[The clown] is a fantastic being, one possessed of an alternate biology, a biology that can withstand blows to the head by hammers and bricks that would be deadly for any mere human, and the clown can sustain falls that would result in serious injury for the rest of us. Not only are clowns exaggeratedly misshapen and, at times, outright travesties of the human form – contortions played on our paradigms of the human shape – they also possess a physical resiliency conjoined with muscular and cognitive disfunctionalities that mark them off as an imaginary species.¹³

This interstitiality exhibited by the clown allows it to shift from a horrific monster to a (sometimes) funny sideshow entertainer. Replace the jolly, goofy smile of a clown with rows of razor-sharp teeth, and suddenly it plays a frequent part in many people’s nightmares.

Excerpt from: “Babbling Corpse: Vaporwave And The Commodification Of Ghosts” by Grafton Tanner.