an associate of

Le Zanzare

As clowns progress beyond thousands of years in age they leave behind mortal Comedy entirely.
Not all clowns are cut out for study at this level, and some abandon serious academics in order to return to a simple life of clowning around.
Those few who remain pursue highly theoretical branchies of Comedy, and competition between Ancient Clowns becomes uncharacteristically fierce and competitive.
Every Ancient Clown knows every other Ancient Clown, and nobody wants to be the least funny member of such a ruthless and insular cadre.
Ancient Clowns must be constantly aware of even minor developments in Comedy, cannot ever misunderstand a joke or fail to appreciate a reference, and must ensure that they remain in on the joke and do not become the butt of the joke.
Ancient Clowns communicate almost entirely using systems of reflexive acausal meta-irony, employing styles of comedy that haven't been invented yet to make fun of jokes that haven't been made yet. They represent the absolute bleeding edge of Comedy, and are terrifyingly funny, assuming you can understand them.
Ancient Clowns are by far the most powerful of all clowns, in terms of religious authority, Comedy prowess, academic insight and administrative rule.
They make dreadful leaders, however, due to the difficulty which lesser creatures have understanding them.

Not PP Friendly: Those who pick my pockets will slip on many banana peels