Bo Burnham

Bo Burnham's meteoric rise is both unusual and impressive in equal measure. In 2006, at the tender age of 16, he became an internet sensation when his comic songs, recorded at home in Massachusetts and uploaded to YouTube, won him a cult following. With that encouragement, he went on to record and publish many more songs in his bedroom, keeping the DIY ethic and low production values. His output was as crude as you might expect from a teenage boy with copious swearing and references to race, sex, disability and homosexuality that tread a precarious line between satire and offence.

He was quickly signed by a comedy agent and a record deal followed soon afterwards. He began to play live gigs and brought his show over the Atlantic to the Edinburgh Fringe last year, being nominated for the Best Comedy Show award and winning a "spirit of the fringe" award. His songs today are intelligent, witty and original, full of word play and cultural references.

Some of the more old-school comedians regard his stratospheric career path as illegitimate - after all, you should work your way up from the bottom by playing the circuit of comedy clubs, rather than using the internet as a shortcut. Perhaps they're just annoyed that they didn't think of it first; certainly the now 20-year-old Burnham doesn't let it trouble him as he is about to embark on a tour of the UK which will bring him to the Nottingham Playhouse. It's a great opportunity to catch him while he's on the way up.


Bo Burnham will appear at Nottingham Playhouse on 7th June 2011 as part of the NEAT11 festival.

Bo Burnham's YouTube channel
 

Share this article