline Magazine Blog. July 31, 2009. Archived from the original on January 8, 2010. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
  42. ↑ Ryan, Mike (September 13, 2010). "EXCLUSIVE: Bo Burnham on His Newly-Announced Comedy Tour and MTV Show". Movieline. Archived from the original on September 16, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  43. ↑ "Bo Burnham: 2011 Tour". Brighton, England: Just for Laughs Live. 2011. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  44. ↑ Jones, Alice (November 6, 2013). "The many faces of Bo Burnham". The Independent. Archived from the original on March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  45. ↑ Cathcart, Olivia (December 8, 2014). "Bo Burnham announces dates for his 2015 "Make Happy Tour"". The Laugh Button. Archived from the original on March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  46. ↑ "Words Words Words". Alternative Distribution Alliance. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  47. ↑ "what. coming soon". YouTube. Archived from the original on July 20, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  48. ↑ "American Virgin (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on November 30, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  49. ↑ Bo Burnham: Words Words Words (DVD). October 19, 2010.
  50. ↑ Baez, Dominic (February 27, 2010). "Can we get a 'Hall Pass' from this movie?". East Oregonian. Archived from the original on April 18, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  51. ↑ kit, Borys (April 27, 2010). "Three join coming-of-age comedy 'Sin Bin'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 1, 2010. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
  52. ↑ Bo Burnham (December 17, 2013). what. (Bo Burnham FULL SHOW HD) (YouTube). Archived from the original on January 17, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  53. ↑ Trask, Nathaniel (September 19, 2016). "Comedy Review: "Bo Burnham: Make Happy" is the finest in experimental comedy". The Maine Campus. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  54. ↑ Chen, Nick (July 25, 2017). "The Big Sick does stand-up comedy right by doing it wrong". Little White Lies. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  55. ↑ Lemire, Christy (June 15, 2017). "Rough Night Movie Review & Film Summary (2017)". Roger Ebert. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  56. ↑ "Jerrod Carmichael: 8 - Synopsis". HBO. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  57. ↑ Zinoman, Jason (February 13, 2018). "Chris Rock's First Special in 10 Years Will Come Out Wednesday". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  58. ↑ Schillaci, Sophie (May 2, 2013). "'Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous': Bo Burnham on TV, Fame and the Irony of Mocking It (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  59. ↑ For the first sketch, see "Learning Piano to Get Laid (with Bo Burnham)". CollegeHumor. October 18, 2010. Archived from the original on March 1, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
    For the second sketch, see "Hate Weird Facebook Guys (Eminem Parody)". CollegeHumor. October 19, 2010. Archived from the original on March 1, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  60. ↑ Bo Burnham Stand-Up 11/30/10 - CONAN on TBS (YouTube). Team Coco. June 3, 2016. Archived from the original on March 12, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  61. ↑ "HBO Canada Goes for the Laughs with "Funny as Hell", a New Six-part Original Comedy Series". Corus Entertainment. February 24, 2011. Archived from the original on March 1, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  62. ↑ Fowler, Matt (April 10, 2014). "Parks and Recreation: "Flu Season 2" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on February 23, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  63. ↑ Cox, Jennifer (February 27, 2014). "New Season Of Just For Laughs: All Access Jam-Packed With Star Power". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  64. ↑ Key & Peele - A Cappella - Uncensored (YouTube). Comedy Central. July 24, 2015. Archived from the original on March 14, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  65. ↑ Upadhyaya, Kayla (March 3, 2015). "Kroll Show: "The Commonwealth Games"". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  66. ↑ Internet Rivals - We Bare Bears (YouTube). Cartoon Network. March 24, 2016. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  67. ↑ Jillie Mae Eddy (August 25, 2017). "Amazon's Comrade Detective - Season 1, Episode 1 Recap". WICF Daily. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  68. ↑ "Egghead by Bo Burnham - review". the Guardian. Archived from the original on July 31, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  69. ↑ "Egghead by Bo Burnham, Chance Bone | Waterstones". waterstones.com. October 3, 2013. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018.

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