Discoclub HUH? WOW!

Discoclub HUH? WOW! is intended for curious (young) adults who are open to a childishly simple and somewhat cheeky answer to the entire question of life: it is a trick question. The only explanation for existence is that it is inexplicable. The only way to understand the whole is to understand it as incomprehensible. And when it comes to believing in it, the paradoxical answer is that you can only believe in existence as being unbelievable. And that is immediately how Crazyism characterises existence: it is unbelievably beautiful and extraordinary.
And therefore, conversely, FAR FROM NORMAL!

Discoclub HUH? WOW! tells the story of Ben, an old inventor who lives on the outskirts of Colour Village – where the Colour Forest begins – and Tom, together with the members of the Central Colour Council HUH? WOW! (from earlier adventures the author wrote for children aged 10 to 14). Together, they explore no fewer than eleven religious and non-religious worldviews, viewing them through the Multicolour Glasses of the upside-down world. All of them are subjected to a critical examination, but beautiful insights are also taken along each time as "building blocks for Crazyism". In the second part of the book, Discoclub HUH? WOW! emerges from this context as a "mental dance temple" – complete, for those who want one, with a delightfully unconventional image of God.

Discoclub HUH? WOW! symbolises the various elements of Crazyism. Ten foundation piles represent ten paradoxical propositions of the upside-down world, such as those described in the first paragraph. There is an Existence Definition that can be seen as the underfloor. There is a layout representing an Existence Classification. A bar, the dance floor, D.J. with bodyguard, disco ball and an important place for the holy toilet!

Writing a manifesto to convey a worldview is incredibly boring and forces you, as a reader, to keep accepting one-sided exclamation marks. It also lacks feeling. In this book, the upside-down worldview is discovered by a steadily growing number of fictional characters during the story, in the symbolic / metaphorical setting of Colour Village, divided into five Colour Districts. This allowed my idea to be questioned and explored, while I could have the main characters make jokes and throw in earthly subjects along the way to prevent the philosophy from becoming too heavy. But honestly? I literally only discovered during and through the writing how the final pieces of my 25-year process of thinking and making notes were ultimately meant to fall into place. I incorporated part of that development into the book, so as a reader you witness Crazyism arriving in the harbour, while occasionally being led down the wrong path because you assume something – only for the characters to start questioning it again a little later. Me, in that case. I thought, for instance, I had beautifully tied everything together in chapter forty-four as the ending. Only to discover the next day that there was still plenty left to discover for an extra chapter. So the reader experiences the ongoing development of the upside-down philosophy.

There is plenty of laughter, the story contains clear tables and quirky models in illustrations suited to a children's book (and to an old inventor). The intention is to be taken seriously as a joke – because a joke is being taken seriously for fun. Namely, that you CANNOT believe in life rather than CAN! Which would mean that by nevertheless starting to believe in something, we have all been terribly fooled... Because what is going on? Well, that for thousands of years the question has been alive: what is going on?


Crazyism: a gimmick, but no joke.

About the author

Drs. Lunaticus Absurdicum² is a pedagogue and versatile artist from Hoorn, The Netherlands (1977). Normally, he writes children's books for children under another pseudonym (for the time being, Roald Verdwahl). Discoclub HUH? WOW! is his first attempt to write a children's book for adults. While keeping in mind that it may also be suitable for older children – readers whom drs. Lunaticus takes very seriously, with difficult but educational words always being explained without making the book childish.

Drs. Lunaticus recently completed a Dutch trilogy for readers aged 10–14, about Tom, Colour Village and the Old Man. He translated all three into English and sent the first volume in both languages to various publishers and literary agents at home and abroad, so far without any results: responses are still taking time.

If there are any responses at all, of course ;)

This English version, with jokes of its own, also hopes to find a way into existence by being published abroad. Of course, one is always allowed to hope, right?