“what.” Review

By Caroline Daniel, Staff Blogger

In the last few years, YouTube star turned professional comedian Bo Burnham has been making his way into a renowned comedian superstar. And in December, Burnham made his return to where he started on the internet and released his new show “what.” for free on YouTube and Netflix.

“what.” is some of Burnham’s finest work yet. As a young comedian at 23, Burnham has brought a modern approach to comedy by mixing multiple genres of media, including music, digital enhanced sounds, and stand-up comedy to challenge the form of everyday society, and lash back at those who think they know him better than he knows himself.

Burnham opens the show with a seven-minute long miming/dancing/being a lizard act that then transitions into the normal show, where Burnham does stand-up, but also sings original songs. These original songs include “Sad,” a song about turning sad events into comedic moments; “A Song From The Perspective of God,” about how much God hates the people he created, “Left and Right Brain,” a song kind of summing up the whole purpose of the show, that Burnham’s left and right brain are at war, and “Repeat Stuff,” knocking down the Justin Bieber love song stereotype (and sort of implying love song writing pop stars work for Satan). Burnham also incorporates original poems into his set from his new book “Egghead,” filled with everything from ridiculous literary antics to profoundly beautiful metaphors.

Burnham, in the end, is one of the funniest comedians in the industry today. Although his material is what some might say “off the wall,” by the end of his show you will really begin to think about the structure of today’s society, while still giggling at poop jokes and hilarious songs. His ability to mix comedy with media and deep thinking really leaves the audience to wonder what else Burnham could possibly bring to the table, since he’s seemingly brought everything all at once. But I think as society changes and evolves, and new crazy fads and trends come to light, Burnham will continue to find every single way to make fun of it. I personally hope he never leaves the scene, but continues to get bigger and better, and make us laugh for the rest of our lives.

An extra side note: “what.” features some racial and social slurs and swearing that might be offensive to some. Burnham himself believes that society’s use of slurs is ridiculous, and through his comedy, is bringing social issues to light. If you’re easily offended by hearing slurs and swearing, I would not recommend “what.”

Watch “what.” for free on Youtube at youtube.com/boburnham and on Netflix. You can also buy the CD version of “what.” on iTunes and listen for free on Spotify.