This Isn't a Joke: I have Inside Outtake-aways

The biggest things I’ve become synonymous with since I started writing for Hyperreal are Bo Burnham and A24…and I’m flattered. Needless to say, my Instagram blew up when Bo Burnham announced The Inside Outtakes. And surprisingly, y’all really like to hear what I have to say about pop culture, so the big question I kept getting was: Are you gonna write about it? 

At first, I wasn’t sure, because like all of you, I had no idea what it was actually going to be. But, I’m obviously here, so I have some thoughts. 

This piece is going to be a little different than my other two (shameless plug for my first piece about Inside and second piece about Inside). There will be no conspiracy theories afoot, and it’s also going to be a lot shorter than my usual Bo Burnham content (seriously, and not in the way I say it when I know I’m lying to myself). I’m not going to dissect every single bit, nor am I going to go through the special piece by piece. In my opinion, that isn’t the point of The Inside Outtakes. 

I’m going to mention two parts, but other than those, we’re just going to talk about my takeaway. 

I’ll give you a moment to collect yourselves. 

I’m a writer/creative/anxiety-ridden creature trying her best (I started to put this list in a fun cadence like “Bitch” by Meredith Brooks but refrained and only gave you the reference. Comedy!), so for me, The Inside Outtakes perfectly encapsulates the creative process. It’s tedious and laborious, but you do it because something in your being craves it. I don’t have the ability to quit writing; it’s an insatiable part of myself, and even when I think a piece is dog shit, I always have to see it through. 

The Inside Outtakes gives us brilliant unused material like the jeans bit, entirely new songs (and yes, I’m going to mention “The Chicken” later), and different versions of monologues from Inside. However, the truly poignant parts are when Bo Burnham is just messing with equipment and workshopping lyrics. 

Much like Inside, The Inside Outtakes is going to be interpreted differently by everyone who watches it. Are there some incredible bits in there? Yes. Were there a few times I laughed so hard I had to pause it? Naturally. Do I need to stop asking questions like this in pieces? Probably. But, the parts I’m still replaying over and over again in my head are those little moments before and after recording. They’re the moments where Bo is swearing under his breath or getting pissed at props. That, my friends, is what the creative process is truly about. 

It’s not glamorous. I don’t usually just sit down at my laptop in a full beat and acceptable clothing. No, no. When I write these pieces, I’m usually in my pjs, unshowered, and writing like my life depends on it. It’s a lot of backspacing and groaning. There have absolutely been times I’ve stayed up all night writing, and there have been times I’ve leapt out of bed at 2AM to start.  

When your passions are creative, your mind doesn’t have boundaries. You have to get the words down. You feel this need to get your content out into the world, knowing you’re never going to be truly happy with it. That leads me to the first big thing I want to mention. 

I don’t think I really need a spoiler warning here, but in case you want to hear what Bo says verbatim first, I guess don’t read any further?

In Inside, there’s a scene where Bo talks about not wanting to finish the special. In The Inside Outtakes, there’s a monologue similar to the one from Inside, but it’s a bit longer and a little more vulnerable than the original. In it, Bo says, “I feel like I’m waiting for some big idea that’s gonna tie it all together and make sense of it and satisfy me. But, uh, I don’t think that’s gonna happen. And the more I wait for it, the more shitty I feel.” 

You can call me a bullshitter all you want to, but I don’t think anyone has ever articulated what it feels like for me to finish a piece. If you know me at all, you know I tweak and pick, and I finally have to just call it and submit it. 

I’m never fully satisfied. Fuck, I just wrote an amazing second piece on Inside. I sincerely think it’s one of the best things I’ve ever written, but you best believe when it went live, and I reread it, I came up with a list of things I think I could have done better. It’s this weird duality you have to learn to accept of both being proud of your work but never being fully satisfied; it’s like you’re never full and simply placated until your next meal (aka piece - Figurative language!). 

The other big thing I wanted to mention was “The Chicken”. Holy shit, I wasn’t prepared to have those feelings. “The Chicken” (that’s the song title from the YouTube timestamp, so roll with it) is absolutely next level. I’m not going to spoil it for you because it’s at the very end of the special, and honestly, there isn’t anything I can say to prepare you for it. I know how positively insane I sound without context, but soon you’ll be saying, “Baillee, you sound insane, but now, I have context!” 

If you were on the fence (idk how) about watching The Inside Outtakes, I highly recommend it. I think it’ll give you even more respect for the making of Inside. In the spirit of this piece straying from my usual Bo Burnham content, I’d like to end with a sincere message to Bo Burnham: 

Thank you for giving us content like this, and thank you for being a creative influence for me since I was 14. 🙏

P.S. I’m so fucking sorry for making you a #mcm on Instagram when I was 18. 

The Inside Outtakes are currently available to watch for free on YouTube.