27 March 2009

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This Friday Comedy Central will premiere its latest "Comedy Central Presents" special, featuring up and coming comic Bo Burnham. Like most comics who have been featured on the series, Burnham is just starting to become well known. Like most featured comics he has had success in some of the most well known comedy clubs in the country. Like most featured comics he is not yet quite a household name but has shown promise in his work. Yes, in several ways Bo Burnham is just like the many other comics who have been featured on "Comedy Central Presents," but there are two ways that Burnham is unique. One, he is only eighteen years old, and two, he got his start by posting videos on Youtube.

While many YouTube videos are uploaded in hopes of getting discovered, Burnham began uploading his videos for a different reason. Having written a few songs about what he described as teenage angst, Burnham uploaded the videos onto Youtube so that his brother would be able to see them at college.

Filmed in Burnham's bedroom, the two videos were done very simply. Burnham in fact later said that instead of actually having a tripod, the camera filming was simply placed on a pile of books. The two videos both featured noting more than Burnham playing the piano and singing his two songs, "My Little Secret" and "My Whole Family Thinks I'm Gay." The videos had unexpected success, both of them now having over a million hits each. Since then, Burnham has gone on to release a total of 14 videos of himself singing comedic songs that he wrote.

Burnham's comedy comes from his R-rated lyrics, most of them unprintable, which poke fun of anyone and everyone including himself. He sings songs which talk about white supremacy, Helen Keller's disabilities, pedophilia, homosexuality and more, all with a tongue planted firmly in his cheek attitude. Burnham describes his on stage persona as a "more arrogant, stuck-up version [of] himself." In addition to their R-rated tone, Burnham's lyrics are also well known for their sly puns that always seem to work surprisingly well: "Lets rob an Asian kitchen, or stroll down the block, either way girl, we're taking a walk" (Wok)

My Whole Family...