Modern Clowning in Los Angeles | Hacker News Reader

Modern Clowning in Los Angeles

dorsia.io

63 pointsaarmenante9 comments

I think back, with a tear in my eye, to the halcyon days when Yucko the Clown [1] was on MTV.

Wow, that would cause an unprecedented amount of moral outrage if it were on TV today.

Has anything changed? This sort of crass humour is still on TV. Has the percentage of the population that disapproves of this type of humour really changed? Maybe the nature or visibility of "outrage" has changed? even just by social-media + the politicization of us-vs-them moral culture wars?

Our perception of "what is causing outrage, by whom and how much" is being used as a political weapon across basically all media, as far as I can tell. So it's pretty hard to tell in what ways some culture(s) / subcultures might be changing over time.

Fwiw, years ago I studied clowning under David Bridel, the head of one of the clown schools in the article. I think it’s worth noting that clowning is a really fascinating cross between improv and commedia del’arte, where there are these very structured roles people play. It’s an under appreciated art.

Edit: for the record, I was terrible at clowning in my early 20s and always wished I was better.

Years ago I studied clowning under Didier Danthois.

I agree: it's definitely a fascinating and under appreciated art.

For my money, Puddles Pity Party does the take on this that I can most relate to...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zclrGl_peZg

A bit of a different take on the Pierrot. He builds more of a character that draws you in with well performed songs and the "clowning" tends to be more subtle (outside of the costume of course).

His version of the old Cheap Trick song "I Want You to Want Me" I like rather more than the original... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3O1XojnTag

He does well with Queen tunes, too... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvX9GxDDPYc

If you’re in LA, you absolutely owe it to yourself to go see the Murge, the monthly show mentioned in the article. [0]

This wonderful group of people (Wet the Hippo) also teach classes in LA and an upcoming condensed one in Toronto.

My experience taking those classes was frightening and liberating. It’s “improv” but there’s no story — it’s you. On stage. “Naked”. With no material. Aided by the great instructions and teachers, you show yourself to the audience and make “bad” (or “idiotic”) choices and then follow them. And people do, sometimes, laugh, a lot.

That feeling (of both being in an involved audience and playing and exposing truths and things that are scary and private) is absolutely addicting.

0 - https://www.theidiotworkshop.com/the-murge

Is this where you can learn to be Tartuffe, the spry wonder dog?

if I could wish for a super power it would be invisibility. I'd go to 19th century Paris find a mime artist performing on the street, and kick the shit out of him. Everyone watching would think he was absolutely brilliant.

slightly off topic but best Frankie Boyle joke ever.

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