LONG LIVE THE ART OF CLOWNING
(image created from my purchased ClipArt collection)
Every once in a while,... okay, a lot lately,... I have news articles drop into my inbox that disturb me. Nine days ago it was this one:
A German woman has been sent to prison for a terrifying “killer clown” prank which left her victim with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
https://heatst.com/world/woman-imprisoned-for-terrifying-killer-clown-attack-on-unsuspecting-mother/
Eight months ago it was this one from Rolling Stone Magazine:
'Killer Clowns': Inside the Terrifying Hoax Sweeping America
Okay, confession time, I have performed as a clown, and as such, I performed per the definition and the description written here:
"Clowns are comic performers who employ slapstick or similar types of physical comedy, often in a mime style."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clown
"A performance artist often associated with a circus and typically characterised by bright, oversized clothing, a red nose, face paint, and a brightly colored wig and who performs slapstick."
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/clown
The recent misguided attempts by teenagers and young adults to degrade and damage such a worthy profession and true artistic expression, are seriously wrong. They are not clowns. In modern vernacular, they are FAKE CLOWNS.
Real clowns never want to scare people. Real clowns love people and want to hear them laugh. That is their number one goal. If anyone doubts this, do a simple internet search of the following clowns and read all about them, especially on the wikipedia pages. These are the real clowns: Lou Jacobs, Emmett Kelly, Emmett Kelly, Jr., Red Skelton, Joseph Grimaldi, Otto Griebling, Achille Zavatta, Vladimir Durov, Glen "Frosty" Little, Annie Fratellini, Albert Fratellini, François Fratellini, Victor Fratellini, Andy the Clown, Max Patkin, Mark Stolzenberg, Tommy the Clown, Michael Polakovs, Bello Nock, Cepillín, Fofito, Ed Birchall, Barry Lubin, Edward Yeamans, Camilla Gryski, David Larible and many more.
Notice, these funny performers are from many countries. Laughter is like music, a universal delight we all can enjoy regardless of our native language.
(image from wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clowns_of_America_International)
I am a former member of Clowns of America and I had the fun and the privilege of performing with a former Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus clown, so I know from personal experience the intent of real clowns: bring on the laughs.
(Marcel Marceau - Actor,Mime,French,Bip the Clown
CC0 Public Domain
Free for commercial use
No attribution required
https://pixabay.com/en/marcel-marceau-actor-mime-french-402739/)
Now mimes are a similar art form and most share the same clown goal: eliciting lots of laughs from the audience. Who can ever forget the fun and laughs Marcel Marceau gave us, and his stage persona, Bip the Clown. The wikipedia page about him is awesome: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Marceau
It says Michael Jackson used some of Marcel's techniques in his dance routines.
Watch ET the Mime here in action on YouTube and see if you don't laugh:
These clowns are/were serious about clowning and what they wanted to achieve. The goal was to entertain you, and have fun with you, and hear you laugh. Long live the clowns. I encourage people to continue to support this fine art form of fun and entertainment.
I was quite sorry to hear there was a shortage of clowns here in the United States as reported in 2014:
Here are pictures I took of some clowns I got to see in action on the Boardwalk in Seaside Heights, New Jersey:
This long armed clown was fun to watch when interacting with folks on the boardwalk.
Encourage others to get involved with organizations such as Clowns of America and the World Clown Association or any other clown organization you may find via an internet search. If the primary goal of clowns you meet is to make people laugh, then these are the clowns you should hang around with, and they are ones you can call clowns.
Real Clowns make people laugh, they DO NOT scare people. All clowns are not created equal. Make sure you hire a funny one!
Here the reaction the real clowns hope to see:
(kindergarten-laughing-at-clown
CC0 Public Domain
Free for commercial use
No attribution required
https://pixabay.com/en/kindergarten-clown-garden-animator-2204239/)
(image created from my purchased ClipArt collection)