John Powers

I lost my friend and neighbor, Seth Bloom, last August. We had a memorial for him yesterday. It was a wonderful and deeply sad event. Everyone wore bright blue. Seth was a Clown.

When I began introducing him, and his wife and partner, Christina, as - to EVERYONE, because I could not have been happier to share this new friendship - I introduced them as “The Clowns”. Getting to know Seth and Christina, there was a fear among my friends and neighbors, that by continuing to refer to them and describe them as Clowns I was being rude, that maybe they would be offended. But Seth wore the title proudly - like a fucking crown, in fact. Still, I had asked about it, just to be sure. He explained that he didn’t like when people referred to politicians or losers as “clowns”, he found that offensive and maddening. I got to see why.

Clowns, it turns out, are SUPER fit - it’s all ripped abs and cut muscles under those colorful costumes. Clowns, it turns out, work incredibly hard, not just on stage, but off. They are well organized and responsible, and as thoughtful about their craft as any class artist I’ve ever known. Seth was knowledgeable about the history of clowns from renaissance Italy to contemporary china, he had taught his craft for years in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Seth was an amazing and accomplished Clown who performed for audiences all over the world while I knew him. There was an excellent obituary posted in The New York Times, and another in the Washington Post that lists his achievements - Seth was a Big Fucking Deal.

Please Google him and the Mobile Mini Circus for Children - they are one of the few happy things anyone can point to in Afghanistan right now. (But I am going to post more…)