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A review by ponch22
Egghead: Or, You Can't Survive on Ideas Alone by Bo Burnham
4.0
I’ve loved [a:Bo Burnham|5370407|Bo Burnham|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1460798147p2/5370407.jpg] since I first saw his YouTube videos back in college. His Netflix specials are brilliant (and hilarious). Not sure why it’s taken me so long to pick up his book, [b:Egghead|17333426|Egghead Or, You Can't Survive on Ideas Alone|Bo Burnham|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1400879372s/17333426.jpg|24064753] & read it!
A collection of poems (illustrated by [a:Chance Bone|7563412|Chance Bone|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]), the book reminds me of [a:Shel Silverstein|435477|Shel Silverstein|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1201029128p2/435477.jpg] (but with more dick and pussy jokes).
When I was about 75% through, I regretted not dog-earring some of my favorite poems. I am usually pretty careful with my books (i.e. I try not to break the spines; I avoid marking or bending any pages) but I thought something like this could be an exception. Shame was, I was already almost finished!
Maybe on a re-read, I’ll mark my favorites (and probably have every other page marked!)...
Burnham has always amazed me with his writing. As a comic and singer/songwriter, he’s proven he knows how to turn a phrase (after all, aren’t songs just poems put to music?). Egghead is a logical step for Burnham to take. While the book of poetry didn’t make me laugh out loud or give me chills (like his Netflix specials did), there were plenty of internal chuckles and some pensive moments while reading. And Bone's illustrations are a perfect pairing—sometimes deepening the joke written on the page, sometimes being its own related joke, and sometimes just being an absurd sketch to go with an absurd poem.
Anyway, since I did start thinking about marking favorites near the end, here are two that prove how great Burnham is (can't wait to see his film Eighth Grade now):
Ashley
Little Ashley hung magazine spreads on her wall,
after picking the magazines out in the mall.
Models and actresses, singers and more,
with cleavage and makeup and glamour galore!
All of her heroes were finally nearer.
Her whole room looked perfect—except for the mirror.
Change
I don't expect
to change your mind
with one conversation,
only to chip away at it,
like a woodpecker on a redwood tree.
A collection of poems (illustrated by [a:Chance Bone|7563412|Chance Bone|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]), the book reminds me of [a:Shel Silverstein|435477|Shel Silverstein|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1201029128p2/435477.jpg] (but with more dick and pussy jokes).
When I was about 75% through, I regretted not dog-earring some of my favorite poems. I am usually pretty careful with my books (i.e. I try not to break the spines; I avoid marking or bending any pages) but I thought something like this could be an exception. Shame was, I was already almost finished!
Maybe on a re-read, I’ll mark my favorites (and probably have every other page marked!)...
Burnham has always amazed me with his writing. As a comic and singer/songwriter, he’s proven he knows how to turn a phrase (after all, aren’t songs just poems put to music?). Egghead is a logical step for Burnham to take. While the book of poetry didn’t make me laugh out loud or give me chills (like his Netflix specials did), there were plenty of internal chuckles and some pensive moments while reading. And Bone's illustrations are a perfect pairing—sometimes deepening the joke written on the page, sometimes being its own related joke, and sometimes just being an absurd sketch to go with an absurd poem.
Anyway, since I did start thinking about marking favorites near the end, here are two that prove how great Burnham is (can't wait to see his film Eighth Grade now):
Ashley
Little Ashley hung magazine spreads on her wall,
after picking the magazines out in the mall.
Models and actresses, singers and more,
with cleavage and makeup and glamour galore!
All of her heroes were finally nearer.
Her whole room looked perfect—except for the mirror.
Change
I don't expect
to change your mind
with one conversation,
only to chip away at it,
like a woodpecker on a redwood tree.