As we all sitt huddled in our small empty rooms avoiding everybody so we wont get a virus pandemic named after a soft fizzy drink, in what is called in this day of 'buzz words ' and phrases ..SELF ISOLATION...It seems strange to be typing a blurb about ,clowns and jesters and people who make a fool of themselves for a living ,but actually its probably not such an odd subject in these days of ,maybe not black death and plague ,but a light fizzy lurgy.
Clowns ,jesters ,jokers have taken many forms through the years ,using their natural gifts to make themselves look silly for the amusement and entertainment of others. Physical comedy , written and drawn comedy ,like what i attempt to do and spoken comedy . As comedy evolved ,starting from bells and sticks annoying the king in his court right up until these days where theyve evolved into clowns and very unfunny jesters called politicians and they arent funny, but frightening as these clowns and buffoons have our life and our survival balanced on their ridiculous views and opinions, at this moment as a worldwide pandemic is at our facemasks they tell us to stay away from everywhere and everybody and not to worry, if it wasnt so unfunny ,it would be hilarious.
Once people were funny and entertained with funny songs and bright colours and called jesters ,annoying people with bells and generally annoying stuff...Physical humour humour has always been beloved ,flips and pratfalls ,even up to our fairly recent times with comedians with funny songs and physical stuff which saw them through their career in variety halls throughout the land. Then some moved into films years later ,all the silent stars and later characters like Jerry Lewis and our own Norman Wisdom. I saw him getting slung all over the stage of the Liverpool Empire years ago ,an aging fellah landing in a full side ways splits from about 10 feet up. I remember biting my lip and wiping tears of laughter from my eyes ,i was amazed. I had trained in Karate for years ,stretching and straining to do the splits ...unsuccessfully!....All i got was clicking hips and knees.
Looking incredibly daft5 and stupid has always been a good way of getting a laugh. Combined with bright ghastly colours and ill fitting shoes and cloths , false red noses?...What the red nose secret is ,i'm not too sure ,outside its connection to way too much to drink, which i do understand !....Also things like big shoes ,huge braces and baggy loud check suits ,which probably scare as many people as crease them up laughing
In our enlightened times ,sadly silly humour where once that word was a compliment is now sneered upon by our liberally sensitive pains in the arse that be, anything that passes the 'not offensive to any sex ,race ,colour ,gender ,breed of dog etc, etc, ism, ist, etc, etc #themtoo,etc,etc is ok and the rule of thumb is the 'Beeb'or Channel 4 will show the days clowns ,jesters , i think i prefer the guy with the bells and the stick.
Lest we forget the shining light of clowns and jesters ,the cartoonist!...Life was portrayed and much laughter ensued from a simple gag, strip or editorial cartoon....The power ,in megaton-gags was amazing ,humour in whatever form has it ,but the cartoons have gone and humour has been shackled ,but hope is out there....I was never a fan ,but i saw RICKY GERVAIS wipe the floor with Hollywood ,big corporations and preaching gobshite actors and actoresses.....One man with well observed well written material shut up millions of woke peddaling smug tweets and rants ofn social media (gawd bless it!)...As this is what has destroyed humour and entertainment and removed our clowns ,jesters and chance to enjoy and laugh.
