Pierrot is a stock character of mime and Commedia dell'Arte, a French variant of the Italian Pedrolino. His character is that of the sad clown, pining for love of Columbine, who inevitably breaks his heart and leaves him for Harlequin. He is usually depicted wearing a loose, white tunic. The noticeable feature of Pierrot's behaviour is his naïveté, he is seen as a fool, always the butt of pranks, yet nonetheless trusting. Pierrot is also portrayed as moonstruck, distant and oblivious to reality.

One may be said to be Pierroting if one is behaving like Pierrot.

The French character was purportedly first created by Jean-Gaspard Deburau. He is the protagonist of the famous French folk song, "Au Clair de la Lune".

Spelled "Pjerrot", the character is a fixture at Bakken, the world's oldest amusement park in Denmark. According to Bakken publicity, the character is more than 4,000 years old, and originated in Turkey (known as Asia Minor). It is also claimed that in ancient times, the broad red mouth of the character was created by physically cutting the mouth to make it larger.

20th century Russian cabaret singer Alexander Vertinsky was famous for his portrayal of Pierrot, for which he wore a black costume and powdered his face.

Pierrot in poetry

And lo, in that dawn he was pierroting over,

Swinging in spirals round the fresh breasts of day.

From the posthumously published poem "The Moth That God Made Blind" by Hart Crane.

• The american poet Ralph Chaplin wrote a series of poems collectively titled "Maybe Pierrot", in which Pierrot is used to symbolize an idealistic artist unable to fight the world's injustices.
• Langston Hughes authored short poems entitled Pierrot and A Black Pierrot.

Pierrot in classical music

• The second part of the piano composition Carnaval written by Robert Schumann.
• Pierrot Lunaire ("Moonstruck Pierrot" or "Pierrot in the moonlight") is an important work of Arnold Schoenberg, a setting of Albert Giraud's work of French poems of the same name (translated into German by Erich Otto von Hartleben) to music.
• Die tote Stadt, an opera by Erich Korngold includes the aria Pierrot's Tanzlied (Mein Sehnen, mein wähnen) sung by the character Fritz.
• Pierrot, clarinet-violin-piano trio by Thea Musgrave in which the violin is Pierrot, the clarinet is Columbine, and the piano the harlequin.

Pierrot in popular culture

• Pierrot le Fou is a film by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina. The anime series Cowboy Bebop features an episode titled "Pierrot le Fou", with a character called the Mad Pierrot.
• Yellow Magic Orchestra's debut album contains a track titled "Mad Pierrot".
• American filmmaker Kenneth Anger features Pierrot in his film Rabbit's Moon.
• David Bowie wore a Pierrot costume for both the sleeve of his album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) and the video for the single "Ashes to Ashes". This in turn provided inspiration for a character in the TV series Ashes to Ashes.
• Leo Sayer dressed as Pierrot on tour following the release of his first album, Silverbird.
• The Japanese pop band Berryz Koubou's song "Kokuhaku no Funsui Hiroba" features the lyric "I am Pierrot" in reference to a girl who has just confessed her love and, having not yet received an answer, imagines the worse.
• Novembre, a progressive metal band from Italy, has a song called "Comme Pierrot" ("Like Pierrot") on the Novembrine Waltz album.
• Los Hermanos, a rock band from Brazil, has a song called "Pierrot" on the debut album, Los Hermanos.
• "Pierrot" is a song by Lee Hyun Do and is featured in the rhythm video game Pump It Up.
• Brindis por Pierrot (Cheers for Pierrot) is an album of the Uruguayan songwriter/singer Jaime Ross.
• The song "The Carnival Is Over" by Australian band The Seekers features the lines "But the joys of love are fleeting / For Pierrot and Columbine."
• Indie rock band Placebo's album Meds contains a track called "Pierrot the Clown", including the lyrics "I'll be wallowing in sorrow/Wearing a frown, like Pierrot the clown".
• Rintaro's segment of the anime triptych Neo-Tokyo ("Labyrinth") features a somewhat sinister clown who resembles some representations of Pierrot.
• In the literary magazine The Savoy from the 1890s, a Beardsley drawing was often printed on the back cover featuring a mischievous pierrot in place of the traditional hero Bellerophon on the back of the winged horse Pegasus.
• Neil Gaiman's short story "Harlequin Valentine" features a Pierrot or "Petey" character.
• Pierrot was a Japanese rock band active from 1994-2006.
• Japanese musician Közi often wore a pierrot costume while a member of the visual rock band MALICE MIZER
• Argentinean band Sui Generis mentions Pierrot in their song "Gaby"
• "Like A Pierrot" is a unicycle challenge course on the popular Japanese show Unbeatable Banzuke. It should be noted that a word for clown in Japanese is "pierrot," and this Pierrot reference is more likely to a regular circus clown than a Commedia Del'Arte Pierrot figure.
• In Cirque du Soleil's production of La Nouba, there are two characters, both with a Pierrot name- La Pierrot Rouge and the Pierrot Clown.

See also

• Pedrolino
• Commedia dell'arte
• Jerry Cornelius
• Harlequin

PIERROT was a Japanese visual rock band, originally founded in 1994 by Kirito and Jun in Nagano. The original band members were Hidelow on vocals, Kirito and Jun on guitar, Kohta on bass, and Luka on drums. In November of that year, Luka left and Takeo joined. Then, in February of 1995, Hidelow also left the band while Aiji joined, completing the final line up: Kirito on vocals, Aiji and Jun on guitar, Kohta on bass and Takeo on drums.

PIERROT was one of the oldest bands still around in 2005 in the Japanese rock scene. They started off like any other visual kei band and made their major label debut in September 1998 with the single "CLEAR SKY" (クリア・スカイ). Their final album was "DICTATORS CIRCUS -A deformed BUD-", a best album with singles spanning from 10 years of their career. Their final single was "HELLO", an apt title for a band who started their major career with an album called "FINALE".

The vocalist, Kirito, embarked on a solo career in 2005, and released his first solo album, titled "Hameln", on August 3, 2005.

On April 12, 2006 the band announced its disbandment.

Kirito, Kohta, and Takeo have since started a new band called Angelo, and they released their first single, aptly titled "REBORN", on November 8. Their debut album, titled "REBIRTH OF NEWBORN BABY", was released on April 18, 2007.

Discography

Singles

• Screen Released April 22, 1998
• クリア・スカイ Kuria Sukai (CLEAR SKY) Released September 10, 1998 (Debut single)
• MAD SKY-鋼鉄の救世主- MAD SKY -Koutetsu no MESSIAH- (MAD SKY-Steel Messiah-) Released December 02, 1998
• ハルカ... Haruka... (Far away...) Released February 24, 1999
• ラストレター Rasuto Retaa (Last Letter) Released April 28, 1999
• CREATURE Released December 22, 1999 (Maxi single)
• AGITATOR Released June 07, 2000 (Maxi single)
• 神経がワレル暑い夜 Shinkei ga WARERU Atsui Yoru (The Hot Night my Nerve Broke) Released September 27, 2000 (7th MAXI SINGLE)
• PARADOX Released May 06, 2001 (Diverging point single)
• DRAMATIC NEO ANNIVERSARY Released August 29, 2001 (Maxi Single)
• COCOON Released November 21, 2001 (Maxi single)
• 壊れていくこの世界で Kowareteiku kono Sekai de (In this Breaking World) Released March 27, 2002 (Maxi single)
• PSYCHEDELIC LOVER Released August 28, 2002 (Maxi single)
• HILL-幻覚の雪- HILL -Genkaku no Yuki- (HILL -Illusive Snow-) Released December 18, 2002 (Maxi single)
• 薔薇色の世界 Barairo no Sekai (A Rose-Coloured World)
• ネオグロテスク Neogurotesuku (NEOGROTESQUE)
• 夕闇スーサイド Yuuyami SUUSAIDO (Twilight Suicide) Released June 18, 2003 (Triple A-side Maxi single)
• 脳内モルヒネ Nounai MORUHINE (Intercerebral Morphine) Released December 03, 2003 (Maxi single)
• SMILEY SKELETON Released: June 30, 2004 (Maxi single)
• MYCLOUD Released October 20, 2004 (Maxi single)
• HELLO Released June 21, 2006 (Final single)

Albums

• 気狂いピエロ Kikurui Piero (Mad Clown) Released December <>, 1994 Features HIDELOW on vocals
• パンドラの匣 PANDORA no Hako (Pandora's Box) Released July 21, 1996 (1st Indie album)
• CELLULOID Released September 03, 1997 (2nd Indie album)
• FINALE Released July 07, 1999 (1st Album)
• PRIVATE ENEMY Released November 22, 2000 (2nd Album)
• HEAVEN: THE CUSTOMIZED LANDSCAPE Released May 24, 2002 (3rd Album)
• ID ATTACK Released July 23, 2003 (4th Album)
• DICTATORS CIRCUS -奇術的旋律- DICTATORS CIRCUS -Kijutsuteki Senritsu- (DICTATORS CIRCUS -Magical Melody-) Released December 17, 2003 (Best Selling album)
• FREEZE Released December 01, 2004 (5th Album)
• DICTATORS CIRCUS -A variant BUD- Released April 06, 2005 (Singles compilation)
• DICTATORS CIRCUS -A deformed BUD- Released June 08, 2005 (Single B-side compilation)

Movies/DVDs

• Prototype Released December 20, 1998
• '"Film" Rising a MAD SKY at NIPPON BUDOKAN Released September 08, 1999
• TOUR 1999 FORETELLER'S MUTATION FINAL -THE GENOME CONTROL- Released March 15, 2000
• DICTATOR'S CIRCUS V (Video/2 Vol. Set) Released December 20, 2000
• PROTOTYPE II Released December 20, 2000
• PROTOTYPE III Released December 19, 2001
• PROTOTYPE I+II Released: [December 19, 2001]
• TOUR RARADOXICAL GENESIS "ANNIVERSARY" 2001.9.23 YOKOHAMA ARENA (DVD) Released April 23, 2003
• DICTATOR'S CIRCUS VI at SAITAMA SUPER ARENA Released April 23, 2003
• ATTACK [to] THE FREEDOM (contains 3 discs) Released: <>, 2004 Fanclub only
• DICTATORS CIRCUS VII -A variant BUD-/-A deformed BUD- [SAITAMA SUPER ARENA] Released <>, 2005 Fanclub Only
• PROTOTYPE IV Released December 14, 2005

Members

KIRITO (Vocal/sound/concept)

• Real Name: Murata Shinya
• Birthday: February 24, 1972
• Birthplace: Sapporo, Hokkaido
• Favourite colours: Blue and green
• Now part of the band Angelo together with Kohta and Takeo, and he has his own solo career.

AIJI (Guitar/sound)

• Real name: Mizui Shinji
• Birthday: November 17, 1974
• Birthplace: Nagano, Japan
• Favourite colours: Purple and red.
• Now part of the band LM.C with Maya (formerly Miyavi's guitarist).

JUN (Synth guitar/sound)

• Real name: Yamaura Jun'ichi
• Birthday: May 4, 1973
• Birthplace: Nagano, Japan
• Favourite colours: Blue and green
• Now part of the band ALvino with KOJI (ex-La'cryma Christi) and Shouta.

KOHTA (Rhythm/Bass)

• Real name: Murata Kohta
• Birthday: June 3, 1975
• Birthplace: Sapporo, Hokkaido
• Favourite colours: Black and silver.
• Now part of the band Angelo together with Kirito and Takeo.

TAKEO (Rhythm/Drums)

• Real name: Ishikawa Takeo
• Birthday: July 11
• Birthplace: Fukushima-ken, Japan
• Favourite colours: White and blue.
• Now part of the band Angelo together with Kirito and Kohta.

See also

• LM.C

External links

• Kirito & Angelo official website
• LM.C (Aiji's new band)
• ALvino (Jun's new band)

References