PIERROT

:''For other uses of Pierrot, see Pierrot (disambiguation)''

'Pierrot' is a stock character of mime and ''Commedia dell'Arte''.
The French character named ''Pierrot'' is a creation of Jean-Gaspard Deburau, and is a variant on the Italian character Pedrolino from the ''Commedia dell'Arte''. Spelled "Pjerrot", the character is a fixture at Bakken, the world's oldest amusement park. Bakken literature claims that the character is more than 4,000 years old, and originated in Turkey. It is also claimed that in ancient times, the broad red mouth of the character was created by physically cutting the mouth to make it larger.
Another Pierrot was created by Alexander Vertinskiy in Russia. His Pierrot wore a black tunic and pantaloons and sang sad songs in brothels.

Contents

Pierroting

The Arts

See also

Pierroting

The noticeable feature of Pierrot's behaviour is his naïveté, he is seen as a fool, always being cheated and joked on by the others.
Despite his suspicions about things, Pierrot always end up trusting people and believing in their lies.
Pierrot is also portrayed as a lunatic, as a person outside reality, in a state of unawareness, to whom nothing matters; just cheering and playing all the time: a bohemian.
One may be said to be ''Pierroting'' if one is behaving like Pierrot.
:''And lo, in that dawn he was pierroting over,''
:''Swinging in spirals round the fresh breasts of day.''
from the posthumously published poem "The Moth That God Made Blind" by Hart Crane.

The Arts

★ British rock band Placebo's album "Meds" contains a track called "Pierrot the Clown".
An excerpt: "Leave me dreaming on the bed. See you right back here tomorrow, for the next round. Keep this scene inside your head as the bruises turn to yellow and the swelling goes down. If you're ever around, in the city or the suburbs of this town, be sure to come around. I'll be wallowing in sorrow, wearing a frown, like 'Pierrot the Clown'."

★ Novembre, a progressive metal band from Italy, has a song called "Comme Pierrot" ("Like Pierrot") on the ''Novembrine Waltz'' album. The song is in both English and Italian. Excerpt: "Stasera piovon gocce d'acqua di luna / ed io arroccato quassù come Pierrot..." (Translation: "Tonight moonwater drops are falling / as I'm sheltered here just like Pierrot...")

★ Los Hermanos, a rock band from Brazil, has a song called "Pierrot" on the debut album, ''Los Hermanos''.

★ American filmmaker Kenneth Anger features Pierrot in his film "Rabbit's Moon".

★ Pierrot Lunaire ("Moonstruck Pierrot" or "Pierrot in the moonlight") is an important work of Arnold Schoenberg, a setting of Albert Giraud's work of French poems of the same name (translated into German by Erich Otto von Hartleben) to music.

★ ''Die tote Stadt'', an opera by Erich Korngold includes the aria ''Pierrot's Tanzlied'' (Mein Sehnen, mein wähnen) sung by the character Fritz.

★ Pierrot le Fou is a film by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina.

★ Langston Hughes authored short poems entitled ''Pierrot'' and ''A Black Pierrot''.

★ The video game series Magical Drop features "Black Pierrot" as a secret character, an opponent only the best players would get to face.

★ In the anime series, Cowboy Bebop, there is an episode titled "Pierrot Le Fou." The episode features a genetically-altered madman with a perpetual smile. He is dressed to resemble Pierrot and hunts down anyone who happens to see him.

★ In the anime series, Yakitate!! Japan, there is a judge called Pierrot, who judges breads in the Monaco Cup arc of the storyline. He was originally the son of the King of Monaco, but his mother died whilst giving birth. After eating the bread of Azuma Kazuma, he went back in time to meet his father and mother, and ultimately ended up saving her life, hence earning the name Pierrot (after himself).

★ In the manga series D.Gray-man, the Millennium Earl and Allen Walker (and his Innocence) are described as 'Two Pierrots, dancing in a dream with two different endings'. Furthermore, Allen's Innocence is said to resemble 'the white clown that chases after Auginiste'.

★ 'Pierrot' is a song by Lee Hyun Do and is featured in the rhythm video game Pump It Up.

★ Brindis por Pierrot (Cheers for Pierrot) is an album of the Uruguayan songwriter/singer Jaime Ross.

★ The song "The Carnival Is Over" by Australian band The Seekers features the lines "But the joys of love are fleeting / For Pierrot and Columbine."

★ Rintaro's segment of the anime triptych Neo-Tokyo ("Labyrinth") features a somewhat sinister clown who resembles some representations of Pierrot.

★ David Bowie wore a Pierrot costume in the photo shoot for the sleeve of his album "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)".

★ Leo Sayer dressed as Pierrot on tour following the release of his first album "Silverbird"

★ The Japanese pop band Berryz Koubou's song Kokuhaku no Funsui Hiroba features the lyric "I am Pierrot" in reference to a girl who has just confessed her love and, having not yet received an answer, imagines the worse.

★ In the little magazine The Savoy from the 1890's, a Beardsley drawing was often printed on the back cover featuring a misschievous pierrot in place of the traditional hero Bellerophon on the back of the winged horse Pegasus.

★ Neil Gaiman's short story, "Harlequin Valentine", features a Pierrot or "Petey" character.

★ Pierrot (band) was a Japanese rock band active from 1994-2006.

★ Japanese musician Közi often wore a pierrot costume while a member of the visual rock band MALICE MIZER

See also

★ Pedrolino

★ Commedia dell'arte

★ Jerry Cornelius

★ Harlequin