Tag Archives: jesters

A Modern Jester (from the 80s…)

This is from back in the day when it was OK to mock the “other” party without fear of causing a crazy breakdown in government or death threats. (Yes. It’s true. I’m calling forth the good ol’ days.) But considering this is what the jester did in his (her!) traditional role, it’s not all that crazy OR back in the day.

Michael Davis is a modern jester who makes fun of a high ranking senator, Ronald Reagan’s policy, and jokes about disarmament during the middle of the Cold War, all while still keeping on the good side of the caesar and not getting his head chopped off… It’s brilliant. Exactly what a jester is supposed to do, and he pulls it off perfectly. And all the while with egg (literally) on his face.

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Juggler Michael Davis a modern jester juggling at Ford's Theater for Reagan

Modern Day Jesters Doing It Right

I don’t even know if words can express how happy this makes me. These are the best modern day jesters I’ve ever seen. The ones doing physical comedy, that is. The mental wizards are Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert, of course. I don’t think we’ll ever have the perfect combination again of physical and mental humor that marked the jesters of the past. But still.

I think part of what amuses me so much is that she’s so attractive, and he’s…not. He’s not ugly or anything, just very typically geeky-looking. It’s clear that they’ve developed their routine and craft, but also obvious that they care for each other. (It makes me wonder about all of those kings, czars and rulers that wanted husband and wife teams to “create” more jesters for them. But that’s another blog post for another time, I suppose…) She is just so awesome as the straight-man, and they make the acrobatics look effortless.

It’s brilliant and perfect and funny. No words needed. (Except for the extra words that the video is private and I can’t embed it, so you’ll have to watch it on their Vimeo channel…)

Modern Day Jesters in Action

Oh! And the extra words that as far as Die Maiers go, you can even hire them! As long as the massive ballroom in your mansion is tall enough and wide enough, they’re all yours!

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Jesters and Fools. My Niche, But Not for Everyone.

The Court Jester by William Merritt Chase a famous image of jesters

The Court Jester by William Merritt Chase

That’s right. Jesters. Fools. Silly people with bells on their hats and marottes who tend to tell inappropriate jokes, make spectacles of themselves, and generally, well, act like fools. Just like the jesters in The Jester’s Joust painting by Mary Browning and The Court Jester by William Merritt Chase. The joke is that out of the 12 experts on jesters in the world, I’m number 13, but that’s only because I’ve read everything the other 12 experts have to say, so I owe it all to them.

Even though information about jesters can be scarce and hard to find, I’ve found several primary and secondary sources, and have done the usual online searches. Most of the Internet information can be repetitive and basic, which is fine if that’s all you’re looking for. If you want more details and a deeper analysis, definitely check out some of the other sources I recommend.

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A Jesters Joust by Mary Browning