If he knew me, he’d see pretty clearly that joking is merely my means of defence
Of course I make you laugh; would you rather you wept,
And I show no pain, no weakness, for men are wolves
And would tear me apart – if I had it; I don’t,
I’m not weak, I’m laughing! Guffawing! That’s a good word –
I heard a good one the other day about a guffaw-er
Who suddenly vanished, without a note or a word.
***
Dear readers,
Two YouTube clips relate to today’s video. The first is ‘If he knew me‘. It’s one of my favourite songs in recent musical theatre – it’s very funny at times, and at others very touching. The second, relating to the idea of a comedian who only does it to conceal their pain, is a monologue from the graphic novel ‘The Killer Joke‘. It’s the only graphic novel I’ve ever read, but it is very good.
The Hapless Neo-Romantic 