Drabby the Sad Clown (Tom Bush, pictured above) helped get the crowd in the mood for the “Pity Party,” a giant festival of sadness in Union Square in Somerville, Massachusetts, on Sept. 17, 2015. A pity party is usually a kind of “party” you have by yourself to wallow in sadness—wear pajamas, binge on ice cream, listen to sad songs. Now imagine that as a free, community, block party. The depresstival was the idea of artist Greg Cook (founder of “The Saddest Parade on Earth”), who organized the event in collaboration the Somerville Arts Council. (Thanks Gregory Jenkins, Nina Eichner, Rachel Strutt and Heather Balchunas for all your amazing help!) The evening included performances of mopey music, depressing comedy and sad poetry, as well as sculptures by Bob Smith, art by Jonathan Donahue, and comics by Gabe Pastel. The city’s Health and Human Services Department offered information and resources about depression. Scoopsies, Honeycomb Creamery and Union Square’s local ice creamery Gracie’s sold ice cream for people to swallow their troubles. (All photos here copyright 2015 Greg Cook. Please ask for permission before sharing.)
Drabby The Sad Clown (Tom Bush) offers an attendee a tissue.See This World performed “Sad Sad Day” and other songs.Grace performs.The crowd applauds Grace, as her mother (foreground) is brought to tears.Grace performs.A woman, her daughter and daughter’s friend, arrived wearing signs listing their troubles:”My husband moved out…. My friend Trish wanted to come but cancer makes her bones hurt…. I’ve been an at-home Mom for 6 yars, which was the right thing to do, but now no one wants to hire me.” “My parents are getting divorced.”Pat Falco’s love-letter-writing station: feed your completed letter into a slot that goes right into a garbage can.For Pat Falco’s love-letter-writing station: “Dear Alice, Please don’t move to Minnesota. I will be all alone among the Reese’s pieces. Sincerely, Julie.”Adam Schutzman helps Kari Percival with her climate change carnival games.Crystal “Navah da Buddaphliii” Beck of the Society of Urban Poetry recites her work.Comedian Ted Pettingell jokes about depression.Rachel Strutt, cultural director of the Somerville Arts Council.Be Be and the American Family Happily Institute present the “Anti-Sadily Shark Juice Medicine Show.”Julie ann otis types at her “Complaint and Catharsis Department”: “Take a Number: The Complaint + Catharsis Department offering all manner of affirmation + consolation: Temporary escape passes, Pissy permission slips, Notorized shit lists, Dear John letters, Worst-case scenario debriefings, crew wolrd accusations and blame assignations.”Comedian Jiayong Li.Jared P. Yanofsky (right) seeks “Sad Sack of the Year” nominations and offers “Subjective sad scale entry bracelets: melancholy, woebegone, lachrymose, doleful.”Ralph Waldo, with frontman Tyler Perry, performs.Anthony Montuori watches a guest play his new “Sad Sap” video game.Pauline Lim exhibited her paintings as well as offering “Free relationship advice (5-min limit).”DiDi Delgado of the Society of Urban Poetry recites her poetry.Essie Martsinkovsky speaks to a visitor to her “Tear Dispensary.”Ron Newman plays Kari Percival’s “Population Crash” climate change carnival game.Comedian Tawanda Gona.Alex Salsberg draws a sad caricature of Caleb Cole (whose funeral pennants were on display elsewhere).Comedian Christa Weiss.Emma Smith-Benzan, 2015 Miss Pre-Teen Massachusetts, tells a joke.Gregory Jenkins, executive director of the Somerville Arts Council.
