SPEAKER_07 0:00

This is Last per Minute, where we serve up hot takes on comedy legends and rising stars. Every episode features a different guest deigning to be armchair critics with us, Brian and Nick. Sit back, strap in, as we butcher calling back to our comedy heroes. Hey Brian, who we got today?

SPEAKER_03 0:21

How are you doing, Nick?

unknown 0:23

I'm aye.

SPEAKER_03 0:24

Yeah? I think we have a good one today.

SPEAKER_07 0:28

You are uh in a word, biased.

SPEAKER_03 0:34

Yes, completely. That's that's what the uh that's what the actual technical term is, you know? Yep, two butt Brian. That's what we call you. Well, our guest today is actually my dream come true, is my offspring is here. Luca. Luca Dekir.

SPEAKER_07 0:53

Hi, Luca. Hi.

SPEAKER_03 0:56

Actually, uh Luca was very excited about when I said, would you be on my podcast? And basically it was like, yes, and I know who I want to do, I know who we want to watch, and I know what we want to watch. Immediately. Immediately, yeah. It was, it was like like literally, you said yes, and then this is what we're doing.

SPEAKER_02 1:19

Well, you were you said, Do you want to be on my podcast? And I was like, the comedy one? Yes, yes, I do.

unknown 1:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:28

How many podcasts do you have, Brian?

SPEAKER_06 1:31

Right, exactly. Yeah. Which one? Which one are you talking about?

SPEAKER_03 1:39

Yeah. Yeah. And it was uh it was good. So the do you want me to go into our who we're doing who we're talking about? Or do you want to? So today we're we are talking about Bo Burnham, and he did a thing called Inside, which was done, I think 2020. It had to be. It was because he was locked inside and everyone was locked inside at that time, and really, really interesting. Uh Bo Burnham's been around for quite some time. He's well, he just turned 30, and I know that he was creating YouTube content, comedy YouTube content, and getting a following before he was a stand-up when he was under 18 years old. So he's been doing this for quite some time, and quite honestly, we've been watching him that whole time. I think even when you were younger, yeah, we would watch YouTube videos, right?

SPEAKER_02 2:35

I mean, there was times that you would see things that he did and not even know that it was him. Like uh there are things that people talk about sometimes now that they'll be like, oh, that Bo Burnham thing. And I'm like, I I had no clue that that was something that he did.

SPEAKER_03 2:52

Yeah. Sure. Yeah, and I think I think that as we'll as we get into it, I think we'll talk about this more, but like he's relatively one of a kind in the comedy world. He's also I think his talents are more than just comedy. Obviously, he's musically talented and uh and and he writes good material. So you I mean he has sort of like a I mean I guess you can consider him also a good actor, too, because he's he's putting on I don't know, it's funny. We'll talk about that more too. It's like how much of this is an act and how much of this was real, you know? Like, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_07 3:27

Mm-hmm. I do. I think if I remember right, he he got started just trying to make funny videos online for his family member who was deployed to see, like because they had to know. Oh really? So that was like the way you know he shared and kept kept uh I don't know if it was his brother or uncle or who was you know deployed. Um but yeah, it was just to keep his spirits up and keep connected to that family member, and then it eventually ended up, I guess, trying to stay connected to humanity, you know, to the people in school.

SPEAKER_02 4:04

I never knew that.

SPEAKER_03 4:05

I didn't know that either. I thought he was just like a funny kid in high school that was could play the piano.

SPEAKER_07 4:10

Exactly. You're not fans at all. I'm a fake fan.

SPEAKER_03 4:18

But yeah, he that uh this I think that he I guess uh well without getting towards the end, but basically he he uses the medium of the what you know how he made this very, very effectively. And uh, and we'll get into like all the little nitpicks and pieces of it based on our score sheet, but um but it's yeah, and that was I want to say we watched about half of it and then we watched it again last night all the way through.

SPEAKER_00 4:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:49

And and uh that was the first time I had seen it, or actually, I'm trying to think, yeah, I think that was the first time I had seen it all the way through. So um so yeah.

SPEAKER_06 4:59

Uh it was good though. I watched it how many times have you watched this guy?

SPEAKER_02 5:05

Like four or five. Four or five. Right when it came out, um, like basically everyone on earth to me was obsessed with it and like saying it was the best thing ever. And it wasn't really like the type of thing that you would talk about and say, This is why I like it, and this is like why, and like getting into the detail of it. And now that we're past the time, we do like I do talk with my friends about why, but at the time it was very just yeah, you've gotta watch it. And then when I went and watched it, I understood, and we kind of just no one talked about it. It was just we all saw it and we were all like, Yep, that was really funny. It also destroyed us, and we feel completely different now, and that's how it's gonna be now. Yeah, and that was we kind of just moved on from there.

SPEAKER_07 6:04

You had a a shared experience. Oh, yeah. Back back in the old days before YouTube and streaming services galore, like we used to all have a shared experience. You know, we're Weird Al could write music that you know about pop songs, and we all heard those same pop songs because that's what the radio played was the popular songs, and now it's Spotify and everyone has their own playlist. Well, and like with you heard this album? No, I've never even heard of this person.

SPEAKER_03 6:36

What are you talking about? I mean, and in this case, I think he well, like he didn't have an audience for this, right? And but what I found was like, you know, he's just filming this by himself with no reaction. Like, can you imagine? I mean, we saw some of the behind the scenes a little bit in the filming of it, but uh you you watched the outtakes? Well, no, I'm just saying, like during it, like you would see him like fooling around and like going, okay, I'm gonna do that one more time, and like the blanket, you know, sort of like that the way that his style he filmed it. And but the interesting thing is even though he didn't have an audience, the fact that you guys had a common experience like that shows that he has his finger on the pulse, like he sort of is he knows his audience, like he knows what people like everyone's going through this shared experience of COVID at the time, and he's encapsulated that in an hour and a half long thing that took him a year to put together, you know what I mean? If we're to believe the the timeline that he says in there, so right, you know, very interesting.

SPEAKER_07 7:42

I think uh too, there's a one of his songs towards the end is it's almost like an apology slash defense of of the whole thing.

SPEAKER_06 7:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:52

Oh the the problematic one.

SPEAKER_03 7:55

Problematic. Oh yes.

SPEAKER_07 7:57

No, the the one where it's like, I want to see you tell a joke to an empty room.

SPEAKER_02 8:02

Oh, the very end, yeah. Yeah, that one's yeah.

SPEAKER_07 8:07

It's it's almost like, yeah, you you maybe this wasn't all that good, but I want to see you try, you know. It's kind of right, right. Um but I I think he did good and I think he was proud of what he did. Yeah. Um, but it was definitely different.

SPEAKER_03 8:21

Well, I mean, there's there's so much one I this probably leads into like comedic style because some of this and also subject matter, because you know, uh, because I had for comedic style on here, I had um a bunch checked. Like I I don't know if I've like I don't know how many other comedians I would check this many boxes for, but I checked one-liners, observational, satirical, physical comedy, musical comedy. I mean, he's all over the place, and he's cover he's covering all those bases, you know.

SPEAKER_02 8:54

I I would have to agree. I mean, I only put um physical and musical comedy, um, but I think that may just be because it's what I am like.

SPEAKER_07 9:08

Did you guys hear that background noise? Yeah, what was that? I hey Luca's talking. Don't let me interrupt. I'll tell you after she's done. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 9:18

Um I I think it may just be because like those are the parts that I like see first. Like it we kind of had this thing that we talk about, like me and Skye talk about a lot, where it's um um people comprehend music differently. Where if you listen to music, sometimes you'll hear some people hear the lyrics and some people hear the music, and it just changes the whole song. And I feel like that's kind of the same thing that I'm getting here, where it's like I know that there were other things, but the only thing that I can think of when I recall it is the physical and musical comedy, because those are like the things that I resonate with about it.

SPEAKER_06 9:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 10:00

Gotcha. I similar to Brian, I checked all the boxes, although it I didn't check physical. Um I guess you know, maybe I saw that differently. I'd say he's visual. Yeah. Like I'd I'd probably add it. I didn't write it down, but maybe in other I'd put visual comedy, like he just he likes to create visuals either with the lighting effects or his posture. Um but like I I don't need to change y'all's mind about that.

SPEAKER_03 10:31

No, I think it's a good point. Like, I the the question is whether or not what he was doing physically was to get the laugh or whether it was just part of the overall performance. You know what I mean? Because a lot of times the lyric is the thing that's pulling the heavy weight in terms of trying to get the laugh.

SPEAKER_00 10:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:48

And but also like some of the stuff, he's just like the one, which uh which one is it where he's like working out and he's like boxing and he that was what I was thinking for physical comedy. I thought that was he's like showing his belly button and then he's like taking the puts the water bottle in his belly button.

SPEAKER_07 11:07

That that was funny. I think that might have been the first like audible laugh I made.

SPEAKER_03 11:12

Yeah, you're just I was just thinking, oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_07 11:19

Uh the for the oh so the noise was my robot vacuum cogswill.

SPEAKER_03 11:25

Oh yeah, yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_07 11:26

He he got started on the schedule.

SPEAKER_03 11:28

I'm like, oh no, what's your robot's vacuum's name again?

SPEAKER_07 11:31

Cogswell? Cogswell. Amazing. Amazing name. A little bit of a callback to the Jetsons. Yeah. Of course, it's the reference to you know being made of cogs and wheels.

SPEAKER_06 11:44

Sure.

SPEAKER_07 11:44

I love it. But uh yeah, he he's on a schedule, and I forgot to turn him off before this.

SPEAKER_06 11:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 11:50

I had the presence of mind to mute while he was making on his vacuum sounds, and I'd turn them off.

SPEAKER_06 11:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 11:56

But uh I forgot that he makes that little noise when he's done done. So I apologize for letting that record.

SPEAKER_03 12:04

I thought it was my drink like making a noise, and I'm like, what is making a noise?

SPEAKER_07 12:09

Do you want to talk about Brian's beverage corner? Is that what this is? Yeah, I hate that. I had to bring that with you.

SPEAKER_03 12:16

I hate that. Yeah, I always, no matter what, I'm always like, let me talk about my drinks, you know?

SPEAKER_07 12:22

Your father's a heavy drinker, Luca. I'm just gonna say it.

SPEAKER_03 12:26

I know. You know, but it doesn't, it's not the thing on the podcast, though. It's at other places too. Like you you've seen me at Toastmasters where it's like I've got like four drinks in front of me, and it's like Brian, you know the meeting's only like an hour, right? You know, but I'm I I'm already thirsty. What if I don't want this drink and I'm thirsty? What if I don't want this second drink and I'm also thirsty?

SPEAKER_02 12:47

At least I know where I get it from. I've got my my orange float and my potash.

SPEAKER_03 12:52

Yes, uh-huh. You're like, yeah. It's so funny. I don't know.

SPEAKER_07 13:00

Uh so yeah, so subject matter, subject matter.

SPEAKER_03 13:03

Uh again, I have multiple. What do you have, Luca? I checked all the boxes.

SPEAKER_07 13:08

Oh I jumped ahead. I checked all the boxes, literally.

SPEAKER_02 13:11

Every box, wow. I mean, that has actually I could see. Yeah, I I mean like I could get behind it.

SPEAKER_03 13:17

That's just I mean, I can't believe I didn't didn't check absurdist because like he's like some of it is just I mean, he ripped the soul out of a puppet's sock.

SPEAKER_05 13:26

Like yeah. I don't know, that's that's pretty dark.

SPEAKER_03 13:30

Yeah, and he that bit is the best. I can't even repeat what like repeat what he said because it's so like academic, you know.

SPEAKER_01 13:40

It's just like the same like complete, it's like total truth, but it's also dreamer-ish.

SPEAKER_03 13:46

Yeah, word salad, you know. Anyway, yeah. Uh so what did you what did you have checked?

SPEAKER_02 13:54

Oh, I had social commentary and dark humor. And now that you've said it, I think I would check absurdist, but I I don't know how I looked over that. I guess also personal life is pretty applicable. You know what?

SPEAKER_03 14:06

It's funny because I didn't I was yeah, I could see now other ones. I pulled I checked political, social commentary, pop culture, and dark humor, but now I could see I mean he's talking about uh white woman's Instagram, and he's like talking about what a white a white man, and like I'm a white guy, and you know, everybody should listen to me because I'm a white guy, and you know, like I'm gonna slow like leaning in heavily into that, like, yeah, because everybody cares what I say. I'm just a white comic, you know.

SPEAKER_02 14:31

Like he also has the bit, the like um that bit in the song where he's like, When I was uh when I was 17 at for Halloween, I dressed up as Aladdin, and I did not darken my skin, but still in hindsight, it still feels awkward.

SPEAKER_07 14:46

It was all perfectly legal. Right, yeah, but but like he didn't he didn't like lean too much into any one of those things, I don't think. No, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:02

I no, I think maybe personal life was probably the biggest proportion, and I think the whole thing is like it's funny because the whole thing runs the gamut, like it's just a wide variety, and like each song is like different. You know, you go from a song that's talking about um Jeffrey Bezos into a song about sexting, you know, like yeah, exactly. Oh, and and and uh well I'll get to it when I get to my favorite some of my favorite stuff, but um well and you're talking about him being all over the place.

SPEAKER_07 15:34

He he warns you at the start, yeah, right? He he tells you when he he's talking in the mirror with the camera behind him, and uh he's like, Yeah, this I'm all over the place, so there might not be very smooth trend, and then he cuts.

SPEAKER_03 15:47

Yeah, that was that that is a brilliant use of the medium.

SPEAKER_02 15:51

What I was talking about is like him knowing, yeah, and just like literally just uh there's not gonna be very good transit, and it just like cuts to the next thing, and I'm just like that that's a brilliant piece of comedy right there, and it's not even him saying anything, it's just technology, it's just not something you could do in real life, like you couldn't do that on a stage, and I think he like uses the really well, right?

SPEAKER_03 16:15

I mean, I think he has a I think he has an advantage because he started out just producing videos of himself, whereas other comics start out by going and he couldn't do that at 16 or 17 years old. He couldn't go, I'm gonna go tour the comedy shows and like you know play the you know open mic nights and things like that. He he start he just started on YouTube and then yeah.

SPEAKER_07 16:36

Yeah. I I like though that that he decided, you know, that in that moment he showed instead of told, right? Or he showed as well as told, yes, and that is an effective thing to do regardless of the medium, right? Like like Luca's saying he used the medium to his advantage.

SPEAKER_03 16:55

Definitely. Well, uh, you want to get you wanna move into our uh different categories and start moving through those?

SPEAKER_07 17:05

Are you asking me or Luca?

SPEAKER_03 17:07

Either. I'm gonna be good to go. Let's let's start with number one, the titular.

SPEAKER_07 17:16

Oh, I guess it is because it's related to our title, right? I think that's titular. Um Googling titular now. One moment.

SPEAKER_03 17:29

And actually, ironically, am I learning? This one is this first one, I think, was one of the hardest ones to score. Because like the question or you know, the sub-question is how frequently did the comedian generate laughs? And it's like, oh gosh. Um, well, he did generate, he had some laugh tracks that he played.

SPEAKER_07 17:51

So and I think that was for his own sanity. I think so too. Like when he did it, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:59

And on that note, I think that's one of the things I like about him the most is that I think he knows who he is, and he just is completely like okay with that, and is like almost like unapologetically, like, you don't have to like me. Uh it doesn't matter. I'm not for everyone, but this is who I am, so I'm just gonna be true to that on stage, and I'm gonna produce things that I think are funny and that I think are good, and that I'm gonna work on it and you know, have passion for it, but at the same time, you know, he's again unapologetic about it and just being like, all right, hey, if I'm not for you, I'm not for you, you know? Yeah, yeah, at least that's the feeling I get.

SPEAKER_07 18:39

And I Googled titular, and you used the word properly. I did. I'm impressed and apologetic. I learned something today. Is to always challenge Brian because that way I will learn something. So I learned something.

SPEAKER_03 18:53

Right, right, exactly. Yeah, always you might learn the the thing you might learn is that Brian doesn't know what the hell he's talking about. That that's what you might learn.

SPEAKER_07 19:02

Yeah, might learn.

SPEAKER_02 19:03

I mean, we've proven you're human, so that finally, after so much time, we all thought he was an android.

SPEAKER_07 19:15

How how old were you, Luca, when you learned that your father was not perfect?

SPEAKER_02 19:20

Has it happened yet?

SPEAKER_07 19:23

Maybe I'm asking you to predict the future. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 19:27

I think I was I'm getting very uncomfortable.

SPEAKER_07 19:30

29 when he didn't show up to give me away at my wedding.

SPEAKER_03 19:40

So laughs per minute. I so I went I I feel like I went moderate on this. And because and part of the reason why is towards the end, like it does, you know, we'll get into that, I'm sure, but the the whole thing takes a turn. Uh it's like which I think is I think is really, really smart in the way he put it together. But I gave us a six out of ten, um, which is not a great score, but at the same time, it doesn't that's not a reflection of how much I liked it.

SPEAKER_02 20:12

I I circled one okay. I remember looking at this question, and I I looked at it and thought about it, and I circled one to three, and then I wrote eight in the score for some reason, and then I went back and circled seven to eight. And then I because okay, steady laughs throughout as the descriptor sounds like how I felt, except I wasn't laughing. I was just like sitting looking at the screen and kind of smiling. But I don't know how much of that is because it was genuinely funny or just because I really enjoy watching that special. Um, I might be a little bit biased, but that's okay. I think that my final score ended up being eight, but I mean, as I said, you know, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 21:03

Yep. This is the format to be entirely biased. That's fine.

SPEAKER_06 21:07

Right.

SPEAKER_07 21:09

I uh I'm I'm like you though, I I don't know how many times I actually laughed out loud. I just sort of had this baseline amusement that sometimes dipped in, like, oh that's sad. You know, it went back up to baseline amusement.

SPEAKER_05 21:23

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 21:24

Um with the few like, oh, that's funny. Oh aha. Yeah. Yeah. Um and and I spot it because I got it, because I'm becoming famous among my friends' groups for being amusing but not funny. It's like, uh yeah, I get more laughs by saying that, by admitting that, yeah than by actually trying to be funny. Right.

SPEAKER_02 21:47

The eternal tragedy.

SPEAKER_07 21:50

Yep, it's the other side of the comedy coin. Um, but yeah, I gave him a four out of ten. Okay. Some laughs, inconsistent delivery.

unknown 21:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:59

And I

SPEAKER_07 22:01

Maybe that's a little harsh.

SPEAKER_03 22:03

No, I was in the same category just on the high on the high end. You were on you were it's four to six, so you were on four, I was six, though same same area, you know.

SPEAKER_07 22:12

So and I've got later on, I did what you did, Luca, about putting in two different dynamic diverse scores, but we'll we'll come to that. Go ahead, Bob.

SPEAKER_03 22:23

So content quality, um, how well written were the jokes and the stories? Uh you want to start, Nick?

SPEAKER_07 22:30

Sure. I gave it a seven out of ten. Strong creative writing. And um I don't know, it's it's sort of an at least. I might bump that up a point or two by the time we're done talking. You know, I think he had a lot of thought. Like there's a lot of pre-work into what he did, and you could tell like he had a vision and he executed that vision. Um he didn't in in the challenge I saw for him, and I think he he succeeded in this endeavor if he was trying to do it, is it's like he didn't want to convey an idea. He wanted to convey a feeling. And it's really hard to plan and orchestrate a feeling. Um I guess I would say music music is easier than I'd say music is easier to convey feeling than with lyrics. And he had both at his disposal. Yeah. But still, I think it was a very distinct, specific, and unnamed feeling that he wanted to convey, and I think he did a great job. So that's why I'm probably gonna give him a few more points.

SPEAKER_06 23:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:42

Luca?

SPEAKER_02 23:43

I mean, I gave it a nine. I really I'm just very I'm always impressed every time I watch it. And I think also a lot of my like connection to the special personally is the just like the timing of it for me, like being as young as I was and like having the pandemic happening, and then he drops that. In my eyes, the I was moved, so you know, I could have given it a 10, but I also logically can see that it's not. I mean, obviously, it's not the perfect special ever.

SPEAKER_06 24:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:25

But I for me, like it was basically the most artistically involved thing that I had ever seen that was not like um an actual painting.

SPEAKER_03 24:42

Yeah. Yeah, I agree. I agree with that. I I actually gave it a nine as well. And I'm just impressed by I'm impressed by his writing. I think it's interesting watching, like I said, some of the behind the scenes kind of stuff where while during the filming where he's like, like the one part where he was he sang a song and then he was like, he started it over because he's like, I need to take a deeper breath. And then he starts and then he sings the song, and then he says, he sits there for a second and ponders, and then he's like, okay, one more time. And then he like, and then it cuts off. And so it's almost like, you know, uh I mean, like, like I said, him creating. I I also the reason why I gave it a nine uh in addic in addition is I don't think there's anybody else doing what he's there's other musical comedians and there's other people that are out there doing social commentary and all the other boxes we checked for comedic style, but I don't think there's anyone doing all the things that he's doing out there. I don't know of anybody that does the as wide of a variety of all usually musical comedians are just musical comedians, they're just like he does stand-up too. So if you there he has other specials where he does music and then he does straight up stand-up, and then he does, and then he raps, and then he you know does he does all kinds of different things, and then this one is a whole different animal because he filmed it himself, so that means he filmed it, he edited it, he edited it. Yeah. Bring it homes, from you anyway. Um, too many did-dits. There's gonna be a lot of references like that in this podcast, um, where we're just like, oh, that other community, anyway. So yeah, no, I just think I don't think there's anyone else doing what he's doing, and um, I'm just impressed by the wide variety of things. Uh, and I think you're right, it he's trying to convey a feeling, and you said it's very distinct because it was a very distinct and extremely unique time period for all of us, and and that was like I said, him trying to condense that in. But I think also, you know, deep diving deeper into comedians' brains is like him trying to process it himself. And he just happens to be like, How do I? This is my outlet. My outlet is I'm a sort of a narcissist that needs to be in front of people, and now I don't have a way to be in front of people because nobody's in front of people, and I'm not getting these laughs, I'm not getting the strokes of my ego and all the things. And so he is like, what do I do?

SPEAKER_02 27:14

Healing the world with comedy, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:16

Healing the world of comedy exactly. Exactly. So so anyway, nine for me on that.

SPEAKER_07 27:25

Cool. Well, you you both got me to uh give him an extra point. Awesome. Uh performance and delivery. This is where I I had whiplash. So like there were definitely moments where it would I gave a three because it was awkward low. Like but then there's also moments where it's where he's just engaging and confident. Yeah. Um actually, I mean now that I say it, there's even some moments of like nine and ten commanding stage presence. Um I think that understanding that it's all fairly intentional, um, even the awkward low energy, like he's deliberately revealing that. And he you sort of have to realize that while it's very vulnerable, um it's also a bit uh rehearsed.

SPEAKER_06 28:33

Yes.

SPEAKER_07 28:33

Like it doesn't seem rehearsed, it doesn't look rehearsed, but he's sort of shown us in other scenes and such that he'll redo things until it gets right, right? He'll take multiple takes. Um so it it sort of broke the veneer a little bit that he is in part acting, which makes you wonder about his sincerity, but at any rate, like he he acted that he acted it very well, or so all that rambling aside, I'm making it an eight out of ten, which is nice is higher than before. You guys are influencing my stuff.

SPEAKER_00 29:11

I mean if Nick gave it an eight out of ten, what do you think I'm gonna give it?

SPEAKER_07 29:17

Like why are you so mean to me?

SPEAKER_02 29:25

I mean, so I said ten.

SPEAKER_07 29:28

Um cool, no good. We need to put some tens in there from time to time.

SPEAKER_02 29:34

Yeah, I I just think it's I mean, it's like you said, I think all of the awkward moments are completely intentional. Like, and that's that might just be my interpretation of things, but I like whenever it did get awkward, I never w felt myself sitting there thinking, wow, this is so awkward, and I am not having fun watching this. I would just be like, oh, that he's such a funny guy, like that he's being awkward on camera like this. And you know, it never felt like it wasn't supposed to be there, or that it was like like it felt intentional even watching it, you know.

SPEAKER_03 30:19

Yeah. Um that's the that's how I felt about um like you were talking about whether he or talking about whether he was sincere or like whether he was acting or whether he's legitimately going through this strife. And to me, that's the way that you know that he's doing it well, right? Because you're like, is he wait, is that is he doing that for real, or is that rehearsed, or is he so like I guess that would be the definition of acting. Like, if you can't tell, like if somebody does an accent and you can't tell whether they're English or American or British or or British, English or British, you know, either one of those. Or, you know, United Kingdom-ish, you know. If you can't tell what country of origin they're from, then they're doing a good accent, right? So same thing. It's like if you can't tell whether or not he's doing so, like to me, I I gave an eight out of ten on this. So I was with Nick on this. But I think you were right though, there are certain times when you're like, wow, this is like it's a it got to be a little overwhelming, like just the like the slow, sad parts where you're like, is he gonna get back to something? Is he gonna like but but then also right about the time that you felt that he did he got back into something else, you know?

SPEAKER_07 31:38

So um yeah, he's pretty good at creating the tension and then cutting the tension before you uh fall off the ledge of depression or the abyss. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:51

Well, I think he understands the audience really well in that way, which also is the next topic.

SPEAKER_05 31:58

Um good segue. I should start a podcast.

SPEAKER_02 32:02

I should I should be on a podcast.

SPEAKER_05 32:04

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 32:06

I should try that out sometime. Yeah, no, I I think a lot of the delivery has to do with the audience, where like those those awkward deliveries and those like dips were I think intentional in the way where he's connecting. He knows that all the people watching this at that time were also feeling the same way he was. And so I think those those dips in the delivery were to enhance the audience engagement. Like, even if it is feeling like you're becoming disconnected, I think that that's the emotion he's trying to get you to feel. Um, you know, like feeling that slight disconnection and then having it come back. And then he does the whole song about the internet, which I think pulls it, yeah, pulls it back into like he's now making a commentary about how easy it is to engage you in something and like how it's saying like it basically kind of feels like a smack in the face sometimes. Like, you know, I say sometimes because I've seen it too many times. You know, every once in a while I think about it too hard, and I'm uh like almost impressed with the thought that goes into that as a concept where he's saying, Yeah, here's this really slow, boring bit that you are struggling to latch on to because it's just so emotional and you're you're looking for comedy. And then he starts singing about how like, oh, it's so easy to engage you guys, you're just you're just like, you know, you know, it starts feeling like it's it's crazy. It's it's very smart, I feel. And I think for that I give the audience engagement another perfect score.

SPEAKER_00 33:58

Um gotcha.

SPEAKER_03 34:00

Nice. I think um I didn't give it a perfect score, but I think, yeah, the a little bit of everything all the time, you know, yeah, kind of thing, uh, which is sort of describing his whole thing. All the time. Uh, but I I gave it a three, strong engagement, audience, audience invested. And that may just be the difference in what you said already, is like a lot of comedy is your age and your stage of life, and like where you were when you first heard it, and also that comedian, what what audience they're most likely to um engage with. And he's a younger guy that started out young, and I think he's you know, he he engages more like fluently with younger generation. Um doesn't mean he's not funny, doesn't mean that I can't see like what he's doing, but um, you know, as a as a slightly older gentleman, um distinguished, distinguished gentleman. Um yeah, I I think uh but I still think that he's I think still I still even think there's strong engagement, and I think partially because of the what we already said is the fact that it was from COVID. So everyone went through that experience, not just I mean, everyone young, old, you know, everyone went through it. So everybody that has the ability to remember it is gonna have their experience of that. So um so yeah, three. I gave it a three out of five.

SPEAKER_07 35:31

Um I let's see, also gave it a three out of five. Uh bumped up by y'all's comments. It was a two out of five. I would say that I I might have I might have gone um like my whole life without seeing it. Like I know there was a moment closer to the pandemic when I almost saw it, and I'm sure I would have felt you know differently about it. Um this being my first watch, like I know that how to say so I might have gone my whole life without seeing it. But I know even if it wasn't for this podcast, if I had started watching it, I would have finished it.

SPEAKER_06 36:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 36:13

Right? Like there there was a brief moment where I was tempted to like just stop at the intermission and like I think I've seen enough to to rate this.

SPEAKER_06 36:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 36:21

And I was like, hmm, no, I'm gonna stick with it. Like, yeah, and I know I would have made a similar decision. I just took advantage of that intermission. Um yeah, I picked it back up and I would have picked it back up even if I didn't have this form to fill out.

SPEAKER_03 36:36

Yeah, yeah. I mean, that's definitely a sign of audience engagement, right?

SPEAKER_07 36:42

I mean yeah, there's things I'll stop. Like I won't finish, like, yeah, this is dumb, or there's so much other content, like I'm I'm getting viewers' remorse, you know. I won't have so many hours to stay up to late watching YouTube videos or Netflix. I don't I can't be squandering on I won't name anything right now, but yeah, squandering on something that sucks.

SPEAKER_02 37:05

And I mean, I think that that connects to um the other thing that you said before that I was thinking of that now I've forgotten. What was I saying? I don't know. You were talking about oh, I would say that that's why he put the intermission in is because um if you're you know, it's that thing you're talking about how he's he he's always saying, just if you don't like my personality and my jokes that I'm telling, you can just go. And that he doesn't mind, but I mean it's also obvious that he does mind from his jokes.

SPEAKER_06 37:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:43

But it's just very like I think it's I I mean, I I'll always say I think it's just very purposeful.

SPEAKER_03 37:52

I think all of it is he has a weird duality of like care, like caring what people think and not caring what people think. So I mean, obviously to do the vulner vulnerable things that he does, you have to like sort of not care, but also he acknowledges that he's sort of narcissistic and like needs to have laughs, like needs to be in front of an audience and be the center of attention. I mean, he mentioned he says that in one of his songs, like you know, talking about him being the center of attention.

SPEAKER_07 38:22

I can't remember which song it was, but um, but tongue in cheek talks about how all all physical human interaction is a disease, and you should only go outside when you absolutely have to, much like to to uh get what you need to create content and then come back inside and much like one might go into a coal mine and get those resources, but then as soon as you can you go back to the surface. Right. It's like he he says it somewhat sincerely, but also like you know, I think he says it with some sort of oh sorry.

SPEAKER_02 39:02

Oh go ahead. I I think he says it with a kind of like almost remorse, or that's how I feel when I watch it, where it's like he knows that that's what he's doing in life, but you can tell that he's not enjoying it, and you can tell that he's making a bit out of it as well, and he's saying, like, you know, he's he's delivering it kind of sincerely, but it makes you think like, oh, that would be an absurd way to live life, and then you kind of realize that that's how people are, anyways, like, and it's becoming more and more like that, and it's it it goes back to the duality of it again, where you're you're laughing at it as a concept while also understanding that everyone is kind of doing that more and more, and it's funny and scary at the same time.

SPEAKER_06 39:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 39:54

I'm trying to I can't remember enough of the specifics to jog y'all's memory, perhaps, but there's must have been before the intermission because it feels more distant. But is he's I think he's lying in his bed, sleeping bag, whatever, with his microphone, and he he's saying, Here's the thought, maybe maybe selling out to billionaires, convincing us to live inside a house in exchange for comfort in our own souls was a bad idea. Or like if I'm not doing it justice and I'm injecting some of you know some things there, but I don't know if like no, I I like that thing.

SPEAKER_02 40:38

I that's like one of my favorite parts of it. It's it's the same concept, it's the same, like where you're kind of laughing at it because you're like, ha, that would be crazy if we did think that, and it's I mean he's telling the truth. Yeah. It's just you know, you end up laughing anyways.

SPEAKER_06 40:57

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 40:59

Found a video of it. Let me see if I can find the text with it.

SPEAKER_03 41:05

Well, while you're looking for that, we'll we can go to the next one, the diversity of the material. Um you know, what range of topics did the comedian cover?

SPEAKER_07 41:18

So I I found the quote of Oh yeah, what is it? Um and this is on Reddit, so you know that is his uh I don't know about you guys, but um brief aside, I I think all, maybe maybe only 99% of his ums were intentional, even though there's a lot of ums in the I agree. But uh at any rate, so but um, you know, I've been thinking recently that that you know, maybe um allowing digital giant or sorry, allowing giant digital media corporations to exploit the neurochemical drama of our children for profit, you know, maybe that was uh a bad call by us. Maybe maybe the flattening of the entire subjective human experience into a lifeless exchange of value that benefits nobody, except for um, you know, a handful of bug-eyed salamanders in Silicon Valley. Maybe that as a as a way of life forever, maybe that's um not good. Didn't do it just but thank you for allowing.

SPEAKER_03 42:31

No, that was yeah, yeah. Well, and that's that's the other thing is talking about, you know, the thought-provoking nature of his comedy is sometimes sometimes you have to catch up a little bit. Your brain has to catch up to because you're like still processing, like he says something like that, and you're like you're like processing the words, and then you're like, yeah. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah. And then uh sexting, you know, and then tiny pumpkins. Right, yeah. Um white girls, white girls' Instagram is still in my head. White girl's Instagram, is it? Yeah, a white woman's Instagram. White woman, yeah, thank you. Yeah, that's so good. Oh my gosh. Um, so yeah, and that's I mean, talking about the diversity of material, I've got a bunch of things. Um Jeffrey Bezos, welcome to the internet. I'm a FaceTime my mom tonight. That one's really that one so good.

SPEAKER_01 43:40

I always forget about it.

SPEAKER_03 43:41

He's like, FaceTime my mom, she answers her phone, her hair's wet. And then I say, Oh, did you take a shower? She's like, Yeah, how do you know? And she says, Yeah, because your hair's wet. And she was like, Oh yeah, oh yeah, you know. Just like, and then the whole he's like sitting there, like her thumbs over the camera, and he's like, Move, move your move. He's like he's like more time. He's like just and then or he's like back off. He was like, just get back off the camera, you know, like it's like she won't hold it any further than six inches from her face, you know? Like and it's like every single thing is so true, you know. Um no, so d in terms of diversity of material, I mean, that's I think that there was a lot of different subjects that he covered in there, not all it he could have easily done this whole thing, and it would have been just all material that like related to COVID or like what was going on, and it wasn't. There was a a whole bunch of other things that he was doing, obviously bits that he was writing and working on and developing, and then he put them in there. But um, but that that uh that means that it wasn't like a one-note huh, a one-note tune. See what I did there? Oh yeah. Anyway, um it was, you know, he he basically uh you know, he spread the spread the love and like over across a bunch uh across a bunch of subjects. So I gave him a four out of five. It was a wide range and he kept it fresh.

SPEAKER_07 45:13

Yeah, I gave a four out of five as well. Um there's only a moment where it dawned on me that there's like just one way in which he gets kind of repetitive. Like he's his musical style, he's very got a diverse musical style. Brian, you mentioned before he'll he'll do rap, he'll do yeah kind of pop songs, and um, you know, and it definitely uh goes up and down with the emotion, you know. Um but it's it's in his songs that he sort of has like this pattern of and uh I can't quite get it, but like it got a little predictable for me that you know they're like, okay, he's there's gonna be a fast part to the song and then a slow part, yeah. And then he goes to the fast part, and then he does like a whimsical bridge, and then he goes back to you know, like so that that that little bit got a little repetitive, and so that's why I gave a four out of five and not a perfect.

SPEAKER_02 46:09

I mean, I originally gave it a three out of five, I think I'd move it to a four out of five. I think it's just because to me, all of those topics are I mean, and I keep going back to like my own personal connection to it, but I think that's the main way that I analyze it. Um, but it's it's very much it's all just connected to that one time and that one instance of seeing it where I think it it feels very one note to me. And I like that one note. Listen, I'm not I'm not hating, I love the note, but it it feels like very similar throughout the whole thing. Um but I I think it's more just because I have the same feeling when watching it throughout the whole time. Like, you know, even the sad parts, I'm excited because I know what's gonna happen and like I know it wanes, and so I'm I'm kind of I'm I'm a little bit uh of a biased judge, as as previously stated.

SPEAKER_05 47:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 47:21

That's okay. That's the whole point of being having you on.

SPEAKER_06 47:26

Right, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 47:27

Like there's the whole point of having a rating system and having more than one person with the rating is yeah, it's interesting because biases we recorded one episode that will never air, but um, we recorded an episode where uh somebody picked a comedian that they had never listened to and were curious about. So like we we let that person choose, and they chose a comedian. Like, yeah, I've never listened to that comedian or watched that comedian or anything. I don't really know anything about them. I'm gonna do that one, which is a completely different thing than this, like somebody that you like, and you don't, but you can go either direction with it. So anyway.

SPEAKER_07 48:04

Um so what about what's oh no, you had four out of five too.

SPEAKER_03 48:09

Yeah, um, what about impact and memorabil memorability?

SPEAKER_02 48:18

Um ten.

SPEAKER_03 48:19

Ten? Ten?

SPEAKER_02 48:21

Ten for me. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 48:23

Yeah, I mean, yeah, because it's you've watched it like multiple times, and um I have an eight as well. I think I think it is just because of the unique nature of the whole thing. I don't think it is something that's like the you know, the sub-question is was uh was it a performance that sticks with you? And it's like, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 48:46

Yeah, it's active.

SPEAKER_03 48:52

Yeah, and he's he sort of nailed the uh the visuals on that too, just like the lollipop and then the eye.

SPEAKER_02 48:59

Every single day in that was completely spot on.

SPEAKER_03 49:03

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 49:04

Every single little thing he does in that, and I'll rewatch it. There were parts the first time I watched it that I was like, oh, he just did that to put that in. But I'll rewatch it, and I'm like, no, every single scene that he does in that music video is exactly something that like some white woman would actually post. It's amazing.

SPEAKER_03 49:24

Seriously, yeah, yeah. Um I so yeah, I think I think definitely I'll remember this, even though you know, like somebody asked me about this later, I'm gonna remember specific things, you know. So I don't it's weird because I remember uh both of my kids singing, like just singing Jeffrey Bezos. Oh yeah, and like I didn't know what it was at the time, and I was just like, okay, my kids are being weird right now, and they're talking, they're talking about the the CEO of Amazon.

SPEAKER_07 49:56

All right, you know, like my um there's a friend group of mine, we get on voice chat on Discord, and they have that on their soundboard as Jeffrey, Jeffrey Bezos.

SPEAKER_05 50:07

That's fire.

SPEAKER_07 50:08

I don't I don't know why they ever play it. Like I forget what what cues them to play it, but yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 50:18

Alright, callbacks. Callbacks. We didn't even actually define you you do you know what a callback is, right?

SPEAKER_02 50:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 50:25

Okay, I figured.

SPEAKER_02 50:26

Calling back.

SPEAKER_03 50:27

Calling back to something. Right, exactly.

SPEAKER_07 50:29

Yeah, reference to the shared experience established previously in the same thing.

SPEAKER_03 50:35

Yeah. So what do you think?

SPEAKER_02 50:40

I give it a 3.5.

SPEAKER_03 50:43

Oh, decimal. I was gonna say, we that's we didn't even explore whether we were gonna do decimals, but you're able you're able to do that.

SPEAKER_02 50:49

I did multiple decimals, actually.

SPEAKER_03 50:52

All right.

SPEAKER_02 50:52

There were a lot of things that I could not decide.

SPEAKER_07 50:55

You can multiply decimals, oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 50:57

I'm gonna have to put an instruction on this sheet that says you can use decimal, you know?

SPEAKER_02 51:02

I decided I figured only 0.5s.

SPEAKER_03 51:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 51:06

Like more than like 3.86. Yeah, I'd like to give you a one and a quarter. No, I I gave it a 3.5 because there were a lot of um, and I only noticed this after watching it a few times, um, so it might not be like super clear, but the the musical combacks happen a lot more often than I thought they did. Like, I there's a lot of like melodies reused in other songs, and not in like a lazy way, in like a purposeful way, where it's like um there's some song right after intermission that was like a little lullaby version of the uh trying to funny one stuck in your room. Like a little lullaby cutesy version of that. And I was just so like impressed by that, and also having that song be in a lullaby format is earth shattering.

SPEAKER_05 52:03

That's tragic.

SPEAKER_02 52:07

Um, yeah, but I mean I I am inclined to give it a four, but I didn't notice a lot of like joke callbacks besides like within the songs themselves, like the you know, the chorus loops and everything. But you know, other than that, mostly just melodies and musical things that I noticed.

SPEAKER_03 52:26

Yeah. Yeah, I noticed the same thing. It pauls it plays like a little bit like a musical uh like uh overall, where that's they're making references to previous melodies and other songs that are in there, which technically I guess it's a comedy thing and it's making a call back to something else. But I did notice like the they do you know that the little lullaby version, and then they have a second um Jeffrey Bezos, like callback to the song, and then also the song at the end, I called that the curtain call song, where basically he called back to all of them, like he referenced all of them and and even referenced lyrics from all of them, yeah. And um, and but wrapped it all up into one kind of thing to try to, you know, just like you the the big final finale in like a mus musical where they would, you know, they're tying everything together and all the storylines are coming together at the end.

SPEAKER_07 53:22

So comes full circle, right?

SPEAKER_03 53:25

So so I gave it a four out of five. Although not traditional callbacks, though. Not like not but er I mean, nothing about this traditional. So yeah, sure.

SPEAKER_07 53:39

Well then Luca's uh number is entirely accurate because I gave a three out of five. So there you go. If you average our two, it is exactly actually if you average all of ours, right?

SPEAKER_06 53:50

It's 3.5. Yep. Amazing.

SPEAKER_07 53:52

So she nailed it.

SPEAKER_03 53:56

All right. Uh style quality. Style quality. Um, how effective was the comedian's style? And this is sort of wide open, you know, in terms of you know, you actually I like this category because it's you're able to judge the comedian based on themselves, not based you're not comparing them. You're saying like how effective was it were they at their own style?

SPEAKER_02 54:18

I agree. I I liked this question.

SPEAKER_03 54:21

So what did you what did you end up giving them?

SPEAKER_02 54:24

Uh I gave them a nine. Um I said the little note that I wrote was that um if you had like a copycat, you'd notice. Like if somebody else did something like this, you'd be like, oh, that's kind of like the Bo Burnham thing. Yeah. You wouldn't just be like, oh, that's like a comedy special. You'd be yeah, you'd be kind of questioning it. Um but I I don't fully know why I didn't give it the full 10. I I think maybe you guys would have something about that.

SPEAKER_03 54:57

Well, it's hard. Like we've talked about this on of the go on, guys.

SPEAKER_07 55:01

Would you like to crap on my my cross?

SPEAKER_03 55:05

No, we I mean that's it's hard because like a 10, a 10 or a perfect score is like I can't envision anything being better than this in any way. Yeah, you know, and so it's like I almost said I said this to Nick in a previous record is what how am I ever gonna give a 10? And actually I did give a 10 to him, so in the next in another category. But um, but I think uh yeah, I think that's a difficult thing to do. And also you don't want to like, you know, I don't you have to have someplace to go when you're rating like when you're rating things, right? So you can't just be like, oh, first one, 10. Yeah, that's a 10. Yeah, it's a perfect score. It's a 99 out of 100, and you're like, okay, so everything else is worse than this, like according to your scale, you know. So anyway, uh I feel a little insecure now, but I did give him uh I did give an eight out of ten. They did, and that's eight out of ten, is they did an awesome job, you know. So, you know, good.

SPEAKER_07 56:10

I I gave a six. I don't know why I gave a six. Just I don't know, I don't know how I would rate the style quality in this case. I I think so I just went right in the middle. Um leaning leaning a bit in his favor, right? Like saying six.

SPEAKER_06 56:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 56:27

It's more as more of my own kind of ignorance and being baffled by the question in this context than it is a commentary on on the work itself.

SPEAKER_06 56:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 56:36

I mean you have to think about like six isn't like bad, it's just neutral.

SPEAKER_07 56:41

Yeah, it's it was okay-ish. That that's the that's the phrase there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 56:47

Yeah. All right, timing and pacing out of five, was the pacing effective for humor delivery? What do you think, Luca?

SPEAKER_02 56:58

I think I put four, but I'm thinking three. I think it's very it's definitely um those dips, like, I do enjoy them personally. It's right up my alley, but I do like from a pacing standpoint, if you're not into it, it can be real tough because like I like it because it's tough, because I I like things that make me think, but also are just like emotion-based, like this is just what I'm into, but it's still like difficult like to sit through sometimes. Um, but I mean, it's like I've been saying, I think that's what he's trying to do. But even then, I mean, if he's trying to have bad pacing, that's fine. Yeah, but it's still kind of rough.

SPEAKER_03 57:51

I kept on finding myself going back and forth between me watching this now, four years out from 2020 and the pandemic and being shut in, to putting myself in the mindset of he was doing this during that, and what was I feeling then. So, like going back and forth in my head of like like now we were four years out and we have a little bit of perspective, and we, you know, sort of it's behind us. But that wasn't that wasn't when he was producing this. And he obviously it's like I said, very distinct in that time period. So um so anyway, I think that the down, I think that the I guess this is the part where I get to like the pacing of the whole thing, and then towards the end where it actually sort of like takes a really hard turn down, almost like in the depression, and like you know, all kinds of like weird, you know, negativity and not really funny, but more like but I also think if you look at the whole thing at the beginning, he's sort of like doing whimsical things, and he's like, you know, that's how the world works, and sock puppets, and haha, like we're inside and we're doing this thing, and then towards the end, he's like, I want to kill myself. This is sucks. I can't, I don't know what to do. Like this, I don't like just and guess what? I think all of us went through that. Like, I think all of us at the beginning, I remember having Zoom happy hours at the beginning of the the pandemic when everyone was locked in, and we would do like Zoom trivia nights, and we were like, Oh, this is so fun, we can like sit and everyone sitting out on their back porch, and we're doing this stuff, and it's really cool. And then like eight months later, we're like, when can we like go do stuff again? You know? Um, so so I feel like that is part of the brilliance of it. Um, and also that goes into the pacing, is he almost paced it to match the pacing of the year that we were all locked up and not doing anything inside, you know? So if that's if he did that intentionally, then that's super brilliant. But anyway, I gave him a four out of five on it. So I gave him strong well-time delivery on that. So yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:00:14

I was thinking three out of five too, but to me, you you talked me into five out of five. It's like because if his timing was so like it's it felt very intentional. Yeah. The low moments were low, the high moments were high, the fast moments are fast, and it was all intentional. I'd I'd say there may be a few misses where he maybe switched too quick, you know, like when he uh cut cut the tension a little too quick. Um he's probably worried about pushing someone on the edge over the edge, you know. Yeah. Um I don't know, I'm bumping mine up to four.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:53

Nice. Alright, physical comedy. We already talked a little bit about this earlier. Um physical elements in their comedy, and so that was sort of the debate we were talking about. And I think I may revise my score down, but um because of our previous conversation. But Luca, what do you think about this category?

SPEAKER_02 1:01:17

Um, I gave it a four. Uh I don't know. I like physical comedy, I was about to give it less, but then when I read the subtext, the do they use physical elements? I was more I was between a three and a five. Like I I wouldn't consider giving it a four, but it just was between the two. But I feel like a five is accurate and a three is accurate and a four isn't, which is just the most odd thing to me. But I I felt that in so many different questions for his like I it's just such an odd, I don't know, like the some some physical elements well used, like those lights, the dancing, the like the physical comedy, like the water bottle we talked about. It's very funny.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:10

Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:11

Um like all of those physical bits I think were executed so well when he tried to do it that it's like yeah, that's a five. Like when it works, it works.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:24

But I think also sometimes like I mean, obviously, traditional physical comedy, I guess, is like people yeah, like fall like falling over, yeah, spit takes and like he doesn't do that.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:38

I'm I'm thinking more visual comedy. He's a solid five. And I mean just just visual impact generally, which I guess is not particularly comedic, but you know, I mean that same shot you were talking about with his monologue where he's sitting on the pillow with all the wires and everything, I feel like is such a like every time I watch that, it's just such like a good interpretation of like mental state where he's he's in his little comfy bubble and there's all this mess around him, and he's just speaking into a microphone that's being held up for him.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:14

Which is like very something.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:19

That's very something, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:23

It makes me feel away for sure. I like I I don't know how else to but I mean I I don't know what I'd say about that because it's not particularly comedic. It's just it needs to be commented on by something.

SPEAKER_07 1:03:38

Sure. It's yeah, I think you mentioned before it's more like visual art. Yes. Um it's more like he made he didn't make a comedy special, he made a humorous film. Like exactly when they use the word film, yeah, I'm putting air quotes for you at everybody listening at home or wherever uh film instead of movie.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:00

Yes. Uh it's it's a film, yeah. Performance art, basically. Yeah, yeah. Um by virtue of the fact that it was an hour and a half long, you know, rather than like obviously Netflix has it, I mean, pretty down pat. Like you're doing an hour. Like if you're looking at all Netflix specials, it's gonna be an hour. It's gonna be like 50 to 55 minutes, and like that's the formula, right? And that this isn't that, it's an hour and a half, so you know that leads me to believe it's something different, but yeah. Yeah, I gave him a five out of five on this, but I think I'm re revising that to a four out of five.

SPEAKER_07 1:04:40

So funny. We're all influencing each other, we're gonna end up with the same score again.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:44

Exactly. What'd you get? Uh yeah, they gave him that. Okay, yeah, we did too. Good, good to go.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:49

So subjective. The whole special is so like emotion-based that it my perception of it personally changes every time I watch it. It's it's all just dependent on like how you are in your head.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:01

Hey, and that leads to number 11, relatability. Did the video did the material did you wait? Did you share your score, Nick? No, I was overlooked and forgotten. Oh, go ahead. Sorry.

SPEAKER_07 1:05:16

It's okay. I overlooked and forgot someone earlier today. It's a karma. Um I gave it three out of five.

SPEAKER_06 1:05:23

Okay.

SPEAKER_07 1:05:23

For much the same L set. I think there's a couple of like the stuff that was looked like accidents, I think were made to look like accidents. Like times he dropped his phone or the camera fell over.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:36

Um I feel like that one though where he pulled the light and the camera fell over, and he's like, you know, that like I feel like that was real.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:46

That one could that gasp was pretty. I feel like it was real. Like I got kind of scared.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:50

It's probably like a$2,000 camera that he has, you know what I mean? And it's on a tripod and it's about to fall and smash, you know? And he was just like

SPEAKER_07 1:06:00

But it was intentional that he lifted in.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:03

Right. Exactly.

SPEAKER_07 1:06:06

Right.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:07

I really believed the um there was one part that he did that I really when he was trying to get to the end and he kept on redoing that part where he was saying, uh, I've been working on this for a year, and he started getting mad. Yeah. I think that was I there's no possi he had to he had to have been the best actor on earth if that was not at least somewhat real. Oh you know, like I know that it's staged, yeah, but I think that that emotion that he was using, he wasn't just acting that out, he was definitely feeling that way. Yeah, like you can there's something in it, you know.

SPEAKER_07 1:06:46

Well, you you set us up for a Toastmasters reference, Luca. Thanks that we gotta get that bingo card filled out somehow. I would um because yeah, I I think you're right. Like I think that that was real, and what I'll tell people and tell myself in Toastmasters when trying to like tell give a speech, tell a story, is you have to relive that moment so that others can feel what you felt then. You know, and and that's like I'm sure you're right that he he felt that frustration, but he he decided he figured out how to recreate that for us to get a glimpse into some of the frustration he felt as he was putting this special together.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:07:27

All on his own, entirely alone, you know, socially and professionally.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:31

It's impressive.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:33

Well, on that note, too, I have to I have to hear Nick's take on, and maybe you're gonna talk about this later, but one of your I'll wait, I guess, maybe because it might be one of your favorite bits or whatever. But if you don't say it, I'm gonna bring it up to you. So let's go to relatability though. Okay, we already talked a little bit about this, but Luca talked about your relatability. Um yeah. Did the material material resonate with a broad audience? I mean, I think relatability also is not only a broad audience, but you.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:02

So yeah. Um, I mean, personally, I gave it a nine um because I I understand that it's not universally engaging. Um I I starred the strong relatability part, and then I underlined universally, and I said just personal. Because I'm I'm giving it a nine because of how strongly I related to it. But I think I I understand that it's not universally relatable to everyone, you know, on every level.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:40

But um just because my personal relatability was a 10, I can't not give it a nine.

SPEAKER_06 1:08:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:08:49

I gotcha. I like what you're leaning into the subjectivity. Um I gave I I played a lot of focus on the universal um idea that how relatable it is to just a broad audience, so I gave it a four out of ten. Um and that was me thinking in part like knowing that uh it's highly relatable to those who were in the pandemic, right? And at the time of the pandemic, but looking back on it, it now it feels like a piece of history.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:09:21

You know, even though I was there when it happened, you know, memor uh emotions are kind of fleeting. And so it it is a bit of a time capsule in that regard, and it's hard to relate now, though my past self and many others at that time would would have highly related with it.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:42

I I still agree with that. Like I I still, you know, if I had put that score and looked back on it on my sheet, I would have left it, but for some reason I put a nine, which I also agree with. So I think it's I think it's just it's so subjective that I can see like all of the sides of it and I'm okay with all of them. Like I I yeah, I could see myself putting that as well for the same reasons.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:10

I think that um I think that basically if I was if there was gonna be a 10 in this, it would have to literally be cut across like countries in the world. Like you could show it to somebody in Africa and they don't even speak English and they they they're engaged by it. Like that would have to be a 10 for me. That like literally every universal. I mean it's universal. So like um I I still think this is I think this is distinctly American. Like I think well, I mean I guess other countries, other English speaking countries probably would would have this, but I mean it's uh even just like the some of the some of the other references are not you know not for other people in other countries, I think. But I think um I gave it an eight out of ten for strong relatability. I think just again knowing that we all all three of us uh could identify with one or many things in there um is just is a sort of a testament to that. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:18

I think I may bump down to an eight.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:21

Because I I do think the jump between strong relatability and universally engaging feels a bit jarring to me.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:29

Yeah. That was me creating the uh the this the extra sheet. Um, I might need to change the language there.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:36

Listen, you're you're on your trial run, you're all good.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:39

Well, I said feedback. That's what we're always we're always looking for feedback because this is gonna be, you know, we need to we need to see if this is actually a good a good way to uh to rate things, and if there are things like that that are like, wow, that's a big jump or whatever. We already came up with a couple, like Nick and I were talking about some about the spreadsheet. I mean about the uh the scorecard. So um anyway, yeah. So eight out of ten. Nick, what were you again?

SPEAKER_07 1:12:06

Four out of ten on related relatability.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:09

Okay. Okay, and then last couple, innovative tech. These are actually less comedic stuff and um more just technical. So innovative techniques. Did the comedian bring something new or unique?

SPEAKER_07 1:12:24

Seven out of ten. Highly innovative. The low end of highly innovative. Okay, um and and of course, I mean like the other thing he used, he didn't he didn't use cameras that didn't exist before, he didn't use lighting devices that didn't exist before, but the way that he used the material as a solo uh person, I think was innovative. Like he rigged stuff up to where he could control it while he's singing, uh, or he had stuff pre-recorded and timed perfectly, which you know, like just yeah, he definitely highly innovative. Not quite pioneering, which is the nine to ten range.

SPEAKER_06 1:13:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:13:03

Um redefining comedy, that's that's a pretty high bar, but uh yeah. Highly innovative, I would say.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:11

Luca uh I think I'd say an eight. I originally had an 8.5, but I think re 0.5. I I think I think yeah, redefining comedy is a bit um a bit much. I mean, like he he already did it this isn't his first. I think if it if he had dropped this as his first special, it would have been really crazy. But knowing that he's done other things and that some of those other things give me the same like level of enjoyment, I'd I'd say I would I'd give it like can I would it be crazy to bump it down to another 0.5 or is that like I would say 7.5. I would say it it's I think the way that he does things, just his comedic style alone is innovative enough, like as a style, like the way that he puts things together, that even if he's done it before, it still is just it's so impressive you can't like not acknowledge that it's unique in that way.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:27

I think yeah, I think um I had a 10 out of 10 here, but I revised it down to a nine. And I think I think the reason why no, I think the reason why I had a 10 is because I was not being fair to this actual special. I think I I think what I pulled into that this thing is all everything I've seen from Bo Burnham, which is a little bit unfair to this one special, which is the way we're you know, the artificial confines that we're putting on it, right? Is we're rating this special, not the whole comedian. So I think that's why I had it as a 10, but I think he is a pioneer. I think, I think he um, again, I think he's highly talented. I think he's highly intelligent too. And just based upon the fact that if you listen to some of his other stuff outside of this, like, or even just the you know, having like a if you have a sock puppet that like utters the term like existential dread or something like that, I mean that's you know, there's all kinds like he just has you can tell that he has read things and he knows things and that he's not it's not just repeating words, he's putting it in context and then making it funny. And so to me, that's that's pretty crazy. Like, I think comedians are smart people. They like they know how to make I think sometimes comedians act like they're not smart for the shtick, you know. But I think uh I mean I think like he like I said, I think he's he uh is trying to figure out how to get the craziness of his brain out to something that's relatively relatable and then makes you laugh or makes you think. And because I think he I think he's as much as making you think as he is making you laugh, although I think a lot of times he does both, which not many comedians, in my opinion, not many comedians do, you know. But it's I mean it's also a style thing. I mean, that's his style. So so anyway, nine out of ten is what I what I will land on. But I'll give him a n I'll give him like an eight point n eight point seven five bro.

SPEAKER_07 1:16:40

We're we'll check your math at the end.

SPEAKER_06 1:16:43

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:44

I I think I'll keep my eight point five just because of your uh I don't know, you guys both like bring up such good points, like not with this question specifically, but just all of them that I'm going back and forth so frequently between all of my answers. Like, you'll say something about a completely different question, and I'll go back to like the front of the paper and be like, should I rethink this one? And it's like, no, we're done with that one.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:08

That's the fun, that's the fun of it, you know, is like thinking about it. And I know like comed, you know, comedy is comedy, and we're we're at the end of the day, Nick. At the end of the day, we're let me get my bingo card. Nick doesn't like when I say at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:22

At the end of the day, anyway.

SPEAKER_07 1:17:24

I don't like it when anyone says at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:27

We're all we're all laughing. I mean, that's the whole point of comedy is to evoke that kind of emotion. And I think um, you know, I think a lot goes into that. But I also think that the more times you watch something, the different things you're gonna get out of it. So like, you know, you that's the whole fun of like going back and like reliving it, going, oh, I forgot that joke. That was that's actually pretty like because you have like a perspective of like the first time I heard it and stuff like that. So anyway.

SPEAKER_07 1:18:00

Is it uh the your comment just then about when you go back and like relive it, that's when it's funny.

SPEAKER_06 1:18:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:18:08

Uh just quick aside or tangent. The the Muppets movie, the first one that featured Jason Siegel.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:15

Yeah, in agreement.

unknown 1:18:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:18

Anything you're about to say about the Muppets movie.

SPEAKER_07 1:18:21

I just I watched the whole thing and I smiled, but I was like, this isn't a very good movie. Yeah. But then like when it was over, I was making callbacks to it and references to it all the time.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:30

Like preach.

SPEAKER_07 1:18:35

And it was funny. The callbacks were funny. Like, I don't know if I was making fun of the movie, I don't even remember anymore.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:40

Right, right.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:41

That's that's so accurate. Louder for the people in the back.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:44

Whatever the whatever the equivalent of like an earworm is, but for comedy, that's what that is. It's like when you ear words. It's like stuck in your head and you're like going over it again, you know.

SPEAKER_07 1:18:57

Top notch dad joke from your daughter there, just saying earworms or earworms.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:01

I dropped that and you didn't even flinch.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:03

Ear words.

SPEAKER_07 1:19:04

It's because you didn't hear it. It wasn't because it wasn't good. Right, exactly. Exactly. It went between his ears instead of through it into his brain.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:12

It's like the the bow and arrow.

SPEAKER_07 1:19:14

Uh yeah, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:19:16

It goes over the top of my head.

SPEAKER_07 1:19:18

It's like it didn't go over his head, it went through his head.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:20

Yeah. Who was that? It wasn't uh Steve Martin. He didn't he do a thing? He had a bit where he had the bone, yeah, the arrow going through his head, anyway. All right, different comedian. We'll have to do that on a different uh different show. What about okay? Last last thing before we get to sort of ending comments, cinematic quality. How well was the performance filmed and edited? Edited it. How well did he edit it?

SPEAKER_02 1:19:46

How did how did it edit it? How did he edit it?

SPEAKER_03 1:19:49

How did he edit it?

SPEAKER_07 1:19:51

It hurts, and I'm crying.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:58

Uh I gave this a five out of five.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:01

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:02

Yep. I think I think that I think it's also more impressive if he actually did. I mean, there weren't any credits at the at the end, and he didn't credit anyone else as editing it. So um now every time I say it, I can't say I'm like editing it.

SPEAKER_07 1:20:22

If you want a free laugh out of me, now you know how.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:25

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:27

The free laugh will soon turn into a free breathing out of your nose a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:33

That would be a fun game to play, is try to get somebody to say edited it. And just like say, hey, did you um did you take that video and did you like splice together the pieces and things like that?

SPEAKER_01 1:20:44

Did you they'd be like, Yeah, I made edits. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:48

Yeah, like Michael Scott. You're like, oh like it's like uh updog, and he's like, Well, what's that? He's like, oh dang it.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:56

And what might that be?

SPEAKER_03 1:20:57

Yeah. So then finally the person does it and it's like what uh dang it, I messed it up, you know. Um yeah, no, I think again, I think that was one of the best parts of it, really. Um Nick, what do you think? I think we have two fives over here, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:21:20

Oh yeah, I've said everything I need to say in the previous questions. It's it's all commented on. I I love the way that it looks. I love the way that it makes me feel. I think it I think all of the way that it makes me feel is mostly visual.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:35

I think I don't know. That's that's all I got. That's those are the comments.

SPEAKER_07 1:21:40

That's fine. Um, so I had three out of five because I enjoyed the way it looked. That's the what the sheet says. Although this is another one kind of like you'd said, Luca, where three qualifies and five qualifies, but four doesn't. Yes. Um like five top notch. It was beautifully filmed and edited.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:03

Edited.

SPEAKER_07 1:22:05

So even though four does not qualify, the filming and editing was not a distraction. I would say that yes, the filming and editing was a distraction. Uh or well, I noticed it. I shouldn't say it was a distraction, but I noticed it. Like it was there. It was a character, it itself was some kind of abstracted prop, right? Like you couldn't not see it because that was part of the point. Um, he was proud of it. If nothing, like in addition to that, I think he was also partly proud of it, and he wanted you to notice that there was work put into this. Yeah. So I'm giving it a four because it's the average of three and five.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:42

Which nice. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:46

All right. So sort of closing it out, those are all the categories.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:50

I need to pull up my calculator.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:51

Uh well, first of all, what was your edited in numbers? What was your favorite joke or bit? And then also, what do you think is the most retellable joke? These are new categories that I added.

SPEAKER_07 1:23:04

Yeah, it's not in my sheet.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:06

In the evolution, yeah. And so you can think about that. Yeah, I'm sorry, I didn't give you the updated sheet, Nick. I gotta, I gotta do that. But I added two questions there. I'll start with it. Um, I really like that that's how the world works, and part of the reason why is obviously the sock puppet is funny, uh, just in general, you know. He doesn't do anything to like, he doesn't put eyes on it or anything, he just like literally put a sock in his hand. That's it. Not nothing else. Just that's hilarious in and of itself. But then he goes through the whole thing, and the at the end when he makes the sock puppet say like yes, sir, to him, like, and he's like, that's how the world works. It's like he's literally demonstrating how like, yeah, no, I'm just like dominate one party or one group dominates another, and he and then at the end he's making the sock puppet say yes, sir, to him. Yes, what? Yes, sir. You know, like I just think that's it's hilarious.

SPEAKER_07 1:24:07

Anyway, I'll I'll say briefly, um, we might need to add that to our style or um as ventriloquism.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:16

Oh, dude.

SPEAKER_07 1:24:18

Yeah, that's true.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:20

That's crazy to think about that he used ventriloquism in the that's what that was.

SPEAKER_07 1:24:26

I mean, that was, yeah. I think he I I paid attention because it's like he's doing ventriloquism. It's like mmm, he he strategically placed the mic on his like on his headset in front of his lips to between his lips and the camera. Yeah he was moving his mouth a little bit.

SPEAKER_06 1:24:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:24:44

Then again, thanks to his superior editing skills, he could have just voiced it normally pre-beforehand, right? Played it over to yeah, yeah. Anyway.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:55

Uh I think I think my favorite my favorite joke has always been the same, and I do not know why it is so funny to me. Um, and it's just one line from the first song. Uh, and it's the one where he he says, a Jew walks into a bar and I've saved him a seed. And I always laugh. That's right.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:20

What's the song?

SPEAKER_03 1:25:21

What is the song called? Healing the world with comedy. Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_02 1:25:25

And he's like, and that pause in the music goes, a Jew walks into a bar and I've saved him a seed. It's just so like, he's like, Yeah, I'm majestic. I'm amazing. I've I've I've honored this this man. And it's just like, I don't know, it's the it's the life commentary of it where it's like, why are we it will like why are we joking about the races? But then also you don't you're like you don't actually care. It's just funny that he's making a joke where you're not like mean to them, and then you're like, whoa, he shouldn't like it shouldn't be funny that we're not mean to someone. That's like not how it usually is. And then it's like it just makes you like it, you don't think about it at all, and if you start thinking about it, it gets funnier the more you think about it.

SPEAKER_06 1:26:21

Alright, Nick.

SPEAKER_07 1:26:23

Um so that this is like the bit that I really liked that I almost forgot about. Um so it's not quite my favorite. I I haven't quite picked a favorite, and I apologize. Um but it's it's when he's doing the reaction to his video, and then he does the reaction to his reaction and the reaction to his reaction. That's a strong competition. Like I like, I like meta just uh not not the thing formerly known as Facebook, but I like meta jokes, meta thinking, meta yeah, anything that's a reference. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:57

I thought that was hilarious, and that was actually that was in my most retellable joke category, the next one.

SPEAKER_07 1:27:02

We really yeah how could you do that justice?

SPEAKER_03 1:27:06

Well, that's what I'm saying. I was gonna say when we started talking about that is like none of the how are you you can't really like so much of this is the whole package of like the music, the visual, the editing, the all the stuff, and that like all is one piece, and so like you can't it would be like yeah, you're like the if you're if you retell that joke, it's like yeah, and then he had a video, and then he was and then he was evaluating himself, and then the video of him evaluating came up, and then he was evaluating that. Isn't that funny?

SPEAKER_02 1:27:37

But the the the retellability of it is the um uh you have to you have to understand, Nick. We have we have so many family jokes, like family bits.

SPEAKER_05 1:27:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:51

And one of them is the Are you talking about the YouTube Yeah, like like um if someone's doing something We'll be like, what's up, guys? Today we're gonna go. Today we're gonna go to the mall and we're gonna go shopping. And it's gonna be freaking epic.

SPEAKER_03 1:28:10

We just started that like button. Yeah, we'll be like, uh hey guys, a lot of like a lot of people have been asking about how believe Franklin is, and I'm here right now, and uh make sure to smash that like button and uh you know hey, get leave me a comment below if you uh if you like Walmart and Franklin, you know, like or whatever. And like the whole family is just like, what are you doing?

SPEAKER_02 1:28:36

I add on. I I love the bit. I also like I I do a Twitch streamer bit a lot where I'll be like, chat, is that real?

SPEAKER_03 1:28:46

I'll like talk to the that was the one that on that note, that was the one I was gonna ask you about, Nick, is how you felt about the streaming of the video game. Like he was playing the video.

SPEAKER_05 1:28:57

Oh, that was so funny.

SPEAKER_03 1:28:58

And he's like, press the button, like cry. Oh, I'm I guess I'll cry again. And it's like, oh, people in the chat are saying try the door, and it's like, oh, doors locked. I knew it was locked, guys. Like, you know, like that kind of thing is the same kind of bit. And then the level ends, and it's like cried four times, tried door, like sat down or whatever, played piano.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:16

I liked that cried four times four times was an objective of the level. You have to, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:29:23

Yeah, that was good. I think it was interesting. Uh I don't know, like the I was more interested in the commentary of I guess depression or him sort of living that out, or I don't I can't quite put a my finger on it. Um but uh yeah, that was that was good. I definitely related with it. I've seen that kind of thing before. It was a good um com it was it was a social commentary on streamers, video game streamers, and what everyone's really feeling, I think.

SPEAKER_03 1:29:58

Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Um also the other thing is did you notice during the sexting song that there was a purple devil at one point on the guy on his face, like it was projected on, and I was like, oh, that looks like Nick's Nick's uh custom emoji that he has. Yeah, that's uh Yeah, Nick, Nick, tell tell Luca about your custom emoji really quickly.

SPEAKER_07 1:30:22

The the the two emoji I identify with the most is the nerd emoji and the the smiling purple imp emoji.

SPEAKER_06 1:30:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:30:32

So I hired somebody on Fiverr to put the two together.

SPEAKER_06 1:30:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 1:30:37

And uh yeah, it's it's my icon just about everywhere. I I don't if I'm if I have an avatar, yeah, some kind of account, and I'm not gonna use my real face, I'll use that. I love that.

SPEAKER_03 1:30:48

Maybe we'll post that on like the the um the no, we don't have a subreddit, but post it on the um website and or um the insta Instagram yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:04

Wow, y'all are fancy.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:06

Yeah, LPM pod. Yeah, we'll that's that's we'll get that out there soon. Subtle draw up. Yeah, so that people will be able to go. Lpm pod.

SPEAKER_07 1:31:14

When we air this episode or whatever, and we have like an image for the episode, we one of us should do our very best imitations of one of Bo Burnham's imitations of a white woman Instagram. Right. Oh a callback to a callback or a reference to a reference.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:33

Right, right. I also like to like my I think I l laughed out loud literally at making a literal difference metaphorically.

SPEAKER_04 1:31:43

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:48

I just I wrote that down and I was like literally like I have to write this down.

SPEAKER_07 1:31:55

Wait, as you were writing it down, you were saying you had to write this down.

SPEAKER_03 1:31:59

Right, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:00

I have to write this down. I have to write this down.

SPEAKER_03 1:32:02

Yes, that's how I said.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:04

You said it out loud. I actually heard you.

SPEAKER_03 1:32:05

I did. That's how I that's how I act. That's how I do things, you know? So you have your own narrator.

unknown 1:32:12

Right.

SPEAKER_07 1:32:12

James Brian DeCure.

SPEAKER_02 1:32:14

I feel like um completely shifting the tone. I think the whole the whole ending is like just the whole entire mood shift is very I think it it has to do with the pacing. It feels so out of place looking back on it, but when I like think about how I actually felt watching it, I always feel so natural watching it. And I think that's just because I was so young when I was like living through that. Um but like I always just feel like my my like my normal self, and then I think back and I'm like that tone change was odd. But I I think it's all about the like him locking out the door, and you know, you get that feeling of like he's finally outside, he did it, and he's he's the sun is on him, and he hears the birds and the kids, and it's like a thing, and then he starts walking out and it's he's on stage, yeah, and it's kind of I feel like that is why I'm convinced that a lot of his like comments on depression in the full thing are not jokes. Like, I think I think a lot of it is real, and I'm convinced because I don't I don't think you could make art like that without having experienced it, you know? Like I think it's so like I had to think about the ending and what it meant for so long to understand it that there's not any possible way that he could have done that just like off the dome, like yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:34:06

I mean I was I tried to like figure that part out as well. Like I was trying to, and the only thing that I came up with is when he was finally able to go outside, he wanted to go back inside. So, you know, like he was he was out and he was finally getting sort of like what he felt like he thought he needed, which is I need to be, I need to be back in an audience, I need to be like doing what I do. And then the minute that he did that, he was like, I want to go back inside. I want to go no, this this I don't want to so like it's that duality thing of like I think he has anxiety no matter what, you know. I think he has anxiety about being in front of audiences, which he mentions in there where he says, Yeah, I had to stop for like four years and stop performing. And then the minute that he decided to go back, it was the pandemic and he couldn't. And then the pandemic hit and he was inside, and he's like, I'm going crazy, going inside. And then he went outside finally, like at the end. Crazy.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:00

Well, yeah, there's so many different quotes that tie all of that together. Like he says, Um at some point, in it a lot of it is in Welcome to the Internet. Um, like there's a line at near the end where he says, I'm finished playing and I'm staying inside.

SPEAKER_07 1:35:18

Um I promise to never or I promise to stay inside forever, or I promise to go back outside and forget.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:26

Exactly. Yeah. And then also in Welcome to the Internet, the um apathy is a tragedy and boredom is a crime, where like, you know, it that it he's talking about a different thing, but it's also applicable, where it's like that duality of things is like what he covers in like the whole the whole special is just about like the craziness of the duality of everything.

SPEAKER_06 1:35:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:54

Where he's he's saying like you you can't you can't be bored, but you can't be too energetic, and you know, you have to go outside, but you have to be inside, and like just how that makes you feel.

SPEAKER_07 1:36:09

Yeah, yeah. I think it's uh even kind of a reference to his style, too. The whole ap apathy, does it get it right? Apathy is a tragedy, and boredom is a crime.

SPEAKER_06 1:36:21

Right.

SPEAKER_07 1:36:22

Like you can't he he might be feeling apathy, he might want his audience to feel apathy, but it's a tragedy. And boredom is a crime, so he has to come in and um cut undercut the joke, undercut that tension with sexting or you know, some upbeat chipper, yeah, you know, uh circus music to a depressing song or something.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:45

Yeah. I I think that's that's why his his comedic moments and his sad moments have their own like timing to them. Like, and I think that's why sometimes you get bored in the special, because I think it's it's you're supposed to sit there and be like, wow, why are we talking about this? And then also at the same time think to yourself, no, this is important, and feel all heroic and be like, no, we need to, we need to fight, we need to do it, like we need to do the things, and then he starts talking about something stupid, and you're like, Oh, yeah, I don't think it's actually this deep, and it just becomes a cycle. But I it's like I've been saying, I mean, I think it's all purposeful.

SPEAKER_03 1:37:25

He goes, I think he like goes back and forth between uh acting like he should be taken seriously, like he actually is making social commentary and like hey, you should listen to this because it's important, and I'm making a statement about society, and then I think he also then goes, but I'm a white comedian. Like, why should you listen to me? Yeah, you know, like basically is like constantly like going back and forth between those two things within this special, and I think that's I think that's I think that's refreshing for him because or for me to watch him because there are so many people who are in the entertainment industry who are self-important, and they feel like, yeah, I should you should listen to me. Like I do some really important things, and I you should, you know, I have this social commentary and you should be listening to me. And it's part of the narcissism and all the other stuff of like having to be the center of attention. But I think he like, you know, I think he knows that he's smart, and I think he uh I think he is basically like making that statement of saying, like, yeah, but I'm also just a comedian, you know. So, you know, it's a little bit like a John Stewart kind of thing. Like, John Stewart is a very intelligent guy, but then the minute that somebody calls, calls him on some, or at least he used to do this, like somebody would call him on stuff and he'd say, Yeah, but I'm not a news person. Like you're acting like I'm a news person, I'm a comedian. Like I'm making fun of things. So, like, you know what I mean? And he's using it as almost like a shield, you know, when somebody's like attacking him for it. But Bo Burnham uses it in another way of like just like, hey, take things I'm saying seriously, but also don't take anything I'm saying saying seriously, you know, like that kind of thing. So anyway.

SPEAKER_07 1:39:13

Well, we uh are you are you all proud of your Titanic moment? Or are we proud of our Titanic moment?

SPEAKER_01 1:39:19

What?

SPEAKER_03 1:39:20

Titanic moment.

SPEAKER_07 1:39:21

Yeah, the the movie Titanic is famously longer than the special speaking of the Titanic.

SPEAKER_03 1:39:28

It's an hour the special's an hour and 27 minutes. I thought that'd be really cool if we ended it exactly an hour and 27 minutes, and we went over. So anyway, yeah, yeah. I think people could talk now.

SPEAKER_07 1:39:38

Listen to our episode, people could listen to our episode, or they could save time and watch the special, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 1:39:46

Yeah, between the special and this, you're gonna spend like a good three hours, you know. So anyway, all right. Well, I think that's it. Thank you, Luca, for agreeing to do this.

SPEAKER_02 1:40:00

And oh yeah, thank you for having me. Thank you for inviting me. I hope to be back if uh Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:40:07

You did good.

SPEAKER_02 1:40:08

Oh, thank you.

SPEAKER_03 1:40:09

Absolutely, absolutely. Also, we're gonna get her to a Toastmasters meeting as well.

SPEAKER_01 1:40:14

So if I can write a speech.

SPEAKER_03 1:40:22

Right, exactly. All right, that's it, guys. Until next time.

SPEAKER_07 1:40:29

Laugh your head off.

SPEAKER_03 1:40:30

Yep. Or other parts. All right, bye.