three pm

1. Fans are extremely important to any famous person, that’s why we asked some comedy
fans to answer questions on Bo Burnham – to give us their opinion on what some see as
the new ‘face of comedy.’ Here are some responses:
How/When did you discover Bo?
My friend showed me “My Whole Family” (The first video Bo ever posted on YouTube)
sometime in early 2013, and I was a fan of his vines in 2013, but I didn’t really look into him until
March of 2014 when I watched “What.” on YouTube. – AJ Hawkes
About a year ago I randomly decided to watch his special on Netflix (What.). – Schade Segel
I was at a Netflix party at the end of March and was pretty much forced to watch ‘What.’ – Jordan
Brown
Do you see Bo Burnham as an icon/idol? Why?
In some ways! I think a lot of his work is inspiring/thought provoking. – Anonymous
I think he definitely inspires people, but not me personally. – Imi Oliphant
Yes. Even though he’s vulgar, he has many good points about different topics. He’s very open-
minded. Also, the way he has grown – his comedy specials, poetry book, TV show, etc- shows how
proactive and diverse he is. – Jordan Brown
What do you feel is his most extreme joke/statement/song? Why?
If by extreme you mean serious then maybe rant/art is dead/from god’s perspective – Imi
Oliphant (rant and from gods perspective both argue with the rules and regulations of religion and
Art is Dead is a song that addresses issues with being a performer, how he feels and so on.)
The haiku in his special, ‘Words Words Words’ that goes, ‘A kid offended my mother so I said:
You’re mother’s so black.’ – Eddie Jeselnik
Favorite Quote? (From song/poem/interview) why?
There’s so many I can’t even think of one, oh my god. Serious one: ‘but no one entertains the
thought that maybe god does not believe in you…’ funny one: ‘like a tampon thief, I had to pull
some strings’ – Schade Segel
When asked how the weather is up there (he’s very tall (6’5) he would say it’s raining and
pretend to spit at them. – James Callum Liversidge
Has his work/Bo himself influenced you in any way? How?
Yes. Bo has made me love comedy and appreciate offensive humor. He makes me think things
through more and makes me want to look into things. Hell, sonnet 155 made me want to go read
Shakespeare. – Bailey Cranford
Of course! I have a page in my school notebook devoted to random jokes I think of in case I
decide to pursue comedy. – Rachel Cervantes
Everyone has their own answer, despite the question, which shows just how diverse Bo
Burnham is, although there is a slight correlation as to how he was discovered, which
seems to point towards his What. Special being freely available on Netflix. Though he may
not be the best person to idolize and his jokes may be quite offensive in one way or
another, he has inspired people and opened their eyes to comedy along with collecting a
supportive fan base.