REACTION TO Bo Burnham - That Funny Feeling

[@mrh6237]

The funny feeling is when the veil of your everyday life occasionally gets lifted from you eyes and you remember shit is bad, really bad and there is no hope of correcting it. Climate Change/Pandemic/Out of control capitalism and wealth disparity/the growing schism in this country/racial issues. Even with the knowledge of those things we fall back into the groove of giving our attention to stuff like the Pepsi Halftime show and Logan Paul. It's a commentary on how wrong we all have it but also an admittance that it doesn't really matter because it will all be over soon. The song honestly makes me tear up every time I hear it.

[@amysaysbye]

I definitely tear up and get chills from this song every time

[@jgilmer]

Absolutely!! Can I be your friend?

[@aliamvickersfan2388]

@@amysaysbye Same

[@jenjohnson3886]

As far as the Funny Feeling is concerned I'm pretty sure it's Existential Dread.

[@g.k.2400]

I would more say existential irony.

[@jenjohnson3886]

@@g.k.2400 valid.

[@dlweiss]

I interpret the "funny feeling" as "casual existential dread": the feeling that the world is sliding over the line into self-destruction, possibly past the point of no return, but in the meantime we're all just distracting ourselves with random weird shit and ignoring what's happening. And all the things he lists off are things that conjure up that vague, under-the-surface feeling of dread and disconnection.

[@RockChalk263]

It's that thought you bury inside, but randomly wakes you up at night - and then you can't go back to sleep, because you've got that funny feeling.

[@marcye3649]

Yes!!!!! That’s how I see it as well. It’s open to interpretation, but I’ve listened so many times.

[@pastafarians]

But did the song give you a strange feeling as you listened to it? He lists all the things people see as 'normal' every day things to occupy their minds and moments of their days. Entertainment and distraction. Meanwhile, the world (as we know it) is ending soon. '20,000 years of this, 7 more to go' - 20,000 years ago is when the Earth came out of its last glacial maximum leading to a fairly stable climate conducive to agriculture and settlements. People don't want to face the reality of that changing so they distract themselves. There's a lot more to unpack in this song, as Bo does with so much of his art. It is multi layered, but that's just one part to think about.

[@dauntingbutthereyougo6910]

a lot does come down to personal interpretation it's true, that funny feeling could be anxiety, derealization, a sense of apathy and helplessness in the face of all of these incongruous things all mashed up together in our lives, including the climate crisis - "the whole world at your fingertips, the ocean at your door" it's out of control and this is a lullaby for the end of the world.

[@itsreigningken]

I love that line. A lullaby for the end of the world..

[@cjcookj85]

A lullaby for the human race's self induced euthanasia.

[@prestigeworldwide5239]

@@itsreigningken It feels like a "Nearer, My God, to Thee" moment. Hats off to him for entertaining the masses while the ship goes down.

[@MeganTheLibrarian3]

@@prestigeworldwide5239 OMG yes!! That song is the perfect comparison. Whenever he sings that line "but it'll be over soon, you wait" the scene from the end of Titanic plays through my mind where the mom tells her little boy "it'll all be over soon." 😳😬

[@blankslate1993]

I think the funny feeling is essentially existential dread. The song reads kind of like a rundown of all the random news lines of the day, and some it’s happy, some of it’s terrifying, but the main reaction is feeling insignificant and unable to do anything about any of it other than simply consume it and wait for the next thing to happen. Just that realization that everything is out of your control, and that’s either comforting or scary or both. Idk that’s just my hot take - it’s a great song! Very satirical Bob Dylan type vibe for me. Also, another seemingly irrelevant idea I had about the “obeying all the traffic laws in grand theft auto 5” line is that I think he’s inferring that we’re headed towards this ‘metaverse’ era and I think gta 5 was kind of the first big semi-metaverse playground for people, and when he, somewhat casually, says obeying all the traffic laws, I think he means like eventually we’ll even be policed online because the metaverse will be where we live our lives. Even that will be a place we can be controlled when the point was supposed to be it’s a place where we can do whatever we want. Just like what happens to everything, I suppose. Idk maybe a reach but just an idea I had when I was lit re-listening to this lol.

[@julie8100]

Google derealization

[@SalvoG]

“More than half of all people may have this disconnection from reality once in their lifetime.” Wtf

[@dopeghoti2513]

There it is.

[@jlerrickson]

It isn't just disconnection, it's also the recognition that something is wrong: that funny feeling...

[@TomJones-wx5on]

“That funny feeling” is purposely ambiguous. My interpretation is a mix of existential dread, cosmic irony and the disturbing absurdity of existence but im also projecting my experience with this feeling onto the song, which to me is partially the point

[@LeeannG]

The people who claim Bo can’t sing are the same that say Stephen King novels arent “literature”.

[@douglasennis7291]

James Taylor 👍🏻💯

[@con2468a]

I think the intro where he says he can’t sing or play guitar, he is making a joke about those annoying guys you get that sit around a campfire and completely downplay their abilities to seem more impressive

[@amysaysbye]

This is possibly my favourite track from Inside so I was very happy to see the notification for this video! Keep it up, and have a good one man ✌ PS - this is your regularly scheduled reminder about Nothing But Thieves 😌

[@WitchlingFairyelle]

The first listen, I feel like most of us didn’t pick up on what he was saying until a certain point, it’s so poetic tho, and I was definitely feeling that ache in my chest from it regardless. But then when I reach the line “reading P*rnhubs terms of service,” “following all the traffic laws on grand theft auto IV,” I was like ohhh and when I went back through again it was like “8k resolution meditation app”is the first line and it’s essentially just these things humans do that we don’t realize are incredibly ironic, like the purpose of meditation is to remove yourself and yet we need apps on our phones with 8k resolution to even try, and the things we consume/do to cope when the world feels like it’s up in flames around us. Or just the irony at the line “in honor of the revolution it’s half off at the gap,” (which actually happened) it brings up American values and morals and what capitalism has done to us, how we don’t even realize these things, how we’ve grown to be okay with it and that “funny feeling” is existential dread

[@ptxaholic]

My God I love these lyrics. They're really the most in your face life shit ever... it's amazing and fascinating.

[@Time_Is_Left]

A lot of what he talks about here- while yes, the feeling produced is existential dread- can be framed through the concept of capitalist realism; and some of it is the controlled opposition aspect of cr. ^In case anyone would like some more Google suggestions that will also help further ruin your life lol

[@dylanlawrence4858]

To me That funny feeling is existential dread. The feeling that everything is collapsing around us and we just distract ourselves and ignore it.

[@jasonlengyel1104]

The calm realization that you there's probably nothing you can do.

[@LeeannG]

Think of it as this generation’s “we didn’t start the fire.”

[@CinnaSpots]

I don't have a term for "that funny feeling" and I like that he doesn't force it into a specific feeling. It let's the song breathe and inspire tons of different existences to hopefully open a discussion about what our "funny feelings" are and how we can get rid of them. But thats just my two cents. 🤷‍♂️

[@MeganTheLibrarian3]

Yes, I agree. I think that funny feeling is that indescribable feeling that something's not quite right. It doesn't really have a name; you can't quite put your finger on it. That's why it's just "that funny feeling".

[@jenjohnson3886]

Just joined your patreon. I'm excited to see ur reaction to the entire special.

[@thejoelrooganexplosion2400]

xxxx

[@sabrinakropotkin1461]

I know I asked for all of Bo Burnham before, but I'd really reaaaaally love if you'd react to Iris DeMent's 'Wasteland of the Free' (link provided). Thanks so much, you're such a fun person to spend time with on YT! kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYrUdaOCZb52rKs

[@julie8100]

If you like bo check out tim munching thank you god

[@SalvoG]

Tim munching? Will do

[@julie8100]

Minchin sorry auto correct

[@Time_Is_Left]

I think the reason why this one is tricky is because the list described is very specific to Bo’s brain. Some things on that list we can all relate to, some not. For example, one of the things that give me that funny feeling are those shitty tv channels that are usually numbered in the 20’s.

[@SalvoG]

Wow now that’s interesting lol

[@MeganTheLibrarian3]

Yeah, I sort of think of this song as the antithesis of the My Favorite Things song from Sound of Music. It's a list of things that give Bo "that funny feeling," but all of our lists would be different. Some of these things (like Logan Paul and Carpool Karaoke) he's talked about in interviews before. Some are more general to all of humanity. But I think we can all agree that it's the most beautiful, tranquil campfire song about the end of humanity! 😂