“Come and watch the skinny kid, with the steadily declining mental health. And laugh as he attempts to give you what he cannot give himself.” -Bo Burnham, from the very same song.
Gabbie Hanna's poems feel very "I'm 14 and this is deep." Also, Bo Burnham's poems remind me so much of Shel Silverstein and i love it. I'm buying his book now because of this video.
Gabbie's poetry concept is self-obsessed and Bo's poetry concept is self-conscious. The comparison you made proves this really clearly. Thank you for that.
Paupau: “Gabbie was inspired by bo burnham. Today I’m going to compare them” Me: “oh that’s a little strange but carry on” Paupau: “in this one she try’s a little wordplay” Me: “OH FUC-“
as a self harmer, i have a few problems with that cut poem if it was actually about self-harm, wouldnt it make more sense for the mirror to be egging her on instead of the real her trying to persuade the mirror? to me it kinda feels like "yh i wanted to cut but the *distorted* version of myself told me not to, what a weirdo right?" idk the amount of times i've heard people say "you're gonna regret this" and "why go to such extreme lengths for a temporary problem?" about SH is really grating and i dont think she couldve used anything more generic. if you're going to regurgitate a tired argument made by people who dont understand it, at least word it slightly differently smh i know i cant speak for everyone, but i find SH to be relieving when i've got piled up stresses and emotions i cant otherwise deal with. to it seems like she's just used the most cliche portrayal of it: the shouting and screaming, with the 'look at how much you've scarred your body you monster' perspective. i dont doubt that that is the case for some people, but (from what i've seen) it's more common for it to just be seen as a coping method to let you be able to get on with your day. every scar is a story, and if those stories mean im still here then i see each scar as a triumph. there's no need to be so judgemental WHAT KIND OF COCK MUNCHER THINKS IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO MAKE SUCH A MOCKERY OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES if this was trying to say something i wouldnt be so offended. i can enjoy a good edgy joke every now and again, but what is this even trying to say? "you thought i was talking about self harm? haha gotchu lmao" isnt a joke or good commentary or anything. this is nothing. she could have said somethng interesting or informative on the matter, but all we got was "you know what's funny? making yourself bleed, now im gonna cut my hair :3". fuck me ive never seen anything this belittling in my life also humans arent 98% water. there were studies saying we're 98% related to chimps but idk if that's true. wikipedia says that human adults are 50-65% water. jellyfish are 98% water, and cucumbers are 95% and thus concludes my ramblings. sorry if this is incoherent i just felt like i had to say it im done now i promise
Don't worry about rambling, that's what she's doing throughout the book anyways 💩 Like all of her tweets (at this point, I'm refusing to use the word 'poem'), she doesn't seem to get that her content is often very shallow/juvenile/horribly delivered.
Just to add on something kinda petty, I think the calling cutting hair a “permanent decision” when she’s comparing it to scarring is just weird to me. Your hair will grow back to it’s previous length, like when you cut a piece of hair off you can’t reattach it but it does comes back. Skin doesn’t do that and it’ll always be noticeable do to scarring unlike hair. Idk, comparing the two just makes me feel weird
I love that you compared her poetry to Bo’s. She always talks about how she was inspired by his work and I really liked to see them compared side by side like this, and to see where her poetry did or didn’t quite achieve the same effect that his did. Awesome video!!
This video is so well done because the poems you chose are such different takes on similar concepts, which means it's fair to compare them. I love Bo Burnham and it just feels like a lot of the points he made in his comedy and his poems were completely missed by Hanna. He constantly returns to the theme of not feeling like his art is worthy of gaining so much attention, while Hanna's book feels as though it was created for the attention itself. In other words, he wrote his book despite the attention while she wrote hers because of it. With so many poems rushed to fill the space and her even admitting that in the book itself, it's clear that she's writing the book to prove that she's an "intellectual." Bo's poems are thought through so much more and come across as very sincere, the opposite of Gabbie's stream of consciousness. Because of this, if Gabbie took inspiration from Egghead, her book was destined to fail because they come at the same issues from completely different ends of the spectrum.
All of Gabbie’s poems have a twinge of self-pity or self-mockery or bitterness, and although it can work if used correctly it takes a shit ton of practice and it requires being able to judge yourself correctly. Bo’s poems, on the other hand, tend to be not only relatable, but they’re also well-constructed (he has more practice) and extend to include the viewpoint of whoever might be reading rather than just their reaction. In addition, the fact that he can put the feelings into words show that he genuinely knows what they feel like. Gabbie’s poetry is self-indulgent, whereas Bo’s poetry is self-exposing.
My problem with her "Fluent" poem is simply that it's none of the things she's talking about. It's not fluent, it doesn't have a consistent rhythm or meter. There are no metaphors. My point is, she talks about how all of these stylistic devices start appearing in her everyday life, but then she doesn't even use them, or uses them very lazily? I feel like she tried to let the poem have a very strict form, consistently rhyming and rhythmic. But it was done so poorly, in stark contrast to what she is saying. And where are the metaphors. I know I said this already, but is she honestly saying in her poem how she likes to use metaphors, but then she doesn't use any??? What metaphors gabbi
2:56 She's trying so hard not to be mean lmao- But seriously, I love how you did the video and unpacked everything, gave actual constructive criticism instead of just saying "it's bad, you suck"; you're super talented :)
I've always loved literature and this was such a great video! Bo Burnham's poetry was beautiful and it was interesting to see Gabbie Hanna's take on poetry. Really amazing content!! 😆
Thank you! I wasn't sure if this video would appeal to many people because it is not really makeup related 😅 but im glad you found it interesting! 💙💙💙💙
25:24 that part of his last special spoke to my soul on another level, I totally understand that feeling of not knowing if you can handle everything… the way he communicated that feeling of disparity & sadness that life entails, thru the fillings in a burrito / doing a comedy show?! I cry like a baby every time I watch it.
'Sticks' is probably my favourite of hers. It flows pretty well. And the whole idea of sticks as in sticks and stones but also sticks as in words stick with you. That's pretty much the least lazy part of any of her poems I think. I do really hate the final line though. Reminds me of the end of 'Stan' - 'Oh wait a minute, his name was... it was you. Damm.' The idea is maybe clever but, in both the poem and the song, it seems so blatent and I wish we'd been told in a less obvious way. Anyway sorry, dunno why I had to say all that. Really interesting video though!
This was really such a lovely video… I feel like you’re more than kind and fair, and I really like the comparison. It felt like I was back in English lit class and that was my favorite part of school. Plus I’m going to get a dope book out of it! I had no clue Bo Burnham did a poetry book; I’m definitely gonna grab it now ☺️
I don't know if this comparison will make sense to you, but Gabbie poems remind me of club music. Some lyrics but not too deep, just to bridge the drops. Like Martin Garrix & Bebe Rexa - In the Name of Love. Not saying much. At first it reminded me a bit more of rap, but she doesn't have the flow, the wordplay. She's not a poet and she's not a victim, so both the wordplay and the content fell flat for me. Maybe poetry is not for me, I don't know. Not every poem by Bo is a winner for me either, but a bunch are, as opposed to Gabbie letting me down every single time. If a metal band can come up with this kind of wordplay: "Stepped off a building to find some concrete evidence Concrete evidence that he'd never make an impact Fiction splattered into fact And his fiction splattered into another sidewalk painting on display Stepped off a bridge so he could make a splash To make a splash he had to flounder like a fish out of water Another lamb that chose the slaughter" [Protest The Hero - C'est La Vie] And a rapper can come up with this kind of wordplay: "Tryna find my uncle, didn't open my mouth, shit My dad mighta killed me-no snitching on our ship The Titanic ain't going down because of me See I can't swim, but I'll be the anchor for the scene See how did they expect musicians to stay afloat When all our sales keep going down the stream?" [Wretch 32 - Fire In The Booth Verse 2] Then I expect someone that talks for a living to be able to come up with something captivating. Perhaps not as sharp as Bo, but her wit is sharp like a spoon and her skill with the pen is nowhere to be found. OT: I did enjoy you taking the time to go through it and compare it.
Great video, I really love what. and Make Happy and I also just bought Egghead. I think everything Bo's touching is turning into gold. Eighth Grade is also one of my favorite movies of the last few years👍🏼
Her poems make it clearer than ever, Gabbie is so freaking obnoxious and self centred without an ounce of empathy for anyone else. This ( in terms of the poems themselves) felt like the farthest thing from personal. Just a lame attempt at making herself look like the cool one, above it all, viewing herself as the victim as always. Gabbie Hana acts like 13/14 y/o and really needs to grow and improve herself, its the part of growing up she missed the first time, cuz thats what aging usually entails, learning and improving yourself and learning to be kinder and more understanding of others.
What a nice work you did here reading both books, researching on the context and looking for the equivalences. I'm creating a book of poems myself (with poems from my childhood and youth) and I have been watching poetry review videos to catch some useful suggestions. I really enjoyed the comparisons and your comments on them.
Myea, its one thing to take inspiration from something. But i feel Gabbie still needs to find herself a bit more. I'm sure she has exciting stories and deep stuff to share, she just lacks the emotional intelligence, level of self reflection or just the skill to portray it correctly
For Gabbi's poem 'quotes' i think it would be cool if she could tie it all together by putting a quotation mark at the bottom and next to it her name. That way it could her 'quotes', it (in my opinion) would have made it better. Also Bo's poem called 'you' reminds me of dr sues!
"Different" doesn't just say that the speaker is different, it makes a point with it. It mentions how everyone is different within the first two lines, and speaks on a full humanity scale, resulting in the speaker declaring that they will take a stand against human nature and embrace differences, encouraging the reader to do the same. "Quotes" in this regard, looks down on the non-speakers. It paints everyone except the speaker as a hypocrite, and carries the message that readers should also see the world this way, where everyone else is an out-group.
personally i’d compare i like sleep by gabbie with i f-k sl-ts by bo because they have similar rhythms and repeat words in the same way, especially in the first stanza which means i f-k sl-ts could be the main inspiration for i like sleep but i f-k sl-ts adds more detail afterwards and literally even adds a meaning whereas i like sleep just seems like a cheesy rhyming poem with not much point
gabbie’s poetry lacks depth. i get that writing is not easy and not everyone is a writer. but she didn’t have to publish her poetry and bc she did she needs to be willing to accept criticism
Exactly. Had she, for example, shared these on her Instagram or something it would be a totally different story. It might still be ridiculed, but at least she wouldn't charge people for her sub-par work.
Poems have a deeper meaning. I can be interpreted in many different ways, for one it might be about love and another anger for example. But gabbie hannas “poems” just exist. I cant relate to it because theres nothing to relate to.
i feel like gabbie's is very dated, the one about ''not like other girls'' ''i want a snack'' - me'' is very twitter meme format from a certain year.. bo is more general
His new special is not for everyone, but I thought it was brilliant. His comedy translated really well in a digital setting. It includes the bo-ness we are used to and love (Welcome to the Internet), but I really enjoyed the songs with a more obscure theme (That Funny Feeling & All eyes on me). It fits the context of today really well too
Gabbie's book would maybe have been fine on its own but knowing that she's inspired by Bo just makes hers seem so much worse I really want to buy his book now because the few poems you showed have so much depth it makes me so curious to know how deep his book goes
Why? How was this Gabbie person’s book even published? It is so bad. Bo Burnham is a genius and it is insulting that she said that her book was inspired by him.
It's one thing to be inspired by someone. I'm happy she likes Bo Burnham. What annoys me is that she somehow believes her poetry is on par with actual artists. Gabbie does have her own voice, and she can write whatever she wants. If you take a look at my review of the second book, I acknowledged that she does have something to share in the last twenty pages of her second book. I believe she doesn't have people around her who dare to confront her with the truth. However, I have noticed that there are lots of poetry books out there that are similar and even worse than this (I don't get the hype for Rupi Kaur for example). So Gabbie is not the only one doing this.