“I always wanted to be a comedian and actor. I basically stumbled into the music medium, though. I'm OK, but that's about it. I like to think I'm good enough not to negatively affect the performance.” ThinkingEnoughWantedActorsPerformancesMediumsComedianGood Enough Author:Bo Burnham
“My whole family thinks I'm gay, I guess it's always been that way. Maybe it's 'cause of the way that I walk, Makes them think I like... boys.” ThinkingWayWholeHumorFunnyCausesWalksBoysGayWhole FamilyLike A Boy Author:Bo Burnham
“People do complain about the way I act on stage... They think on stage I act too arrogant, too self-obsessed, solecistic, self-contained, synonyms.” PeopleThinkingWaySelfStageComplainingObsessedArrogantSynonymSelf ContainedSelf Obsessed Author:Bo Burnham
“Nothing's true that I say, because I don't really want to say anything. I don't think my life's that cool, and I don't think my opinion's that valid. They're just silly jokes. Usually I just take a topic that isn't funny at all, like Shakespeare, and work backwards. I just try to find an unfunny subject.” ThinkingWantTryingOpinionSubjectsJokesSillyTopicsSay AnythingBackwards Author:Bo Burnham
“I work really hard on the shows and I think the shows speak for themselves. I don't want to construct the show to prove something.” ThinkingWantHardShowsSpeakProveConstructs Author:Bo Burnham
“If you can think of all the times in your life, some of the happiest times were probably when you were laughing. And some of the worst times in your life you were being laughed at.” IfsThinkingLaughingWorstLaughedWorst Times Author:Bo Burnham
“I'm interested in taboos for certain reasons. They can dramatise things and they're scary, and they're important to think about. I'm also wary about the fact that if you don't proceed with caution and understand what you're doing, you understand these things are realities that you're dealing with, they're real things.” IfsThinkingImportantRealReasonFactsRealityCertainScaryCautionTabooReal ThingsDoing You Author:Bo Burnham
“When things [writing] are over, I always think, 'well, I'm never going to do anything again because I have no ideas so I'm going to go be a farmer'. Or else ideas will come and and if not then I become a farmer. Hopefully won't happen.” IfsThinkingWritingWellsIdeasHappensHopefullyNo IdeaFarmers Author:Bo Burnham
“I think controversy has this allusion of being controversial but it's totally not, which is why I'm trying to get away from it because it's just easy and automatic.” ThinkingTryingEasyGet AwayControversyControversialAllusion Author:Bo Burnham
“I see young people being dismissed for supposedly wanting only "stupid" and "easy" material, or that they don't have an attention span longer than three minutes. I disagree with all those statements; I just think they aren't true. I'm saying that our generation wants stuff that is substantial and challenging, as well as thoughtful and endearing. Well, I don't know if I'm doing that, but I'm trying.” PeopleIfsThinkingKnowsWantTryingWellsYoungThreeEasyStuffChallengesAttentionGenerationsMinutesStupidMaterialsStatementsThoughtfulDisagreeOur GenerationAttention SpanEndearing Author:Bo Burnham
“I've found, across the board, that comedians have been very respectful and kind to me. And that seems to stem from the fact that they are just respectful and kind people in general. Comedians get a bad rap for being dark and anti-social I think.” PeopleThinkingKindHas BeensFactsSeemsFoundSocialDarkRapComedianBoardsStemRespectfulAnti SocialKind People Author:Bo Burnham
“The biggest danger, for me, with making yourself your act is that a lot of people with think they know you for better or worse. That's an ongoing struggle with me and it can get really trippy sometimes. I try to be strong about it and assure myself that only my close friends and family can really pass judgement on me personally, but it's impossible to not let it get to you.” PeopleThinkingKnowsTryingSometimesStrongStruggleImpossibleDangerJudgementFamily And FriendsOngoingGet RealClose FriendsTrippy Author:Bo Burnham
“I do think that stand-up comedy in general heavily favors masculinity and so I like to act a little feminine onstage.” ThinkingLittlesComedyFavorsFeminineMasculinityStand Up Comedy Author:Bo Burnham
“I don't like calling myself a "feminist" only because I don't think I've done anything active enough to call myself one. It'd be like calling myself a civil rights activist just because I'm not racist.” ThinkingDoneEnoughRightsCallingFeministActiveCivil RightsRacistActivist Author:Bo Burnham
“I thought I wanted to be a physicist in high school until I learned that there was much more math than philosophy in it. I assumed I would just sit around all day and think.” ThinkingPhilosophyWantedSchoolHigh SchoolMathPhysicist Author:Bo Burnham
“I just try to do things on stage that I think the audience would enjoy. And I try to draw on and add to acts that I've enjoyed watching.” ThinkingTryingEnjoyAudienceStageDrawsAddEnjoyed Author:Bo Burnham
“I think no matter what you do, a certain amount of people are going to call you a sellout, somehow, you know. If I ever start trying to make a living on it.” PeopleIfsThinkingKnowsTryingMatterCertainAmountNo Matter WhatLiving On Author:Bo Burnham
“That's what YouTube's become, it's become like a lot of vloggers capitalizing on this sort of like "My fans, I love my fans, hey guys." I've grown up and kind of been disgusted by that. I think it's using people, I think it's like encouraging something that's unhealthy, telling people you love them. "I love you." Oh really, you love your fans? You love the people that give you money and attention? Of course you do, that's not selfless that you love your fans, that's ridiculous.” PeopleThinkingGivingKindGuyCoursesAttentionFansLove YouRidiculousHeySelflessYoutubeUnhealthyDisgustedUsing People Author:Bo Burnham
“The thing is, I was on YouTube like the golden era, I think. Before ads came in, it was really cool back then.” ThinkingGoldenErasAdsYoutubeReally Cool Author:Bo Burnham
“People are gonna think that MTV censored me, and they really didn't. I really wanted to try to make a show that didn't rely on offensive, edgy material because I think it was an exercise in trying to write without that. Because I see that as a crutch sometimes and I want to know that I can do something funny and worthwhile without that. And also make a show that my parents would like and that kids could watch with their parents.” PeopleThinkingKnowsWantWritingTryingI CanSometimesShowsKidsWantedParentCan DoWatchesMaterialsExerciseRelyWorthwhileOffensiveCan Do SomethingMtvEdgyCrutchesCensored Author:Bo Burnham
“Quotes are for dumb people who can't think of something intelligent to say on their own.” PeopleThinkingHumorFunnyComedyIntelligentDumbDumb People Author:Bo Burnham
“I've found nothing but support and generosity from older comics. I think comedians are a lot nicer than the stigma is, at least from my experience.” ThinkingFoundSupportGenerosityComedianStigma Author:Bo Burnham
“When I see someone filming me, I don't usually think, 'No, man, don't put this up online!' I'd think, 'Hey man, you don't get to go to shows very often, put down the camera and enjoy it!' I love going to theatre and to shows so much.” ThinkingMenShowsEnjoyCamerasTheatreHeyOnline Author:Bo Burnham
“I think comedy has a range, with multiple peaks in different areas. It's like trying to compare Beethoven and the Beatles. Sometimes I hear from people, 'I think you try too hard in your comedy.' And that's what I worry about.” PeopleThinkingTryingDifferentSometimesHardWorryComedyAreasCompareRangeMultiple Author:Bo Burnham
“At the time of 'Words, Words, Words,' I'm a 19-year-old getting up feeling like he's entitled to do comedy and tell you what he thinks of the world, so that's inherently a little bit ridiculous.” ThinkingWorldYearsLittlesFeelingsBitsComedyLittle BitRidiculousEntitled Author:Bo Burnham
“I think the comedy clubs tend to homogenize the acts a little bit, because they force them to be palatable in way too many environments.” ThinkingWayLittlesForceBitsEnvironmentComedyLittle BitClubsComedy Clubs Author:Bo Burnham
“I think the love-hate is fundamental. Everyone hates reality television, and everyone's watching it. Everyone hates Facebook, and everyone is on it.” ThinkingRealityHateTelevisionFundamentalsLove HateReality Television Author:Bo Burnham
“I remember being superyoung, like nine or ten years old, and thinking, 'Man, I wonder what famous people eat for breakfast. They must have some special kind of cereal!' My mind was so warped by the idea of fame.” PeopleThinkingMenYearsMindKindIdeasRememberWonderSpecialFameTenNineBreakfastCerealThinking Man Author:Bo Burnham
