The Retarded Superheroes Cave

Excerpt from “The Diary of the Russo Sisters” by Natasha Corradine

Meridian Russo stared out the window of the subway train. Her bright green eyes seemed unresponsive, as if her thoughts were somewhere else. She ran her fingers through her long blond hair and rested her forehead against the cool surface of the glass. She didn’t want to go home. She never did. Home wasn’t safe. Never had and never would be.

Growing up on the streets of Brooklyn was rough. It wasn’t easy. Whichever rapper said, “hood life was glamorous” was full of shit. There’s nothing glamorous about the hood. Nothing glamorous about Brooklyn either. Thugs controlled the streets. Crack addicts, drug dealers, and whores walked the boulevards looking for their next fix. The hood was a place were bullets went stray up on the block. Death lingered around every corner and every waking moment was lived in constant fear. Why would anyone want to embrace a lifestyle that everyone else was trying to run from?

The thought of running away seemed to linger in the back of her mind. Running away would mean leaving Dallas behind. Meridian could never leave her sister. Dallas and Meridian only had each other. Sighing, she looked over at her twin.

Dallas’ tired green eyes looked deep in thought as she stared down at her white sneakers. Her reddish-brown hair was pulled back into a side ponytail and her bangs were swept to the left side of her face. Feeling her twins gaze on her, she looked up.

“What?”

The first six themes to my magazine will center around writings and music/art that is related to these topics: 1-Disillusionment/Mistrust 2- Humor/Satire/Comedy 3- Revolutionary Ideas 4-Pessimissm 5- Aesthetics/Beauty/Optomism 6- Anger/Rebeliousness

I might have to cull it down to a quarterly which would work just as well. And possibly keep the same themes every year.

It strikes me as so strange how people who are so kind and wholesome sounding can feel the most evil. They become so self righteous and sure they are right and others are wrong that they hold it against them rather than try to change. Change either themselves or others. They simply stop. Mentally stop and protect their territory. People fear change more than they fear anything else. No one can predict what change will bring and the unknown quantity that they have no control over is the deep rooted nightmare, or daymare(thanks Pedro), that they live with.

People will not give up the wisdom passed down to them. They won’t even question it, due to some pride or feeling of superiority that they cherish. It comes down to this much of the time. Certain people cherish their feeling of percieved superiority. They feel more civilized than others. They feel more enlightened. And they feel more RIGHT. They have the answers and those who don’t are foolish and despicable. They have arranged the furniture of their mind how it should be and any alternating view is a threat to their sanity.

Life is on the edge of death

this doesn’t hurt at all.

When death reminds us we are frail

that we are doomed to be free

doomed to fail.

It makes me feel alive inside,

privledged to be on this ride.

The sooner you give up your seat,

the sooner you’ll love the Great Defeat.

A peakie that has my heart

but she doesn’t need a thing.

Gifts fall from her with ease,

like autumns final leaves.

Smiles at life with grace,

happy to be unhappy,

in the long rat race.

As lost as I got I found a friend,

a place in empty space.

Elusive as a rabbit,

I chase her like a hound,

gathering small moments,

that tumble to the ground.

To be her loyal puppy,

would suit me just fine.

What I see in this old soul,

Just cannot be defined.

Structural Notes and Themes To Be Involved

I am using the universal themes from the depths of Finnegans Wake to help structure the story [Tragic Love, Social Ritual, Warring Brothers, Time Itself]. The first chapter kind of expository on the main theme of humor and comedy, and historic/zoological background, and then getting into some interrelated stories based in the IV thematic parts and why I find them comedic. The four parts will each have a distinct flavor and story line. Perhaps more than one chapter per part. The first section will be excluded on its own as an introduction. INTRO-History. Section I-The Humor of Tragic Love. Section II-The Humor of Social Ritual. Section III-The Humor of Warring Brothers. Section IV-The Humor of Time Itself. EDIT 4/9- Also want to write each section in a style reflecting the IV Stages of Human Development proposed by Vico- Theocratic-Aristocratic-Democratic-Chaotic. This will make it much less boring to read and write. Theocratic will probably be first person. Aristocratic, not sure. Democratic, narrated by an impartial narrator. Chaotic, stream of conciousness mixed with other structure.

Introduction-Rough Notes

We all develop survival instincts. They are spontaneous, growing like flowers in our fertile minds of our youth and cultivated willingly as we mature. Out species has to be the only one to use humor as a tool for survival. It is a fact that we do though. I have used it almost exclusively as a way to avoid confrontation, and I will again. A court jester literally would have had to be funny or die. This is a very concrete example but doesn’t really give much insight into the value of humor. We may not physically die from a lack of humor, but our careers, relationships, and our soul may suffer and die without comedy in our lives. Look at yourself, and imagine your life without humor. And if you aren’t a fan of comedy, then do us all a favor and jump off a bridge. You want to anyways because your own mother barely even likes you.

Clowns are a personality type, not just a guy who wears makeup and floppy shoes. A clown doesn’t really get much out of life himself, because he lives for others. Who REALLY wants to get laughed at? A clown realizes that people are unhappy with themselves so he makes it his business to give them a person to say, ‘at least I’m not as bad off as him’ while also relating with him. So they feel better. And the clown feels useful. Jesus was a clown in a very sad, tragic, extreme way. He made fools of his detractors in a very roundabout way. Wasn’t it funny how foolish the Romans looked when they came to worship the person that they put to the cross for heresy?[check actual reason].

All is well and good! Bob will ease your burden, and give you vitality! End your curiosity and assumptions! Find Bob! CHURCH OF THE SUBGENIUS

The Sad History of Comedy
I have always wanted to write a book or communicate something that would be beneficial to most anyone that could understand it. Myth has been said to be the song of the universe. Something that we dance to even if we do not know the source of the music. Myths are stories we use to communicate. Comedy is basically storytelling that makes us happy. The following is the first draft of my favorite project, that will never truly be finished.

THE SAD HISTORY OF COMEDY People love to laugh. For the most part, in my personal history with laughing, it usually is directed at another person, who is usually trying to make something funny happen. It seems to me the population can be roughly divided into people laughing, and people who are making people laugh, either intentionally, or by nature and accident. (If you consider nature an accident.)

To me a sad comedy is divine. It can nag at you physically in a way that you have to expand your range of emotion. (laugh) We all know too well what a power our emotions, any emotion, exert over us. It can be used for all sorts of human things that are outside the normal realm. A connection to a comedy, either as the subject of the joke, or the audience, we feel better that we can identify with the crowd, by laughing. We each only can know why we laugh, or how deep we laugh, but some things are universal. It is almost a connection of minds between the audience conducted by the comedian. The word comedian even sounds clinical (look up the real meaning yourself, I haven’t).
(DEVOTE NEXT CHAPTER TO TYPES OF JESTERS)

Is there any purpose served by someone who turns people on their head and makes them look at themselves in relation to humanity? In comedy performances, it is very common for a serious social matter of the times to be cloaked in a costume of amusement and laughter. It can be a relief, but it can also break new barriers, and balance the inner with the outer .

[my overall idea for this book] research as far back as possible to link todays modern comedians with jesters and whatnot, and try to uncover the necessity and reasons comedy is what it is, and the purpose it serves society. Specific periods of comedy and specific comedians that are noteworthy should be examined with examples and jokes that highlight society. The book will be mostly unknown, historical facts and links to today. Not so much comedy, more ABOUT comedy.

Mark Raymond Young