Marcel Marceau died

From Seth Godin’s blog : Original post here

…and despite the void he’ll leave, it’s almost impossible not to make a small joke.

PARIS - SEPTEMBER 26:  A picture shows Marcel Marceau's hat during the funeral of the world-famous mime artist who died 22 September 2007, at the age of 84, at the Pere Lachaise cemetary on September 26, 2007 in Paris, France. Marceau, whose real name was Marcel Mangel, became internationally famous for his 1947 creation of Bip, a sad, white-faced clown in a striped jumper and a battered silk opera hat. He was single-handedly responsible for reviving the art of mime after World War II, after two decades of being eclipsed by the silent movie, dominated by the genius of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton or Laurel and Hardy.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

And that’s the point, at least from a marketing point of view. Marceau made it through the Dip. He entered a field that was obscure, suffering from disrespect and filled with poseurs and hacks (all at the same time). But he pushed and focused and broke through. One person = an entire form of expression.

Jackson Pollack did it, as well. So did Yo-Yo Ma.

When a promoter wanted to book someone or promote someone or feature someone, there was only one choice. When Mel Brooks wanted a mime to speak in “Silent Movie,” there was only one choice. Only one choice is a good place to be.

The challenge is to find a field where the Dip is small enough to get through but big enough to matter.

(Was it an assassin? Did he use a silencer?)

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