Dissect - S7E1 - Childish Gambino: Because The Internet

Episode Date: January 12, 2021

Our season-long analysis of Because The Internet by Childish Gambino begins with a brief overview of Donald Glover’s rise to fame and his debut album Camp. Then we cover some of the main ancillary components of the transmedia world of Because The Internet before dissecting the connection between the end of Camp and the beginning of BTI. Dive deeper into the world of BTI with our visual guides, where you can also read the BTI screenplay in full. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From our first primitive grunts and symbols carved into stone, human beings have continually sought out ways to connect, ways to better understand each other. These early efforts to communicate eventually evolved into full-blown complex languages. Fast forward a few hundred thousand years, and were distributing these languages via a printing press. Then came the telegraph, telephone, and the phonograph, radio and TV, and the personal computer.

With each innovation, the world became, a little bit smaller. We all got a little bit closer, a little more connected. And then, in the late 20th century, this. Like every watershed moment in human history, there is a world before the internet and a world after. Coupled with rapidly evolving computer technology, the internet completely transformed the way we connect. Suddenly hundreds of thousands of years of technological advancement consolidated into the palm of our hand. We can face time with relatives, make friends around the globe on social media, browse a library of human history on a search engine, and swipe through a gallery of potential sexual partners on an app. We are now all

closer than ever, connected with everyone, everywhere, all the time. The question now is, is this a good thing? Numerous studies have shown us that social media contributes to higher levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Smartphones, it turns out, are more like slot machines, conduits for floods of the same neurochemicals produced by addictive drugs. Online comment boards are cesspools of contentious debate, political polarization is at an all-time statistical high, and studies show that despite being connected everywhere all the time, many of us still feel lonely and isolated. We've all become each other's bad roommates, stuck together, entangled in the World Wide Web. Perhaps history will prove the truth about the digital

revolution to be counterintuitive, that as the internet and technology brings us closer and closer together, we simultaneously grow further and further apart. Why is everybody pretending like everything's okay? Everything's not okay. Like we're like we, this is, we are more connected than we've ever been, but I feel more alone than I've ever been. Like no one's, everybody stunts on Instagram, everybody's stunts all the time. Nobody shows like their buddy's funeral. In the early 2010s, the ramifications of the internet weighed heavy on the mind of Donald Glover. The internet is how Donald Glover got his start.

He was one of the very first stars on YouTube, and it launched his now multifaceted career, which includes writing, acting, stand-up comedy, and music under the name Childish Gambino. Glover was one of the biggest voices on Twitter in its infancy. His website functioned more like a personal blog, and he distributed mixtapes exclusively online. In those early days, Glover understood the internet more than most. He was, after all, a product of it. the internet, I'm here. The only reason I got here was because the internet. The internet is everything. It's the world now. But then, in early 2013, Glover mysteriously disappeared from the internet.

He stopped posting on social media altogether and deleted thousands of old posts until his accounts were completely wiped clean. He reduced his role in the hit TV show community, and rumor had it he was planning to leave for good. His disappearance even inspired a Time magazine article entitled, Where is Donald Glover? the multi-talented entertainer, once a powerful online presence, has all but vanished from the internet. So, what happened? Why did the darling child of the internet suddenly turn his back on it? Turns out Glover was at something like an existential crossroads.

Experiencing loss and witnessing death in his personal life, Glover became preoccupied with the unavoidable fact that he was going to die. He would wake up screaming out of fear that he wasn't doing anything meaningful and went through a breakup with a partner he intended to marry. Not seeing the point anymore, Glover attempted suicide in late 2012. Afterwards, Glover looked to people he could trust. He gathered friends and family and retreated to an enormous Los Angeles mansion they dubbed The Temple.

It was a free space for honest expression and creation, where Glover processed his experience and explored what it all meant by creating an expansive world of art. After announcing a forthcoming album, Glover finally returned. to the internet, not with a funny meme or clever tweet. Rather, he did something radical. He was honest. I got really lost last year. I'm afraid of the future. I'm afraid I'm here for nothing. I'm scared I'll never reach my potential. I'm afraid I hate who I really am. I hate caring what other people think. I'm afraid I'll regret this. Glover posted a series of handwritten notes on Instagram that confessed

his deepest fears and insecurities. The notes immediately went viral and many became concerned about Glover's mental health. But the notes weren't so much a cry for help as they were a subversion of the pressure to project perfection on social media. He was seeking authentic connection by expressing the shared feelings we all have but are scared to admit. He was hacking the internet by being honest. I think a lot of people want answers and people want to tie things up, which is why people were like, he's not having a crisis or like he's depressing. Like people want to label things and he's like, maybe I'm just alive. And that's how I feel. feel. So, and we all feel this way, so why are we bullshitting? I just want to be honest.

I think people are afraid to be honest. Glover concluded his notes speaking directly about his new album, an album that would capture many of the thoughts and feelings expressed in the notes. Quote, I wanted to make something that says, no matter how bad you fuck up, or mistakes you made during the year, your life, your eternity, you're always allowed to be better. You're always allowed to grow up if you want. It was this message an album that would connect with an entire generation raised on the internet. It was an album about feeling disconnected despite our infinite options to connect.

It was an album about fear, about feeling stuck, about whether any of this means anything at all. It was Childish Gambino's 2013 album, Because the Internet. Because the Internet is a sincere attempt to find meaningful connection in the age of the Internet. Through a narrative centered around a protagonist named the boy, the album is a holistic examination of the web, and grapples with the underlying existential loneliness inherit to human existence. Songs like World Star interrogate the reciprocal relationship between violence and viral moments, and how we often become commodified in our pursuit of internet fame. More hits than I fight comp where they fight cops, sit and stop when I heard shots, watch

you do drop from a clock out of... Meanwhile, songs like Telegraph Avenue find Gambino's searching for love and genuine connection amidst his existential crisis. But to call because the internet just an album, a simple collection of songs, would severely undermine the project's ambitious scope. Because the internet is an expansive, interconnected transmedia world, constructed of songs, film, performance art, music videos, web content, public gatherings, installation art, social media, apps, and live performance. There's even a corresponding screenplay that's meant to be read as you

listen to the album, and the interaction between the two tells a five-act narrative that's at the center of the world. I don't believe in albums. I really don't, and I know that sounds like really lame, but I don't want to do albums, especially now if you're going to put out a body of work, it should be like an experience. I want to make like worlds and stories that people can live in for years if they want to. Through our 13 episode examination this season, we're going to live inside the world of Because the Internet. We'll observe Gambino as he tries to construct a meaningful life

in the complex web of the digital age. By the end of our analysis, we'll come to understand that because the Internet isn't actually about the Internet after all. Because the Internet is just an extension of what we've always been, since those early primitive grunts and cave paintings, a web of connections, interdependence, interdependent individuals whose actions affect the whole. And if that's the case, if we're all stuck here together, we'll need to act with those connections between us as our purpose. We'll need

to help each other if we ever want to move forward, if we ever want to grow up. And so with that, without further ado, let's dissect. Donald McKinley Glover Jr. was born on September 25th, His mother Beverly ran a daycare from their home in Stone Mountain, Georgia, and his father, Donald Sr. was in the Air Force and later a postal worker. Donald was raised in accordance with his parents' faith as Jehovah's Witnesses, which came with certain guidelines and rules. For instance, they didn't celebrate birthdays or holidays, and they weren't allowed to watch most TV. His family wasn't overzealous about this, though, as Donald's father took him out of school to see Star Wars and theaters, who would play an eclectic range of music throughout

the house. Weird. My dad is like, I guess, like the original black nerd. Like he's just like, when we were kids, like, all he would do was blast prints and craft work and Funkadel. Oh my God. So like I would love that. Donald would often have to rely on his imagination for entertainment.

Sometimes he would sneak an audio recording of a Simpsons episode or record his own imagined audio movies and TV shows on his talk boy recorder. In high school, Glover became heavily involved in theater and in 2002 continued his artistic pursuits at NYU's Tisch School of Arts. It was during this time that he would adopt the childish Gambino moniker for his musical output. The name was created using a Wu-Tang name generator, a website that generates a random Wu-Tang-inspired MC moniker based on a user's birth name. During this time, Glover would also use the name MC DJ for a slew of remixes and beat tapes he created, with entire projects dedicated to remixing Sufion Stevens and Fiona Apple.

During his time at NYU, Glover was a part of Derek Comedy, one of the first sketch comedy groups to create a presence on a brand new website called YouTube. This bag is filled with black dildos. Yeah, those are for 10. Those were two. You want to play GameCube? We can play game.

I got some Natty Ice. We can just, you know, I'm row it up. I'm not a bro. I didn't think you were. Did you pour Axe Body Spray on this dildo? Like a can and a half. Glover's work with both Derek Comedy and Improv performances at New York Comedy Clubs got him noticed by Tina Fey. In 2006, while still an advisor at the dorms in NYU,

Faye hired Glover to write for NBC's new sitcom, 30 Rock. I'm like Mozart. You're like that guy that was always jealous of Mozart. Salli Airy? No thank you. Already eight. Glover would go on to win an Emmy as part of 30 Rock's team. It was at this time that Glover pursued formal stand-up comedy, a pursuit that peaked with a half-hour special on Comedy Central, as well as a full hour special, weirdo. And half the world was like Donald for Spider-Man, we're only going to watch the next Spider-Man and Donald Glover's playing Peter Parker.

And the other half was like, he's black killers! After working on 30 Rock for three years, Glover quit and quickly picked up a role on the NBC sitcom community as Troy Barnes in 2009. And I don't know. I was born 89. Then you were born 21 years ago. Which would make me 20 because everyone is 10 for two years? Because fifth grade is really hard for everyone. How many lies have I been living?

Amidst all his success in the TV industry, Glover continued to create music, releasing a string of four mixtapes between 2008 and 2010. These early mixtapes are full of double entendres and clever humor, oftentimes sampling indie bands, and Gambino's rap stylings reflected the heavy influence of artists like Little Wayne, Eminem, and Kanye West. In the summer of Tchman, C-I-L-D is the ish-man. 2010, Gambino released the mixtape Coltac. In an early 2011, he followed up with a five-track EP that contained his first notable single, Freaks and Geeks.

Gambino continued a constant touring career while juggling his acting on community. He released his first proper studio album, Camp, on November 15. 2017-2011. Conceptually, the album explores the notion of a black boy at summer camp, trying to find himself amongst new peers. The lyrics include references to Glover's childhood and his struggle with the angst of not fitting in. These same emotions also applied to Glover's place in the hip-hop community at the time, as he wasn't widely seen as a legitimate rapper. Gambino synthesized the feeling of being excluded from both black and white communities on the song, Hold You Down.

Culture shock and barbershops because I ain't hood enough. We all look the same to the cops. Ain't that good enough? The black experience is black and serious. Because being black, my experience is no one hearing us. White kids get to where. After the release of camp, Glover continued his busy work schedule throughout 2012. He set off on a tour, broke his foot performing,

used his few weeks of rest to work on a mixtape, went back on tour, and recorded episodes of community. His mixtape, Royalty, was released on July 4th, 2012. and included collaborations with artists like schoolboy Q, Haim, Bumbie, and Beck. Towards the end of 2012, Gambino took some rare time off. It was during this time that he mysteriously disappeared from the internet, vanishing from the public until the summer of 2013. Although he now declines to comment on this period,

it was clearly a dark time for Glover. who would later tell noisy media, quote, After I came off tour, we went to Australia and I was just super depressed. I mean, I tried to kill myself. I was really fucked up after that, because I had this girl that I thought I was going to marry and we broke up. I didn't feel like I knew what I was doing. I wasn't living up to my standard.

I was living up to other people's standards. And I just said, I don't see the point, unquote. Glover's existential crisis was prompted by a general disconnect, loss of self and a lack of purpose. It was also during this time that Glover left community, leading unknowing media outlets to question if he was leaving to pursue rap full-time. I didn't want to do community anymore. I asked to leave because my heart really wasn't in it.

I just don't want to have a job anymore. I don't want to have a boss. I don't want to do that anymore. I feel like if I stayed there, I'd be doing my life a disservice. Not because that show is bad. The community is like, I think one of the, best shows on television. But it's not mine.

While Gambino has declined to comment much more on the specifics of his struggles during this time, he was motivated to make a change. I mean, I had a lot of fun in touring and stuff like that, but I just feel like last year it was just like a little crazy. So I was, me and my friends rented a house. It was Chris Bosch's mansion, and we stayed there and we all lived there,

and then we just ate s'mores and, like, made songs and stuff like that. Actually, yeah. Glover rented out a mansion owned by NBA player Chris Bosch and the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was here that Gambino invited a team of friends and collaborators to live and work with him. This creative team would adopt the moniker royalty,

which at the time included Fam Udaroji, Jamal Swank O'Lauri, Chad Taylor, Ibra Ake, and his brother, Steven Glover. Producers Ludwig Goranson and Stefan Ponce would also live in the mansion, while artists like Chance the rapper, Flying Lotus, and Trinidad James would stop by. It was kind of, I called it the temple, the house. because there was a big Buddha statue, like, in the front, like, foyer when you come in. And I got this, like, engraved wooden plaque, a big plaque, and it had five rules on it.

And it was like, you know, no Instagramming, no Twitter here. Work starts at 10 a.m. Don't invite anybody unless, like, we've approved. And we just, I just wanted to set up a space where people, like, really had to deal with themselves. The work created in the temple by Donald Glover and the royalty team would become because the Internet. Not simply an album, this project would express Glover's newfound belief that in the modern age, you need to build a world. People trying to make you be like, no, live with this.

Like, no, you've got to build a bigger world. I'm not going to make an album. I'm going to make an album. I'm going to make the rollout dope. I'm going to make the movie with it dope. I'm going to make everything dope. I'm going to make a world. Because the thing is, like, album, it doesn't mean anything.

Music doesn't mean, it means as much as you put into it and we don't have time to put anything into it. The form of Because the Internet is perhaps best described as a true. Transmedia world, an artistic vision expressed across multiple forms of media that create a world in which audience can spend time and explore. Glover's Transmedia world of Because the Internet integrates music, film, scripts, performance art, music videos, web content, public gatherings, installation art, social media, apps, and live performance. Experiencing every single part of this transmedia world isn't necessarily essential, as audiences are free to enjoy and explore only

the parts they desire. But for those willing to give more of their time, energy, and thought to the world, the experience grows, as do its rewards. I don't want to make albums anymore anyway, because I feel like it's just kind of silly to make albums. Like, it's just albums, just albums. You got to make worlds and lives. Like, we have the technology to make things way realer. And, like, that's why I wrote a screenplay. That's why the live show doesn't make sense without that. That's why there's so many things I want to make around it because I feel like, trying to get people to just like invest in the album. It's kind of like trying to make people pay for just the smell of your bakery.

Like I don't believe it anymore. Like people are like, oh, keep on to this music and like try and sell it. I'm just like, no, it's out there now. Like, that's just how music is consumed now. So I try and connect with my fans or just like people through other stuff too. We'll begin exploring this world that Glover created right after the break. Welcome back to Dissect. Before the break, we heard Glover explain his belief that

Musicians today must create worlds to explore, not just albums. The remainder of today's episode will be dedicated to outlining the most prominent components of Glover's world and Because the Internet, or BTI. And though we'll spend the majority of our time this season on the music and accompanying screenplay, we've dedicated a section on our website, dissectpodcast.com, to extended exploration of BTI's ancillary material. We suggest you head there before or after an episode for additional content and analysis. Okay, so let's start with the music. As an album, because the internet consists of 19 tracks,

separated into five acts. Songs within each act are assigned a scene number in line with Glover's training and dramatic writing. These songs are intended to interact and score and accompanying screenplay, which is also titled Because the Internet. This script details the life of a protagonist simply identified as the boy, a lonely, rich, young black male, who spends most of his time trolling strangers on the internet. The screenplay could be found online at the now-defunct website because the enter.net, as well as in a physical booklet that came with the BTI vinyl. The online script came with instructions and embedded video clips, which can now be viewed on our website. The script's instructions tell us when to play each song on the album so that it interacts

and scores specific scenes in the script. The embedded video clips in the script do not contain audio, as the intention was for the songs to play in coordination with the videos. At the very start of the script is the following statement, quote, Note to Reader, the prelude to this screenplay, clapping for the wrong reasons, is available on the website YouTube for free consumption, and may or may not give context to this work you're reading, unquote. This prelude, clapping for the wrong reasons, is a surreal short film directed by Hero Marai,

which seemingly captures the feeling of life and work in the temple. There are actually two versions of the film. The first was the internet version, lasting just 50 seconds. In this, a rapid sequence of images is underscored by the constant sounds of a ringing telephone, Glover dribbling a basketball up a spiral staircase, and key bits of dialogue that allude to the kinds of existential questions the album raises. This version of clapping for the wrong reasons was released on July 30, 2013, without any prior announcement.

Two weeks later, Gambino released the direct-referred. Bino released The Directors Cut as a continuously playing loop online. It was later moved to YouTube, where it now exists in a 24-minute form. The film captures a mysterious, surreal vibe, created by combining real and fictional elements. For instance, there's footage of Glover and producer Ludwig Gorinson recording tracks for the album, but then we'll see Glover painfully pulling a golden molar out of his nose by a string. Chance the rapper shows up and loses a push-up contest with Glover. An adult actress of Bella Anderson roams around,

but Glover doesn't know her and neither does anyone else in the house. Clapping for the wrong reasons captures the surreal qualities of Glover's world, an amalgamation of reality and fiction that are purposefully indistinguishable from one another. Audiences are left wondering who they saw, what happened, and what was real or not. And we were like, you know, let's make a, let's like make a film. You can watch it and decide on your own, like, what? stuff is real and what stuff is not. As far as like real to me, the character or like things I'm afraid of or things I'm chasing.

By fusing together reality and artistic construct throughout the transmedia world of BTI, Glover created a surreal experience for audiences to investigate, one that encourages exploration, questioning, and ultimately subjective analysis of what it all means to you. To add to this surreal quality, Glover casts celebrities and figures from his real life in clapping, the album's music videos, and the film clips embedded in the screenplay. While it's assumed the story's protagonist The Boy is played by Glover himself, rapper Rick Ross is cast as the boy's father. Chance the rapper appears both as himself and the boy's friend, Marcus.

Singer Jenae Ayako plays Naomi, the boy's final love interest. These celebrity figures are injections of reality into Glover's constructed fictional world. Likewise, Glover and his team created and used social media profiles for the fictional character in the script, another surreal technique that blends reality and fiction. Beyond these social profiles, Gambino and his team created a plethora of online content, including full websites, meme generators, blogs, humorous web clips, photos of video game trailer, chat rooms, and password-protected music videos and files, motivated by Glover's encouragement that they should learn to code, fans hacked into the website, revealing hidden music. Gambino also orchestrated a string of performances to create experience,

experiential dimensions of the because the internet world, bringing audiences into combined physical and digital spaces. Included in these performances was a set of shows that took place in mansions set up to look like the boy's house. Glover also collaborated with designer Brian Rotinger to create a physical exhibit of the boy's room. There's a bunch of little things like you'll be able to visit the character's bedroom will be in New York. Like you'll be able to visit it in a rough trade in New York. You can actually go and visit it. You can actually go inside. Like there's a bedroom set up in the store,

and you can go in and see it. Glover extended this performance art to live shows on his tour, which included dynamic, interactive graphic backdrops and the integrated use of an app. Audiences downloaded the Deep Web Tour app, using it to interact with the stage during the show. Fans could engage in a crowdsource chat, contribute to a whiteboard displayed on stage,

or vote in a poll about how certain songs made them feel in real time. The implementation of technology through the show blurred lines between being online and in real life, exploring the way people interact in these spaces and the importance of connecting. In all public appearances during the album's rollout, Donald Glover wore the same outfit as the boy in the screenplay, and he stated that, quote, my clothes right now are me, bonding his outfit with a fabrication of identity. Think of it like a cartoon character wearing the same thing every episode. It establishes consistent characterization. Glover's commitment to his costume led to speculation that his public existence at the time

was really an extended piece of performance art, which Glover all but confirmed by retweeting an article discussing the theory. In doing so, Glover pushed the boundaries of what was perceived as reality and art, blurring their distinctions. During the rollout, Gambino also stopped doing traditional media interviews and began hosting public appearances to connect with fans in parks across North America. He explained, quote, I want these listening parties to happen in the real world, to have people there so they can feel, rather than getting it curated through a Tumblr, unquote. Glover officially announced because the internet's forthcoming release with a song entitled Yafiat Koto, which debuted October 8, 2013. The song was accompanied by a provocative video that found Glover's body floating lifeless in a pool. A few weeks after Yafiak Coto's release, Gambino appeared on the radio show Sway in the morning.

His freestyle over a Drake beat went viral as he slipped in and out of conversation mid-verse, blurring the lines between rap and discussion. It's all because the internet, chance made millions, time made millions, Dan made millions, Kendrick made millions. I would too if I wasn't in my feelings. You know, because like, the people say money's not everything. But money, you need money to do what you want to do. Like money is power. Honesty is power, truth is power. You know what I'm saying? That's what I'm saying.

But at the same time, if you tell you, like, you know, there ain't nothing more important than the mullah. We ain't really eating. Boy, you got to get your food up. We're so steady eating, baby. You already know that. The way I'm dropping new shit, I'm sitting on the toilet. Every night I told that moment.

Perhaps the most intriguing subject addressed in this freestyle was the handwritten notes that he had posted on Instagram a week prior. As we noted at the top of the episode, these notes also went viral. Written on Marriott Hotel notepaper, the notes were a vulnerable expression of fear and emotion, with Glover speaking on intimately personal details. Some of his confessions included, quote, I'm afraid I'm here for nothing, I'm afraid I'll regret this, I'm afraid this doesn't matter at all,

I'm afraid Dan Harmon hates me, and I've been sick this year, I've seen a bunch of people die this year. The personal nature of Glover's handwriting, the lonely displaced quality of these notes being written on hotel stationary, and the focus on fears and doubts that most people don't expose on social media, made this outpouring one that connected with people and garnered attention. We are more connected than we've ever been, but I feel more alone than I've ever been. Like, no one's, everybody's stunts on Instagram, everybody's stunts all the time. Nobody shows like their buddy's funeral.

Nobody wants to be vulnerable. Nobody wants to be vulnerable. People thought I was crazy because I was honest. That was it. Here, Glover emphasizes that what was so different about the notes was that he was being honest. The idea that honesty is what stands out online is yet another instance of Glover exploring the boundaries of reality and construct, especially as they're warped by the internet and

our constructed social media identities. Glover concluded the notes by writing, quote, I got really lost last year, but I can't be lonely though, because we're all here. We're all stuck here. I wanted to make something that says, no matter how bad you fuck up or mistakes you've made during the year, your life, your eternity, you're always allowed to be better, you're always allowed to grow up if you want. This conclusion asserts two key ideas that are prominent within the world of BTI. First, we're all stuck here, a statement of our

shared struggles as human beings and our inherent connection facing contemporary dilemmas, both social and existential. Second, that change and growth are always possible, no matter what's happened in the past. This idea resonates in the age of the internet, when people are afraid of missteps being preserved online and endangering their future. Glover touched on this with Arsenio Hall after being asked why he cares what people think. It's always important to care what other people think or how people, because that's what connects us. I mean, like, I want to do the best thing I can, but sometimes, like, it stops like, you know, I'm insecure. I feel weird about a bunch of stuff, like I'm awkward about stuff. But I just, you know, I wish I didn't feel that way so much that it stopped

me from doing what I really love doing because everybody's afraid, you know, everybody's so afraid now of like offending and being misunderstood and that's going to happen. As Glover comments here, the internet age has people afraid of mistakes. With social media, the means of expressing yourself are greater than ever before, but this leaves people between a rock and a hard place. Any possible mistakes are preserved on the internet forever, and the list of people who have lost their careers at the hands of web justice is long. On the other hand, the web also pushes a desire for constructing an image of the perfect self. Whether this is out of denial or attempts to boost their standing in the eyes of others, it means people don't want

to post anything that isn't perfect, which is of course impossible and unrealistic. What Glover warns against here is not the means of accountability that's rising with the internet. Instead, he critiques the idea of someone being frozen in time, viewed by others or even the themselves only as their mistakes or shortcomings. He feels this phenomenon keeps people from trying, being vulnerable, and putting themselves out there. If people aren't allowed to be imperfect, then they won't be allowed to be at all. As a large part of internet culture and having come to fame through the web, Glover is in a unique position to recognize the way the internet can warp the way we see people, the way we see ourselves. I think that's the thing I get most salty about is like

people think they know everything about me. They have no idea, like, how I grew up or the experiences I've had. Like, I remember my boy fam came to, like, my house in Atlanta, and he was like, I can't believe you grew up like this. And, like, people, I think people, like, think I was just, like, some sort of rich kid or something. And I can get that, I understand, like, probably from the music or just, like, the persona. Or just, like, what I've gone through.

But, like, people think they know me, especially since they kind of have grown up with me. I've been on the internet since I was 18. While Glover identifies these different perspectives as misunderstandings, saying that people don't know him, he quickly concedes that they kind of do. As an artist, as a public figure, his identity becomes something that audiences can project upon. Their understandings of Glover and his work

are built upon an array of influences and situational factors that ultimately reveal the subjectivity of interpretation and truth. The idea that truth is subjective is something Glover will explore through his world. To Glover, honesty is a means of reaching freedom. While honesty and expression of self may lead to mistakes and failures, if we can recognize those and accept them, we can move forward. But at life, we're not in general, like, allowed to, like, fail. I just want to be, like, free. I just want to be as honest and free. Because, like, I real right now, it's like, that's our struggle. The power of honesty in making effective connections and achieving progress is at the

very heart of Because the Internet. As the world uses the Internet to construct a exploitative versions of our identities, pushes sensationalizing entertainment, and allows for misinformation to spread like wildfire, Glover will assert that honest expression is a counter-defense against these forces and paves the way for true, direct connection. His hotel notes are a prime example of this, of using honesty to break through the facade of the digital screen and connect with his audience human-to-human, vulnerable, imperfect, lonely, and lost in the world together. See you all that I could do But you don't even feel me though

I know you know I know you got that power That power Our examination of because the internet begins with page one of the project's screenplay It reads, You can't live your life on a bus This is actually a direct reference

To Gambino's previous album, Camp. Thus, it appears that we must go back And revisit this album To fully understand how its narrative continues into the start of BTI. Specifically, we can turn to Camp's final track, That Power. This is on a bus back from camp. I'm 13 and so are you.

Before I left for camp, I imagined it would be me and three or four other dudes. I hadn't met yet running around all summer getting into trouble. It turned out it'd be me and just one girl. That's you. Gambino closes the album with a piece of spoken word poetry. Here he assumes the perspective of a young boy at the end of summer camp,

trying to express his unspoken love for a girl he befriended there. When they're on the bus headed home, the narrator finally works up the courage to tell the girl how he feels. And there's no expression on it. And I think just after a point, I'm just talking to lengthen the time where we live in a world where you haven't said yes or no yet. And regrettably, I end up using the word destiny. I don't remember in what context.

It doesn't really matter. before long I'm out of stuff to say and you smile and say okay after the girl says okay in a non-committal but positive tone the boy takes a nap when he wakes up the girl is gone while he slept she told all the other people

on the bus what he'd said and they used this knowledge to humiliate him his honest attempt at expressing himself only left him hurt Gambino then explains what the boy learned from this experience This isn't a story about how girls are evil or how love is bad. This is a story about how I learned something.

I'm not saying this thing is true or not. I'm just saying it's what I learned. I told you something. It was just for you. And you told everybody. So I learned cut out the middleman. Make it all for everybody always. Everybody can't turn around and tell everybody.

Everybody already knows. I told them. If this means there isn't a place in my life for you or someone like you, is it sad? Sure. But it's a sadness I chose. I wish I could say this is a story about how I got on the bus a boy and got off a man more cynical, hardened, and matured and shit. But that's not true. The truth is I got on the bus a boy, and I never got off the bus.

I still haven't. Surprisingly, the boy isn't discouraged or regretful after being humiliated and betrayed. Instead, it only inspires him to be more committed to honesty, expression, and connection. The narrator tried to keep his truth confined and control the outcome of his honesty. since he wanted to share his truth with only this girl. But he understands that this was a mistake, one that he learns from. The lesson he's learning is to, quote, make it all for everyone always.

This conveys the importance of expressing truth universally to everyone. It's the idea that being honest and open is a means for connecting with others, understanding that the reactions cannot be controlled. We're reminded here of Glover's hotel notes, which seemed to be a real-life expression of this idea. In terms of the album Camp and its connection to BTI, we have to consider what the bus itself represents. After an album full of Gambino trying to express himself while feeling isolated, the one connection he thought he was able to make is spoiled.

Summer Camp is also traditionally a place of youthful independence and learning. If school is when kids try to learn academic material, summer camp is often seen as a place of learning life skills. The bus coming home is then a returning journey. our protagonist should be able to come home having learned, grown, and made connections. But Gambino reveals that he's failed. He's still on that bus, scared to move forward, scared to try out this new knowledge, scared to be honest.

And this is how we arrive at the existentially fraught opening line of BTI screenplay. You can't live your life on a bus. Donald Glover has to get off the bus to assume control of himself, of his life, to begin expressing his truths and living a life guided by honesty. Why is he scared to do this, scared to get off the bus? Well, because the world is kind of scary. This is Kral, the ominous entrance into the world of Because the Internet. A world will continue to examine note by note, line by line, next time on Dysect.

Today's episode of Dysect was written by Camden Ostrander and me. Remember, you can go deeper into the world of Because the Internet through the supplementary guides on our website, Dysectpodcast.com. There you can find the original BTI screenplay, including all the original embedded film clips. Be sure to check out our limited season 7 merchandise and follow us on social media at Dissect Podcast. Today's episode was edited by Eric Bass and me. The season intro was scored by So Wiley, song recreations by Andrew Atwood, theme music by Bureaucratic. All right, thanks everyone. Talk to you next time.