Rumpel's Foolosophy

Angels can Fly includes a mix of fiction which follows the adventures of ten clown characters, personal clown anecdotes from clowns from around the world, a total of 50 practical clown exercises, and some theory on the nature of modern clown. The book is available on order through bookshops and online stores in New Zealand, Australia, America and England.

And You can get a free eBook copy of the book to read on your computer at: www.alanclay.com/ebook_list.htm

On this page you will find excerpts from the book. Check back often for new excerpts from Angels can Fly.

Chapter 12. Anecdote: Rumpel's Foolosophy
aka Jolly Goodfellow, Kangaroo Jester of Oz

I look at the ground and then look up at the stars and I think 'Crikey! How can one get their head round the spectrum of the universe?' Life certainly is an overwhelming inner and outer journey to experience. At times life can feel like trying to meditate in a room chock-a-block full of bric-a-brac, with multidimensional stream-of-consciousness visions passing through the mind a zillion miles an hour.

Life is performance art and we are all in its theatre playing our roles. Life is a performance on and off the stage. My natural life feels more like a show than when I'm performing at times. I have never done a rehearsal for one of my shows ever. Am I the master of no routine? I have travelled the world performing with no show. I guess that is my show, 'No Show'. I must be doing something right. Maybe I do have a show. Sometimes I wonder. The audience can be the judge. I could be the world's most unprofessional professional or professional unprofessional.

I used to carry a 4-wheel granny trolley around Europe. It travelled to 30 countries with me. It's a miracle that I did it in such a ridiculous style. Who on earth could be bothered carrying one of those around the world? It was stuffed with as many props as I could possibly squeeze into it.

I guess my granny trolley didn't make it easy for me when I turned up in England for the first time from Australia. I was sent back to Australia for the suspicion of coming in as an under-the-table jester with the intention to jest (wildcard style) without permission.

It's not an easy gig being a jester these days and especially when there are no castles in Australia. It's a bit of a paradox. It's a laugh: the idea of representing my country when I'm abroad, being an antipodean jester as there's not much tradition for this profession in Oz. I feel at heart with the art of being a jester as a profession, as it rhymes with being a bit of a natural fool in everyday life. It's not an easy art: always trying to obey the laws of logic.

Life's a tragic comedy. There's often a fine line between tragedy and comedy. Being a jester, clown, performer and artist is everything. It's funny, sad, crazy, silly, mad, serious, happy, depressing, wild, weird, wonderful, mental, brilliant, exhausting, beautiful, intimidating, overwhelming, exciting and everything else.

Laughter is the greatest high of all because it comes from the heart. My goal is to help spread more healthy humour into the world. Making people happy through laughter is a true gift of love. I am very privileged to have the freedom to be creative. Quite often people say 'What are you on', when I'm performing as a jester. It's amazing what a costume can do. I say 'I don't need anything! Why not get high on laughter? Laughter is the jest medicine. Don't be a fool to your spirit!' How do you like my foolosophy?

Send in the clowns and help cheer up the world! They should give the soldiers at war clown toys to play with instead of weapons. It would help make people laugh, instead of cry, which would hopefully set off a chain reaction of laughter, far and wide as to speed up the happiness of the world. Laughter mantras should be made compulsory for the whole human race to practise. It would be much better to die from laughter, as then at least we'd go in a funny way.

It's a constant effort to keep a childlike innocence in this complex world, so it's good to relieve the tension as much as possible with the spirit of fun. Live out your dreams. The best things in life are free. I think I'll wave my fool's flag for eternity. See you at the end. Every end has a new beginning. Do you call this soul clowning? Keep it simple. Silence is golden. The laughing Buddha will tell you. Who knows better? We can only go by human perception. Gorblimey! Am I a joke I can't get out of? What the heck! The show must go on! Toodle-loo! Love to you all! Signing off, the undercover jockey jester with the girl's voice! Rumpel is my name!

Find other anecdotes from Rumpel in Chapters 39 and 44, and check out his web site: www.rumpel.com.au

Angels can Fly is available on order through bookshops and online stores in New Zealand, Australia, America and England. Order your copy today. Find it on Amazon by following this link: http://tinyurl.com/9nrwj

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Last updated 01 November 2013