Bo Burnham

“The quality of the work when I was 16... I've had my issues with it, but I've learned to forgive myself because I was 16 years old.”

“When I see someone filming me, I don't usually think, 'No, man, don't put this up online!' I'd think, 'Hey man, you don't get to go to shows very often, put down the camera and enjoy it!' I love going to theatre and to shows so much.”

“I was doing theater in my high school, and I started writing sort of silly songs on the piano backstage in summer theater. I eventually put them online and started getting this little following.”

“It feels like we're always juggling many pieces of information at once or trying out many personas at once. It makes life slightly nonlinear.”

“I think the comedy clubs tend to homogenize the acts a little bit, because they force them to be palatable in way too many environments.”

“With 'Words, Words, Words,' that show was me experimenting with something, and then there was a clear direction for me.”

“I always wanted to be a comedian but never thought I'd be a musical comedian.”

“I write about what I know: teenage dating, overly charged sexuality, all the things that make you uncomfortable.”

“I'd love to write a song that someone else sings that can actually sing really well.”

“Facebook became ubiquitous when I was 16, so I vaguely formed a sense of myself a little bit. I had kind of learned to think a little bit before the stuff was everywhere.”

“I have a pretty good math mind, so I can see patterns, but I don't have a great ear. It's like a tragedy - I can see so much more natural musical ability in so many other people.”

“I definitely like making music in the studio, but I never had it out to make a CD specifically.”

“There's only one rule in stand-up, which is that you have to be funny. Yet 99 per cent of comics look and talk exactly the same.”

“Comedy doesn't really matter that much; I know that. I treat it like an adult - I don't treat it like a child or a god, which some people do. This might just be in America, but 'stand-up comedy' is something very particular that I don't particularly relate to.”

“It's all about surprising people, and you're not surprising people if you're making them laugh every five seconds.”

“Being famous is complete luck, and that's something you can't bank on.”

“I think I wear my hypocrisy on my sleeve. I would never say I'm not a complete hypocrite.”

“I have a show on MTV called 'Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous.' I think that's a secret to a vast majority of America.”

“I enjoy stand up so much because I take time off, and then I'll be excited to go back to it.”

“I became good friends with Jack Whitehall. I think he's great, such a great dude, and really funny.”