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Spencer Lewis

Mr. Cole

ENC 2135

12 February 2017

The Complexity of Comedy: A Genre Analysis of Repeat Stuff

Laughter is the best medicine, you know, besides medicine (Burnham). Bo Burnham

said that in his stand-up special Words, Words, Words back in 2010, and even though its a joke,

Burnham makes a good point about how much people value comedy. Everybody loves to laugh,

be happy, and have a good time, but those things dont always come easy. Bo Burnhams

comedy is best exemplified in his music video for his song Repeat Stuff, which is a surreal

satirical comedic YouTube music video that was uploaded in September of 2014. The song and

visuals used are making fun of the corporate modern pop music genre, and together combine for

a very funny and entertaining experience. Being objectively funny is almost impossible, and

comedys subjectivity to the audience is one of the things that makes the genre of comedy, and

genre in general, so complex and fascinating. Its complexity derives from the endless number of

aspects and conventions that organize different works into specific categories or generate new

ones. The genres that are used to define and categorize are not only about what the artifact is, but

also about the audience, artist, and distribution. Comedy, particularly Repeat Stuff, depends on

these factors in the same ways; and, not only is it entertaining, but it also serves as a perfect

mode to discover what genre is, why it is, and how it is.

Every genre has certain characteristics that help identify what content should be

categorized under it. Repeat Stuff includes classic conventions of surreal comedy that clearly
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places it into that category. Surreal comedy is often full of bizarre juxtapositions and absurd

situations. The Repeat Stuff video is itself a long form juxtaposition between Burnhams regular

upbeat pop song and the satanic voice that overtakes it at certain points. The imagery changes

from happy kids hanging out to kids sacrificing one of their own during some sort of devil

worship. The two situations alone are not funny, but when combined, the sharp contrast is what

makes the audience get shocked into laughter. The main conventions of surreal comedy are

juxtapositions and irrational or odd situations which is the majority of the music video. Every

genre has different conventions and sub genres like just different types of comedy have specific

conventions, something that makes you laugh puts it in the comedy genre, but why it makes you

laugh puts it in a more specific genre.

The other specifics of the music video have more easily identifiable conventions. Its a

music video because the song that Burnham originally performed on stage is accompanied by

visuals that fit the song and help amplify or expand the message that he is trying to send. The

images also add humor because of the juxtapositions formerly mentioned, elevating the surreal

elements. All these different genre types contribute to defining the artifact as a surreal satirical

comedy music video. Genres can overlap, cross, and combine to create new genres for new and

different artifacts. Nothing will ever be pigeon holed or fall into only one genre because there are

so many. They involve the mixing and usage of multiple broader genres, and as they combine

they create new, more specific ones so the artifact can be better categorized.

Genre can also depend on who the creator is, as well as why and how they went about

making the video, song, poem, or other form of art. To really understand what type of content

someone creates and why they create it, you must know about the artist themself. Repeat Stuff is
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in the genre of YouTube video because it was created specifically for YouTube and uploaded so

everyone can see it. The mode was not just chosen because it was popular. Bo Burnham is a

young stand up performer that got his start performing comedy songs on his YouTube channel

back in 2006. He was one of the earliest YouTube stars and the website is what launched his

career. Although he is now a professional entertainer and does stand up specials, he still chose to

create this music video and distribute it for free because YouTube is important to who he is as an

artist. It is not just a video clip website, but it was where his career began and has great

significance to him, and by extension, to the music video itself. YouTube contributes to the

definition of the genre of this video because it is not only the way that the video is circulated, but

it also provides a connection to the artist. So, even though there are millions of videos that could

be put in the broad YouTube genre, that title has more significance in this case. Burnhams

earlier work was generally just funny wordplay but his songs and performances became more

introspective and meaningful as he grew as an entertainer. Bo Burnham does not want to only

make his audience laugh, but also wants them to get something bigger out of it. He is sharing his

thoughts and opinions and making observations on the world around him through his songs.

Repeat Stuff is a comedy song and it does make people laugh; however, it is also a commentary

on the corporate owned and profit driven popular music industry. The theme of the song places it

into a different genre than a song made up of random comedic wordplay with no real message.

Audience is possibly the most important factor when creating comedy. Whatever makes a

three year old laugh is not going to always do the same for a seventeen year old, and an eighty

year old might see whatever the seventeen year old finds funny as juvenile. Any performer, when

making something, has a certain audience in mind that could be based on age, gender,
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nationality, or ideology. Doing comedy requires the performer to know and work with their

audience, adapt to what they understand, and create things that they would find funny. Bo

Burnham is a young comedian that started when he was sixteen, and put out this video when he

was only twenty-two years old. He started on YouTube when it was just beginning and has built

his audience from an online platform. So, his target audience was, and still is, mainly teenagers

and millennials, or anybody who has been well versed in internet content for a long time. It

makes sense then, that his Repeat Stuff video would be about pop music and pop artists that

create songs often beloved by that same demographic. Even though it is making fun of those

particular songs, Burnham knows that his audience will understand exactly what hes talking

about and will find it funny because they can relate to it. They will be able to understand that

hes mocking Justin Bieber with the way he dresses. Theyll notice the overuse and odd

placement of the word swag throughout the song and laugh because they remember when

everyone would not stop saying a made up word for a year instead of just calling something

cool.

In a similar way, the genre is going to determine what audience enjoys or consumes the

artifact in that genre. Bo Burnhams audience likes a certain type of song, like a satire that

successfully includes his wordplay and silly juxtapositions along with his own ideas and feelings

about the thing being parodied. Satirical comedy appeals to the audience by making fun of or

mocking things they know well. The song would not come off as funny to a person that doesnt

know Justin Bieber or doesnt listen to pop music. Placing certain artifacts into genres is

important because the genre tells what type of audience the artifacts will focus on.
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Genre is often defined as a way of categorizing a type of art, but to fully understand genre

one must understand all of the factors that go into it. Its a summary of everything that makes up

and goes into making a piece of art, from the creator to the audience and from its conventions to

its circulation. Genre exists, and is so important, because it is a representation of someones

work. Genre tells what something is and why it is before you even see it. Genres complexity and

fluidity in its definition is because genre grows and changes as art does.
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Works Cited

Burnham, Bo, perf. Words Words Words. Bo Burnham. Rec. 30 June 2010. Jack Vaughn, 2010.

MP3.

Repeat Stuff. Dir. Rami Hachache. By Bo Burnham. Prod. prettybird. Perf. Bo Burnham.

YouTube. N.p., 24 Sept. 2014. Web. 21 Jan. 2017.