1 00:00:01,240 --> 00:00:04,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to you Stuff you should know from House Stuff 2 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:13,320 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Joe. Joe. 3 00:00:13,440 --> 00:00:16,120 Speaker 1: There's Chuckles, this is Stuff you should know the podcast. 4 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 1: And there's Jerry. She has a regular name. Hey. That 5 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 1: was pretty good. Thanks. They could have also this could 6 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 1: also be like how late night talk show hosts work too. Yeah, 7 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:29,040 Speaker 1: Krusty the Clown was on my mind during a lot 8 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:33,200 Speaker 1: of this. I thought that was your step Meyers. Non guy, 9 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:38,519 Speaker 1: did you say that? It was just completely ludicrous joke. 10 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:41,519 Speaker 1: I haven't watched this show yet. I haven't earn I 11 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: like the guy though, good guy. I don't watch anything 12 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:46,960 Speaker 1: but Conan. Yeah, I don't even watch Conan really. Yeah, 13 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 1: I do want Hodgeman's on. I record it, you know, 14 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:51,199 Speaker 1: and then watch it the next day. Yeah. I don't 15 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: stay at whatever times Canna say, geez, I guess you 16 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: don't go to Early Bird for dinner anymore either. You 17 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 1: have to watch Conan. Hey early. Speaking of Conan, big 18 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: shout out to Brian Kylie, Rob Kutner and Dan Cronin 19 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 1: and Seth Meyers. No, they are writers for Conan and 20 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 1: they treated me to a lunch that was very nice 21 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:18,840 Speaker 1: at Warner Brothers. Thanks for inviting me, guys, and uh, Conan. 22 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:20,880 Speaker 1: If you think we get neat fan gifts, you ought 23 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:23,360 Speaker 1: to see the stuff Conan gets. Oh, man, like what 24 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:26,399 Speaker 1: well there was? Well? I met the masterbaiting bear guy 25 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 1: who I won't reveal his name, but he's the guy 26 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 1: that's done it all these years. And someone sent him 27 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:37,960 Speaker 1: like a four ft tall tree trunk hand carved bear 28 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 1: them bear. Really. Yeah, it was beautiful. I got pictures 29 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 1: all this. And then Conan has a life size Lego 30 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:48,280 Speaker 1: Conan that someone sent him that's pretty, and a life 31 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 1: size a hundred thousand dollars worth of Legos probably is, 32 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:53,640 Speaker 1: and then a life size ConA made of pencils that 33 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:57,040 Speaker 1: was really neat looking. Yeah. Wow, So they just had 34 00:01:57,040 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: the stuff. I was like, man, I mean, I like 35 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: our little photoshop stuff, but you know, Cooper needs to 36 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 1: step it up. Nice life sized lego Josh and check. 37 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 1: It would be kind of cool. Anyway, I just want 38 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:10,799 Speaker 1: to say thanks to those guys. Are awesome. Yes, and 39 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: they're supporters of us, Thanks guys, yeah, supporters of you 40 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 1: at least, and they're clowns. That was a great segaway, dude, 41 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 1: great is that why you thank them in this episode, sure, 42 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 1: because they're clowns. That that was good. You've scared of clowns. 43 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:34,079 Speaker 1: I'm not scared of clowns, not at all. I mean 44 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,320 Speaker 1: the scary clowns that are supposed to be scary and 45 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:40,919 Speaker 1: horror movies are creepy, of course, But like, I don't 46 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:43,720 Speaker 1: have any kind of a phobia. What's it called the 47 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:49,160 Speaker 1: official phobia colura phobia? Right? Which also includes um It's unofficial, 48 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: by the way. UM. It also includes things like costumed 49 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:57,079 Speaker 1: characters like Mickey Mouse and UM, stuff like that. It's 50 00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 1: not just clowns, right, right, So it's the d s M, 51 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:04,680 Speaker 1: which is the infallible Bible of psychology and psychiatry. UM 52 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:08,680 Speaker 1: has an entry for fear of clowns, lumped together with 53 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 1: other childhood fear of costume characters. That one I can 54 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: I can identify what I think I ran away from, 55 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:17,120 Speaker 1: like snow White or something at Disney World when I 56 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:19,959 Speaker 1: was a kid, And there's just always been something about 57 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,519 Speaker 1: somebody being dressed up in costume that I've found unnerving. 58 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:25,400 Speaker 1: I'm gonna scare a lot of kids. I'm not overtly 59 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 1: afraid of clown sure, but just costume people, and I 60 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:32,920 Speaker 1: get that, like I get like, you know, what are 61 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 1: you hiding kind of thing, which I think is informs 62 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:37,960 Speaker 1: the basis of cool or a phobia. Yeah, and a 63 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 1: lot of the show, it turns out it is going 64 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 1: to be about that, because it's one of the most 65 00:03:41,400 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: interesting parts of clowning. But um, one guy later on 66 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 1: in this article put it, it makes sense. It's like 67 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 1: some clowns are just not great at it, and you know, well, 68 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: like yeah, like lungeon a kid or something. And he says, 69 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,400 Speaker 1: they seem like they're on the attack. And he said 70 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: a big part of teaching clowning is to teach personal 71 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:04,960 Speaker 1: space and like how to not come at a kid 72 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 1: because they think you look weird. Well change and if 73 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 1: you come at him like too fast, then it's it 74 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 1: might scare them. And especially these days, to like, clowns 75 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:18,160 Speaker 1: today are still following a tradition from the early to 76 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 1: mid twentieth century. Kids today aren't really hip with the 77 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,479 Speaker 1: mid twentieth century. They're not into like mid century modern 78 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:29,279 Speaker 1: like art or design or anything like that, and so 79 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 1: clowns are about as creepy to them as like an 80 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 1: old wooden toy. It's just awful little. It's an uncanny 81 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,200 Speaker 1: expet it And as a result, there's this two thousand 82 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:42,159 Speaker 1: and eight UM study to the UK that the BBC 83 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:45,600 Speaker 1: reported on that found that most of the children in 84 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 1: this study, I think there was like two fifty population 85 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:54,400 Speaker 1: sample um feared and or disliked clowns. Most of the 86 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:57,600 Speaker 1: kids in the study. That's a lot of sad clowns, yeah, 87 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:00,679 Speaker 1: and a lot of scared kids. So think the point 88 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:03,000 Speaker 1: is to just keep clowns and kids away from one another. 89 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:07,680 Speaker 1: All right, are you ready to go back in time? Yes, 90 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:18,560 Speaker 1: happen the old way back machine. It's London and it's 91 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:22,280 Speaker 1: eighteen o three, and there's a man named Joseph Grimaldi 92 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:26,799 Speaker 1: and he, for all intents and purposes, has just invented 93 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:31,440 Speaker 1: the modern what we now think no as the clown. Yeah, 94 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:35,160 Speaker 1: very purposefully too, got the white makeup. They still call 95 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:38,160 Speaker 1: clowns Joey's because that was his character name. That's a 96 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,440 Speaker 1: nickname for clowns. Oh. He was he huge, like not 97 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:44,760 Speaker 1: only did he invent clowns, and like today still they 98 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:49,279 Speaker 1: they you know, tip their clown hat at Grimaldi for 99 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:54,120 Speaker 1: inventing the clown. He um in his day, he was huge. 100 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:57,000 Speaker 1: There was a legend that supposedly an eighth of the 101 00:05:57,080 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 1: population of London had seen him on stage. A lot 102 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:05,000 Speaker 1: of people and still today on London's East End there 103 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:08,480 Speaker 1: um is a church that has an annual mass in 104 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 1: his honor and everyone comes in full clown makeup and 105 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:17,479 Speaker 1: costume the church for Grimaldi, he was a big deal. 106 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 1: He was very, very famous for the time. He was 107 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 1: a very well known person. And he had a contemporary 108 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:27,320 Speaker 1: too at about the same time in France named de Brow, 109 00:06:28,320 --> 00:06:31,920 Speaker 1: and both of them oddly were um. They had really 110 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:36,720 Speaker 1: kind of sad backstories. Yeah, which we'll get to that 111 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:39,160 Speaker 1: that's sort of lends itself, no mean to get ahead 112 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:42,080 Speaker 1: of ourselves. That lends itself to the dark underbelly of 113 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:46,839 Speaker 1: clowning and why it might have this reputation. But what 114 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:51,240 Speaker 1: clowning really sprung from was uh, from the beginning of 115 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:57,919 Speaker 1: time almost there were gestures essentially um and all types 116 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:01,120 Speaker 1: of all over the world than all cultures. Yeah, it 117 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:04,680 Speaker 1: seems to be universal. Um. There were at least as 118 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 1: far back as the like bc um in Egypt, in 119 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:16,080 Speaker 1: China there are already jesters, uh, pranksters, clowns, tricksters, something 120 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:19,760 Speaker 1: of that ilk mischief makers. Yeah, and and in totally 121 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 1: disparate societies that never met one another, like um in 122 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:27,960 Speaker 1: Native America. Different Native American societies had some version of 123 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:31,240 Speaker 1: the clown or the jester. Yeah. During a natural Navajo 124 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:35,120 Speaker 1: ritual chance, they would clowns would come into disrupt performances, 125 00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:39,320 Speaker 1: bump into the dancers, Pueblo clowns. They would have a 126 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:41,880 Speaker 1: sacred offering and they would come bouncing in and and 127 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:44,480 Speaker 1: kind of mock what was going on and maybe like 128 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:48,120 Speaker 1: do alude sex act in the middle of this very 129 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:52,800 Speaker 1: serious ceremony to the gods. Yeah, or the spirits. That's 130 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:55,520 Speaker 1: a that's a big deal. That's a an an unusual 131 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 1: role for someone to play. Sometimes they were considered shamans, 132 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: like they were imbued with some sort of power as well. Yeah, 133 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:05,080 Speaker 1: they were. They were held in high esteem. The same 134 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:09,680 Speaker 1: thing went on in Japan with the taikomochi. Yeah, right, 135 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:12,560 Speaker 1: it means drum bearer. Drum bearer. They were in the 136 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:16,320 Speaker 1: red light districts and apparently, uh in the late sixteen hundreds. 137 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:20,040 Speaker 1: Their deal was when the when the party starts to wane, 138 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:22,679 Speaker 1: they were to bounce in and like get the party 139 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 1: started again. Hey. Yeah, And they were actually the original Geisha. 140 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:29,760 Speaker 1: They were men and they were later replaced by women. 141 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:32,960 Speaker 1: But the Taychomochi were the original versions of the Geisha, 142 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:36,080 Speaker 1: and the Taychomochi in the Red Light District actually ended 143 00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:39,720 Speaker 1: up there because this period of peace settled over Japan 144 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:43,439 Speaker 1: because prior to that they were court jesters and also 145 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:46,679 Speaker 1: like military advisors. So once they weren't needed for that, 146 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:49,440 Speaker 1: they ended up in the Red Light District, like, let's 147 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:54,319 Speaker 1: get this party. Party. So in India, the the official 148 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:56,599 Speaker 1: jesters there were a member of the Brahmin, which was 149 00:08:56,640 --> 00:09:00,320 Speaker 1: the highest social class. Right, Yeah, that's where it's the 150 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:02,760 Speaker 1: class that I who's a member of? Oh? Really did 151 00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:04,760 Speaker 1: he say that? But that's what his mom said. When 152 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:08,559 Speaker 1: he thinks she thinks that who's married to Marge? She goes, 153 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:12,400 Speaker 1: surely your children are aware of your bram inheritance embarkoes 154 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:17,680 Speaker 1: so long as there's no follow up questions. Absolutely, fully, man, 155 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 1: that's a good one. Your knowledge is way deeper than mine. 156 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:24,000 Speaker 1: For the Simpsons too much. I think I stopped watching 157 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:28,720 Speaker 1: before you did too, But you still watch, right? Yeah? 158 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 1: I fell off again, yeah, on again, off again. Um. 159 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 1: All right, So we're in India and the brah mean 160 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:38,360 Speaker 1: they One of the things you'll notice over and over 161 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:43,040 Speaker 1: here with jesters is what they really are are satirists. 162 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:46,280 Speaker 1: And their job is too and they were the only 163 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:48,320 Speaker 1: ones that could do this really was to poke fun 164 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:51,520 Speaker 1: at the leaders. They would they would never bounce in 165 00:09:51,559 --> 00:09:53,280 Speaker 1: and talk about how great the king is. They would 166 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:55,560 Speaker 1: bounce in and talk about how fat the king is 167 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:58,000 Speaker 1: and make jokes about like how many meals have you 168 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:00,880 Speaker 1: had today? Well, yeah, and so there's their Their role 169 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:05,920 Speaker 1: was to say, um, poke holes into the king's stupid ideas. 170 00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:07,600 Speaker 1: Whereas the rest of the court would be like, oh, 171 00:10:07,679 --> 00:10:11,520 Speaker 1: great idea, Um, you should paint the Great Wall of China, 172 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:14,680 Speaker 1: whereas the jester would be like, yeah, that's a great idea. 173 00:10:14,679 --> 00:10:18,719 Speaker 1: Where you going to get all that paint from your dummy? Well, 174 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:20,360 Speaker 1: speaking of China, I think they had some of the 175 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:23,199 Speaker 1: best names, and they have a great tradition of clowning, 176 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:29,160 Speaker 1: and they had legends named twisty Pole. Uh Baldi chun 177 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:32,080 Speaker 1: you that's the name of the podcast. That's a good one. 178 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:34,800 Speaker 1: And this one I don't get moving bucket. I don't 179 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:37,880 Speaker 1: get that one either. It probably makes sense in Chinese. 180 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:41,360 Speaker 1: Another one I came across was newly polished mirror. Really 181 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:43,880 Speaker 1: with the name of a clown. That's no baldly chun, 182 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:48,920 Speaker 1: you though. Interesting. Uh. And then in Poland, um, there 183 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:52,960 Speaker 1: was a legendary jester named Stanzik and I looked up 184 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:56,600 Speaker 1: this guy. He was He was a legend beyond clowning. 185 00:10:57,080 --> 00:11:00,559 Speaker 1: He was like the political satirist of his day. Uh. 186 00:11:00,559 --> 00:11:04,160 Speaker 1: He worked for three different kings and was very intelligent, 187 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:09,280 Speaker 1: political philosopher and satirist. That uh, it's still like revered 188 00:11:09,400 --> 00:11:14,040 Speaker 1: in Poland, as you know, a necessary thing. Yeah. Supposedly 189 00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:17,440 Speaker 1: one of his most famous stories was the king of 190 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:21,280 Speaker 1: Poland that he was working for had a bear imported 191 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:24,679 Speaker 1: from I think Russia or something, maybe Prussia, and um 192 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:28,440 Speaker 1: let it loose so he could hunt it. And the 193 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:30,760 Speaker 1: bear came back the king and the court and the 194 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:34,400 Speaker 1: queen and like almost killed everybody. And um, the king 195 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 1: later criticized stan Chick for running off, and stan Chick said, well, 196 00:11:39,679 --> 00:11:43,440 Speaker 1: I was smarter than letting a cage bear loose something 197 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:46,520 Speaker 1: along those lines, And the King was like, oh touche, 198 00:11:46,559 --> 00:11:51,160 Speaker 1: and everyone laughed, and then the bear eight the king. Uh. 199 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:54,679 Speaker 1: In ancient room chuckers they used to call the court 200 00:11:54,760 --> 00:12:00,679 Speaker 1: jester's stupidest stupidest Huh, yeah, that makes sense. Uh. Grimaldi 201 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:04,360 Speaker 1: himself came out of the rich tradition in Italy, um 202 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:08,840 Speaker 1: called the Comedia del arte tradition. And uh, this is 203 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:12,160 Speaker 1: in the fourteenth century, and it was some people say 204 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:14,440 Speaker 1: these were like the first professional actors in the world 205 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:18,040 Speaker 1: were coming out of Italy at the time in this program. Right. 206 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:20,920 Speaker 1: So at the time, you were basically if you were 207 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:23,520 Speaker 1: a clown or a jester or something, you were probably 208 00:12:23,559 --> 00:12:26,800 Speaker 1: a member of a court. If you're a member of 209 00:12:26,800 --> 00:12:30,640 Speaker 1: a Native American tribe or um in most parts of Africa, 210 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:34,239 Speaker 1: and you were a jester, you belong to the community 211 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:38,560 Speaker 1: rather than the specific leader. UM. But in Europe and 212 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:43,440 Speaker 1: China and Egypt and all over wherever there was royalty, 213 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:46,560 Speaker 1: there was usually a jester of some sort, right, Yeah. 214 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:50,679 Speaker 1: But one of the ways that jester spread, especially saying 215 00:12:50,679 --> 00:12:54,439 Speaker 1: in Europe, was from um a jester being forced to 216 00:12:54,520 --> 00:13:00,360 Speaker 1: hit the road first, stepping over the line, getting kicked doubt. 217 00:13:00,920 --> 00:13:03,520 Speaker 1: And that's one way that it kind of spread. Clowning 218 00:13:03,679 --> 00:13:07,160 Speaker 1: originally spread to the masses was you may run across 219 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:09,600 Speaker 1: the court jesters down on his luck traveling along the 220 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:12,280 Speaker 1: road because he's kicked out a court all this great 221 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:14,880 Speaker 1: material exactly, but he's still a jester. He's gonna make 222 00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:17,959 Speaker 1: you laugh, you know. Yeah, that makes sense, so that 223 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:21,240 Speaker 1: it's interesting. I think the king's tolerated to a certain degree, 224 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:23,400 Speaker 1: but if they're having a bad day, they're just like, 225 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:25,960 Speaker 1: all right, you're out here exactly. Yeah. And there's there's 226 00:13:26,160 --> 00:13:29,640 Speaker 1: um at least some debate over whether how how much 227 00:13:29,679 --> 00:13:32,480 Speaker 1: of the idea that a jester was the only one 228 00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:36,760 Speaker 1: who could speak his mind towards the king. Um. Not 229 00:13:36,840 --> 00:13:39,080 Speaker 1: that the idea was that more people in the court 230 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:42,080 Speaker 1: could speak their mind, but that the jester couldn't even 231 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:45,520 Speaker 1: speak their mind. In some cases, there were some documented 232 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:50,320 Speaker 1: versions like um, the one in Persia Kareem Charay who 233 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:56,680 Speaker 1: um told the king the Shahnaz Sardin apparently said there 234 00:13:56,720 --> 00:14:00,760 Speaker 1: a short of shortage of food, and uh Kareem said, yes, 235 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:03,360 Speaker 1: I see that, your majesty is eating only five times 236 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:06,240 Speaker 1: a day, and then he made this little boatie spin, 237 00:14:06,679 --> 00:14:08,960 Speaker 1: but he got the point across that, Yeah, it's a 238 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:11,840 Speaker 1: shortage of food and you're not helping anything. Your cloister 239 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:14,360 Speaker 1: it up here in your ivory tower, and um, you 240 00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:17,000 Speaker 1: need to open up your eyes, your majesty, I'd like 241 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:19,800 Speaker 1: to see some of Baldi chunyus material. I would love 242 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:22,080 Speaker 1: to see that too. I bet he killed Oh bet 243 00:14:22,080 --> 00:14:25,360 Speaker 1: he did as well, Chuck. So we'll get to what 244 00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:48,240 Speaker 1: clowning is specifically right after this. Alright, clowning, my friend, 245 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:50,720 Speaker 1: is a lot of things, but what it is in 246 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:57,680 Speaker 1: all cases is exaggeration. Um. Movements are exaggerated, your appearances exaggerated. 247 00:14:57,680 --> 00:14:59,920 Speaker 1: That's why they wear big goofy suits and big goofy 248 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:02,880 Speaker 1: use the makeup to makeup. Of course, a lot of 249 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:05,840 Speaker 1: people look at a clown and say you're disguising something. 250 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:08,600 Speaker 1: The point of clown makeup is quite the opposite. It's 251 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:12,720 Speaker 1: meant to exaggerate the emotions that are already there. Yeah, 252 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:16,880 Speaker 1: like the big, huge smile or frown, the big frown. Yeah. Um. 253 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 1: And I read one pro clowns um description of what 254 00:15:21,040 --> 00:15:24,400 Speaker 1: clowning means, and he said, clowns aren't actors. We're not 255 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:28,600 Speaker 1: supposed to pretend. What clowns do is exaggerate the the 256 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:31,480 Speaker 1: emotions that we already have inside. So if you're a 257 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:34,400 Speaker 1: really good clown, you're going to play up. You know 258 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:37,880 Speaker 1: that the anger at being rebuffed when you're trying to 259 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:41,040 Speaker 1: get a laugh from somebody, or you're gonna play up 260 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:44,000 Speaker 1: your stage fright at performing in front of some people. 261 00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:47,120 Speaker 1: Like when you see a clown like acting a certain way, 262 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:50,560 Speaker 1: you're you're supposed to understand that what they're they're actually 263 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 1: feeling that, right, then it's just being it's it's being 264 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:56,720 Speaker 1: broadcast on a clown scale. Yeah, And part of that 265 00:15:56,840 --> 00:15:59,840 Speaker 1: is for comedic effect, and part of it is uh 266 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:04,440 Speaker 1: quite literally because in a circus, uh, you have a 267 00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:06,440 Speaker 1: lot of people and you may may be sitting very 268 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:09,360 Speaker 1: far away from you. So these big movements and the 269 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:14,600 Speaker 1: slapstick um which actually I never knew this slapstick was 270 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:18,840 Speaker 1: an actual physical tool. Never heard of that. Yeah, it was. 271 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:22,240 Speaker 1: It's like looks like a paddle with another paddle hinge 272 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:25,760 Speaker 1: to it. And back in the old days of the 273 00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:29,920 Speaker 1: Comedia dell Art in Italy, they would um strike someone 274 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:32,160 Speaker 1: with this paddle and then of course the other paddle 275 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:34,200 Speaker 1: on the hinge would smack really hard on the on 276 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:36,720 Speaker 1: the wood and so they could hit someone not too hard, 277 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:38,720 Speaker 1: but make it sound huge, sound like they had been 278 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:40,800 Speaker 1: hit really hard. And that's where slapstick comes from. That's 279 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:44,840 Speaker 1: the word slaps and um, we keep mentioning Comedia dell Art. Um, 280 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:47,400 Speaker 1: that's where Grimaldi came out of. And this was the 281 00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:51,120 Speaker 1: original place where the clown really first made it on 282 00:16:51,160 --> 00:16:55,320 Speaker 1: the stage. Because remember when Comedia dell Art was establishing itself, 283 00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:58,720 Speaker 1: for the most part, clowns were relegated to court gester 284 00:16:58,840 --> 00:17:05,160 Speaker 1: ship right, yeah, than mimes later yea, so exactly. Um, 285 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:09,280 Speaker 1: So Comedia dell Art was this, um, this player production, 286 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:12,680 Speaker 1: and in the middle of it, or in different points, um, 287 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:14,880 Speaker 1: there'd be like a break or an intermission or something 288 00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:16,760 Speaker 1: like that, and that would come like the jugglers and 289 00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:20,080 Speaker 1: the baton twirlers. And there were also little skits and 290 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 1: sketches and plays themselves that were intended for comic relief. 291 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:26,439 Speaker 1: And one of those is called the harlequin Aide, and 292 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:30,480 Speaker 1: Harlequin you recognize Harlequin as one of the jokers, the jesters, 293 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:34,159 Speaker 1: that kind of thing. Um, there's actually a character in 294 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:37,840 Speaker 1: the Harlequin Aide that was a clown, and Grimaldi originally 295 00:17:37,880 --> 00:17:41,399 Speaker 1: played that character. And that character was, um kind of 296 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:44,680 Speaker 1: a bumpkin, a rustic rube. And as a matter of fact, 297 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:47,800 Speaker 1: the word clown supposedly comes from a sixteenth century German 298 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:51,960 Speaker 1: word for like a country bumpkin um. So that was 299 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 1: the original character. Well, Grimaldi came along in about eighteen 300 00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:58,600 Speaker 1: hundred and started playing this in the pantomime, which was 301 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:02,960 Speaker 1: that break in the media dell Art for comic relief exactly. 302 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:07,040 Speaker 1: And then the Harlequinade was a a little mini play 303 00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:09,800 Speaker 1: that was a panomime in the Comedia dell Art, right, 304 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:12,560 Speaker 1: and then the clown was a character in the Harlequinade, 305 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:15,040 Speaker 1: and Grimaldi played it, but he said, you know what, 306 00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:18,199 Speaker 1: I'm not feeling this country bumpkin thing. I think this 307 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:24,439 Speaker 1: guy's actually highly sophisticated, very smart, hilarious and body and 308 00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:27,199 Speaker 1: he started to play the character like that, and all 309 00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:29,600 Speaker 1: of a sudden, the clown went from a minor supporting 310 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:32,959 Speaker 1: character to the reason the people were coming to the 311 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:36,320 Speaker 1: Comedia dell Art productions the panomime, so they were stealing 312 00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:39,960 Speaker 1: the thunder of the legit actors exactly. And from that 313 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:44,520 Speaker 1: moment the clown went from specifically a rustic country boob 314 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:48,120 Speaker 1: to the clown that we start to understand today with 315 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:52,560 Speaker 1: face pain and like colored hair and everything. Did you 316 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:54,800 Speaker 1: just laugh as I said, boom, No, I just rustic 317 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:57,800 Speaker 1: country boob sounded like the name of like my memoir 318 00:18:57,880 --> 00:19:02,960 Speaker 1: or something. It just struck me as a nice title. 319 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:08,240 Speaker 1: I just want a small, small royalty when you publish those, Okay, 320 00:19:08,359 --> 00:19:12,000 Speaker 1: except I would be Rustic City boob. Yeah, you know, 321 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:15,240 Speaker 1: sort of play on that whole thing. Yeah, that big 322 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:19,600 Speaker 1: it's even better n Sharknado and now the title for 323 00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:23,600 Speaker 1: your memoirs, you're on fire. Um, So clowning. One thing 324 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 1: that you'll also notice the clowns do a lot and 325 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:29,120 Speaker 1: this is not every clown, but a lot of clowning involves, 326 00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:34,000 Speaker 1: um play violence like slapstick. Yeah, like they're hitting. It's 327 00:19:34,119 --> 00:19:35,879 Speaker 1: like the three students, they're hitting each other a lot. 328 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:40,440 Speaker 1: They're knocking each other down. Um. A big clown thing 329 00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:44,720 Speaker 1: to do is to like disrupt the the legit act. 330 00:19:44,840 --> 00:19:47,920 Speaker 1: Like we're clowns and we're gonna do, uh this neat 331 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:50,600 Speaker 1: thing where we all hold this ladder and climate and 332 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:53,639 Speaker 1: then another clown will come in and bust the ladder 333 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:56,119 Speaker 1: down and everyone will fall and it's all part of 334 00:19:56,119 --> 00:19:58,320 Speaker 1: the act. But a lot of the Navajo clowns, yeah, 335 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:01,760 Speaker 1: same thing, basically to disrupt the act. That's that's happening 336 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:05,639 Speaker 1: through violence, or they may just be jerks and like 337 00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:08,240 Speaker 1: smell my flour ops you get a squirt in the face. 338 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:12,560 Speaker 1: So if you're paying attention to a group of clowns 339 00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:16,800 Speaker 1: in their routine, you'll actually notice that, Um, there's usually 340 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:20,360 Speaker 1: a very clear line of command. Yeah, there's a hierarchy 341 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:22,639 Speaker 1: for sure, there actually is, and it depends on you 342 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:25,879 Speaker 1: can tell who's in charge before the show even starts 343 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:30,520 Speaker 1: based on their makeup. Actually it's it's um delineated by that. 344 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:33,840 Speaker 1: So first you've got the white face clown, which Grimaldi 345 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:35,960 Speaker 1: was one, so is Boza, the clown who will talk 346 00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:38,679 Speaker 1: about later. Um, but the white face clown is the 347 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:41,440 Speaker 1: one who's in charge. And going back to the three stooges, 348 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:45,440 Speaker 1: they actually um get across the hierarchy of clowns pretty clearly. 349 00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:50,040 Speaker 1: So the white face clown is mostly he's still a clown, um, 350 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:54,560 Speaker 1: but he's Boston the other ones around. He's a signing job. Yeah, 351 00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:58,240 Speaker 1: and he might be the the most um hostile out 352 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:01,159 Speaker 1: of all of them. And then after that, and again, 353 00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:04,680 Speaker 1: the white face clown has completely white paint all over 354 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:08,480 Speaker 1: his face and head and neck. Her fringe counterpart, you're 355 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:10,360 Speaker 1: talking about, the clown that he created was a white 356 00:21:10,359 --> 00:21:15,440 Speaker 1: flace clown. Um, the perrot p I e r r 357 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:18,280 Speaker 1: O t po sounds good and that's a kind of 358 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:21,640 Speaker 1: clown as well. But the pierrot is a white face clown, right, 359 00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:23,840 Speaker 1: So the white face clown is in charge of he 360 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:25,600 Speaker 1: or she is at the top of the heat of 361 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:29,320 Speaker 1: the After that you have the August clown. The August 362 00:21:29,320 --> 00:21:34,760 Speaker 1: clown is the one that um Usually they have that sloppy, 363 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:41,960 Speaker 1: oversized um outfit, huge like suspenders hanging on hanging even 364 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:46,160 Speaker 1: bigger pants up. Um. The makeup is probably like flesh toned, yeah, 365 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:48,919 Speaker 1: but like the eyes will like be super arched and 366 00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:52,960 Speaker 1: like the smile will be really big and red. Probably 367 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:56,000 Speaker 1: a big red nose, although I think the the white 368 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:58,399 Speaker 1: face clown can have that too. But if you have 369 00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:00,880 Speaker 1: a white face and an August clown next to each other, 370 00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:03,840 Speaker 1: the August clown's red ball nose is probably going to 371 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:06,480 Speaker 1: be a little bit bigger. And the August clown is 372 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:09,879 Speaker 1: um definitely the one who takes orders from the white 373 00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:16,800 Speaker 1: faced clown, but um also a little more um hilarious maybe, 374 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:21,560 Speaker 1: so like the August clown would be um maybe Larry 375 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:25,760 Speaker 1: Larry probably curly though, because you get he's kind of 376 00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:28,760 Speaker 1: a boob. You know, Yeah, he's not a rustic country boom, 377 00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:32,360 Speaker 1: but he's just you know, kind of fun and lovable 378 00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:37,000 Speaker 1: and and he's still taking orders. What about simp sm 379 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:41,720 Speaker 1: completely breaks this whole analogy apart. So with the Augusta clown, 380 00:22:41,760 --> 00:22:46,760 Speaker 1: it was um invented by a man named lu Jacobs, 381 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:50,680 Speaker 1: and there was there was a team Albert Freatellini and 382 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:54,200 Speaker 1: Lu Jacobs a clown team, and Fredlini was also part 383 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:57,160 Speaker 1: of the Fredellini Brothers and he was the one who 384 00:22:57,359 --> 00:22:59,440 Speaker 1: invented the red nose. Oh yeah, which I thought it 385 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:02,120 Speaker 1: was pretty interest Yeah it is. Yeah. But then then 386 00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:03,919 Speaker 1: we have the tramp or the hobo, right, that's the 387 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:05,920 Speaker 1: next guy. Yeah, that one was invented by a dude 388 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:09,840 Speaker 1: named Emmett Kelly, and he actually invented the sad Hobo clown, 389 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:13,119 Speaker 1: which you can immediately bring to mind. I would imagine 390 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:17,760 Speaker 1: just you're hearing sad Hobo clown, the downcasts, frown face, 391 00:23:18,359 --> 00:23:22,439 Speaker 1: the stubble like five o'clock shadow. Yeah, the tattered tweed 392 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:27,280 Speaker 1: jacket patches, and the bendle bendel bag on the stick. 393 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:30,679 Speaker 1: So Emmett Kelly comes up with the sad Hobo clown, 394 00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:34,960 Speaker 1: and that's become a fixture of clowning, and that tramp 395 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:38,520 Speaker 1: hobo or bag lady clown is the one that's the 396 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:43,000 Speaker 1: lowest rung on the ladder, the highest on the totem pole. 397 00:23:44,359 --> 00:23:46,000 Speaker 1: It kind of occurred to me when I was reading 398 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:49,640 Speaker 1: this that they're sort of I mean, are they making 399 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:52,159 Speaker 1: fun of the homeless? You know, in a way. I 400 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:54,840 Speaker 1: think that's probably a sticky thing that clowns don't like 401 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:57,560 Speaker 1: to address, but very very much so. I mean that's 402 00:23:57,560 --> 00:24:00,920 Speaker 1: clearly what they're they're aping is you know, closes or tattered. 403 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:03,040 Speaker 1: I don't have a place to lay my head, and 404 00:24:03,119 --> 00:24:05,600 Speaker 1: I'm a sad hobo. And you have to understand, like 405 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:09,360 Speaker 1: Emmet Kelly came up with this in the thirties or forties, 406 00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:12,440 Speaker 1: maybe at a time when it was okay to make 407 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:15,440 Speaker 1: fun of people who were down on their luck like that. 408 00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:18,639 Speaker 1: I don't know why, but yes, And I thought the 409 00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:21,760 Speaker 1: same thing too. I was like, wow, this is like 410 00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:25,200 Speaker 1: making a clown version of homeless people. Yeah. I think 411 00:24:25,280 --> 00:24:27,760 Speaker 1: what they would say, my guess is that they would say, there, 412 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:29,960 Speaker 1: you should have a lot of sympathy for the hobo clown. 413 00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:32,600 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, and you're we're trying to elicit sympathy, not 414 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:35,760 Speaker 1: necessarily laughs at my expense. Yeah, even though they do that, 415 00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:39,320 Speaker 1: But they're the ones who are like, um, sweeping the 416 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:41,720 Speaker 1: mess that the other one's made up when the spotlight 417 00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:45,720 Speaker 1: goes out, trying on the inside and outside to sweep 418 00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:48,280 Speaker 1: sweeping the circus debt. Those are the three big ones. 419 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:51,119 Speaker 1: There's also a character clown, which is makes up a 420 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:55,879 Speaker 1: fourth class of clown. Rodeo clowns fall into that, although 421 00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:58,199 Speaker 1: they're technically more like the working clown there, like a 422 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:01,560 Speaker 1: sheep dog clown, but a character clown would be like 423 00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:05,919 Speaker 1: a keystone cop or an astronaut clown. Basically, if you 424 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:08,600 Speaker 1: can come up with the profession that uses a costume 425 00:25:08,640 --> 00:25:10,200 Speaker 1: and then make a clown version of it, that's a 426 00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:15,560 Speaker 1: character clown. So those are the doctor clown. Oh yeah, 427 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:20,960 Speaker 1: what was that video hospital clowning on Found Footage Festival. Yeah, 428 00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:24,720 Speaker 1: this video Josh found is a guy that made a 429 00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:29,359 Speaker 1: series of clown instructional videos. A medical clown which they 430 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:33,359 Speaker 1: do valuable, valuable service by going to children's hospitals and 431 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:37,200 Speaker 1: things and kids feel better. But this guy did some 432 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:40,000 Speaker 1: instructional videos on how to do this and what to 433 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:41,520 Speaker 1: do and what not to do. What not to do 434 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:47,320 Speaker 1: is very important. Don't touch a covered part because you 435 00:25:47,359 --> 00:25:50,119 Speaker 1: never know if they've just had their leg amputated, was 436 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:54,800 Speaker 1: one piece of advice. It's so funny. Um, yeah, so go. Actually, 437 00:25:54,840 --> 00:25:57,240 Speaker 1: if you go, if you're listening to this on our 438 00:25:57,280 --> 00:26:00,480 Speaker 1: website on that the podcast page for this EPISOD it 439 00:26:00,520 --> 00:26:02,720 Speaker 1: should be in the links. Yeah, we'll definitely put that 440 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:04,440 Speaker 1: in there. If not, and you don't feel like going 441 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:07,600 Speaker 1: to our website, just look up Hospital Clowning Found Footage 442 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:10,479 Speaker 1: Festival and it will come up. It's wonderful, it is. 443 00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:12,960 Speaker 1: It is delightful. We we talked about it on our 444 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:17,080 Speaker 1: Internet round Up video show as well. So the big 445 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:20,320 Speaker 1: question here is why is this funny? Why do we 446 00:26:20,359 --> 00:26:24,360 Speaker 1: need this? Why do people indulge clowns? Um, we're not indulge. 447 00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:25,920 Speaker 1: Why do they like clowns? It's a better way to 448 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:28,120 Speaker 1: put Why do we let clowns get away with making 449 00:26:28,119 --> 00:26:30,760 Speaker 1: fun of the homeless? Um? I think a good reason 450 00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:33,320 Speaker 1: that's pointed out in the article on how stuff works 451 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:37,800 Speaker 1: is that, um, we have a very rigid, complex society 452 00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:39,720 Speaker 1: that we live in, and there are rules in their 453 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:43,000 Speaker 1: social order and uh, you know, we have to maintain 454 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:47,560 Speaker 1: our good behavior, and so clowning is a safety valve, 455 00:26:48,119 --> 00:26:51,840 Speaker 1: is how this author put it. Two. You know, we 456 00:26:51,920 --> 00:26:55,119 Speaker 1: can live vicariously through the clown who breaks down those 457 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:57,920 Speaker 1: social norms and says, I'll do whatever I want. I'll 458 00:26:57,960 --> 00:27:01,320 Speaker 1: make fun of the king, or I'll know, squirt this 459 00:27:01,359 --> 00:27:04,240 Speaker 1: little kid in the face with water. Everybody hates that. 460 00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:09,080 Speaker 1: And um, you know since the French clown he'd beat 461 00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:10,840 Speaker 1: a kid to death with his cane in the street 462 00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:12,880 Speaker 1: from making fun of him. That's taking it too far. 463 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:15,359 Speaker 1: Well he did, and he I looked this up. He 464 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:18,040 Speaker 1: went to trial and was acquitted, but um, apparently it 465 00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:20,840 Speaker 1: was like the trial of the century because everyone wanted 466 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:23,680 Speaker 1: to hear him speak. Oh he was a silent clown. 467 00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:27,600 Speaker 1: Was a silent clown. Um the pioas So, yeah, he 468 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:29,520 Speaker 1: had a kid that was making fun of him and 469 00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:32,320 Speaker 1: he killed him. He didn't mean to you meant to 470 00:27:32,359 --> 00:27:34,600 Speaker 1: hit him. He didn't get me to kill him. He 471 00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:37,560 Speaker 1: said it was a single blow, and I imagine he 472 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:42,360 Speaker 1: was just like not again, yeah, or he would mind 473 00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:45,200 Speaker 1: whatever that is. So I want to address what you said. 474 00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:47,639 Speaker 1: The role of clowns are and this is gonna be 475 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:50,240 Speaker 1: like the most sour puss thing you've heard today, but 476 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:52,480 Speaker 1: it really makes sense in a way. So, yes, the 477 00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:55,960 Speaker 1: role of the clown is to vent the general populations 478 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:59,919 Speaker 1: frustrations that abuse heaped on us by the ruling class, 479 00:28:00,119 --> 00:28:03,399 Speaker 1: or the conventions of society or what happened, and the 480 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:07,480 Speaker 1: clown allows us to to feel better about things because 481 00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:10,560 Speaker 1: this is being made fun of, its being addressed. But 482 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:13,280 Speaker 1: you can also make the case that in that sense, 483 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:19,520 Speaker 1: the clown satire anything that provides that function in society 484 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:24,880 Speaker 1: actually just keeps the status quo in place, because rather 485 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:29,680 Speaker 1: than any real change coming about from those simmering frustrations 486 00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:33,600 Speaker 1: that are aren't allowed to event that once they're released 487 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:36,840 Speaker 1: then we can just move along. But nothing's actually really changed. 488 00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:40,360 Speaker 1: It's been satirized, and so we're satisfied to a certain degree. 489 00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:44,960 Speaker 1: You know. I know it's a really like kind of 490 00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:49,320 Speaker 1: view of clowns in general, but it really does keep 491 00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:52,440 Speaker 1: the status quo in place, and a really effective ruler 492 00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:56,040 Speaker 1: will allow him or herself to have just enough fun 493 00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:59,480 Speaker 1: poke that so that um he or she appears to 494 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:02,080 Speaker 1: have been brought down a peg, but really the power 495 00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:06,200 Speaker 1: is totally unchecked by that. Yeah, interesting, we should do 496 00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:08,960 Speaker 1: one on satire. That's a pretty rich subject. I think 497 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:13,040 Speaker 1: the function of a satirist is um important. But um, 498 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:14,800 Speaker 1: you do raise a good point, like at the end 499 00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:17,280 Speaker 1: of the day, what does change come about because of it? 500 00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:19,560 Speaker 1: Or is it just well, at least we all got 501 00:29:19,560 --> 00:29:23,520 Speaker 1: to laugh right at this, which serves, which serves a function? 502 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:28,160 Speaker 1: It does serve a function, It serves to play kate. Yeah, interesting, 503 00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:33,480 Speaker 1: thanks man, that is that's all mine, Josh right, copyright. 504 00:29:34,360 --> 00:29:36,719 Speaker 1: So we should probably take a break, um, and then 505 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:38,760 Speaker 1: we'll come back and talk a little more about you 506 00:29:38,880 --> 00:30:00,680 Speaker 1: guessed it clowns. All right, we're back. And by the way, yeah, 507 00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:03,120 Speaker 1: if you have heard some weird sounds in the background 508 00:30:03,120 --> 00:30:05,240 Speaker 1: of this one, it's because some jerk in this building 509 00:30:05,280 --> 00:30:07,360 Speaker 1: is using a drill. You're not insane, and they're not 510 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:10,120 Speaker 1: supposed to be doing that right now. But it's hopefully 511 00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:11,800 Speaker 1: it's not too distracting. It's sort of here and there. 512 00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:13,920 Speaker 1: I just want to mention that, Yeah, you're not hearing 513 00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:18,120 Speaker 1: the hume. So careers and clowning, my friend, Yeah, you 514 00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:21,880 Speaker 1: mentioned hospital clowning. That's definitely a way to go. University 515 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:24,880 Speaker 1: of Haifa in Israel has a I think a bachelor's 516 00:30:24,880 --> 00:30:28,600 Speaker 1: degree in medical clowning, and it's exactly what it sounds like. 517 00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:32,520 Speaker 1: You're you learn to go into hospitals and raise the spirits, 518 00:30:32,600 --> 00:30:35,200 Speaker 1: usually of kids, but I think it applies to just 519 00:30:35,280 --> 00:30:37,479 Speaker 1: about anybody in a hospital who wants to have their 520 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:41,240 Speaker 1: spirits picked up and react. Well, the clowns think kids 521 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:44,280 Speaker 1: mainly medical clown I know, I like, get out of 522 00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:46,800 Speaker 1: my hospital room. Yeah, an adult that's going in for 523 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:49,800 Speaker 1: like a bypasser. Try it's a clown in the room. No, 524 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:51,640 Speaker 1: that's just my thing. That just makes a clown want 525 00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:56,120 Speaker 1: to try harder. Just no bad touch, don't touch any 526 00:30:56,200 --> 00:31:00,200 Speaker 1: covered parts. So, UM, membership is waning these days, as 527 00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:04,360 Speaker 1: in the World Clown Association. UM, they don't keep exact stats, 528 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:08,240 Speaker 1: but they UM anecdotally say that it's drop by about 529 00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:12,240 Speaker 1: a third in recent years. Um. But like I said, 530 00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:13,640 Speaker 1: you can be a pro clown. You can go to 531 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:17,800 Speaker 1: Wringling Brothers as a clown college in Sarasota. Dude, it 532 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:21,520 Speaker 1: is brutal as far as competition goes what to get in. Yeah, 533 00:31:21,680 --> 00:31:23,800 Speaker 1: I'm sure. So in two thousand and thirteen they had 534 00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:26,600 Speaker 1: five thirty one applicants from around the world and they 535 00:31:26,680 --> 00:31:30,280 Speaker 1: let in two clowns. They selected fourteen to come to camp. 536 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:36,560 Speaker 1: They hired eleven. Yeah, that's pretty pretty competitive. Um, and 537 00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:39,160 Speaker 1: there's only twenty six total clowns that work for all 538 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:42,680 Speaker 1: of England. Brothers, Barnum and Bailor. They shuffle them around 539 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:44,680 Speaker 1: the three circuses that are going on, and they didn't 540 00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:47,160 Speaker 1: give him point in time. Interesting, but it pays pretty well. 541 00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:49,160 Speaker 1: They inject them with formalde hyde and put them in 542 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:51,880 Speaker 1: a cryogenic chamber. You will never die, ship them to 543 00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:55,320 Speaker 1: a different part of the country, regenerate them, put on 544 00:31:55,360 --> 00:31:59,880 Speaker 1: their red nose. Then it's all good show time circusl A, 545 00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:02,280 Speaker 1: you can do a lot worse than that, my friend, 546 00:32:02,760 --> 00:32:04,640 Speaker 1: if you want to go that route. It's a different 547 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:07,840 Speaker 1: kind of clowning, but it's I think a little more 548 00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:11,360 Speaker 1: of the old Italian and European style. It depends w 549 00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:15,480 Speaker 1: they go for both. Yea, they go for like a 550 00:32:15,720 --> 00:32:20,760 Speaker 1: character comedy and then I think like physical slapsticks straight up. Yeah, 551 00:32:21,200 --> 00:32:23,600 Speaker 1: but you can make up to two k a year 552 00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:28,280 Speaker 1: at circus. I think that's like for all performers. Yeah, 553 00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:31,440 Speaker 1: at Wrinkling Brothers. Apparently for clowns they can make up 554 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:34,480 Speaker 1: to nine two K a year. K means a thousand, 555 00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:37,880 Speaker 1: that's right, and by that I mean dollars. Uh, if 556 00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:40,840 Speaker 1: you're into French clowning and can go to Paris and 557 00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:46,560 Speaker 1: study at the ecole A international de Theater Jacques leco 558 00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:53,640 Speaker 1: Jacques Lecoq theater, Jacques Lecoq. That was pronounced Yeah, sure, 559 00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:56,920 Speaker 1: it's not leco No. It's definitely the coup, okay, So 560 00:32:57,080 --> 00:33:00,920 Speaker 1: he don't you remember lacock sportief like um tennis ware 561 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:04,680 Speaker 1: from the eighties. I called it leco No, it's lacoc okay. 562 00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:06,400 Speaker 1: I mean either that I have been saying things wrong 563 00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:09,120 Speaker 1: for thirty years, which is entirely possible, but I'm almost 564 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:12,640 Speaker 1: positive because think about he's a clown, Jacques Lecoq. I 565 00:33:12,680 --> 00:33:15,600 Speaker 1: mean it's very funny. I know, it's hilarious. It's way 566 00:33:15,640 --> 00:33:18,560 Speaker 1: funnier than Jacques leco So if it is Jacques leco 567 00:33:18,640 --> 00:33:20,440 Speaker 1: this guy should have thought his name out a little better. 568 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:23,560 Speaker 1: It's a good point. So Jacques Lecoq was a big 569 00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:26,320 Speaker 1: innovator in clowning, and he had a school um that 570 00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:28,160 Speaker 1: this is still based on, you know, in Paris. But 571 00:33:28,200 --> 00:33:30,240 Speaker 1: he had a school back in the day where his 572 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:37,040 Speaker 1: big thing was um called the via negativa or negativa, 573 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:41,520 Speaker 1: which is basically basically like, he doesn't say what you're 574 00:33:41,520 --> 00:33:44,880 Speaker 1: doing is right or wrong. Um, he's he's not there 575 00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:46,720 Speaker 1: to teach you a set of skills. He's to teach 576 00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:49,120 Speaker 1: you to do what you do best right and to 577 00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:52,480 Speaker 1: embrace your own style. It's pretty neat. I found that 578 00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:55,760 Speaker 1: just about anywhere um I saw like how to clown 579 00:33:55,920 --> 00:33:58,520 Speaker 1: or anything like that. During research. One of the main 580 00:33:58,600 --> 00:34:02,680 Speaker 1: things was figure out your style of clown and it's 581 00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:05,240 Speaker 1: based on who you are, and then just figure out 582 00:34:05,280 --> 00:34:08,560 Speaker 1: how to bring that out as big as possible, but 583 00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:10,839 Speaker 1: that it was all about you and and figuring out 584 00:34:10,880 --> 00:34:13,920 Speaker 1: your own jam um. They also suggest that you should 585 00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:18,000 Speaker 1: probably have at least one talent like still walking, juggling 586 00:34:18,480 --> 00:34:22,680 Speaker 1: balloon animals is a big one too, something like that. 587 00:34:23,600 --> 00:34:25,600 Speaker 1: But they pointed out that you should be able to 588 00:34:25,640 --> 00:34:28,840 Speaker 1: be funny with no props whatsoever. And then you start 589 00:34:28,880 --> 00:34:31,840 Speaker 1: incorporating props, well, it's probably good to practice them along 590 00:34:31,840 --> 00:34:34,520 Speaker 1: the way. Give up that rubber chicken though, and really 591 00:34:34,560 --> 00:34:38,080 Speaker 1: work for a little while and and be funny without 592 00:34:38,080 --> 00:34:40,000 Speaker 1: the rubber chicken. Then when you add the rubber chicken, 593 00:34:40,360 --> 00:34:43,440 Speaker 1: you're really going to be funny, right, Um, but that 594 00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:47,360 Speaker 1: all is based on Remember, clowns are exaggerations of a 595 00:34:47,440 --> 00:34:52,600 Speaker 1: human personality and specifically that person's personality, and so that's 596 00:34:52,640 --> 00:34:58,000 Speaker 1: what you're supposed to work on. Initially. Yeah, so, um, 597 00:34:58,040 --> 00:35:03,520 Speaker 1: I think are we now at the the colerophobia? Yeah? 598 00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:07,200 Speaker 1: I think so? Why do people hate clowns? Why are 599 00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:11,000 Speaker 1: people afraid of clowns? So initially we talked about Grimaldi 600 00:35:11,040 --> 00:35:15,160 Speaker 1: and Debrow having pretty grim backstories, and like everybody knew 601 00:35:15,160 --> 00:35:18,480 Speaker 1: it at the time. Everyone went to de bros Um trial. 602 00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:23,600 Speaker 1: Grimaldi apparently used to crack that he was grim all day, 603 00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:27,359 Speaker 1: but he made you, he delighted you at night, right, Yeah, 604 00:35:27,440 --> 00:35:30,040 Speaker 1: play on his name, right, So everyone knew that he 605 00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:33,280 Speaker 1: had this depressing life. His son was an alcoholic clown 606 00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:36,640 Speaker 1: who died of drink at thirty one. Yeah, his father 607 00:35:36,840 --> 00:35:40,440 Speaker 1: was a stage father, a tyrant. Supposedly his first wife 608 00:35:40,480 --> 00:35:46,320 Speaker 1: died during childbirth. Um. Grimaldi was in bad physical shape 609 00:35:46,360 --> 00:35:49,200 Speaker 1: from all the slapstick that he performed over the years, 610 00:35:49,280 --> 00:35:51,880 Speaker 1: and everyone knew this, and yet he was a clown 611 00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:54,719 Speaker 1: and no one thought, oh, that's kind of weird for 612 00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:57,279 Speaker 1: a clown, or very ironic for a clown to have 613 00:35:57,360 --> 00:36:02,360 Speaker 1: a terrible life, in part because Grimaldi invented the modern clown. 614 00:36:02,719 --> 00:36:04,920 Speaker 1: So that was the conception of the modern clown for 615 00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:08,560 Speaker 1: a very long time. It wasn't until the early twentieth 616 00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:12,719 Speaker 1: century that clowns were taken away from this idea that 617 00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:18,080 Speaker 1: they were adults, pranksters um kind of body humor and 618 00:36:18,160 --> 00:36:22,000 Speaker 1: placed squarely in the realm of little kids, and they 619 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:25,120 Speaker 1: were expected to be happy all the time and kind 620 00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:30,000 Speaker 1: of these fantastic creatures that cannot possibly ever really be 621 00:36:30,160 --> 00:36:33,520 Speaker 1: that way. So automatically clowns were set up to be 622 00:36:34,160 --> 00:36:36,560 Speaker 1: something kind of creepy because they were held to these 623 00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:39,120 Speaker 1: really high standards that they could never meet. And for 624 00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:41,320 Speaker 1: a little while it worked like Bose of the Clown 625 00:36:41,760 --> 00:36:45,920 Speaker 1: was huge. There was apparently, so Bose of the Clown 626 00:36:46,320 --> 00:36:49,880 Speaker 1: on TV was a franchise, right, so if you were 627 00:36:49,880 --> 00:36:52,720 Speaker 1: a local TV station, you could have your own Bows 628 00:36:52,719 --> 00:36:54,200 Speaker 1: of the Clown and put on your own Bows of 629 00:36:54,280 --> 00:36:56,520 Speaker 1: the Clown show. But at the main one at w 630 00:36:56,640 --> 00:36:59,880 Speaker 1: g N in Chicago, the waiting list for tickets to 631 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:03,920 Speaker 1: the studio audience was ten years long, and as a 632 00:37:03,920 --> 00:37:07,640 Speaker 1: matter of fact, Willard Scott played Bozo and Willard Scott 633 00:37:07,760 --> 00:37:11,120 Speaker 1: went on to become Ronald McDonald from playing Bozo and 634 00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:15,840 Speaker 1: the Ronald McDonald was inspired by Bozo because McDonald sponsored 635 00:37:15,880 --> 00:37:19,560 Speaker 1: the Bozo Show and they saw how crazy popular this 636 00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:21,479 Speaker 1: clown was with the kids, so they made their own clown, 637 00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:25,640 Speaker 1: Ronald McDonald, so that they could better market to kids exactly. 638 00:37:25,719 --> 00:37:29,400 Speaker 1: And it worked, it did. But then eventually, I think 639 00:37:29,440 --> 00:37:32,400 Speaker 1: there was always this idea that this is a little weird, 640 00:37:32,480 --> 00:37:34,719 Speaker 1: this is creepy, like nobody can be that happy. What 641 00:37:34,800 --> 00:37:37,920 Speaker 1: do you you know, what's going on there? Well, Charles 642 00:37:37,960 --> 00:37:41,120 Speaker 1: Dickens wrote Um the Memoir, He edited the memoir of 643 00:37:41,680 --> 00:37:45,520 Speaker 1: Grimaldi when he died, and he basically laid it all 644 00:37:45,560 --> 00:37:50,160 Speaker 1: out there about what a ghastly, you know, sort of 645 00:37:50,280 --> 00:37:52,600 Speaker 1: person that this guy was in real life. And it 646 00:37:52,680 --> 00:37:55,560 Speaker 1: was a huge hit, Like people bought this book like crazy. 647 00:37:55,640 --> 00:37:59,920 Speaker 1: So you coupled that with um Pierrot or what was 648 00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:07,280 Speaker 1: his real name, Debrow who killed a kid, goes on trial, 649 00:38:07,880 --> 00:38:11,320 Speaker 1: and so you have this very sort of dark seed planet. 650 00:38:11,600 --> 00:38:13,640 Speaker 1: And then, like you said, years later, all of a sudden, 651 00:38:13,960 --> 00:38:16,280 Speaker 1: it's not meant for body adults at you know, getting 652 00:38:16,320 --> 00:38:19,239 Speaker 1: drunk watching Shakespeare's Let's take these guys and put them 653 00:38:19,239 --> 00:38:22,400 Speaker 1: around our kids. Yeah, exactly, So you have a recipe 654 00:38:22,480 --> 00:38:27,279 Speaker 1: for at the very least clowns to be confusing and 655 00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:29,880 Speaker 1: then all of a sudden chuck out of nowhere. In 656 00:38:31,320 --> 00:38:36,439 Speaker 1: the worst case scenario, nightmare comes to pass. John Wayne Gacy. Yeah, yeah, 657 00:38:36,719 --> 00:38:39,440 Speaker 1: the idea that was in all the parents back to 658 00:38:39,560 --> 00:38:41,520 Speaker 1: their heads, like this is a little creepy. This is 659 00:38:41,520 --> 00:38:43,719 Speaker 1: a grown man hanging out with my kids, and he's 660 00:38:44,280 --> 00:38:48,240 Speaker 1: he's he's sort of acting out these weird, happy, happy 661 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:51,759 Speaker 1: violent things, like he's tripping people and squirting them, and 662 00:38:52,160 --> 00:38:56,960 Speaker 1: he looks creepy. And now he's another killer. Yes, he's 663 00:38:57,200 --> 00:39:00,000 Speaker 1: a serial killer as a clown, Pogo to the clown, 664 00:39:00,120 --> 00:39:02,880 Speaker 1: but yet serial killer of the worst variety. And he 665 00:39:03,239 --> 00:39:05,240 Speaker 1: was larger in charge because I think Polo the clown 666 00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:07,960 Speaker 1: was a white faced clown I remember correctly. Oh yeah, 667 00:39:07,960 --> 00:39:09,880 Speaker 1: I mean there's you look up the pictures of Gaycey 668 00:39:09,920 --> 00:39:13,840 Speaker 1: as a clown. That's about the creepiest thing on the internet. Yeah. 669 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:16,759 Speaker 1: So he, uh, you know how many kids he killed? 670 00:39:16,800 --> 00:39:19,759 Speaker 1: Like thirty three young boys? Yeah, thirty five and he 671 00:39:19,880 --> 00:39:22,480 Speaker 1: was convicted of thirty three, I believe. But he didn't 672 00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:26,000 Speaker 1: help the case of clowns. Uh, by like when he 673 00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:28,320 Speaker 1: went to prison, he would still paint pictures of clowns 674 00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:30,400 Speaker 1: and of himself as as a clown, and it was 675 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:33,600 Speaker 1: like he had he had quite a collection of paintings 676 00:39:33,600 --> 00:39:37,000 Speaker 1: from prison that did not do anything but reinforced the 677 00:39:37,040 --> 00:39:39,279 Speaker 1: fact that clowns are creepy, right, And of course there 678 00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:43,880 Speaker 1: was like international news a clown found to be a 679 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:50,600 Speaker 1: killer and sexual predatory serial version of it. It definitely 680 00:39:50,640 --> 00:39:53,359 Speaker 1: captured the public imagination from that point on. It was like, 681 00:39:53,920 --> 00:39:57,760 Speaker 1: clowns are now overtly sinister. Yeah, and in movies, killer 682 00:39:57,800 --> 00:40:02,120 Speaker 1: clowns from outer space or it. Well, yeah, Stephen King's 683 00:40:02,400 --> 00:40:05,080 Speaker 1: Pennywise the Clown, Yeah, that was one of the legendary 684 00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:09,520 Speaker 1: scary clowns. That new one on American Horror Story, Twisty. Yeah, 685 00:40:09,560 --> 00:40:11,200 Speaker 1: have you seen that one? But if you look at 686 00:40:11,239 --> 00:40:13,640 Speaker 1: it so so John Wayne Gaze is scary in real life. 687 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:18,960 Speaker 1: Pennywise the Clown pretty scary, but still you know, masterfully scary. 688 00:40:19,120 --> 00:40:23,040 Speaker 1: Now you've gotten to Twisty the Clown on American Horror Story, 689 00:40:23,360 --> 00:40:27,759 Speaker 1: and he's like, he's as scary as it comes. But 690 00:40:28,040 --> 00:40:31,239 Speaker 1: think about the amount of violence they're having to imbue 691 00:40:31,239 --> 00:40:36,080 Speaker 1: in this guy and show graphically because this frightening clown 692 00:40:36,160 --> 00:40:38,759 Speaker 1: has become such a trope over time, it's just got 693 00:40:38,760 --> 00:40:43,600 Speaker 1: to get more intense and extreme, right Like, eventually, just 694 00:40:43,719 --> 00:40:47,120 Speaker 1: to really get the full thrill, like theater promoters are 695 00:40:47,120 --> 00:40:48,799 Speaker 1: going to have to stand the clown and to kill 696 00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:52,920 Speaker 1: half the audience to scare the other half in real life, 697 00:40:54,400 --> 00:40:58,280 Speaker 1: So what you're saying is it's a loop, an endless 698 00:40:58,280 --> 00:41:00,880 Speaker 1: loop where clowns are getting worse and worse and worse. 699 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:02,799 Speaker 1: I don't know. I think eventually it'll just be so 700 00:41:02,880 --> 00:41:05,520 Speaker 1: played out that people be like, oh, a scary clown. Seriously, 701 00:41:06,520 --> 00:41:10,480 Speaker 1: you actually use this. And eventually what will happen was, 702 00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:16,239 Speaker 1: or will I think be that clowns can There'll be 703 00:41:16,280 --> 00:41:20,000 Speaker 1: a door and opening for clowns to regain some of 704 00:41:20,040 --> 00:41:26,120 Speaker 1: their innocence from that, but to a negotiated degree, because 705 00:41:26,120 --> 00:41:29,320 Speaker 1: they'll have gone through that period of being overtly frightening 706 00:41:29,360 --> 00:41:33,200 Speaker 1: and associated with something really sinister lurking beneath the surface, 707 00:41:33,600 --> 00:41:37,080 Speaker 1: and maybe we'll expect a little less from clowns and 708 00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:39,520 Speaker 1: then therefore they can take their rightful place once more. 709 00:41:39,960 --> 00:41:41,920 Speaker 1: But having to go through this, it sounds to me 710 00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:45,400 Speaker 1: like you're predicting a clown renaissance, A clown renaissance, A 711 00:41:45,520 --> 00:41:49,600 Speaker 1: well maintained and tasteful clown renaissance. Maybe not a Golden 712 00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:55,160 Speaker 1: Age or a Heyday, but something that's stable indefinitely. Well. 713 00:41:55,200 --> 00:41:56,719 Speaker 1: You know, the other thing I think we talked about 714 00:41:56,760 --> 00:41:59,400 Speaker 1: this on the internet roundup is the French teenagers that 715 00:41:59,400 --> 00:42:03,080 Speaker 1: were dressing a clowns, causing mayhem and they're not helping anything. 716 00:42:03,160 --> 00:42:05,520 Speaker 1: None of that helps. And then there's other cases I've 717 00:42:05,520 --> 00:42:09,600 Speaker 1: seen where where was it I don't think it was 718 00:42:09,640 --> 00:42:12,920 Speaker 1: England where there was just this creepy clown just just 719 00:42:12,960 --> 00:42:16,120 Speaker 1: sit there hanging around. I think it was in Canada, Canada. 720 00:42:16,480 --> 00:42:18,279 Speaker 1: It might have been in both actutions. None of these 721 00:42:18,280 --> 00:42:22,560 Speaker 1: things are helping legit clowns. I'm sure they're all like, thanks, guys, 722 00:42:23,239 --> 00:42:25,440 Speaker 1: we're just dressing up and being creepy on a bench, 723 00:42:25,800 --> 00:42:28,600 Speaker 1: just sitting midnight. Yeah, at midnight. But when you think 724 00:42:28,640 --> 00:42:30,040 Speaker 1: about it, there's it could just be a clown that 725 00:42:30,080 --> 00:42:31,760 Speaker 1: got up work. I mean, why is that so creepy? 726 00:42:31,960 --> 00:42:35,719 Speaker 1: I don't think that's it. Um. I want to give 727 00:42:35,760 --> 00:42:39,399 Speaker 1: a shout out to a Smithsonian article that we used 728 00:42:39,400 --> 00:42:42,160 Speaker 1: in part for this. It's called The History and Psychology 729 00:42:42,200 --> 00:42:46,319 Speaker 1: of clowns being scary, which is pretty clunky title, but 730 00:42:46,400 --> 00:42:49,879 Speaker 1: it was a very good, comprehensive, exhaustive article on that, 731 00:42:50,080 --> 00:42:53,200 Speaker 1: So go check that out. Agreed, Uh, you got anything 732 00:42:53,200 --> 00:42:55,359 Speaker 1: else right now? No, if you want to know more 733 00:42:55,400 --> 00:42:57,799 Speaker 1: about clowns, type that word in the search bar at 734 00:42:57,800 --> 00:43:00,160 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com. And we should do one 735 00:43:00,239 --> 00:43:02,640 Speaker 1: on just how circus is in general works someday. Have 736 00:43:02,719 --> 00:43:05,480 Speaker 1: we not done that? No, we haven't. We've done circusy things. 737 00:43:05,520 --> 00:43:10,160 Speaker 1: We've done like flame meeting, daredevil's juggling, swords, swallowing like 738 00:43:10,520 --> 00:43:16,960 Speaker 1: human cannonballs, all that jam. But no, no, what's left circuses, 739 00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:19,120 Speaker 1: how circus work? Yeah? But I mean what's left that's 740 00:43:19,160 --> 00:43:23,799 Speaker 1: not those things? We can? We can, We'll find it. Okay. Uh, 741 00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:26,279 Speaker 1: I think I said search part, didn't I? I think so? Well, 742 00:43:26,280 --> 00:43:31,520 Speaker 1: it's time for the listener maw. I'm gonna call this 743 00:43:33,000 --> 00:43:38,320 Speaker 1: um oh, saving a marriage. Okay, Hey guys, my wife, 744 00:43:39,040 --> 00:43:40,960 Speaker 1: I want to give you credit for making two young 745 00:43:41,080 --> 00:43:43,520 Speaker 1: love birds fall deeper in love. My wife Lindsay and 746 00:43:43,560 --> 00:43:47,120 Speaker 1: I have been married for almost a year a our anniversary, 747 00:43:47,200 --> 00:43:50,160 Speaker 1: so oh congrat Like, yeah, this is probably pretty close 748 00:43:50,200 --> 00:43:53,080 Speaker 1: to that. Um we are a perfect match in almost 749 00:43:53,080 --> 00:43:55,560 Speaker 1: every aspect of our relationship except for one major area, 750 00:43:55,800 --> 00:43:57,920 Speaker 1: but to listen to on the radio on road trips. 751 00:43:58,600 --> 00:44:00,840 Speaker 1: She can't stand listening to my off some rock music, 752 00:44:01,160 --> 00:44:04,400 Speaker 1: and I can't barely tolerate her country. He's like, definitely 753 00:44:04,520 --> 00:44:07,960 Speaker 1: a rule. What's your problem? This is the Donnie and Marie. 754 00:44:08,120 --> 00:44:11,560 Speaker 1: Actually they were brother and sisters, so that's cross. Yeah. Yeah, 755 00:44:11,880 --> 00:44:13,560 Speaker 1: she's a little bit country, he's a little bit rock 756 00:44:13,560 --> 00:44:15,719 Speaker 1: and roll. We spent a lot of time in the car, 757 00:44:15,760 --> 00:44:17,920 Speaker 1: though we always end up taking turns with one person 758 00:44:17,960 --> 00:44:20,520 Speaker 1: singing along with their favorite hits, the other one sulking 759 00:44:20,880 --> 00:44:23,279 Speaker 1: until it's their turn to control the dial, or even 760 00:44:23,280 --> 00:44:26,040 Speaker 1: times when we would just drive in silence instead of compromising. 761 00:44:26,160 --> 00:44:28,200 Speaker 1: I think I know where this is going. One day 762 00:44:28,560 --> 00:44:30,399 Speaker 1: we stumbled upon stuff you should know when our lives 763 00:44:30,440 --> 00:44:33,200 Speaker 1: were changed forever. Turns out we both love the podcast, 764 00:44:33,280 --> 00:44:35,640 Speaker 1: and the driving portion of our road trips now has 765 00:44:35,680 --> 00:44:39,360 Speaker 1: gone from a frustrating compromise to an amazing bonding experience, 766 00:44:39,400 --> 00:44:42,239 Speaker 1: and it's all your fault. We've even spent a few 767 00:44:42,239 --> 00:44:44,640 Speaker 1: evenings listening to podcasts instead of watching TV at home. 768 00:44:45,000 --> 00:44:52,080 Speaker 1: What we're interfering with TV dealing turned the podcast off. Communists. 769 00:44:52,600 --> 00:44:54,640 Speaker 1: We started from the most recent and are working our 770 00:44:54,640 --> 00:44:58,520 Speaker 1: way backwards. Um, so prepare for them to get less 771 00:44:58,520 --> 00:45:02,000 Speaker 1: good good luck. We have about four hundred episodes to 772 00:45:02,000 --> 00:45:04,520 Speaker 1: go until we run out. We've been discussing how we're 773 00:45:04,520 --> 00:45:07,280 Speaker 1: gonna deal with the inevitable s y s A withdrawal 774 00:45:07,280 --> 00:45:10,319 Speaker 1: once we reach episode one. I hope you guys keep 775 00:45:10,360 --> 00:45:11,920 Speaker 1: coming up with new ideas for the next fifty to 776 00:45:12,040 --> 00:45:13,840 Speaker 1: sixty years, because I don't want to have to go 777 00:45:13,880 --> 00:45:16,240 Speaker 1: back spending half of my time listening to country music 778 00:45:16,360 --> 00:45:18,440 Speaker 1: fifty or sixty years. We can swing that. And that 779 00:45:18,520 --> 00:45:22,760 Speaker 1: has Ben Brown and uh Lindsay Brown or Lindsay his wife. 780 00:45:23,160 --> 00:45:24,480 Speaker 1: I don't know if she took his name or not. 781 00:45:24,800 --> 00:45:29,799 Speaker 1: Ben and Lindsay from Guntersville, Alabama. I'm sure they're the 782 00:45:29,840 --> 00:45:32,760 Speaker 1: only Ben and Lindsay there. Yeah, so Ben and Lindsay 783 00:45:32,760 --> 00:45:36,600 Speaker 1: from Guntersville Happy in verse, Congratulations. Yeah, we're glad we 784 00:45:36,640 --> 00:45:40,160 Speaker 1: could make life a little easier for you. Go turn 785 00:45:40,239 --> 00:45:44,160 Speaker 1: your TV back on for real. Come on, seriously, if 786 00:45:44,200 --> 00:45:45,879 Speaker 1: you want to get in touch with us to tell 787 00:45:45,960 --> 00:45:48,200 Speaker 1: us how we are enhancing your life, we love to 788 00:45:48,239 --> 00:45:50,200 Speaker 1: hear that kind of stuff. You can tweet it to 789 00:45:50,280 --> 00:45:52,520 Speaker 1: us at s y s K Podcast. You can join 790 00:45:52,600 --> 00:45:54,759 Speaker 1: us on Facebook dot com, slash stuff you Should Know. 791 00:45:55,120 --> 00:45:57,480 Speaker 1: You can send us an email to Stuff Podcast at 792 00:45:57,480 --> 00:46:00,440 Speaker 1: how stuff Works dot com, and, as always, join us 793 00:46:00,440 --> 00:46:02,680 Speaker 1: at our home on the web, Stuff you Should Know 794 00:46:03,120 --> 00:46:11,920 Speaker 1: dot com. For more on this and thousands of other topics, 795 00:46:12,160 --> 00:46:19,040 Speaker 1: is it how stuff Works dot com, m