This new book from Jason Crawford is something of a curio. In God’s Fools, he takes a look at comedy through the lens of the holy fool, contrasting the stories of prophets and martyrs with leading lights in the world of 20th and 21st-century comedy. The two perspectives make for something of a curious read.
In making the focus of the book Christian scripture and stories through the lens of comedy, Crawford has certainly produced an original work, even when you strongly disagree with some of it. It takes the stereotype of “the tears of the clown” and the close link between comedy and tragedy, and sets it against moments of revelation and spiritual passion.
The prophet and the punster may not have much in common on paper, but Crawford argues that the martyr may see the funny side in adversity and the comedian may rail against the iniquities and disservices of life. The gift and challenge of both is not to pretend to be something, but to actually be it, however difficult that may be.
By equating Charlie Chaplin, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, and Dave Chappelle with religion and revelation, Crawford’s book demonstrates the comic structure and potential of religious stories alongside the suffering and belief that runs through modern comedy.
It doesn’t always feel as if God’s Fools quite hits the mark, and I was particularly disappointed to find that no female comedians were included, and few women from the realms of religion and faith. This might have given a slightly different perspective on the comparison.
This is a unique way to approach the history of modern comedy, and Crawford does have a persuasive and accessible tone of voice. However, I was left feeling the connection was a little tenuous and not fully explained, and I was not keen on the format which concentrated chapters on religious figures exclusively and then switched to chapters on comedy performers.
Comedians do indeed grapple with the best and worst of humanity, and “rage against the dying of the light” as Dylan Thomas said, but I am not convinced that the Christian faith is really that driven by surreal humour and the absurd. However, this is an interesting book which will have appeal to those who are interested in the interplay of historical and modern prophets, or who have ever watched stand-up or witnessed the revelation of one imbued by the word of the Lord.
God’s Fools, by Jason Crawford, is published by Bloomsbury.