This clip may help to better illustrate what I've been saying about the Shrine clowns...
While each of these guys are probably very nice guys, they aren't really doing anything entertaining. They look like what they are, middle aged (or older) men dressed in clown costumes. While that isn't a bad thing at a parade, it becomes extremely underwhelming in a circus setting, where the audience has paid for a professional performance and have (rightfully) higher expectations.
That said, they have pretty solid Shrine clown costumes and makeups, so for a volunteer group they all look to have a good overall Shrine clown "look".
It is interesting to me that most of these clowns are walking around as if they were told not to act like clowns; perhaps what we see is an improvement. I am sure that all of these Shiners are wonderful people, they do great work and help a lot of kids who find themselves in a horrible way, and they flatter professional and natural born clowns with the greatest complement of all to want to be like y’all. It is also interesting to me that in all these years they have maintained the same standard of awfulness. In their way they help the profession by keeping sharp that line of contrast.
ReplyDeleteyikes
ReplyDeleteOkay, so what am I to do? I am a Shriner, but have intentionally avoided telling ANYONE connected with the clown unit about my background. Do I pitch in and fix it, or would that be adding to the problem?
ReplyDeleteGary Peare, RBBBCC '79, Blue Unit '80
Gary,
ReplyDeleteI vote for "pitch in and fix it"!
You don't have to be Francesco Caroli to turn to a guy with a foam nose held on with duct tape to say, "You know, there's a more effective way to achieve the look that you're going for. May I help you with that?"
did you ever thank that they were interduing the clubs/units.....
ReplyDeleteNo, I suppose I'd never stopped to thank for a moment that they might be interduing the clubs/units.
ReplyDeleteI probably should consider that in the future.
Hm... Seems I was a day late and dollar short. The video's been pulled.
ReplyDeleteWas interested to see it, but then, I'm still recovering from the case of the willies from the clowns I saw at the shrine circus in Nashville last fall.
They were gawd-awful pitiful and it was, at least for me, painfully embarassing to watch.
The Shrine's medical mission I admire greatly, however, the business of clowning should be left to those who are actually funny AND professional.
Hm.. would any pro clowns be willing to do a number posing as shriners? (I imagine that might start a riot in some quarters, or at least set some fez tassles spinning furiously.)