Bo Burnham – Inside: A Musical Memoir about Mental Health, the Internet, and 2020

TW: Mental Health, Suicide

Melvin and Daniel discuss deteriorating mental health, content creation, the internet, and comedy. They also discuss being honest with one another, and the difficult necessity of vulnerability.

Topics:

• Daniel gets stuck in a church bathroom, enjoys his wedding anniversary, and talks about his Bo Burnham Bacon-number. 
• Introducing Bo Burnham: Inside [7:12] 
• Inside is a snapshot of what it’s like to exist online during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, which means it may alienate viewers outside of that demographic 
• Additionally, the special begins broadly accessible with tracks like ‘Content’ and ‘Comedy’, yet soon becomes musically debilitating due to the onslaught of social awareness and existential anxiety 
• Inside’s lyrics are loaded with a multitude of anxieties, including anxiety about capitalism as an ideological moral compass 
• Companies chasing morality for profit is a perfect example of “Christ-less morality” 
• A brief tangent about clearing out books by disgraced authors (which segways into a discussion about the song “Problematic”) 
• “Look Who’s Inside Again” is the turning from general topics to personal, yet still relatable, mental health issues 
• Melvin shares his interpretation of several songs and compares specific metatextual concepts to real life situations, both in his own life and in church life 
• Inside is too plausible to be disingenuous, as everyone in some capacity relates to Bo Burnham’s breakdown and introversion.
• Melvin continues his observation of various songs, specifically “That Funny Feeling”.
• Daniel, “We were not made for this hyper awareness of everything that’s going on.”
• A discussion on the loss of relationship amidst 2020, and how often what was left was merely difficult conversations online without the security of companionship.
• Contemplating overcoming anxiety, depression, past sin, guilt, and shame, and the isolation produced from staying “inside” with these experiences and feelings.

Recommendations:

• D.A. Carson’s The Gospel According to John: Pillar New Testament Commentary 
• Blake J. Harris’ “Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation” 
• Jeff Vandermeer’s “Annihilation” 

Bo Burnham: Inside is Rated TV-MA. It features Bo Burnham. Directed by Bo Burnham. Bo Burnham: Inside is available on Netflix.

Consider supporting Cinematic Doctrine on Patreon! As a bonus, you can gain access to a once-a-month movie poll where you decide a movie we discuss on the podcast, early unedited episodes of the podcast, and merch!!

Melvin Benson is the Founder, Editor-In-Chief, and Lead Host of Cinematic Doctrine. Whether it’s a movie, show, game, comic, or novel, it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s rich, he’s ready and willing to give it a try! His hope is to see King Jesus glorified as far as the east is from the west!

Cinematic Doctrine is available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and other major podcast apps.