One of my fans sent in these pics from the Men & Muscles, Pies with Gusto series of Mississippi. This is Gene getting pied by “Old Man Nettles” at a scrap yard during a camp out. Wow!
Half-Nekkid Body-Builder Behind the cut>
Men & Muscles, Pies with Gusto revisited
September 7, 2010
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Thinking Outside the box pt 4
May 30, 2010Sunday, we moved the whole shebang over to Temple Beth Hatfiloh
Lots of faces pied
Mary Margaret Fondriest stepped up to the challenge.
Mark Enslin stepped up.
Paula Murphy (presenter of The Chiropractic Center of my Dreams) stepped up with a pal for a twofer.
I finished the weekend with a twofer as well.
and a bunch of unpied faces
Read the rest of this entry »
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Last gig of 2009
March 12, 2010
We all have bad days that lead to bad shows, and 2009 ended with one for me.
In retrospect, there were many things I would have done differently. I’m not proud of how it went, but I’ve reviewed and reviewed the gig, and I realized that I learn more from the bad gigs and I go forward as a better clown.
Here’s how it went down. And it went DOWN…
I got a message from a local senior center inquiring whether I could come visit them. Hot dang! Another opportunity to create a unique experience for an under served at-risk population… hmmm. Then I did some research and sent the lady an e-mail, so we could get it all in writing, professional like. It turned out that she was fishing for a FREE CLOWN. Would I be willing to volunteer for a 1/2 hour gig on a Tuesday in February?
Well, that happened to be a time and day when I’d be expected at work. I offered to come during my winter break, and at a reduced rate (to include a serving of biscuits and gravy to-go).
I arrived on my PVC stilts which alternately fell apart at the seams or slipped out from under me on the linoleum floor.
I set up on a table near the door and was promptly told, “These are the adult care patients. Don’ t talk to them.“ So I directed my material to the care-givers instead.
As I was racing the clock to do an hour’s material in 30 minutes I started skimping on the tricks… and jokes… and consequently… laughs.
Later I told friends, “I shortened my show by leaving out the funny parts.”
However, I did make the rounds with the clipboard and five people signed up for a Pie-in-the-Face. But four of them backed out, so I was left with a single recipient, David Raffin’s mom. He’d come as a favor to me and took these photos.
At one point I decided to burst into song and did an on-the-spot reworking of Autumn Leaves…
“The Falling… Clown… walks by my window
the Funny Clown… in red… and black”
When I finished, I got a round of applause, but mostly folks stayed focused on their biscuits and gravy. Before I left I went around with the whipped cream and offered people an extra helping for their pumpkin pie.
The client payed me in cash. I said that it had been quite different from my usual crowd of 6 y/o’s, and joked that I was going to dust off my resume. She said, “.. a learning experience…(?)” Yeah, right. Exactly.
After Winter Break, I had a consultation (over Oyster shooters at Fish Tale) with mi payaso, Augustin, and we came to the conclusion that my best instinct was doing the Autumn Leaves improvisation. I’d wasted my time researching jokes about old-age. They don’t want to be reminded of visits to the doctor or loss of memory. At 40 I’m still a whippersnapper, and I should act like one. I needed to put more effort into material from when these folks were between 6 and 8 years old (i.e. from the 1940′s & 50′s).
What the senior community needs but can’t express is a connection with their Ancient Childhood.
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Funny Guy takes a Fall, Gets the Chair
November 21, 2009I finally got around to having 2 1/2 hours to catch up on the Show Off Finals.
I was really looking forward to this moment per a status update by the director
“With a LIVE show anything can happen – our MC fainted ONSTAGE (he’s fine but it was scary)! Another MC stepped in for the last 1/4 of the show.”
Here it is.
[1:35:30] “Another big hand for the Slieveloughane (Sleeve-locaine) dancers okay. we’ve got three more acts and a lot of talent, but first let’s bring out the second half performers, Formula Boogie… “
[1:35:44] slump, CLUNK.
[1:35:46] They enter. Jerry’s hair is visible on the floor.
A b-boy does a flip. They notice Jerry.
[1:35:51] A lady jumps on stage and instantly says “Call 911!” and points at a person to do it [1:35:54].
[1:35:56] Deb starts walking across the stage. A b-boy is backing up with his hands in the air! Like WTF, I didn’t touch him!
[1:36:04] Stage crew are rushing over. A silhouetted woman in the audience gets up and runs toward that side of the stage, and the director goes to a commercial.
Then there’s a kid interviewing the b-boys. They talk about how long they’ve been dancing and shout out a prayer for Jerry.
He is replaced by John Tennis who acknowledges that he is NOT Jerry Farmer. He says, “Jerry put his body and soul into the show, and his body is being worked on now.”
By the 2:00 mark, Deb comes on and says that Jerry’s fine.
“He got a little light headed during that dance routine.”
Sheer Professionalism! Donate to TCTV for some smelling salts!
[2:24:51] All the contestants are on the stage, and John Tennis says, “Will You Welcome Back to the stage, Jerry Farmer… and Deb Vinsel!” [Cheers and concerned looks. He's in a wheelchair]
Jerry says, “Thank you all for your care and concern, and a special thanks to my two nurses who helped me out back there, Mike and Chelsea, and here’s the really cool thing. They’re Mental Health nurses, okay?”
“God knows we love you, Jerry,” says Deb. “Yeah,” says Jerry.
“There’s a whole other story,” says John.
“There certainly is,” says Deb.
“Crazy Business,” says Jerry, ” Thank you all.”
This update just in from Deb:
Congratulations … Troyz Boyz – 2009 TCTV SHOW OFF! Audience Choice Award Winner and “O” – 2009 TCTV SHOW OFF! Judges Choice Winner. TCTV is a winner too.. nearly $5000 raised in donations and sponsorships and a great, fun new community event is born! See you all next year!
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Pie in the face video (abridged)
October 25, 2009Here’s the short version of the Pie-in-the-face routine from NWFest ’09.
Courtesy David Raffin and blissfulremembrances.com
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Pie-ing “Just Sage”
October 24, 2009Another pie… a long time coming but finally delivered.
“Just Sage” keeps crashing at my house on his way somewhere. I brought up the topic of pieing, and he told me the story of what happened when he’d crashed at another friend’s house. The guy let him use the shower in exchange for some hamburger. While showering he noticed that the shower curtain was decorated with the shadow from Psycho. Just then, his friend burst in with a Super Soaker! “Now, go ahead with your shower.”
Then for dinner, the friend brought him his food in a metal dog bowl! The friend was also eating from a dog bowl. Apparently it was a habit he picked up living on a boat. [They don't wobble and slide off the boat!]
Finally, he said, “You need some Barnacle Vodka,” and retrieved a bottle that he’d found SCUBA diving. The label had washed off and barnacles had grown on the glass, but the plastic ring around the top said Smirnov, so they knew what it contained. After the drink he said, “Now Get Out of My House!”
Sage also mentioned that the whole thing had been documented with pictures for fcbk. That was my opening.
I thawed the whipped cream and loaded it up in the pan. Well, beggars can’t be choosers.
Now Take Your Shower and Get Out of My House!
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“Levity” by Bil Fleming
October 22, 2009Here’s the Clown Crucifixion montage that was the result of “the Great Clown Photoshoot”. It made its public debut at the Fall Arts Walk as a 40″ x 40″ print hanging in the window of Hot Toddy.
OMG!
How Much?!
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NWFC movie (feat. Jusby)
October 21, 2009http://ia311004.us.archive.org/3/items/ClownConvention2009/ClownCon.mov
21 minutes of Northwest Festival of Clowns featuring all three of the events in which I competed… and some other clowns too. Courtesy David Raffin & Blissful Remembrances.
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The 20th Northwest Festival of Clowns – Day 1
October 15, 2009
Silly Billy’s finale Confetti Cannon!
The Birthday Cake!
The Big Foot Clown Alley Welcome
Pinky!
Then I had to clean up the mess out in the driveway. Next time I could use the grass in back they said.
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Shelton Party Pie-ings
October 8, 2009Then “Honey” and I drove to Shelton for a Double Birthday, Double Clown Party.
This was the second big Hispanic community celebration. In fact, the woman who called had been to the other one, which is a great referral and testament to strong community connection.
However, there are some disadvantages. This time, they had no computer access for exchanging the paperwork (contract, invoice, etc) or further social connection (facebook, twitter, linked in). Also I was again paid in cash, large bills, and I carried no small change, so they may have felt awkward tipping an additional five, but I wasn’t willing to work for $15 less than agreed upon, especially since I had subcontracted “Honey” to take photos, prep pies and paint faces.
I collected several PAGES of signatures for the pie-in-the-face, but when the time came around only THREE kids actually came forward. The DJ was so loud that they probably didn’t hear.
No, they heard. And it was translated too
“Pastellaso en la cara”
I later asked our Spanish teacher to help explain about the party. I said, “I meant to ask you about something about Hispanic culture.”
“Jes! Go ahead!”
“I’m a clown and I went to a party in Shelton. Everyone signed up for the pie in the face, but only the kids actually came forward.”
“Okay, I’m not understanding something. You are a cloud?“
“ahem. Jes. I am a cloud. Ha-ha-ha. No. I’m sorry. I… am… a clown. payaso.”
“Oh, piE-Ya-so. Like pa-piE-ya. Oh. Okay. So jew were at a par-tea in Chelton? and…”
“I think the music was too loud. Even the gramas (the abuelas) making faces.”
“Jew know somfing, I was thinking that same thing when I was in Mexico, about my culture. THEY ARE SO LOUD. It is because they are shy and nobody has to talk to each other.”
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Fall Arts Walk preview
October 1, 2009So much to tell you, but I’m going to cut to the most current. Tomorrow is Olympia’s Fall Arts Walk, and I was part of Bil Fleming’s Great Clown Photoshoot. I brought a whole trunk full of costumes and did quick changes, so he’d have plenty of options. He’s photoshopping the clowns into a collage around a central clown. She’s being crucified. Very edgy. Not for the average clown.
Here’s my sad face.
Here’s a favorite of mine, but it didn’t make the final cut. I was going for the ruthless Roman look. I think he used this one as a publicity shot.
The finished work will be at Hot Toddy, 410 Capitol Way S. in Olympia.
Here’s the pdf of the map/ schedule of events Entire%20Map_LowRes <<
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Pied faces at Sand in the City
August 23, 2009Friday morning I considered showing up at the Grand Opening of the new Olympia Trader Joe’s with a cooler full of pies.
photo by James West, President of the Olympia Camera Club
I’m glad I didn’t. People were there by the hundreds… TO SHOP! All the suits from the Chamber of Commerce were there, and all the managerial types from TJ’s were beaming with pride as the cash registers rang out the sweet song of PROFITS!
Whoo hoo! Get Lei’d!
We left Trader Joe’s with a free recycled tote bag, but no groceries. Payday wasn’t for another 10 days. We went into Barnes & Noble’s and browsed for an hour, and I made an inquiry about being a Guest Reader on their stage (for Free). I also introduced myself to guy with one of the full bags of Grand Opening treats. He said he was a VIP because he’s opening a store in Renton. I gave him my card. A few minutes later he asked that I give his wife a second one. Good thinking, Mister.
Then I got prepared for an event to which I was actually invited, a year end BBQ for the Thurston Parks Summer Camp. Sarah Alexander had finally agreed to be pied. She figured it would go over great in front of the kids, and I could even bring mine. She even estimated that I might find up to EIGHT willing faces including her own. Although it would be another volunteer gig I considered it a better publicity stunt and a safe, appropriate surprise that would be a profoundly memorable way to celebrate.
Orion and I arrived and were greeted with, “Can I help you?”
Uh-oh. A grumpy looking lady wearing official parks gear. It turns out that Sarah was not the boss of this institution, nor did the bosses know I was coming. The grumpy lady says, “This is a closed site. All of the guests have to go through us. We have special needs campers.” Etc. Etc. and Wait Here. So I shoot the breeze with some other ladies. One has already had a pie-in-the-face. It was one of the three things she wanted to do before she died. She’s probably not going to do the other two: drive backwards into town or drive around town with a bag on her head.
Okay, the wait is over. Another guy shows up with parks gear and asks, “Can I talk to you over here for a minute?”
Uh-oh. The brush off. He tells the same story, so we leave.
Then I head down to Sand in the City. After all, I don’t have room in the freezer for all this whipped topping. A clown and his pie are soon parted, eh?
I found my first customers near the tower, but I attract the attention of grumpy looking ladies wearing official Hands On Children’s Museum gear. “This is supposed to be a fund raiser for US.” So they direct me to the edge of the festivities, and I lead away a group of children who have already lined up for their pie, one of which is the daughter of grumpy lady #2.
I’m the Pie Piper… or is it the Get-Pied Piper?
At this point ANOTHER grumpy looking lady comes over. She wants to know if these pictures will be on the internet. She would prefer that a couple of them NOT be on the internet… at least with the names attached… actually could I please just delete it from the camera? Okay, I show her the shots and delete the first one, but then she can’t really identify the faces with all the whipped cream, so she says “It’s really fine. Never mind.”
This last face barely got annointed, but I’m gonna count it, okay?
New total: About 230 Faces Pied! None of them GRUMPY
That evening I talk with Sarah. No one told her that I’d shown up and been sent away. She thought I blew her off. She HAD asked permission from her supervisor. We both think they owe me an apology and paid gig. Don’t you?
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Another Lakefair shot
August 12, 2009
photo courtesy Alexis Sarah, note the one piece hazmat suit courtesy Grampa Dave
I don’t suppose I actually told the story of the Lakefair Grand Twilight Parade of ’09, did I?
The alley has grown disenchanted with the parade. It’s too long for some of the more senior clowns. There aren’t enough to justify having the truck. Don’t get me started on the custom trailer! [It's for sale, BTW!]
At the last minute I decided to do some culture-jamming and just show up with a wagon full of pies. I parked by the Alpine Experience and hauled the wagon all the way up Capital Blvd toward the beginning of the parade.
Then I hopped on the wagon and coasted down hill offering pie-in-the-face to the crowd.
This was the kind of event during which people are accustomed to BUYING THINGS. So they asked, “How much?” I replied “By Donation… pies don’t grow on trees”.
During the 3rd or 4th face a representative of Lakefair pulled up in his golf cart and asked what I was doing.
“I’m a clown. I’m doing pie-in-the-faces.”
“Are you authorized by Lakefair to be here?”
“Um, well… yeah, of course. I’m a professional clown. Here’s my card.”
“No, are you authorized to be here?”
“… yeah. sure.”
“Show me.”
“Ohhh. You mean the thing? The badge. Well, no.”
“Next year you need to register with Lakefair for insurance purposes.”
“Okay.”
I saw him again toward the end of the route, and we went through the same thing. I’d have to charge a lot more if I was planning on doing it legit.
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Weekend Report – Off Duty Birthdays & Seattle Trip
August 3, 2009We finally connected with Pat & Melissa Suther for her birthday party! Orion got to play with their son, Keenan. We all go back to Evergreen, KAOS, & TCTV days. They had been living in Seattle for a couple of years but recently rematriculated to Olympia in the wave of reverse diaspora. Melissa is back on the KAOS airwaves.
The cake arrived in a giant blue canning vat surrounded by ice. Pat had agreed to a pie, but my heart wasn’t into it. It was too hot, and I just wanted to enjoy the BBQ. I promised him a raincheck. I like to be fully in character. I’m not a pie delivering machine. And after all, it was HER birthday, not his.
This was Saturday. On Sunday we drove up to Seattle for a combined birthday of Michelle and Roxanne. Roxanne turned 1 year old. Michelle turned another year older.
We went to the Pier 55 Red Robin for lunch.
I sat next to 3 y/o Rogan, and he started messing with me. He grabbed my face. I told him that it was my body space, and he should keep his hands to himself. He poked me with a crayon. I told him that I didn’t like that and he should stop. He didn’t. I picked him up and passed him across the table to his mother. 10 minutes later he was back.
He grabbed my face. I grabbed his face and said QWIT IT! He poked me with a crayon… in the ear! I broke his crayon. He cried. I wiped his tears away and patted his head.
The food arrived, and he was all better. I had this..
Burnin’ Love Burger™You’ll get fired up for the crispy-fried jalapeño rings, tangy salsa, and spicy Pepper-Jack cheese layered on top of our cayenne-seasoned beef burger. It’s topped with shredded lettuce and tomato to cool things off and served on a jalapeño-cornmeal Kaiser roll with Chipotle mayo.
And it was goooood.
There’s Roxanne with her Daddy, Drew, and brother Rogan helping blow out the candle. When the fire was extinguished and the cupcake brought closer, she got the idea and made a chocolatey mess of herself.
Then I brought out my nose and glue. I hit on the genius inspiration (if I do say so myself) of gluing the broken crayon tips to the kids’ noses… and foreheads. Then the straws to their upper lips.
Dakota and William wearing crayon noses. They messed with me too. Lotta boy silliness like burp contests and tickling and mustard-coated fry waving.
Dakota with straw mustache, Rogan with crayon horn. William kept a nose and mustache on all the way into the Seattle Aquarium, traveling a 1/3 of a mile on foot down Alaska Way and up until he got into the SCUBA gear.
I brought my goggles and diving toys for this shot. The diving hood was a bonus score.
Ewww, a pirate fish missing an eye. Or two. It never turned around.
Gavin’s demonstrating something.
Then I convinced the group to drive a few miles to Archie McPhee’s. Trish liked this fez, but I didn’t buy it. I liked a pair of underware gloves, but I didn’t buy them. I wound up with a chef’s hat (for my gourmet pies), a big comb, and a big axe.
Then we gave William a ride home, and he had his first Eastside Big Tom burger and first chocolate shake (EVER!?) He and Orion are posing by the new mural going in at the patio area. Not pictured: the garden gnomes.
Williams said, “Look out, we’re surrounded by crazy norms!”
“Um… norms? Did you mean gnomes? They’re called gnomes.”
“Whatever.” Okay. He meant norms. What a clown.
Then we met Mike who had just returned from Seaside and worked his 61st straight day of work. He is NOT PLEASED with certain teenager employees.
All in all, the trip might have been better had I realized well in advance that I do have other friends up in Seattle… and alerted them more than an hour prior to arrival. I had an ongoing phone conversation with Sage, and he would’ve done some magic tricks for us at Red Robin or gone along on an adventure, but it didn’t work out this time.
The lesson I learned was that I’ve got to alert my Portland friends TODAY if I want to meet them ten days from now. And/Or when Trish and Orion go camping I could plan to get out of my safety zone and venture up to the big city again if I arrange a time and place NOW.
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Lakefair 09 pre-parade pie-ing
July 18, 2009This slideshow requires JavaScript.
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