Les Jones

A&E > Krusty the Clown Come to Life

From The Washington Post via Patterico, the funny and sad story of Eric Knaus, aka Zucchini the Great.

Eric and I were in Arlington, at a fifth birthday party for a boy named Charlie. It was the first time the mother, Sarah Moore, had hired the Great Zucchini, and she had no complaints. He was everything she'd been told he'd be, she said, as she surveyed her post-party, preprandial dining room, aswarm with giddy kids.

"He's a big draw. You know, we wouldn't have gotten half this turnout with a moon bounce," Sarah said, completely seriously.

On our way to the party, Eric and I had been talking football, and I had said I thought the New York Giants would win their next game. He agreed but said they wouldn't beat the spread. I'd found that a little odd, and on our way back from the party I took a stab.

"You're a gambler," I said.

"I need a cigarette," he said.

We stopped for cigarettes. He took a long drag, and smiled. It was as though he'd been waiting for this release for weeks.

"Look, I'm not Mister Rogers, okay?"