Being famous is complete luck, and that's something you can't bank on.
— Bo Burnham
'what.' is bombastic introspection. It's large, colourful, and loud but hopefully intimate at the same time.
I don't interact with people much.
I write about what I know: teenage dating, overly charged sexuality, all the things that make you uncomfortable.
I like to joke about being gay because it's something teenagers would never joke about.
I have no real want or need to be a movie star.
I know I'm probably digging for fresh fruit in the garbage, and as much as anyone, my attitude is, if stuff's sincere, it's gooey and boring and uninteresting. But it's no way to live.
The unlimited amount of information that I have access to has also given me an unlimited threshold for how I need to be stimulated.
I don't think I've had a job since I worked for my father's construction company.
Please don't stick with me if I start sucking.
Your hard work and talent will not pay off.
Don't worry, I'm hilarious.
I have a show on MTV called 'Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous.' I think that's a secret to a vast majority of America.
Comedy is the one absolutely self-aware art form. Actually, hip-hop's another one, I suppose. Because in your songs you're talking about how good a hip-hop artist you are. It's like a painter painting a panting of himself painting a painting.
I misdirect the audience, so they have no idea where they are or who they're listening to.
There's a certain line between jokes and music and poetry that's a bit blurred in my mind.
I remember being superyoung, like nine or ten years old, and thinking, 'Man, I wonder what famous people eat for breakfast. They must have some special kind of cereal!' My mind was so warped by the idea of fame.
The thing is, I always thought I could do stand-up, and so I just stayed focused on the belief that I could succeed.
I've come across people referring to themselves as 'Vine famous.' Some of them started out by putting up Vines just for fun, then all of a sudden they get a bunch of fans, and a week later their Vines are totally different. They become obsessed with how their videos will be perceived.
Music is really, really mathematical.
I grew up listening to Steve Martin and Robin Williams, so I didn't ever intend to be a musical comedian. I sort of stumbled into it.
All my fans saw me as some little kid who can't even afford new jeans in his room, so they'll support me. That'll work until I become a success.
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.
It feels like we're always juggling many pieces of information at once or trying out many personas at once. It makes life slightly nonlinear.
The Internet is so crazy, and you're exposed to so many things. In an hour, you can really jump around.
I do weird things, and people watch.
I thought I had more of a European sense of humour than the average American comic.
I'm still a kid in his bedroom, writing songs and playing them.
I don't want you to think I'm better than people or that I know better than people.
Most of my songs make fun of myself.
Postmodern comedy doesn't work well with very old audiences, because it's making fun of the comedy they enjoy.
I just like to write and then perform.
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 chose to do comedy instead of going to college.
If I had posted my first video a week later, I don't know if it would have spread like it did. That's why, with everything I do, I try to enjoy the making of it instead of worrying about the release and reception.
I always wanted to be a comedian and actor.
I really like maths.
Uncharted territory is a good place to be in.
I'll stop when I think I'm not doing good stuff. I'll never exploit something just because people like it.
I'm very left-brain.
I don't want to put meaning on what I do because I don't know what it is.
I always wanted to be a comedian but never thought I'd be a musical comedian.
My success, literally, is your success figuratively.
I think because of the Internet I was able to study comedy from quite a young age and watch a lot of comedy.
I'm just a giddy teenager who would like to break into show business any way I can.
You got to take a deep breath and give up. The system is rigged against you.
The U.K. and Europe in general seem to be a lot more patient. The U.S. are expecting 'joke joke joke joke joke joke joke.' They don't actually sit and listen to you.
The average person has one Fallopian tube.
I was doing theater in my high school, and I started writing sort of silly songs on the piano backstage in summer theater. I eventually put them online and started getting this little following.
The problem for us, as viewers, is that we want famous people who are passionate about the things they're famous for, because that makes them worthy of the attention. But I think many of those famous people just want to be famous.
