101 Amazing Facts about Clowns by Jack Goldstein

Author:Jack Goldstein
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Auguste, whiteface, circus, carnival, barnum, bailey, ringling, entertainment, Grimaldi, joey, gacy, bean, chaplin, character, rodeo, facts, reference, trivia, fun, amazing, omgfacts, interesting
ISBN: 9781785386985
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited 2017
Published: 2017-05-30T00:00:00+00:00

Bad Clowning

When looking at an auguste clown’s make-up, you will notice that the vast majority of lines used are curved, rather than using sharp, angular designs. The general idea is that the softer designs give a more joyous and happy impression, compared to what could be seen as harsh and perhaps even menacing make-up - exactly the opposite of what an auguste clown is aiming for.

Perhaps the world’s worst ever clown was serial killer John Wayne Gacy, in his spare time a clown called Pogo. His make-up is a good example of a design that some would consider too sharp and angular, and not conveying a particularly happy ‘feel’. Whilst Gacy seems to have genuinely believed in clowning bringing happiness to people, it is possible that his design stemmed from a subconscious that was not happy or particularly stable.

Between 2013 and 2016, there was a spate of ‘evil clown’ sightings in the UK. The first appearance is thought to be a simple ‘art project’, undertaken by a filmmaker. Dressing up as a clown holding balloons on street corners at all times of the day and night, a number of people were disturbed enough to form vigilante groups to ‘protect the town’ from the clown. It seems that once the perpetrator had admitted to the stunt, the story made the papers, and from that point a number of copycat incidents happened up and down the country, with one video purporting to show CCTV footage of a scary clown staring through people’s windows.

The followers of rap band Insane Clown Posse are known as Juggalos, and are mostly pretty decent, upstanding, law-abiding folk. However, according to the FBI, some fans take things ‘too far’, believing their ‘fantasies’ of violence cross over into ‘reality’ and have amazingly classed the fan base as partaking in gang-related activity!

Joseph Grimaldi suffered heavily from depression - thus not only is he the father of modern clowning, but also of the trope of the ‘unhappy comedian’. He was sometimes able to make light of his condition though, declaring he was ‘ grim all day ’ yet entertained people at night.

An infamous event occurred in Toronto in 1855 - the ‘circus and fire-fighters riot’. One evening, after a popular performance, the clowns of a visiting circus decided to unwind in a local brothel. Their particular choice of hangout also happened to be the favoured haunt of the local fire-fighters, who at the time were not the fine upstanding community members of today! According to some, one rather loud clown insulted a fire-fighter and a fight broke out. Things calmed down after an hour or so, however that was not the end of it. The next day, a crowd gathered outside the circus, and started throwing stones at the travelling showmen. Then the fire-fighters turned up. A full-scale riot broke out, with the fire-fighters beating clowns to a pulp, setting about them with various weapons. When the mayor arrived, he personally grabbed an axe out of a firefighter’s hands just as he was about to bring it down on one of the clowns.

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