Hello there, Dear Reader 😀

As you can see, the 23rd volume of the Underdog Anthology has been published and is now available to buy. The link, above, is for the paperback version that costs a fiver, but the Kindle version will also be available on Amazon very soon and that is considerably less expensive. Alternatively, if you really can’t wait and you only have 79p (99 cents) to spare, the ebook version can be purchased now via Smashwords…

*No, Clicky, Smashwords, not Smash Mouth… /rolls eyes… It’s a different thing altogether…*

*Oh I see, the anthology has 7 authors, one’s a woman… /lights up and smokes… I guess our stories are full of mystery…*

As is my usual want, I’m reproducing the Afterword, below. If you like it, you should maybe buy a copy of the anthology, and if you don’t like the Afterword, then you should probably still buy a copy, as the short stories are really very entertaining 😉

Turkish proverb: "When a clown moves into a palace he doesn't become a king, the place becomes a circus."

-> Who do you think about after reading this? pic.twitter.com/FkDD7aQGCJ

— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) April 2, 2024

*That’s the tweet that gave me the idea for the Afterword, Clicky ;)…*

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Afterword

by Roo B. Doo

We live in Clown World, Dear Reader.

It’s possible that Clown World was ushered in with the release of the movie Joker in the autumn of 2019. On 9^th February 2020, 3 months later after its release, the movie’s lead, Jokin’ Phoenix, picked up the Oscar for Best Actor at the 92^nd Academy Awards. Two days later on 11^th February (that’s a 9/11 wink *wink*), the World Health Organisation announced that they’d named the disease from a new and virulent coronavirus, released out of an Asian lab in the autumn of 2019, ‘Covid-19’.

Did I mention that South Korean movie Parasite picked up Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay Oscars at the 92^nd Academy Awards, along with the Joker‘s Jokin’?

Actually, this is just a working theory, bolstered by circumstantial evidence, such as the election of a literal clown, Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, to Ukraine’s highest office in May 2019, whilst Boris ‘Clown Prince’ Johnson was elected to be U.K. Prime Minister in December 2019, book-ending the release of the Joker movie nicely.*

Now, throw in the election of ‘I’m not Joe King’ Biden to U.S. Prez (81 million votes, please) and No Vax Joker’s Itch winning and not collapsing at major tennis tournaments in the years since, and I’m sure you can start to see the appeal of my Clown World Theory. Unfortunately, Dear Reader, it’s in danger of morphing into a Many Clowns Worlds Theory.

Just last year, the University of South Wales surveyed 987 people with a psychometric questionnaire to assess their fear of clowns (coulrophobia). A whopping 53.5% were found to suffer from this affliction, 5% of which were severely affected. Now apply that to the population of our Clown World and the result is that over half are living in a constant state of fear, simply by living in Clown World!

Therefore, for this Underdog Anthology Dead Poets’ Page, only one song will suffice for the ritual sacrifice: ‘Send In The Clowns’ from the musical ‘A Little Night Music’ by Stephen Sondheim. By the way, the song features in the subway scene of Joker. If you’ve seen the movie, Dear Reader, you’ll know the one I mean. Fittingly, Stephen Sondheim died during Clown World, in September 2021.

With another U.S. Election taking place this November, Clown World continues.

See you for Halloween 😉

Send In The Clown Show

Isn’t it rich?

Aren’t they a pair?

Trump winning hearts all around,

Joe falls on a stair,

Send the Media clowns

Isn’t it news?

Don’t they approve?

Trump who campaigns on the ground,

Joe who can’t move,

Where are the clowns?

The Media clowns

Just as Trump stopped the U.S. starting new wars,

Finally knowing that all Joe ever wanted were more

Inflating his case again and again in front of the Media glare

Can’t say his lines

None of them care

Ukraine’s a farce

It’s Trump’s fault, we hear

You thought that Joe would want detente

Sorry, oh dear!

But where are the clowns

Mainstream Media clowns

Don’t bother, they’re here

Isn’t it rich?

The Media steer

Global hegemony lost so late in Joe’s career

But where are the clowns?

Trump-hating Media clowns

They’ll blame him next year

* Clown World Fun Fact: Boris and the Little Green Man (Zelenskyy actually means ‘green’) managed to scupper a peace deal hashed out with the Russians in March 2022, one month into the Ukraine conflict. Now Ukraine has no men, NATO has no weapons, Europe has no industry and Boris has no job. No joke.

*******

"F**king Clown Show": Unsealed Court Docs Reveal Biden DOJ Colluded With National Archives To Target Trump, Jack Smith Tried To Conceal https://t.co/scaJrTL5wc

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) April 23, 2024

*Lol… /drags… That clown show has gotten even worse since that tweet…*

lol, the White House transcripts says inaudible instead of “pause” https://t.co/XXJue5C3mU pic.twitter.com/QYjIxe12z5

— Dr. Richard Harambe (@Richard_Harambe) April 24, 2024

*Yep, Clicky, that really happened…*

Today proved why Democrats need Trump trapped inside of his cage in court. Every time he escapes, whether it's a construction site or the bodega, as MSNBC said, it's a "dangerous situation." He wins the hearts and minds of crowds, while Biden keeps losing his base. So the… pic.twitter.com/UjohMl7SVe

— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) April 26, 2024

*Trump is their worst nightmare… /stubs butt…*

I will publish Fright Club, the latest installment of the Ronageddon saga, here at the weekend, Dear Reader, but for now, have a Song…<3