I arrived a bit late to The Catamount Lounge on Main Street Thursday night. They had been advertising a Clown Lounge Art Revue there, hosted by Whimsy Brave Arts and Creative Reuse.
This is how the event was described when I saw it posted:
Click to see the event details
Event by The Catamount Lounge and Whimsy Brave Arts and Creative Reuse
Duration: 2 hr
Public · Anyone on or off Facebook
Shake off the winter blues and step into a night of playful weirdness at the Clown Lounge Art Revue — a whimsical blend of live clown antics and easy, all-supplies-included art making!
CREATE YOUR OWN CLOWN (NO DRAWING REQUIRED!)
Build a one-of-a-kind clown character at our paper-doll collage bar. Mix and match colorful cut-outs, wigs, noses, patterns, stickers, and textures. Simple, fun, and perfect for all skill levels.
LIVE ROAMING CLOWN PERFORMANCES
Our eccentric clown cast will sprinkle the night with mini-acts, surprise moments, and gentle lounge-style mischief.
Performers happily accept tips!
Optional Clown Face-Paint Station
Try rosy cheeks, a tiny nose, or a playful diamond-eye look. Templates provided.
Whimsy + art + cocktails.
The perfect January pick-me-up to bring a friend to—or show up solo and get weird with us.
Come play. Come craft. Come clown. Presented by Whimsy Brave Arts.
I saw the event posted last week and commented in the Facebook discussion that I may need to drop by and make a new friend. They replied to come to the event with the same look as in my profile picture. At the time, my profile picture was me dressed as Leonardo after the Christmas in July event, when I was still a probationary clown.
I was a bit late putting on a face. I couldn’t find everything I needed – mainly my green tie, purple shirt, and blue suspenders. I decided to just wing it and put on a dark shirt, blue jeans, and a blue diagonal striped tie. Nothing matched. Then again, I was a hobo clown, so that checked out. I couldn’t wear my red All-Star sneakers because they are too closely associated with Shriners’ philanthropic efforts, and I didn’t seek permission to appear as a Shriner clown, so I put on some old white sneakers that were practically falling apart.
Arriving Late, Arriving as a Clown
I arrived, and a clown named Bo (acting as host) was announcing multiple-choice questions to the audience about what type of clown they were. She read one of the questions about hanging out with an untrustworthy person, then looked behind her and spotted me. I pointed to my eye and then to her, and she said she knew what kind of clown I was.
I eventually made my way to the bar to order a burger and a Sprite. The place was packed, so I asked the first person with an empty seat across from them if I could sit down. They said sure. They were a little inebriated, but we still had a good conversation. He was a bit confused about the entertainment for the night. I gave him some insight into clowning, noting that this type of clown was more into chaotic performances for an adult crowd, while I was more focused on parades, children’s events, and philanthropy.
Audience Participation (Against My Will)
Eventually, a part of the event came up where they were looking for people with the most inner-clown energy, and one of the clowns, Dr. Zombini (who also did magic tricks), came by each table to evaluate the clown energy. To my embarrassment, my tablemate kept trying to promote me as the best clown there. After the clown moved on to other tables, I thanked the gentleman and explained that they were probably looking for people who were more energetic and willing to enhance the atmosphere.
Well… they called me up. Or at least, they called him to tell me to come up, as my back was facing them. My award was a little Stitch toy dressed as Elvis. It looked like I could put batteries inside and make it dance. I didn’t say a word. I just looked at the audience and held it up close to cherish my prize. Someone was waving a balloon snake at me on my way back to the seat, so I tried to timidly pet the snake.
The award itself wasn’t much to look at. I used to live in Saltillo and do all my grocery shopping in Tupelo, where Elvis was born, so it seemed like a little callback to where I had been before moving to Front Royal.
The battery cover was missing, and it had no batteries. I could fix that without a problem, as I had plenty of batteries at home. A $3 sticker on the bottom looked as if it came from Goodwill. Once I got home, I was able to put in some batteries to watch it gyrate its hips like Elvis. I was a little sad that it didn’t sing or play any of his tunes, and the gyration seems so slow and weak. Hobo clowns lean into the sadness, so maybe it’s fitting?
I know quite a bit about hobby electronics, so I’m wondering if I should take it apart and make it play Elvis music, or scrap it for parts. It’s at least got a little motor inside and a few gears.
Clown Taxonomy and Balloon Ethics
Later, he received a balloon dog. I started comparing it to the ones that I make. I noticed immediately that the legs were not twisted at the feet to separate them as two separate legs, and that the tail was fairly long. It had me wondering if maybe I could come by sometime and make a few balloon animals for the crowd. My favorite to make are the bears that hold tulips.
What This Night Taught Me
There was another act with a boobie bird from the Galapagos Islands that the performer was talking to. She mostly spoke in a low voice, but she had a fun set. I didn’t realize the show was fairly amateur, as I’m mostly focusing on ventriloquism before I put an act together. It feels like I’ve been working on the wrong steps first, and maybe I should volunteer to do an act with one of my puppets.
Towards the end of the show, I found a couple of friends further back in the lounge and said hello.
It wasn’t exactly my scene, but it cracked open the idea that maybe I don’t need to wait until everything is perfectly rehearsed to participate. Maybe the next step isn’t polishing in private, but showing up imperfectly and seeing what happens.
All in all, it was a fun night.
