Our actual first king of fools was ever the self appointed Anonymous I. Here is a list of suggested readings from his view of the fool: -catt
Anonymous I wrote: The figure of the Fool comes out of long tradition, which has had certain meanings that have been constant over time. At certain points along the way, these meanings have been important to the Guild (here reffering to the Fools Guild of Los Angeles), and a source of understanding who or what we are.
With that in mind, I
am going to suggest a few books that people might want to read, as a source
of ideas for sharing with each other. Some of you who are in hollering distance
of one other might even want to consider a live, face-to-face discussion
group. Here are the books I have found valuable:
The History of Fools
Enid Welsford. The Fool: His Literary and Social History
John Doran. The History of the English Court Fool
Two basic histories of the tradition of the Fool in Europe. Doran's is obscure.
History of Clowning
John Towsen. Clowns
Joe Lee. The History of Clowns for Beginners
Both are accessible treatments of the history of fools and clowns and their
relations to comic archetypes. Joe Lee's book is still being published and
has lots of cartoons. It introduces all the important characters in the
Fool's pantheon.
Fools Societies
Heather Arden. Fools Plays.
Howard Harvey. Theater of the Basoche.
There were medieval Fools Guilds, mostly in France, that put on celebrations
and events. They created Kingdoms of Folly. This is where mother folly comes
from. Related to this thinking is:
Erasmus. In Praise of Folly.
Hard slogging and very out of period, but the opening chapter is good for
giving a Fools perspective. This is basic Foolosophy reading.
Fool's Wisdom
Wes "Scoop" Nisker. Crazy Wisdom. Conrad Hyers. Zen and the Comic
Spirit. Conrad Hyers.The Laughing Buddha: Zen and the Comic Spirit Conrad
Hyers.Spirituality of the Comic: Comic Heroism in a Tragic World Any book
by Conrad Hyers.
Peter L. Berger. Redeeming Laughter.
These have been listed in the order of accessibility. Anyone interested
in this should also take a look at the Tao de Ching.
Jungian Analysis of the Fool
William Willeford. The Fool and His Scepter.
Ann Ulanov. The Witch and the Clown. Paul Radin. The Trickster
These books get a little thick and esoteric. You can go a long way in this
direction by reading about the Fool card in the Tarot deck.
Stories of Fools and Wise Fools
Robert H. Hill. Tales of the Jesters
Anything about Coyote
Anything about Nasradin
Lots of books on folklore and mythology that have tales about Tricksters.
The Trickster
Willaim J. Hynes and William G. Doty. Mythical Trickster Figures: Contours,
Contexts and Criticisms.
Lewis Hyde: Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth and Art
Finally, add the following book to basic texts:
Kimberly A Christen: Clowns and Tricksters: An Encyclopedia of Tradition
and Culture.
There's [also] a lot of other material out there in the library under Fools
and Jesters, for those that are interested.
QUOTES "If I recognize someone as a fool, I assume that I am a non-fool;
in thinking that I am a non-fool, whereas I am at least potentially a fool,
I become a fool in fact." the fool as explored by Erasmus, from The
Fool and His Scepter
"Stand-up comedy is the one thing you can do badly and no one will
laugh at you." Greg Dean http://www.stand-upcomedy.com
First King of Fools Anonymous I
Andy Davis in LA Times
Andy Davis in LA Times
Andy Davis is the First King of The Fools Guild
Early Fools Guild Improv Team with Skip Blas, Elen
Andy Davis at Agoura Reunion
