Death of the Fool by frank bonanno (Original Painting)

I’m just a Judas, looking for a silver line
And tomorrow is still a step behind
Hey, hey, drama, I’d love to be a waste of your time
Oh no, thanks so much for wasting mine
So hear me out
Let’s hear it for the damaged
Who understands but the broken?
Developed in the arms of spite
I’m all fucked up, and I make it look good
Adrenaline sight tonight
I’m overthrown
I’m over your throne
I’m over it
Sick, sickened, I’m sickening, I’m stricken by the fist
Blessed are the fires that have burned me
Listen to this, the lesson is, never underestimate the agony
Death of the fool, birth of the cruel

I discovered the power clowns have on people while I was still in high school. I was going to see slipknot for the first time on halloween and so I wore a clown mask and a boiler suit to school. I had no idea what was going to happen. People were so terrified of me, but also, other people took such glee in finding me and sicking me on their friends whom they knew to be afraid of clowns. I chased people. I sat in class with this thing on my face and classmates would ask the teacher to make me take it off. Then that night I went to slipknot with that thing still on my face and became a fan for life. There was something so primal and visceral about the whole thing and ever since I have adopted the clown as my avatar. Over time it has morphed and shifted to become more, blended with skulls for the dark side of me, then blended with kabuki as a representation of my warrior. This piece also adds the final touch of the inverted shark demon and gives my ultimate form. “Death of the fool” is the title of a slipknot song but also speaks to where I was at the time. I was tired of always being nice, always being accommodating and looking out for everyone and yet being taken advantage of, betrayed and disrespected by everyone. Overlooked and undervalued while I have a smile on my face and good will towards all. Fuck that. This was at the break point and the time when I decided “to hell with everyone”.

also though if you rotate it 180 degrees you get a shark with a napolean hat so theres a fun double image.