I was definitely not the kid that just wanted to be famous for no reason whatsoever and then happened to find comedy. Fame and all that stuff have always been slightly terrifying to me, and it makes me very anxious.
Interpretation
Burnham expresses his ambivalence towards fame, indicating that he values authenticity over popularity.
In this quote, Bo Burnham articulates a common fear among artists and performers: the anxiety that comes with fame and the pressure to conform to public expectations. He suggests that true creativity should stem from genuine passion rather than the pursuit of recognition, highlighting the internal conflict many face when caught between the desire for acceptance and the fear of losing their true selves in the spotlight.
In practice
This quote can be used in a panel discussion about the pressures of celebrity culture.
I think it would collapse my heart if I was super famous. I don't have the nerve for it, I'm too anxious. I don't know how you're not obsessed with how people perceive you, because they're real people, you know? You can convince yourself that they don't really know you, and that's true, but how can it not hurt your feelings?
I've found nothing but support and generosity from older comics. I think comedians are a lot nicer than the stigma is, at least from my experience.
There's only one rule in stand-up, which is that you have to be funny. Yet 99 per cent of comics look and talk exactly the same.
My career was exploding at the same time that social media itself was expanding. But when my online videos were taking off, I didn't think, 'Oh, great! I'm going to be able to parlay this into a career!' I just wanted to be a comedian. I just wanted to perform live.
I'd much rather wait till my material is up to par, in my opinion, than rush it just so I can stay in the limelight a little longer.
Life, to me, doesn't feel like a straightforward story; it doesn't make sense for me to get up there and just tell a story. Life feels like what my show feels like: chaotic and strange and disconnected.
A farmer, a hunter, a soldier, a reporter, even a philosopher, may be daunted; but nothing can deter a poet, for he is actuated by pure love. Who can predict his comings and goings? His business calls him out at all hours, even when doctors sleep.
Intolerance respecting other people's religion is toleration itself in comparison with intolerance respecting other people's art.
I'm glad I wrote them when I did because I think if I were to write my first novel now, it would be a different book, and it may not be the book that everybody wants to read. But if I were given a red pen now, and I went back... I'd take that thing apart.
It's wonderful to see art in a museum, but it is institutionalised. I don't like the idea of the artwork as something that requires special conditions. I would like it to be universal.
Music can be made anywhere, is invisible and does not smell.
Of course I want my films to look really good, but every single element is chosen for a reason. It's telling something in the story.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.