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Comedians
I have very specific tastes when it comes to stand-up comedy-- which is somewhat frustrating, because the ones I like, I really, *really* like. It's just that right now the only two that do that are Bo Burnham and Hannah Gadsby. For slightly different reasons. Hannah Gadsby is very obviously sophisticated and calling out important issues; you have to be paying a lot of attention to follow her. She's also talking about stuff I care a lot about. (I was so disappointed in the Netflix version of Douglas; I inveigled a friend out to see it live when she passed through here and Netflix cut, like, two hours of it, including what I thought was the most meaningful, poignant part, where she describes having a meltdown in front of her girlfriend and getting comforted through it and finding this a very important experience... and then seeing a text the girlfriend has sent to the rest of their friend group about this incident that reads "I really love Hannah, but she's like a retard or something." And she tells this as part of explaining how she came to break up with her girlfriend not long before the tour started.)
Bo Burnham, meanwhile, just *delights* me, because his show is heavy on spectacle and outward silliness while also being incredibly layered-- like, this is a guy who has a song called "Eat a Dick" that's actually having a really good conversation about gender roles in relationships and the way men treat women. He leans hard on irony and allusion, with occasional moments of really wonderful sincerity. He's also managed to have a song called "Kill Yourself" that I adore despite the fact that I normally absolutely hate humor that draws suicide in-- possibly because he really obviously understands the gravity of the issue and makes sure he leans into it for the song. (With most of his songs, though, you really do have to listen to the *whole* song, because he often uses mood whiplash between verses to make a point.)
So here are two comedians I really like. And I've tried to watch a number of other Netflix comedy specials and I've yet to find another one that even keeps me watching, let alone delighting and connecting with me the way these two do. And I have no idea what, precisely, their magic is.
Bo Burnham, meanwhile, just *delights* me, because his show is heavy on spectacle and outward silliness while also being incredibly layered-- like, this is a guy who has a song called "Eat a Dick" that's actually having a really good conversation about gender roles in relationships and the way men treat women. He leans hard on irony and allusion, with occasional moments of really wonderful sincerity. He's also managed to have a song called "Kill Yourself" that I adore despite the fact that I normally absolutely hate humor that draws suicide in-- possibly because he really obviously understands the gravity of the issue and makes sure he leans into it for the song. (With most of his songs, though, you really do have to listen to the *whole* song, because he often uses mood whiplash between verses to make a point.)
So here are two comedians I really like. And I've tried to watch a number of other Netflix comedy specials and I've yet to find another one that even keeps me watching, let alone delighting and connecting with me the way these two do. And I have no idea what, precisely, their magic is.