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Sad clown paradox

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Re: Sad clown paradox

#41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[insert Nick Mullen quote]. Not many of them I can easily repeat on Orange site

Are you being racist? Is this an in-joke I don't get? What's up here?

It's a Nick Mullen in-joke, perhaps a bit racist even in context but it was the only quote from him I could remember

Re: Sad clown paradox

#42
post #25

My favorite example is Jack Point from Yeomen of the Guard [0]: Point: Oh, thoughtless crew! Ye know not what ye do! Attend to me, and shed a tear or two — For I have a song to sing, O! All: Sing me your song, O! Point: It is sung to the moon By a love-lorn loon, Who fled from the mocking throng, O! It's a song of a merryman, moping mum, Whose soul was sad, and whose glance was glum, Who sipped no sup, and who craved…

Better shown, I think, by Oh! a private buffoon is a light-hearted loon and the preceding dialogue, back near the start of Act II. https://gsarchive.net/yeomen/web_opera/yeomen_13d.html for the dialogue and https://gsarchive.net/yeomen/web_opera/yeomen_14.html for the song. (PDF of the entire libretti, which I find much more convenient: https://gsarchive.net/yeomen/yg_lib.pdf#page=28&zoom=auto,-1....)

The dialogue is useful context for the song in which the jester explains to a would-be jester the troubles of being paid to be funny.

Gilbert enjoyed a spot of paradox, some more patent than others. In The Pirates of Penzance a leap year forms a paradox (, a paradox, a most ingenious paradox) as the protagonist has lived for twenty-one years, yet reckoning by his natal day he is a little boy of five. As for Patience, it is subtitled “or, Bunthorne’s Bride”, yet ends with everyone except Bunthorne scheduled to be married.

Re: Sad clown paradox

#43
post #14

There's a related phenomenon I've seen a lot, sometimes firsthand, of people who consider themselves shy while others consider them the life of the party.

Being shy doesn't mean you are silent. It means you have to use energy and courage to break that silence. So while most people would say someone who doesn't dare to talk is shy, it is totally possible to still be shy and be the life of the party. As an introvert who has zero stage fright and good talking skills: I am still an introvert. Being around people costs me energy, while for extroverts not being around people…

You're describing the popular usage of "introvert", but to me the definition of "shy" has always been about the demonstrated bahaviour and not the internal feelings.

Re: Sad clown paradox

#45
post #39
post #30

Lol, now you can't even be funny in peace... If you're too funny, you might be diagnosed as depressed... smh. Tough crowd. :p

Professional comedians are…. Well known to have issues. It’s not a type of direction someone takes if they’re able to get what they need from a normal life. Just being funny != being a professional comedian.

I wonder how comedians compare to other performers, though. There are plenty of stories of musicians with problems, for instance.

Re: Sad clown paradox

#46
post #39
post #30

Lol, now you can't even be funny in peace... If you're too funny, you might be diagnosed as depressed... smh. Tough crowd. :p

Professional comedians are…. Well known to have issues. It’s not a type of direction someone takes if they’re able to get what they need from a normal life. Just being funny != being a professional comedian.

What about someone who starts acting classes as a kid and naturally turns toward comedy?

Then again I understand that being compelled to trigger something in someone all the time (laughter) can be pretty demanding. That's also an internal work of the mind and how to deal with one's thoughts and emotions, it doesn't have to be so stressful.

Re: Sad clown paradox

#47
post #25

My favorite example is Jack Point from Yeomen of the Guard [0]: Point: Oh, thoughtless crew! Ye know not what ye do! Attend to me, and shed a tear or two — For I have a song to sing, O! All: Sing me your song, O! Point: It is sung to the moon By a love-lorn loon, Who fled from the mocking throng, O! It's a song of a merryman, moping mum, Whose soul was sad, and whose glance was glum, Who sipped no sup, and who craved…

Better shown, I think, by Oh! a private buffoon is a light-hearted loon and the preceding dialogue, back near the start of Act II. https://gsarchive.net/yeomen/web_opera/yeomen_13d.html for the dialogue and https://gsarchive.net/yeomen/web_opera/yeomen_14.html for the song. (PDF of the entire libretti, which I find much more convenient: https://gsarchive.net/yeomen/yg_lib.pdf#page=28&zoom=auto,-1... .) The dialogue i…

Yes, Oh! a private buffoon is a light-hearted loon is also an excellent choice, too, and one that I'd debated referencing instead.

But ultimately the "Whose soul was sad, and whose glance was glum," line in I have a song to sing O! and its reprise in the finale was what led me to pick that song to quote here. (Plus that song and the music is probably my favorite among the G&S canon. :-)

Re: Sad clown paradox

#48

There's a related phenomenon I've seen a lot, sometimes firsthand, of people who consider themselves shy while others consider them the life of the party.

There was a documentary about one of the biggest party organisers in Denmark. He was a self described introvert, yet organised and invited the rich and the beautiful to big one-off club events.

If I remember correctly, he felt as an organiser, he already had a reason to talk to guests and as an organiser he always had an excuse to leave a conversation, which are basically two very common fears of an introverts who still wants social interaction.

Re: Sad clown paradox

#50
post #39
post #30

Lol, now you can't even be funny in peace... If you're too funny, you might be diagnosed as depressed... smh. Tough crowd. :p

Professional comedians are…. Well known to have issues. It’s not a type of direction someone takes if they’re able to get what they need from a normal life. Just being funny != being a professional comedian.

Arent most people who chose to be in the public eye messed up?

Comedians do a job that allows for more exposure of it.

The broader brushes plausably cover the data for me.

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