…And the world is now a little less interesting because of it.

Joe Kudla, “Snot” of the Puke and Snot comedy team, died yesterday in Minneapolis at the young age of 58.  Anyone who has visited a Renaissance Fair in the U.S. is familiar with these two characters.  Starting out some 30 years ago at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, Puke and Snot quickly developed a reputation, often at the expense of unwitting fair-goers.  They made a name for themselves in those early years, wandering through the park, making wisecracks, antagonizing and poking fun at various fair guests.  All in good cheer, of course.  This usually caused a spectacle and was quite entertaining to watch.

I witnessed one such episode years back, when the two were observing a fussy brat whose tantrum was testing the nettle of his mother.  Unbeknownst to mother and child, P&S were standing about 20 feet away, hands on hips, saying nothing.  Meanwhile, curious fair-goers were assembling into a huge semicircle nearby, waiting to see what would happen.  All of a sudden, in perfect harmony (and in a bad, phony Brit accent), the two loudly screamed, “Ohhhh Shut Up!!!” The crowd roared with laughter.  The brat went silent.  If that mother could have dug a hole in the ground and crawled in it, she would have.  No doubt that kid would’ve followed her in it, judging by the deer-in-the-headlights look of shock on his reddening face.  It was priceless.

As their popularity skyrocketed, the team moved up to stage shows, and were rarely seen wandering about the grounds.  They performed at festivals throughout the United States, and touched the funny bones of many.  Needless to say, these stage shows were packed to capacity, with fair-goers often queuing up for hours awaiting the start.

It’s been a tough summer for the comedic arts, with the loss of greats like George Carlin and, recently, Bernie Mac.  We just lost another star of comedy.  Snot, you will be missed.