We Are Lady Parts, Bo Burnham: Inside, and 15 minutes or less
Punk bands and one-man bands, plus minor roles and major impact
Hello!
On this week’s episode of Criticism Is Dead, we discuss We Are Lady Parts, about an all-girl Muslim punk rock band, and Bo Burnham: Inside, the comedian’s quarantine musical solo endeavor.
Click here to listen to the full episode on the web
Or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts, or other podcast apps.
02:41 The new UK series We Are Lady Parts, available on Peacock stateside, is a bright, bombastic, witty effort to subvert Muslim stereotypes.
As Pelin puts it, Muslim on-screen representation has always been either stereotypical, corny, or usually both. This show is a concerted attempt to circumvent those norms by creating a set of characters who may still be caricatures of sorts, but at least they’re fresh caricatures. The members of the band are nonconformist, but also have a lot of love for their faith, for rock music, and most importantly, for each other as sisters.
Okay, maybe that still sounds corny — but it’s not! We Are Lady Parts definitely skews over the top, with set pieces, puppetry, animation, costumes, and of course musical numbers. But the dry British wit keeps the show in balance, making sure the goofy elements don’t become too saccharine. It’s a lot of fun, and we both agree that Saira (played by Sarah Kameela Impey) is babe!!!
24:13 Bo Burnham’s new special Inside, streaming on Netflix, is a visual and sonic feast made all the more impressive by the labors of creation.
Written, composed, directed, filmed, and edited all by Burnham with no crew or (live) audience, this special is certainly a feat. While a lot of the ideas presented aren’t particularly novel — especially if you spend a time in online leftist circles — the forms in which they’re presented are genuinely interesting and often surprising. We’re talking song, dance, satirized YouTube videos and Twitch streams, as well as interstitials where Burnham goes beyond the generic. The personal and more specific is where Burnham really shines, whether that’s in exploring ideas of digital authenticity, auteurship, or mental health.
Here are some numbers we especially enjoyed:
Healing the World With Comedy
Problematic
Turning 30
All Eyes on Me
Welcome to the Internet
44:02 Plus, culture notes about characters who had 15 minutes or fewer in a film.
Bonus links
Also, our second-choice culture notes topic this week was MOVIE STARS :) We passed on it this time, but here are some tweets that got us thinking, for your viewing pleasure:
That’s it for this week. Thank you, see ya!
— Jenny
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, I promise we only do GOOD posts.
Please rate/review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts, WHEREVER, and maybe tell a friend about us!
Inquiries, complaints, and recs for what to watch can go to criticismisdead@gmail.com.
Some credits:
Music: REEKAH
Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu