1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:04,160 Speaker 1: Hello, everyone. Are you scared of clowns? I'm not. I 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: think clowns are pretty fun and awesome. But a lot 3 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:10,120 Speaker 1: of people are scared of clowns. So we explain why 4 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:13,319 Speaker 1: because there is a reason. And we talked about all 5 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: things clowns in this episode from April, and it's called 6 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:28,320 Speaker 1: How Clowns Work. Welcome to Stuff You Should Know, a 7 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. 8 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 1: I'm Joe, Joe. There's Chuckles. This is Stuff you Should 9 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:43,800 Speaker 1: Know the podcast, and there's Jerry. She has a regular name. Hey. 10 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: That was pretty good. Thanks. They could have also this 11 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: could also be like how late night talk show hosts 12 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:53,200 Speaker 1: work too. Yeah, Krusty the clown was on my mind 13 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:54,960 Speaker 1: during a lot of this. I thought that was your 14 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: Steth Meyers. No funny guy. I did he say that? 15 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 1: It was just completely ludicrous joke. I haven't watched this 16 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: show yet. I haven't even I like the guy though, 17 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 1: good guy. I don't watch anything but Conan. Yeah, I 18 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 1: don't even watch Conan really. Yeah. I do want Hodgemans on. 19 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 1: I record it, you know, and then watch it the 20 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 1: next day. Yeah. I don't stay up the whatever time. 21 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 1: I canna say geez, I guess you don't go to 22 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 1: Early Bird for dinner anymore either. Yeah, you have to watch. Hey. 23 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:29,959 Speaker 1: Speaking of Conan, big shout out to Brian Kylie, Rob 24 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: Kuttner and Dan Cronin when seth Meyers. No, they are 25 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:36,959 Speaker 1: writers for Conan and they treated me to launch. That 26 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:40,919 Speaker 1: was very nice at Warner Brothers. Thanks for inviting me, guys, 27 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:45,319 Speaker 1: and uh, Conan. If you think we get neat fan gifts, 28 00:01:45,360 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: you ought to see the stuff Conan gets. Oh, man, 29 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: like what well there was? Well, I met the master 30 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: baiting bear guy who I won't reveal his name he 31 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 1: probably should, but he's the guy that's done it all 32 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: these years. And someone sent him like a four ft 33 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:06,040 Speaker 1: tall treat round can carved bear them bear. Really Yeah, 34 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 1: it was beautiful. I got pictures all this. And then 35 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:11,560 Speaker 1: Conan has a life size Lego Conan that someone sent 36 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:13,959 Speaker 1: him that's pretty neat, and a life size a hundred 37 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:16,680 Speaker 1: thousand dollars worth of Legos probably is. And then a 38 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:21,040 Speaker 1: life size ConA made of pencils that was really neat looking. Yeah. Wow, 39 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:22,880 Speaker 1: So they just had the stuff. I was like, man, 40 00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:27,120 Speaker 1: I mean, I like our little photoshop stuff, but you know, 41 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 1: Cooper needs to step it up. Nice life size lego 42 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:33,200 Speaker 1: Josh and chucking it would be kind of cool. Anyway, 43 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:34,720 Speaker 1: I just want to say thanks to those guys. They 44 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 1: are awesome and they're supporters of us. Thanks guys, Yeah, 45 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 1: supporters of you at least. And they're clowns. That was 46 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:46,400 Speaker 1: a great segaway, Dude, great Is that why you thank 47 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: them in this episode? Sure? Because they're clowns. That that 48 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 1: was good. You've scared of clowns. I'm not scared of clowns, 49 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: not at all. I mean the scary clowns that are 50 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:04,320 Speaker 1: supposed to be scary and horror movies are creepy, of course, 51 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:07,800 Speaker 1: But like, I don't have any kind of a phobia. 52 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:11,519 Speaker 1: What's it called the official phobia clurro phobia, right, which 53 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 1: also includes um it's unofficial, by the way, the real thing. Um. 54 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 1: It also includes things like costumed characters like Mickey Mouse 55 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: and um, stuff like that. It's not just clowns, right, right, 56 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: So it's a The d s M, which is the 57 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:30,919 Speaker 1: infallible Bible of psychology and psychiatry, UM has an entry 58 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 1: for fear of clowns, lumped together with other childhood fear 59 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,600 Speaker 1: of costume characters that one I can I can identify 60 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:40,480 Speaker 1: what I think I ran away from, like snow White 61 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 1: or something at Disney World when I was a kid, 62 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 1: And there's just always been something about somebody being dressed 63 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 1: up in costume that I've found unnerving. I'm gonna scare 64 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 1: a lot of kids. I'm not overtly afraid of clown sure, 65 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:54,920 Speaker 1: but just costume people. And I get that, like I 66 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,640 Speaker 1: get like, you know, what are you hiding kind of thing, 67 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:01,440 Speaker 1: which I think is in arms the basis of color 68 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:03,880 Speaker 1: a phobia. Yeah, and a lot of the show, it 69 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:05,640 Speaker 1: turns out it's going to be about that because it's 70 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 1: one of the most interesting parts of clowning. But um, 71 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 1: one guy later on in this article put it, it 72 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 1: makes sense. It's like some clowns are just not great 73 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:18,560 Speaker 1: at it, and you know, well, like yeah, like lungeon 74 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: a kid or something. And he says, they seem like 75 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 1: they're on the attack. And he said a big part 76 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:27,159 Speaker 1: of teaching clowning is to teach personal space and like 77 00:04:27,839 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: how to not come at a kid because they think 78 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:33,640 Speaker 1: you look weird exchange, and if you come at him 79 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:37,160 Speaker 1: like too fast, then it's it might scare him. And 80 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:40,680 Speaker 1: especially these days to like clowns today are still following 81 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 1: a tradition from the early to mid twentie century. Kids 82 00:04:45,279 --> 00:04:49,360 Speaker 1: today aren't really hip with the mid twenty century. They're 83 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:52,679 Speaker 1: not into like mid century modern like art or design 84 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:55,000 Speaker 1: or anything like that, and so clowns are about as 85 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:58,040 Speaker 1: creepy to them as like an old wooden toy, right right, 86 00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:00,880 Speaker 1: It's just awful little, it's uncan ex don't get it. 87 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:03,279 Speaker 1: And as a result, there's this two thousand and eight 88 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:07,640 Speaker 1: UM study to the UK that the BBC reported on 89 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:10,920 Speaker 1: that found that most of the children in this study, 90 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: I think there was like two fifty population sample UM 91 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:19,480 Speaker 1: feared and or disliked clowns. Yeah, most of the kids 92 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:22,360 Speaker 1: in the study. That's a lot of sad clowns, yeah, 93 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:25,120 Speaker 1: and a lot of scared kids. So I think the 94 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:27,240 Speaker 1: point is to just keep clowns and kids away from 95 00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 1: one another. All right, are you ready to go back 96 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 1: in time? Yes, happen the old way back machine. It's 97 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:45,400 Speaker 1: London and it's eight oh three, and there's a man 98 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: named Joseph Grimaldi, and he, for all intents and purposes, 99 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:53,640 Speaker 1: has just invented the modern what we now think no 100 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:59,160 Speaker 1: as the clown yeah, very purposefully too, got the white makeup. 101 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:02,000 Speaker 1: They still call clowns Joey's yeah, because that was his 102 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:04,760 Speaker 1: character name. That's a nickname for clowns. Oh. He was. 103 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:07,840 Speaker 1: He huge, like not only did he invent clowns, and 104 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:12,040 Speaker 1: like today still they they you know, tip their clown 105 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:17,040 Speaker 1: hat at Grimaldi for inventing the clown he um. In 106 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:20,080 Speaker 1: his day he was huge. There was a legend that 107 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:23,240 Speaker 1: supposedly an eighth of the population of London had seen 108 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:26,880 Speaker 1: him on stage. There's a lot of people and still 109 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:31,279 Speaker 1: today on London's East End there um as a church 110 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:35,839 Speaker 1: that has an annual mass in his honor and everyone 111 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 1: comes in full clown makeup and costume to church. For Grimaldi, 112 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:44,080 Speaker 1: he was a big deal. He was very very famous 113 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:46,560 Speaker 1: for the time. He was a very well known person. 114 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:49,520 Speaker 1: And he had a contemporary too at about the same 115 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:53,960 Speaker 1: time in France named de Brow, and both of them 116 00:06:54,000 --> 00:07:00,720 Speaker 1: oddly were um they had really kind of sad backstories. Yeah, 117 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:02,920 Speaker 1: we'll get to that. That's sort of lends itself, I 118 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:05,479 Speaker 1: don't mean to get ahead of ourselves. That lends itself 119 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:08,440 Speaker 1: to the dark underbelly of clowning and why it might 120 00:07:08,520 --> 00:07:15,120 Speaker 1: have this reputation. But what clowning really sprung from was uh, 121 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:20,360 Speaker 1: from the beginning of time almost there were jesters essentially 122 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:24,760 Speaker 1: um and all types of all all over the world 123 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:27,720 Speaker 1: and all cultures. Yeah, it seems to be universal. Um. 124 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:30,840 Speaker 1: There were at least as far back as the like 125 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:40,400 Speaker 1: bc UM in Egypt, in China there are already jesters, uh, pranksters, clowns, tricksters, 126 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:43,920 Speaker 1: something of that ilk mischief makers. Yeah, and and in 127 00:07:44,080 --> 00:07:48,080 Speaker 1: totally disparate societies that never met one another, like um 128 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:52,200 Speaker 1: in Native America. Different Native American society has had some 129 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 1: version of the clown or the jester. Yeah. During a 130 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:58,720 Speaker 1: natural Navajo ritual, chance they would clowns would come into 131 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:03,840 Speaker 1: disrupt performances, bump into the dancers, Pueblo clowns they would 132 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:05,880 Speaker 1: have a sacred offering and they would come bouncing in 133 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 1: and and kind of mock what was going on and 134 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 1: maybe like to elude sex act in the middle of 135 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:16,760 Speaker 1: very serious ceremony to the gods. Yeah, it was the spirits. 136 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 1: That's a that's a big deal. That's an an unusual 137 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: role for someone to play. Sometimes they were considered shamans, 138 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: like they were imbued with some sort of power as well. Yeah, 139 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:29,840 Speaker 1: they were. They were held in high esteem. The same 140 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:34,559 Speaker 1: thing went on in Japan with the Taikomochi. Right, it 141 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:37,320 Speaker 1: means drum bear, drum bearer. Uh. They were in the 142 00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:41,079 Speaker 1: red light districts and apparently uh in the late sixteen hundreds. 143 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:44,800 Speaker 1: Their deal was when the when the party starts to wane, 144 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:47,439 Speaker 1: they were to bounce in and like get the party 145 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 1: started again. Hey hey yeah, And they were actually the 146 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:54,000 Speaker 1: original geisha. They were men and they were later replaced 147 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:56,760 Speaker 1: by women. But the Tychomochi were the original versions of 148 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:59,920 Speaker 1: the geisha, and the Taychomochi in the red light district 149 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:03,800 Speaker 1: actually ended up there because this period of peace settled 150 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:07,680 Speaker 1: over Japan. Because prior to that they were court jesters 151 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:11,160 Speaker 1: and also like military advisors. So once they weren't needed 152 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:13,000 Speaker 1: for that, they ended up in the red light district, 153 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:17,880 Speaker 1: like let's get this party party started. Yeah. So in India, 154 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:20,959 Speaker 1: the the official jesters there were a member of the Brahmin, 155 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:24,360 Speaker 1: which was the highest social class. Right, Yeah, that's where 156 00:09:24,679 --> 00:09:27,080 Speaker 1: that's the class that up. Who's a member of? Oh? 157 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: Really did he say that? That's what his mom said 158 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:32,720 Speaker 1: when he thinks she thinks that who's married to Marge. 159 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:35,120 Speaker 1: She goes, surely your children are aware of your brahm 160 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:42,440 Speaker 1: in heritage embarkoes, so long as there's no follow up questions. Absolutely, fully, man, 161 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:45,920 Speaker 1: that's a good one. Your knowledge is way deeper than mine. 162 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:48,760 Speaker 1: For the Simpsons too much. I think I stopped watching 163 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:53,480 Speaker 1: before you did too, but you still watch, right, Yeah, 164 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:57,360 Speaker 1: I fell off again, yeah, on again, off again. Um, 165 00:09:57,400 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 1: all right. So we're in India and the Brahmin they uh. 166 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:03,280 Speaker 1: One of the things you'll notice over and over here 167 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:08,880 Speaker 1: with jesters is what they really are are satirists. And 168 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:11,320 Speaker 1: their job is too and they were the only ones 169 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:13,839 Speaker 1: that could do this really was to poke fun at 170 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:16,400 Speaker 1: the leaders. They would they would never bounce in and 171 00:10:16,400 --> 00:10:18,400 Speaker 1: talk about how great the king is. They would bounce 172 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:20,920 Speaker 1: in and talk about how fat the king is and 173 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:24,080 Speaker 1: make jokes about like how many meals have you had today? Well, yeah, 174 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 1: and so there. Their Their role was to say, um, 175 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:31,400 Speaker 1: poke holes into the king's stupid ideas. Whereas the rest 176 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:34,000 Speaker 1: of the court would be like, oh, great idea, Um, 177 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:37,480 Speaker 1: you should paint the Great Wall of China. Whereas the 178 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:39,600 Speaker 1: gesture would be like, yeah, that's a great idea. Where 179 00:10:39,679 --> 00:10:43,480 Speaker 1: you going to get all that paint from your dummy. Well, 180 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:45,120 Speaker 1: speaking of China, I think they had some of the 181 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:47,959 Speaker 1: best names. Um, they have a great tradition of clowning, 182 00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:54,000 Speaker 1: and they had legends named twisty pole. Uh, Baldi Chuny 183 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:56,840 Speaker 1: that's the name of the podcast. That's a good one. 184 00:10:57,280 --> 00:10:59,520 Speaker 1: And this one I don't get moving bucket. I don't 185 00:10:59,559 --> 00:11:02,600 Speaker 1: get that one either. It probably makes sense in Chinese. 186 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:06,120 Speaker 1: Another one I came across was newly polished mirror. Really 187 00:11:06,559 --> 00:11:09,040 Speaker 1: was the name of a clown. That's no Bally chun though. 188 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:13,880 Speaker 1: Interesting uh. And then in Poland, Um, there was a 189 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:18,160 Speaker 1: legendary jester named Stanzik and I looked up this guy. 190 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:22,120 Speaker 1: He was. He was a legend beyond clowning. He was 191 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:25,760 Speaker 1: like the political satirist of his day. He worked for 192 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:31,440 Speaker 1: three different kings and was very intelligent, political philosopher and satirist. 193 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:36,240 Speaker 1: That Uh, it's still like revered in Poland, as you know, 194 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:40,120 Speaker 1: a necessary thing. Yeah. Supposedly one of his most famous 195 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:43,440 Speaker 1: stories was the king of Poland that he was working 196 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:47,679 Speaker 1: for had a bear imported from I think Russia or something, 197 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:51,800 Speaker 1: maybe Prussia, and UM let it loose so he could 198 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:54,600 Speaker 1: hunt it, and the bear came back with the king 199 00:11:54,679 --> 00:11:57,360 Speaker 1: and the court and the queen and like almost killed everybody. 200 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:02,160 Speaker 1: And um, the king later criticised stand Chick for running off, 201 00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:05,640 Speaker 1: and stan Chick said, well, it was smarter than letting 202 00:12:05,679 --> 00:12:09,839 Speaker 1: a cage bear loose something along those lines, and the 203 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:13,199 Speaker 1: king was like, oh touche, and everyone laughed, and then 204 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:17,560 Speaker 1: the bear eight the king. Uh. In ancient Rome, chuckers, Yeah, 205 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:22,720 Speaker 1: they used to call the court jester's stupidest stupidest Huh, yeah, 206 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:26,520 Speaker 1: that makes sense. Uh. Grimaldi himself came out of the 207 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:31,880 Speaker 1: rich tradition in Italy, um called the Comedia del Arte tradition. 208 00:12:32,679 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 1: And uh, this is in the fourteenth century, and it 209 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:38,199 Speaker 1: was some people say these were like the first professional 210 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 1: actors in the world. We're coming out of Italy at 211 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:43,800 Speaker 1: the time in this program, right. So at the time, 212 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:46,439 Speaker 1: you were basically if you were a clown or a 213 00:12:46,559 --> 00:12:49,280 Speaker 1: jester or something, you were probably a member of a court. 214 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:53,160 Speaker 1: If you're an member of a Native American tribe or 215 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:56,959 Speaker 1: um in most parts of Africa, and you were a jester, 216 00:12:57,600 --> 00:13:01,840 Speaker 1: you belong to the community rather than the specific leader. Um. 217 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:05,200 Speaker 1: But in Europe and China and Egypt and all over 218 00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:09,840 Speaker 1: wherever there was royalty, there was usually a jester of 219 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:14,560 Speaker 1: some sort, right, But one of the ways that jester spread, 220 00:13:14,679 --> 00:13:18,760 Speaker 1: especially saying in Europe, was from UM a jester being 221 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:22,880 Speaker 1: forced to hit the road first, stepping over the line, 222 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 1: basically getting kicked out. And that's one way that it 223 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:30,559 Speaker 1: kind of spread. Clowning originally spread to the masses was 224 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:33,319 Speaker 1: you may run across the court jesters down on his 225 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:35,600 Speaker 1: luck traveling along the road because he's got kicked out 226 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:38,040 Speaker 1: of courts, like I got all this great material exactly, 227 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:40,120 Speaker 1: but he's still a jester. He's gonna make you laugh, 228 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:43,400 Speaker 1: you know. Yeah, that makes sense, so that it's interesting. 229 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:46,320 Speaker 1: I think the king's tolerated to a certain degree, but 230 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:48,600 Speaker 1: if they're having a bad day, they're just like, all right, 231 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:51,120 Speaker 1: you're out of here, exactly. Yeah. And there's there's UM 232 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:54,560 Speaker 1: at least some debate over whether how how much of 233 00:13:54,679 --> 00:13:57,439 Speaker 1: the idea that a jester was the only one who 234 00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:01,720 Speaker 1: could speak his mind towards the king UM. Not that 235 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:04,080 Speaker 1: the idea was that more people in the court could 236 00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:07,120 Speaker 1: speak their mind, but that the jesture couldn't even speak 237 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:10,840 Speaker 1: their mind. In some cases, there were some documented versions 238 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:15,440 Speaker 1: like UM, the one in Persia Kareem Charay, who um 239 00:14:15,679 --> 00:14:21,400 Speaker 1: told the king has the shahnzzardin apparently said is there 240 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:25,520 Speaker 1: a short of shortage of food? And uh Kareem Sharay said, yes, 241 00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:28,120 Speaker 1: I see that, your majesty is eating only five times 242 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:31,000 Speaker 1: a day. And he made this little bow tie spin, 243 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:33,720 Speaker 1: but he got the point across that, Yeah, it's a 244 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:36,600 Speaker 1: shortage of food and you're not helping anything. You're cloister 245 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:39,120 Speaker 1: it up here in your ivory tower. And um, you 246 00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:41,760 Speaker 1: need to open up your eyes, your majesty. I'd like 247 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:44,560 Speaker 1: to see some of Baldi chunyus material. I would love 248 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:46,840 Speaker 1: to see that too. I bet he killed Oh bet 249 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:50,120 Speaker 1: he did as well, Chuck. So we'll get to what 250 00:14:50,320 --> 00:15:13,280 Speaker 1: clowning is specifically right after this. All right, clowning, my friend, 251 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:15,720 Speaker 1: is a lot of things, but what it is in 252 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:22,680 Speaker 1: all cases is exaggeration. Um, movements are exaggerated, your appearances exaggerated. 253 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:25,360 Speaker 1: That's why they wear big goofy suits and big goofy shoes. 254 00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:28,120 Speaker 1: The makeup to makeup. Of course, a lot of people 255 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:31,320 Speaker 1: look at a clown and say you're disguising something. The 256 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:33,840 Speaker 1: point of clown makeup is quite the opposite. It's meant 257 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:37,840 Speaker 1: to exaggerate the emotions that are already there. Yeah, like 258 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:41,920 Speaker 1: the big, huge smile or frown, the big frown yeah. Um. 259 00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:46,000 Speaker 1: And I've read one pro clowns um description of what 260 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:49,400 Speaker 1: clowning means, and he said, clowns aren't actors. We're not 261 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 1: supposed to pretend. What clowns do is exaggerate the the 262 00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:56,520 Speaker 1: emotions that we already have inside. So if you're a 263 00:15:56,520 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 1: really good clown, you're going to play up, you know, 264 00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:02,840 Speaker 1: the the um anger at being rebuffed when you're trying 265 00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:05,760 Speaker 1: to get a laugh from somebody, or you're gonna play 266 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:09,040 Speaker 1: up your stage fight at performing in front of some people. 267 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:12,120 Speaker 1: Like when you see a clown like acting a certain way, 268 00:16:12,520 --> 00:16:15,560 Speaker 1: you're you're supposed to understand that what they're they're actually 269 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:18,840 Speaker 1: feeling that right then it's just being it's it's being 270 00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:21,720 Speaker 1: broadcast on a clown scale. Yeah. And part of that 271 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:24,840 Speaker 1: is for comedic effect, and part of it is uh 272 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:29,520 Speaker 1: quite literally because in a circus, uh, you have a 273 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:31,440 Speaker 1: lot of people and you may may be sitting very 274 00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:34,360 Speaker 1: far away from you. So these big movements and the 275 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:39,600 Speaker 1: slapstick um, which actually I never knew this slapstick was 276 00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 1: an actual physical tool. Never heard of that. Yeah, it was. 277 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:47,240 Speaker 1: It's like looks like a paddle with another paddle hinge 278 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:50,680 Speaker 1: to it. And back in the old days of the 279 00:16:50,840 --> 00:16:54,920 Speaker 1: Comedia dell Arte in Italy, they would um strike someone 280 00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:57,160 Speaker 1: with this paddle and then of course the other paddle 281 00:16:57,200 --> 00:16:59,240 Speaker 1: on the hinge would smack really hard on the on 282 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:01,720 Speaker 1: the wood and so they could hit someone, not too hard, 283 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:03,760 Speaker 1: but make a sound, huge sound like they had been 284 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:05,800 Speaker 1: hit really hard. And that's where slapstick comes from. That's 285 00:17:05,840 --> 00:17:09,880 Speaker 1: the word slapstick. And um, we keep mentioning Comedia dell Art. Um, 286 00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:12,439 Speaker 1: that's where Grimaldi came out of. And this was the 287 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:16,280 Speaker 1: original place where the clown really first made it onto 288 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:20,320 Speaker 1: stage because remember when Comedia dell Art was establishing itself, 289 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 1: for the most part, clowns were relegated to court gester 290 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:27,360 Speaker 1: ship right yeah, and then mimes later, Yeah, we're relegated 291 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:30,880 Speaker 1: to parks. I guess so, right exactly. Um, So Comedia 292 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:35,000 Speaker 1: dell Art was this, um, this player production, and in 293 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:38,000 Speaker 1: the middle of it, or in different points, um, there'd 294 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:40,199 Speaker 1: be like a break or an intermission or something like that, 295 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:42,879 Speaker 1: and that would come like the jugglers and the baton twirlers, 296 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:46,159 Speaker 1: and there were also little skits and sketches and plays 297 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:49,720 Speaker 1: themselves that were intended for comic relief. And one of 298 00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:53,200 Speaker 1: those is called the harlequin Aide, and Harlequin you recognize 299 00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:55,760 Speaker 1: Harlequin is one of the jokers, the jesters, that kind 300 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:59,840 Speaker 1: of thing. Um, there's actually a character in the harlequin 301 00:17:59,840 --> 00:18:03,800 Speaker 1: Aie that was a clown, and Grimaldi originally played that character. 302 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:07,119 Speaker 1: And that character was um, kind of a bumpkin, a 303 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:10,040 Speaker 1: rustic rube. And as a matter of fact, the word 304 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:13,280 Speaker 1: clown supposedly comes from a sixteenth century German word for 305 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:18,040 Speaker 1: like a country bumpkin. Um, So that was the original character. Well, 306 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:21,320 Speaker 1: Grimaldi came along in about eight hundred and started playing 307 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:24,840 Speaker 1: this in the pantomime, which was that break in the 308 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:29,520 Speaker 1: Comedia dell Art relief exactly. And then the Harlequinade was 309 00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:33,639 Speaker 1: a a little mini play that was a panomime in 310 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:36,119 Speaker 1: the Comedia dell Art, right, And then the clown was 311 00:18:36,119 --> 00:18:39,199 Speaker 1: a character in the Harlequinade, and Grimaldi played it. But 312 00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:41,959 Speaker 1: he said, you know what, I'm not feeling this country 313 00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:46,280 Speaker 1: bumpkin thing. I think this guy's actually highly sophisticated, very smart, 314 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:51,360 Speaker 1: hilarious embody. And he started to play the character like that, 315 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:53,800 Speaker 1: and all of a sudden, the clown went from a 316 00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:57,159 Speaker 1: minor supporting character to the reason that people were coming 317 00:18:57,240 --> 00:19:00,640 Speaker 1: to the Comedia dell Art Productions the pan mine. Yeah, 318 00:19:00,680 --> 00:19:03,920 Speaker 1: so they were stealing the thunder of the legit actors. Yeah. 319 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:08,040 Speaker 1: And from that moment, the clown went from specifically a 320 00:19:08,119 --> 00:19:11,639 Speaker 1: rustic country boob to the clown that we start to 321 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:16,280 Speaker 1: understand today with face pain and like colored hair and everything. 322 00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:19,040 Speaker 1: Did you just laugh because I said boom, No, I 323 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:22,160 Speaker 1: just rustic Country Boob sounded like the name of like 324 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:27,399 Speaker 1: my memoir or something. It just struck me as a 325 00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:32,120 Speaker 1: nice titles. I just want a small, small royalty when 326 00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:36,680 Speaker 1: you publish those, Okay, except I would be Rustic City Boob. Yeah, 327 00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:39,800 Speaker 1: you know, sort of play on that whole thing. Yeah, 328 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:44,199 Speaker 1: that big it's even better man Sharknado and now the 329 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:48,040 Speaker 1: title for your memoirs, You're on fire. Um So clowning. 330 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:51,240 Speaker 1: One thing that you'll also notice the clowns do a 331 00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:53,200 Speaker 1: lot and this is not every clown, but a lot 332 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:58,240 Speaker 1: of clowning involves um play violence like slapstick. Yeah, Like 333 00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:00,560 Speaker 1: they're hitting It's like the three students, they're hitting each 334 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:03,520 Speaker 1: other a lot they're knocking each other down. Um, A 335 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:07,480 Speaker 1: big clown thing to do is to like disrupt the 336 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:11,560 Speaker 1: the legit act, Like we're clowns and we're gonna do 337 00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:14,800 Speaker 1: uh this neat thing where we all hold this ladder 338 00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:17,560 Speaker 1: and climate and then another clown will come in and 339 00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:20,720 Speaker 1: bust the ladder down and everyone will fall and it's 340 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:21,960 Speaker 1: all part of the act. But a lot of the 341 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:25,760 Speaker 1: Navajo clowns, yeah, same thing basically to disrupt the act. 342 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:29,560 Speaker 1: That's that's happening through violence, or they may just be 343 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:32,440 Speaker 1: jerks and like smell my flour oaps you get a 344 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:35,119 Speaker 1: squirt in the face. So if you're paying attention to 345 00:20:35,880 --> 00:20:41,159 Speaker 1: a group of clowns in their routine, you'll actually notice that, Um, 346 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:44,760 Speaker 1: there's usually a very clear line of command. Yeah, there's 347 00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:47,280 Speaker 1: a hierarchy for sure. There actually is. That it depends 348 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:50,200 Speaker 1: on You can tell who's in charge before the show 349 00:20:50,280 --> 00:20:54,520 Speaker 1: even starts based on their makeup. Actually it's it's um 350 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:57,480 Speaker 1: delineated by that. Yeah. So first you've got the white 351 00:20:57,480 --> 00:21:00,280 Speaker 1: face clown, which Grimaldi was one. So is are the 352 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:02,960 Speaker 1: clown who will talk about later. Um, but the white 353 00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:05,280 Speaker 1: face clown is the one who's in charge and going 354 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:08,560 Speaker 1: back to the three stooges, They actually um get across 355 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:11,440 Speaker 1: the hierarchy of clowns pretty clearly. So the white face 356 00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:15,280 Speaker 1: clown is mo. Absolutely, he's still a clown, um, but 357 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:19,560 Speaker 1: he's Boston the other ones around. He's as signing job. Yeah, 358 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:23,320 Speaker 1: and he might be the the most um hostile out 359 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:26,200 Speaker 1: of all of them. And then after that, and again, 360 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:29,720 Speaker 1: the white face clown has completely white paint all over 361 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:33,480 Speaker 1: his face and head and neck. Yeah, fringe counterpart you're 362 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:35,400 Speaker 1: talking about, the clown that he created was a white 363 00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:40,440 Speaker 1: face clown. Um. The perrot p i e r r 364 00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:43,320 Speaker 1: O t pro sounds good and that's a kind of 365 00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:46,640 Speaker 1: clown as well. But the pierrot is a white face clown, right, 366 00:21:46,720 --> 00:21:48,880 Speaker 1: So the white face clown is in charge of he 367 00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:51,359 Speaker 1: or she is at the top of the heap. After 368 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:54,800 Speaker 1: that you have the August clown. The August clown is 369 00:21:54,840 --> 00:22:00,199 Speaker 1: the one that um Usually they have that sloppy ver 370 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:06,960 Speaker 1: sized um outfit, huge like suspenders hanging on hanging even 371 00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:11,160 Speaker 1: bigger pants up. Um. The makeup is probably like flesh toned, yeah, 372 00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:13,960 Speaker 1: but like the eyes will like be super arched and 373 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:18,000 Speaker 1: like the smile will be really big and red. Probably 374 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:21,000 Speaker 1: a big red nose, although I think them the white 375 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:23,399 Speaker 1: face clown can have that too, But if you have 376 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:25,920 Speaker 1: a white face and an August clown next to each other, 377 00:22:26,119 --> 00:22:28,840 Speaker 1: the August clown's red ball nose is probably going to 378 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:31,480 Speaker 1: be a little bit bigger, and the August clown is 379 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:34,879 Speaker 1: um definitely the one who takes orders from the white 380 00:22:34,920 --> 00:22:41,800 Speaker 1: face clown, but um also a little more um hilarious maybe, 381 00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:47,840 Speaker 1: so like the August clown would be um maybe Larry, 382 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:51,200 Speaker 1: probably curly though, because you get he's kind of a boob. 383 00:22:51,280 --> 00:22:54,840 Speaker 1: You know, he's not a rustic country boom, but he's 384 00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:58,680 Speaker 1: just you know, kind of fun and lovable and and 385 00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:03,080 Speaker 1: he's still taking orders. What about shimp? Chimp completely breaks 386 00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:06,840 Speaker 1: this whole analogy apart. So with the augusta clown, it 387 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:12,399 Speaker 1: was um invented by a man named lu Jacobs, and 388 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:15,879 Speaker 1: there was there was a team, Albert Freatellini and Lu 389 00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:19,359 Speaker 1: Jacobs a clown team, and Fredellini was also part of 390 00:23:19,359 --> 00:23:22,800 Speaker 1: the Fredlini brothers, and he was the one who invented 391 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:25,119 Speaker 1: the red nose. Oh yeah, I thought it was pretty interesting. 392 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:27,480 Speaker 1: Yeah it is, yeah, But then then we have the 393 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:29,600 Speaker 1: tramp or the hobo, right, that's the next guy. Yeah, 394 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:32,240 Speaker 1: that one was invented by a dude named Emmett Kelly, 395 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:35,600 Speaker 1: and he actually invented the sad hobo clown, which you 396 00:23:36,040 --> 00:23:38,720 Speaker 1: can immediately bring to mind. I would imagine just hearing 397 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:44,600 Speaker 1: sad hobo clown, the downcasts, frown face, the stubble like 398 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:49,119 Speaker 1: five o'clock shadow. Yeah, the tattered tweed jacket patches, and 399 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:53,520 Speaker 1: the bendel bendel bag on the stick. So Emmett Kelly 400 00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:56,800 Speaker 1: comes up with the sad hobo clown and that's become 401 00:23:56,880 --> 00:24:01,160 Speaker 1: a fixture of clowning, and that tramp hobo or bag 402 00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:04,639 Speaker 1: lady clown is the one that's the lowest, wrong on 403 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:09,639 Speaker 1: the ladder, the highest on the totem pole. It kind 404 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:11,320 Speaker 1: of occurred to me when I was reading this that 405 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:14,960 Speaker 1: they're sort of I mean, are they making fun of 406 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:17,560 Speaker 1: the homeless? You know in a way. I think that's 407 00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:20,480 Speaker 1: probably a sticky thing that clowns don't like to address, 408 00:24:20,520 --> 00:24:23,040 Speaker 1: but very very much so. I mean that's clearly what 409 00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:25,960 Speaker 1: they're they're aping is you know, my clothes are tattered, 410 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:28,280 Speaker 1: I don't have a place to lay my head on them. 411 00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:31,199 Speaker 1: A sad hobo. And you have to understand like Emmett 412 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:34,400 Speaker 1: Kelly came up with this in the thirties or forties, 413 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:37,480 Speaker 1: maybe at a time when it was okay to make 414 00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:40,440 Speaker 1: fun people who were down on their luck like that. 415 00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:43,639 Speaker 1: I don't know why, but yes, and I thought the 416 00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:46,800 Speaker 1: same thing too. I was like, Wow, this is like 417 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:50,280 Speaker 1: making a clown version of homeless people. Yeah. I think 418 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:52,800 Speaker 1: what they would say. My guess is that they would say, there, 419 00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:55,000 Speaker 1: you should have a lot of sympathy for the hobo clown. 420 00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:57,679 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, and you're we're trying to elicit sympathy, not 421 00:24:57,760 --> 00:25:00,760 Speaker 1: necessarily laughs at my expense. Yeah, even though they do that, 422 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:04,360 Speaker 1: But they're the ones who are like, um, sweeping the 423 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:06,800 Speaker 1: mess that the other one's made up when the spotlight 424 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 1: goes out, crying on the inside and outside to sweep, 425 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:13,280 Speaker 1: sweeping the circus debt. Those are the three big ones. 426 00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:16,119 Speaker 1: There's also a character clown, which is makes up a 427 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:20,879 Speaker 1: fourth class of clown. Rodeo clowns fall into that, although 428 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:23,240 Speaker 1: they're technically more like the working clown there, like a 429 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:26,480 Speaker 1: sheep dog clown, um, but a character clown would be 430 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:30,800 Speaker 1: like a keystone cop or an astronaut clown. Basically, if 431 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:33,080 Speaker 1: you can come up with the profession that uses a 432 00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:35,200 Speaker 1: costume and then make a clown version of it. That's 433 00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:40,600 Speaker 1: a character clown. So those are the doctor clown. Oh yeah, 434 00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:45,960 Speaker 1: what was that video Hospital Clowning on Found Footage Festival. Yeah, 435 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:49,760 Speaker 1: this video Josh found is a guy that made a 436 00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:54,399 Speaker 1: series of clown instructional videos a medical clown which they 437 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:58,359 Speaker 1: do valuable valuable service by going to children's hospitals and 438 00:25:58,400 --> 00:26:01,720 Speaker 1: things and scaring the making it feel better. But this 439 00:26:01,720 --> 00:26:04,400 Speaker 1: guy did some instructional videos on how to do this 440 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:05,919 Speaker 1: and what to do and what not to do. What 441 00:26:06,040 --> 00:26:10,680 Speaker 1: not to do is very important. Don't touch a covered 442 00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:13,840 Speaker 1: part because you never know if they've just had their 443 00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:18,800 Speaker 1: leg amputated, was one piece of advice. Oh it's so funny. Um, yeah, 444 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:21,199 Speaker 1: so go. Actually, if you go, if you're listening to 445 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:24,639 Speaker 1: this on our website, on that the podcast page for 446 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:27,160 Speaker 1: this episode, it should be in the links. Yeah, we'll 447 00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:28,960 Speaker 1: definitely put that in there. If not, and you don't 448 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:31,320 Speaker 1: feel like going to our website, just look up hospital 449 00:26:31,359 --> 00:26:35,040 Speaker 1: Clowning Found Footage Festival and it will come up. It's wonderful. 450 00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:37,600 Speaker 1: It is. It is delightful. We we talked about it 451 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:40,760 Speaker 1: on our Internet round Up video show. As well. We did. 452 00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:44,840 Speaker 1: So the big question here is why is this funny? 453 00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:48,560 Speaker 1: Why do we need this? Why do people indulge clowns? Um, 454 00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:50,560 Speaker 1: we're not indulge. Why do they like clowns? It's a 455 00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:52,440 Speaker 1: better way to put Why do we let clowns get 456 00:26:52,440 --> 00:26:55,080 Speaker 1: away with making fun of the homeless? Um? I think 457 00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:57,359 Speaker 1: a good reason that it's pointed out in the article 458 00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:00,760 Speaker 1: on how stuff works, is that, Um, we have a 459 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:03,760 Speaker 1: very rigid, complex society that we live in, and there 460 00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:07,159 Speaker 1: are rules in their social order, and uh, you know, 461 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:10,760 Speaker 1: we have to maintain our good behavior, and so clowning 462 00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:15,560 Speaker 1: is a safety valve, is how this author put it. Two. 463 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:19,240 Speaker 1: You know, we can live vicariously through the clown who 464 00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:22,480 Speaker 1: breaks down those social norms and says, I'll do whatever 465 00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:24,719 Speaker 1: I want. I'll make fun of the king, or I'll, 466 00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:27,679 Speaker 1: you know, squirt this little kid in the face with 467 00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:33,359 Speaker 1: water everybody, And um, you know since the French clown 468 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:35,439 Speaker 1: he beat a kid to death of his cane in 469 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:37,320 Speaker 1: the street from making fun of him, and that's taking 470 00:27:37,359 --> 00:27:39,880 Speaker 1: it too far. Well, he did, and he I looked 471 00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:42,400 Speaker 1: this up. He went to trial and was acquitted. But um, 472 00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:45,080 Speaker 1: apparently it was like the trial of the century because 473 00:27:45,119 --> 00:27:48,000 Speaker 1: everyone wanted to hear him speak. Oh he was a 474 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:52,520 Speaker 1: silent clown. Was a silent clown. Um the piroas. So, yeah, 475 00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:54,280 Speaker 1: he be had a kid that was making fun of 476 00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:57,000 Speaker 1: him and he killed him. He didn't mean to you 477 00:27:57,080 --> 00:27:59,600 Speaker 1: meant to hit him. He meant to kill him. He 478 00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:02,560 Speaker 1: said it is a single blow, and I imagine he 479 00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:07,400 Speaker 1: was just like not again, yeah, or he would mind 480 00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:10,200 Speaker 1: whatever that is. So I want to address what you said. 481 00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:12,440 Speaker 1: The role of clowns are and this is going to 482 00:28:12,520 --> 00:28:15,159 Speaker 1: be like the most sour puss thing you've heard today, 483 00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:17,360 Speaker 1: but it really makes sense in a way. So, yes, 484 00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:20,240 Speaker 1: the role of the clown is to vent the general 485 00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:25,000 Speaker 1: populations frustrations that abuse heaped on us by the ruling class, 486 00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:28,439 Speaker 1: or the conventions of society or what happened, and the 487 00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:32,680 Speaker 1: clown allows us to feel better about things because this 488 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:35,760 Speaker 1: is being made fun of, its being addressed. But you 489 00:28:35,760 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 1: can also make the case that in that sense, the 490 00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:45,560 Speaker 1: clown satire, anything that provides that function in society actually 491 00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:50,160 Speaker 1: just keeps the status quo in place, because rather than 492 00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:54,800 Speaker 1: any real change coming about from those simmering frustrations that 493 00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:57,880 Speaker 1: are aren't allowed to vent, just to release that once 494 00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:00,360 Speaker 1: they're released, then we can just move a long. But 495 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:03,640 Speaker 1: nothing's actually really changed. It's been satirized, and so we're 496 00:29:03,760 --> 00:29:07,320 Speaker 1: satisfied to a certain degree. Interesting, you know, I know 497 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:12,480 Speaker 1: it's a really like kind of view of clowns in general, 498 00:29:12,560 --> 00:29:15,800 Speaker 1: but it really does keep the status quo in place, 499 00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:19,520 Speaker 1: and a really effective ruler will allow him or herself 500 00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:23,400 Speaker 1: to have just enough fun poked at so that um, 501 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:25,640 Speaker 1: here she appears to have been brought down a peg, 502 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:30,400 Speaker 1: but really the power is totally unchecked by that. Yeah. Interesting, 503 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:33,080 Speaker 1: We should do one on satire. That's a pretty rich subject. 504 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:37,480 Speaker 1: I think the function of a satirist is um important. 505 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:39,560 Speaker 1: But um, you do raise a good point, like at 506 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:41,520 Speaker 1: the end of the day, what does change come about 507 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:44,120 Speaker 1: because of it? Or is it just well, at least 508 00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:47,640 Speaker 1: we all got to laugh right at this. It serves 509 00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:51,000 Speaker 1: what serves a function. It does serve a function. It 510 00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:54,600 Speaker 1: serves to play kate. Yeah. Interesting, thanks man, that is 511 00:29:54,680 --> 00:30:00,280 Speaker 1: that's all mine, Josh right copyright. So we should probably 512 00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:02,440 Speaker 1: take a break, um, and then we'll come back and 513 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:24,160 Speaker 1: talk a little more about you guessed it clowns. All right, 514 00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:26,440 Speaker 1: we're back and by the way, yeah, if you have 515 00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:28,680 Speaker 1: heard some weird sounds in the background of this one. 516 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:31,120 Speaker 1: It's because some jerk in this building is using a drill. 517 00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:33,480 Speaker 1: You're not insane and they're not supposed to be doing 518 00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:36,120 Speaker 1: that right now. But it's hopefully it's not too distracting. 519 00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:37,600 Speaker 1: It's sort of here and there. I just want to 520 00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:41,280 Speaker 1: mention that, Yeah, you're not hearing the hume. So careers 521 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:45,160 Speaker 1: and clowning, my friend, Yeah, you mentioned hospital clowning. That's 522 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:48,200 Speaker 1: definitely a way to go. University of Haifa in Israel 523 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:51,840 Speaker 1: has a i think a bachelor's degree in medical clowning, 524 00:30:52,200 --> 00:30:55,040 Speaker 1: and it's exactly what it sounds like. You're you learn 525 00:30:55,400 --> 00:30:58,719 Speaker 1: to go into hospitals and raise the spirits, usually of kids, 526 00:30:59,080 --> 00:31:01,400 Speaker 1: but I think it applied just about anybody in a 527 00:31:01,440 --> 00:31:04,560 Speaker 1: hospital who wants to have their spirits picked up and react. Well, 528 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:08,320 Speaker 1: the clowns, I think kids mainly medical clown I know, 529 00:31:08,360 --> 00:31:10,880 Speaker 1: I like, get out of my hospital room. Yeah, an 530 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:13,840 Speaker 1: adult that's going in for like a bypasser train, it's 531 00:31:13,840 --> 00:31:15,680 Speaker 1: a clown in the room. No, that's just my thing. 532 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:18,880 Speaker 1: That just makes a clown want to try harder. Just 533 00:31:19,040 --> 00:31:24,360 Speaker 1: no bad touch, don't touch any covered parts. So membership 534 00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:28,000 Speaker 1: is waning these days in the World Clown Association. Um, 535 00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:32,160 Speaker 1: they don't keep exact stats, but they um anecdotally say 536 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:36,600 Speaker 1: that it's dropped by about a third in recent years. Um. 537 00:31:36,640 --> 00:31:38,400 Speaker 1: But like I said, you can be a pro clown. 538 00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:41,560 Speaker 1: You can go to Wringling Brothers as a clown college 539 00:31:41,720 --> 00:31:45,200 Speaker 1: in Sarasota. Dude, it is brutal as far as competition 540 00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:47,680 Speaker 1: goes what to get in. Yeah, I'm sure. So. In 541 00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:50,680 Speaker 1: two thousand and thirteen they had five thirty one applicants 542 00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:52,600 Speaker 1: from around the world and they let in two clowns. 543 00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:58,520 Speaker 1: They selected fourteen to come to camp. They hired eleven. Yeah, 544 00:31:58,560 --> 00:32:02,600 Speaker 1: that's pretty to be competitive. Um, and there's only twenty 545 00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:05,200 Speaker 1: six total clowns that work for all of England. Brothers, 546 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:08,760 Speaker 1: Barnum and Bailey. They shuffle them around the three circuses 547 00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:10,320 Speaker 1: that are going on and they didn't give him point 548 00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:12,800 Speaker 1: in time. Interesting, but it pays pretty well. They inject 549 00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:15,440 Speaker 1: them with formalde hyde and put them in a cryogenic chamber. 550 00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:17,640 Speaker 1: You will never die, ship them to a different part 551 00:32:17,680 --> 00:32:21,160 Speaker 1: of the country, regenerate them but on their red nose, 552 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:25,560 Speaker 1: and it's all good show time. Circus A. You can 553 00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:28,200 Speaker 1: do a lot worse than that. My friend if you 554 00:32:28,240 --> 00:32:30,560 Speaker 1: want to go that route. It's different kind of clowning, 555 00:32:31,080 --> 00:32:33,560 Speaker 1: but it's I think a little more of the old 556 00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:38,360 Speaker 1: Italian and European style. It depends they go for both. Yeah, 557 00:32:38,920 --> 00:32:43,040 Speaker 1: they go for a like character comedy and then I 558 00:32:43,080 --> 00:32:46,760 Speaker 1: think like physical slapsticks straight up. Yeah. But you can 559 00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:49,880 Speaker 1: make up to two K a year at circu to Sola. 560 00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:55,200 Speaker 1: I think that's like yeah at Wrinkling Brothers. Apparently for 561 00:32:55,280 --> 00:32:58,640 Speaker 1: clowns they can make up too K a year. K 562 00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:02,800 Speaker 1: means a thousand, that's and buy that, I mean dollars. Uh. 563 00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:05,920 Speaker 1: If you're into French clowning, you can go to Paris 564 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:11,320 Speaker 1: and study at the Ecole a Internationale de Theatra Jacques 565 00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:18,840 Speaker 1: leco Jacques Lecoq theater Jacques lecoq I was pronounced yeah, sure, 566 00:33:18,840 --> 00:33:22,120 Speaker 1: it's not leco no, it's definitely the coup okay. So 567 00:33:22,280 --> 00:33:26,080 Speaker 1: he do you remember leacock sportif like um tennis ware 568 00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:29,880 Speaker 1: from the eighties, I called it leco No, it's lecoc okay. 569 00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:31,560 Speaker 1: I mean either that I have been saying things wrong 570 00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:34,280 Speaker 1: for thirty years, which is entirely possible, but I'm almost 571 00:33:34,360 --> 00:33:38,000 Speaker 1: positive because think about it's a clown Jacques Lecoq. I mean, 572 00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:41,160 Speaker 1: it's very funny. I know, it's hilarious. It's way funnier 573 00:33:41,200 --> 00:33:43,880 Speaker 1: than Jacques leco So if it is Jacque leco this 574 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:45,600 Speaker 1: guy should have thought his name out a little better. 575 00:33:45,640 --> 00:33:48,720 Speaker 1: It's a good point. So Jacques Lecoq was a big 576 00:33:48,760 --> 00:33:51,480 Speaker 1: innovator in clowning and he had a school um that 577 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:53,320 Speaker 1: this is still based on, you know, in Paris, but 578 00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:55,440 Speaker 1: he had a school back in the day where his 579 00:33:55,520 --> 00:34:02,200 Speaker 1: big thing was UM called the via negative the or negativa, 580 00:34:02,440 --> 00:34:06,680 Speaker 1: which is basically basically like, he doesn't say what you're 581 00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:10,040 Speaker 1: doing is right or wrong. Um, he's he's not there 582 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:11,879 Speaker 1: to teach you a set of skills. He's to teach 583 00:34:11,880 --> 00:34:14,279 Speaker 1: you to do what you do best right and to 584 00:34:14,360 --> 00:34:17,680 Speaker 1: embrace your own style. It's pretty neat. I found that 585 00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:20,960 Speaker 1: just about anywhere. Um, I saw like how to clown 586 00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:23,680 Speaker 1: or anything like that. During research, one of the main 587 00:34:23,760 --> 00:34:27,839 Speaker 1: things was figure out your style of clown and it's 588 00:34:27,880 --> 00:34:30,359 Speaker 1: based on who you are, and then just figure out 589 00:34:30,440 --> 00:34:33,759 Speaker 1: how to bring that out as big as possible, but 590 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:36,000 Speaker 1: that it was all about you and and figuring out 591 00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:39,080 Speaker 1: your own jam. Um. They also suggest that you should 592 00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:43,160 Speaker 1: probably have at least one talent like still walking, juggling 593 00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:47,640 Speaker 1: balloon animals is a big one too, like something like 594 00:34:47,680 --> 00:34:50,400 Speaker 1: that water squirting. But they pointed out that you should 595 00:34:50,400 --> 00:34:53,279 Speaker 1: be able to be funny with no props whatsoever. And 596 00:34:53,320 --> 00:34:55,920 Speaker 1: then you start incorporating props, well, it's probably good to 597 00:34:56,160 --> 00:34:59,319 Speaker 1: practice them along the way. Give up that rubber chicken, though, right, 598 00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:01,040 Speaker 1: and really work just put it in a drawer for 599 00:35:01,080 --> 00:35:03,919 Speaker 1: a little while and and be funny without the rubber chicken. 600 00:35:03,960 --> 00:35:06,040 Speaker 1: Then when you add the rubber chicken, you're really going 601 00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:09,880 Speaker 1: to be funny, right, Um, But that all is based 602 00:35:09,960 --> 00:35:13,719 Speaker 1: on Remember, clowns are exaggerations of a human personality, and 603 00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:18,440 Speaker 1: specifically that person's personality, and so that's what you're supposed 604 00:35:18,480 --> 00:35:23,279 Speaker 1: to work on initially like that, Yeah, so, um, I 605 00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:28,640 Speaker 1: think are we now at the at the the colerophobia? Yeah? 606 00:35:28,719 --> 00:35:32,319 Speaker 1: I think so? Why do people hate clowns? Why are 607 00:35:32,400 --> 00:35:36,160 Speaker 1: people afraid of clowns? So initially we talked about Grimaldi 608 00:35:36,239 --> 00:35:40,319 Speaker 1: and Debrow having pretty grim backstories, and like everybody knew 609 00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:43,640 Speaker 1: it at the time. Everyone went to de bros Um trial. 610 00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:48,799 Speaker 1: Grimaldi apparently used to crack that he was grim all day, 611 00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:52,560 Speaker 1: but he made you, he delighted you at night, right, Yeah, 612 00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:55,200 Speaker 1: play on his name, right, So everyone knew that he 613 00:35:55,320 --> 00:35:58,440 Speaker 1: had this depressing life. His son was an alcoholic clown 614 00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:01,799 Speaker 1: who died of drink at thirty one. Yeah. His father 615 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:05,600 Speaker 1: was a stage father, a tyrant. Supposedly his first wife 616 00:36:05,680 --> 00:36:11,480 Speaker 1: died during childbirth. Um, Grimaldi was in bad physical shape 617 00:36:11,520 --> 00:36:14,360 Speaker 1: from all the slapstick that he performed over the years. 618 00:36:14,440 --> 00:36:17,080 Speaker 1: And everyone knew this, and yet he was a clown, 619 00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:19,920 Speaker 1: and no one thought, oh, that's kind of weird for 620 00:36:19,960 --> 00:36:22,440 Speaker 1: a clown, or very ironic for a clown to have 621 00:36:22,520 --> 00:36:27,560 Speaker 1: a terrible life, in part because Grimaldi invented the modern clown. 622 00:36:27,880 --> 00:36:30,120 Speaker 1: So that was the conception of the modern clown for 623 00:36:30,120 --> 00:36:33,719 Speaker 1: a very long time. It wasn't until the early twentieth 624 00:36:33,800 --> 00:36:37,880 Speaker 1: century that clowns were taken away from this idea that 625 00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:43,279 Speaker 1: they were adults, pranksters um kind of body humor and 626 00:36:43,320 --> 00:36:47,160 Speaker 1: placed squarely in the realm of little kids, and they 627 00:36:47,160 --> 00:36:50,279 Speaker 1: were expected to be happy all the time and kind 628 00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:55,160 Speaker 1: of these fantastic creatures that cannot possibly ever really be 629 00:36:55,320 --> 00:36:58,719 Speaker 1: that way. So automatically, clowns were set up to be 630 00:36:59,320 --> 00:37:01,719 Speaker 1: something kind of creepy because they were held to these 631 00:37:01,719 --> 00:37:04,279 Speaker 1: really high standards that they could never meet. And for 632 00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:08,280 Speaker 1: a little while it worked, like Bozo the Clown was huge. 633 00:37:08,960 --> 00:37:12,640 Speaker 1: There was apparently so Bozo the Clown on TV was 634 00:37:12,680 --> 00:37:16,120 Speaker 1: a franchise, right, so if you were a local TV station, 635 00:37:16,239 --> 00:37:18,480 Speaker 1: you could have your own Bows of the Clown and 636 00:37:18,480 --> 00:37:20,480 Speaker 1: put on your own Bows of the Clown show. But 637 00:37:20,560 --> 00:37:22,880 Speaker 1: at the main one at w g N in Chicago, 638 00:37:23,640 --> 00:37:26,600 Speaker 1: the waiting list for tickets to the studio audience was 639 00:37:26,719 --> 00:37:30,120 Speaker 1: ten years long. And as a matter of fact, Willard 640 00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:33,560 Speaker 1: Scott played Bozo, and Willard Scott went on to become 641 00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:37,920 Speaker 1: Ronald McDonald from playing Bozo and the Ronald McDonald was 642 00:37:37,960 --> 00:37:42,200 Speaker 1: inspired by Bozo because McDonald sponsored the Bozo Show and 643 00:37:42,239 --> 00:37:45,719 Speaker 1: they saw how crazy popular this clown was with the kids, 644 00:37:45,719 --> 00:37:48,239 Speaker 1: so they made their own clown, Ronald McDonald, so that 645 00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:51,919 Speaker 1: they could better market two kids. And it worked, it did. 646 00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:55,760 Speaker 1: But then eventually I think there was always this idea 647 00:37:55,840 --> 00:37:58,480 Speaker 1: that this is a little weird, this is creepy, like 648 00:37:58,520 --> 00:38:01,080 Speaker 1: nobody can be that happy? What you you know, what's 649 00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:04,640 Speaker 1: going on there? Well? Charles Dickens wrote um the Memoir. 650 00:38:04,840 --> 00:38:09,200 Speaker 1: He edited the Memoir of Grimaldi when he died, and 651 00:38:09,520 --> 00:38:13,520 Speaker 1: he basically laid it all out there about what a ghastly, 652 00:38:14,719 --> 00:38:16,719 Speaker 1: you know, sort of person that this guy was in 653 00:38:16,760 --> 00:38:19,560 Speaker 1: real life, and it was a huge hit, Like people 654 00:38:19,560 --> 00:38:22,640 Speaker 1: bought this book like crazy. So you coupled that with 655 00:38:23,360 --> 00:38:27,759 Speaker 1: um Pierrot or what was his real name, Debrow who 656 00:38:27,880 --> 00:38:33,359 Speaker 1: killed a kid. This king goes on trial, and so 657 00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:37,080 Speaker 1: you have this very sort of dark seed planet and then, 658 00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:39,319 Speaker 1: like you said, years later, all of a sudden, it's 659 00:38:39,360 --> 00:38:41,800 Speaker 1: not meant for body adults at you know, getting drunk 660 00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:44,640 Speaker 1: watching Shakespeare's Let's take these guys and put them around 661 00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:47,879 Speaker 1: our kids. Yeah, exactly, So you have a recipe for 662 00:38:48,600 --> 00:38:52,719 Speaker 1: at the very least clowns to be confusing and then 663 00:38:53,120 --> 00:38:56,680 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, chuck out of nowhere in the 664 00:38:56,719 --> 00:39:01,840 Speaker 1: worst case scenario, nightmare comes to pass John Wayne Gaycy. Yeah, yeah, 665 00:39:01,880 --> 00:39:04,640 Speaker 1: the idea that was in all the parents backs to 666 00:39:04,719 --> 00:39:06,600 Speaker 1: their heads, right, like this is a little creepy. This 667 00:39:06,640 --> 00:39:08,640 Speaker 1: is a grown man hanging out with my kids, and 668 00:39:08,680 --> 00:39:12,360 Speaker 1: he's he's he's sort of acting out these weird happy, 669 00:39:12,360 --> 00:39:16,200 Speaker 1: half happy happy violent things, like he's tripping people and 670 00:39:16,239 --> 00:39:21,799 Speaker 1: squirting them and he looks creepy. And now he's another killer. Yes, 671 00:39:21,920 --> 00:39:25,240 Speaker 1: he's a serial killer as a clown Pogo the clown, 672 00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:28,040 Speaker 1: but yes, serial killer of the worst variety, and he 673 00:39:28,400 --> 00:39:30,120 Speaker 1: was larger and in charge because I think Pogo the 674 00:39:30,120 --> 00:39:33,080 Speaker 1: Clown was a white faced clown I remember correctly. Oh yeah, 675 00:39:33,120 --> 00:39:35,040 Speaker 1: I mean there's you look up the pictures of Gaycey 676 00:39:35,120 --> 00:39:39,000 Speaker 1: as a clown. It's about the creepiest thing on the internet. Yeah. 677 00:39:39,160 --> 00:39:41,960 Speaker 1: So he, uh you know how many kids you killed? 678 00:39:41,960 --> 00:39:44,960 Speaker 1: Like thirty three young boys? Yeah, thirty five and he 679 00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:47,640 Speaker 1: was convicted of thirty three, I believe. But he didn't 680 00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:51,160 Speaker 1: help the case of clowns, uh by, Like when he 681 00:39:51,200 --> 00:39:53,520 Speaker 1: went to prison, he would still paint pictures of clowns 682 00:39:53,520 --> 00:39:55,839 Speaker 1: and of himself as a clown. And it was like 683 00:39:56,320 --> 00:39:59,000 Speaker 1: he had he had quite a collection of paintings from 684 00:39:59,040 --> 00:40:02,439 Speaker 1: prison that did not do anything but reinforced the fact 685 00:40:02,480 --> 00:40:04,640 Speaker 1: that clowns are creepy, right, And of course it was 686 00:40:04,719 --> 00:40:09,520 Speaker 1: like international news a clown found to be a killer 687 00:40:10,120 --> 00:40:15,760 Speaker 1: and sexual predator, a serial version of that. It definitely 688 00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:18,319 Speaker 1: captured the public imagination from that point on. It was 689 00:40:18,400 --> 00:40:22,240 Speaker 1: like clowns are now overtly sinister. Yeah, and in movies, 690 00:40:22,640 --> 00:40:27,040 Speaker 1: killer clowns from outer space or it. Well, yeah, Stephen 691 00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:29,680 Speaker 1: Kings Pennywise, the clown. Yeah, that was one of the 692 00:40:29,760 --> 00:40:34,640 Speaker 1: legendary scary clowns, that new one on American Horror Story. Twisty, Yeah, 693 00:40:34,719 --> 00:40:36,400 Speaker 1: have you seen that one? But if you look at 694 00:40:36,400 --> 00:40:38,799 Speaker 1: it so so John Wayne Gaze is scary in real life. 695 00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:44,160 Speaker 1: Pennywise the clown pretty scary, but still you know, masterfully scary. 696 00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:48,200 Speaker 1: Now you've gotten to Twisty the clown on American Horror Story, 697 00:40:48,560 --> 00:40:52,960 Speaker 1: and he's like, he's as scary as it comes. But 698 00:40:53,200 --> 00:40:56,400 Speaker 1: think about the amount of violence they're having to imbue 699 00:40:56,400 --> 00:41:01,240 Speaker 1: in this guy and show graphically, because this frightening clown 700 00:41:01,320 --> 00:41:03,960 Speaker 1: has become such a trope over time, it's just got 701 00:41:03,960 --> 00:41:08,799 Speaker 1: to get more intense and extreme, right Like, eventually, just 702 00:41:08,880 --> 00:41:12,279 Speaker 1: to really get the full thrill, like theater promoters are 703 00:41:12,280 --> 00:41:13,960 Speaker 1: going to have to send a clown and to kill 704 00:41:14,040 --> 00:41:18,120 Speaker 1: half the audience to scare the other half in real life. 705 00:41:19,560 --> 00:41:23,440 Speaker 1: So what you're saying is it's a loop, an endless 706 00:41:23,480 --> 00:41:26,040 Speaker 1: loop where clowns are getting worse and worse and worse. 707 00:41:26,160 --> 00:41:27,960 Speaker 1: I don't know. I think eventually it'll just be so 708 00:41:28,040 --> 00:41:31,640 Speaker 1: played out that people be like, oh, scary clown, Seriously, 709 00:41:31,719 --> 00:41:35,640 Speaker 1: you actually use this, And eventually what will happen was 710 00:41:36,560 --> 00:41:41,440 Speaker 1: or will I think be that clowns can. They'll be 711 00:41:41,480 --> 00:41:45,200 Speaker 1: a door and opening for clowns to regain some of 712 00:41:45,200 --> 00:41:51,280 Speaker 1: their innocence from that, but to a negotiated degree, because 713 00:41:51,320 --> 00:41:54,520 Speaker 1: they'll have gone through that period of being overtly frightening 714 00:41:54,520 --> 00:41:58,360 Speaker 1: and associated with something really sinister lurking beneath the surface, 715 00:41:58,800 --> 00:42:02,279 Speaker 1: and maybe we'll expect a little less from clowns and 716 00:42:02,280 --> 00:42:05,719 Speaker 1: then therefore they can take their rightful place once more 717 00:42:05,719 --> 00:42:07,279 Speaker 1: having to go through this. It sounds to me like 718 00:42:07,320 --> 00:42:11,560 Speaker 1: you're predicting a clown renaissance, clown renaissance, a well maintained 719 00:42:11,800 --> 00:42:15,040 Speaker 1: and tasteful clown renaissance. Maybe not a Golden Age or 720 00:42:15,080 --> 00:42:20,320 Speaker 1: a Heyday, but something that's stable, indefinitely got you well. 721 00:42:20,360 --> 00:42:21,920 Speaker 1: You know. The other thing I think we talked about 722 00:42:21,920 --> 00:42:24,520 Speaker 1: this on the Internet round up is the French teenagers 723 00:42:24,520 --> 00:42:27,319 Speaker 1: that were dressing up as clowns causing mayhem and they're 724 00:42:27,320 --> 00:42:29,960 Speaker 1: not helping anything. None of that helps. And then there's 725 00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:33,919 Speaker 1: other cases I've seen where where was it. I don't 726 00:42:34,280 --> 00:42:36,560 Speaker 1: think it was England where there was just this creepy 727 00:42:36,800 --> 00:42:39,920 Speaker 1: clown just just sit there hanging around. I think it 728 00:42:39,960 --> 00:42:42,319 Speaker 1: was in Canada, with Canada it might have been in 729 00:42:42,400 --> 00:42:45,920 Speaker 1: both actual none of these things are helping legit clowns. 730 00:42:45,960 --> 00:42:49,280 Speaker 1: I'm sure they're all like, thanks, guys, We're just dressing 731 00:42:49,320 --> 00:42:52,200 Speaker 1: up and being creepy on a bench, just sitting midnight. Yeah, 732 00:42:52,239 --> 00:42:54,400 Speaker 1: at midnight. But when you think about it, there's it 733 00:42:54,440 --> 00:42:55,960 Speaker 1: could just be a clown that got up work. I mean, 734 00:42:55,960 --> 00:43:00,320 Speaker 1: why is that so creepy? I don't think that's it. Um. 735 00:43:00,360 --> 00:43:02,520 Speaker 1: I want to give a shout out to a Smithsonian 736 00:43:02,640 --> 00:43:05,799 Speaker 1: article that we used in part for this. It's called 737 00:43:05,840 --> 00:43:10,360 Speaker 1: The History and Psychology of Clowns Being Scary, which is 738 00:43:10,400 --> 00:43:13,160 Speaker 1: pretty clunky title, but it was a very good, comprehensive, 739 00:43:13,200 --> 00:43:17,600 Speaker 1: exhaustive article on that. So go check that out. Agreed, Uh, 740 00:43:17,840 --> 00:43:20,200 Speaker 1: you got anything else right now? No, if you want 741 00:43:20,200 --> 00:43:22,319 Speaker 1: to know more about clowns, type that word in the 742 00:43:22,320 --> 00:43:24,759 Speaker 1: search bar at how stuff works dot com. And we 743 00:43:24,760 --> 00:43:26,960 Speaker 1: should do one on just how circus is in general 744 00:43:27,000 --> 00:43:29,120 Speaker 1: works someday. Have we not done that? No we haven't. 745 00:43:29,200 --> 00:43:33,920 Speaker 1: We've done circusy things. We've done like flame eating, Daredevil's juggling, 746 00:43:34,040 --> 00:43:39,600 Speaker 1: sword swallowing, like human cannonballs, all that jam. But no, no, 747 00:43:40,680 --> 00:43:43,440 Speaker 1: what's left circus is how circus work? Yeah, but I mean, 748 00:43:43,480 --> 00:43:46,040 Speaker 1: what's left that's not those things? We can? We can, 749 00:43:46,520 --> 00:43:50,239 Speaker 1: We'll find it. Okay, uh, I think I said search bar, 750 00:43:50,280 --> 00:43:51,920 Speaker 1: didn't I? I think so. Well, it's time for a 751 00:43:51,920 --> 00:44:02,160 Speaker 1: listener maw. I'm gonna call this um saving a marriage. Okay, 752 00:44:02,480 --> 00:44:05,200 Speaker 1: Hey guys, my wife, I want to give you credit 753 00:44:05,280 --> 00:44:07,560 Speaker 1: for making two young love birds fall deeper in love. 754 00:44:07,960 --> 00:44:09,680 Speaker 1: My wife Lindsey and I have been married for almost 755 00:44:09,719 --> 00:44:14,279 Speaker 1: a year April our anniversary, so congrat Yeah, this is 756 00:44:14,320 --> 00:44:17,640 Speaker 1: probably pretty close to that. Um. We are a perfect 757 00:44:17,680 --> 00:44:19,960 Speaker 1: match in almost every aspect of our relationship except for 758 00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:22,280 Speaker 1: one major area, what to listen to on the radio 759 00:44:22,400 --> 00:44:25,280 Speaker 1: on road trips. She can't stand listening to my awesome 760 00:44:25,360 --> 00:44:29,160 Speaker 1: ROC music, and I can't barely tolerate her country. He's like, 761 00:44:29,239 --> 00:44:32,720 Speaker 1: definit Lupper ruled, what's your problem? This is the Donnie 762 00:44:32,719 --> 00:44:35,040 Speaker 1: and Marie. Actually they were brother and sisters, so that's gross. 763 00:44:35,080 --> 00:44:38,439 Speaker 1: But yeah, she's a little bit country, he's a little 764 00:44:38,440 --> 00:44:40,600 Speaker 1: bit rock and roll. We spent a lot of time 765 00:44:40,600 --> 00:44:42,360 Speaker 1: in the car, though, and we always end up taking turns, 766 00:44:42,520 --> 00:44:44,680 Speaker 1: with one person singing along with their favorite hits, the 767 00:44:44,719 --> 00:44:47,800 Speaker 1: other one sulking until it's their turn to control the dial, 768 00:44:48,160 --> 00:44:50,040 Speaker 1: or even times when we would just drive in silence 769 00:44:50,120 --> 00:44:52,600 Speaker 1: instead of compromising. I think I know where this is going. 770 00:44:52,920 --> 00:44:55,200 Speaker 1: One day we stumbled upon stuff you should know, and 771 00:44:55,239 --> 00:44:57,799 Speaker 1: our lives were changed forever. Turns out we both love 772 00:44:57,880 --> 00:45:00,000 Speaker 1: the podcast, and the driving portion of our road trip 773 00:45:00,080 --> 00:45:03,560 Speaker 1: now has gone from a frustrating compromise to an amazing 774 00:45:03,600 --> 00:45:06,960 Speaker 1: bonding experience. And it's all your faults. We have even 775 00:45:06,960 --> 00:45:08,920 Speaker 1: spent a few evenings listening to the podcast instead of 776 00:45:08,920 --> 00:45:13,600 Speaker 1: watching TV at home. What we're interfering with TV feeling 777 00:45:13,719 --> 00:45:18,520 Speaker 1: turned the podcast off branded communists. We started from the 778 00:45:18,560 --> 00:45:21,799 Speaker 1: most recent and are working our way backwards. UM, so 779 00:45:22,520 --> 00:45:25,840 Speaker 1: prepare for them to get less good good luck. We 780 00:45:25,880 --> 00:45:28,160 Speaker 1: have about four episodes to go until we run out. 781 00:45:28,560 --> 00:45:30,360 Speaker 1: We've been discussing how we're going to deal with the 782 00:45:30,440 --> 00:45:33,680 Speaker 1: inevitable s y SK withdrawal once we reach episode one. 783 00:45:34,640 --> 00:45:36,400 Speaker 1: I hope you guys keep coming up with new ideas 784 00:45:36,400 --> 00:45:38,560 Speaker 1: for the next fifty to sixty years, because I don't 785 00:45:38,560 --> 00:45:40,040 Speaker 1: want to have to go back spending half of my 786 00:45:40,080 --> 00:45:42,640 Speaker 1: time listening to country music fifty or sixty years. We 787 00:45:42,680 --> 00:45:45,360 Speaker 1: can swing that, and that is Ben Brown and uh 788 00:45:45,440 --> 00:45:48,799 Speaker 1: Lindsay Brown or Lindsay his wife. I don't know if 789 00:45:48,800 --> 00:45:53,839 Speaker 1: she took his name or not. Ben and Lindsay from Guntersville, Alabama. 790 00:45:54,080 --> 00:45:56,800 Speaker 1: I'm sure they're the only Ben and Lindsay there. Yeah. 791 00:45:56,960 --> 00:46:00,760 Speaker 1: So Ben and Lindsay from Guntersville, Happy in verse. Congratulations, 792 00:46:01,160 --> 00:46:04,080 Speaker 1: We're glad we could make life a little easier for you. 793 00:46:04,560 --> 00:46:08,520 Speaker 1: Go turn your TV back on for real. Come on, seriously, 794 00:46:09,160 --> 00:46:10,759 Speaker 1: if you want to get in touch with us to 795 00:46:10,880 --> 00:46:13,279 Speaker 1: tell us how we are enhancing your life, we love 796 00:46:13,320 --> 00:46:15,279 Speaker 1: to hear that kind of stuff. You can tweet it 797 00:46:15,320 --> 00:46:17,480 Speaker 1: to us at s y s K podcast. You can 798 00:46:17,560 --> 00:46:19,920 Speaker 1: join us on Facebook dot com slash Stuff you Should Know. 799 00:46:20,280 --> 00:46:22,640 Speaker 1: You can send us an email to stuff Podcast at 800 00:46:22,640 --> 00:46:25,600 Speaker 1: how Stuff Works dot com, and, as always, join us 801 00:46:25,600 --> 00:46:27,840 Speaker 1: at our home on the web, Stuff you Should Know 802 00:46:28,320 --> 00:46:34,040 Speaker 1: dot Com. Stuff you Should Know is a production of 803 00:46:34,040 --> 00:46:37,359 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio. For more podcasts my Heart Radio, visit 804 00:46:37,400 --> 00:46:40,200 Speaker 1: the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 805 00:46:40,280 --> 00:46:41,560 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.