In which Our Hero consumes a couple clowns
Last night I watched two excellent clowns on YouTube.
The first attempted to climb a staircase: first with one foot, then two, then using a harpoon as a pole vault, then trying a taller staircase. Always slipping backward, performing a kind of “moon-crawl,” moving backward while pretending to move forward.
The second performed built visual jokes around pop songs: a blend of clown, prop comedy, and puppetry.
Both chose a single simple game, then repeated it in increasingly heightened variations. With tight physical control, that was enough.
Stand-ups need new jokes to stay fresh. Musicians can live forever off one hit.
Clowns might belong to that latter category — one beautiful idiocy, endlessly re-played. Not note-for-note as a musician would, but a single comedic insight will take you far.
That said, if your art requires physical presence, your reach is finite.
Julian Wise 