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| ...So, what's the purpose of your show?... |
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My goal is to make shows which are just as much fun for adults as they are for children. It should be on an intellectual level that is appropriate for a top level company event as well as for a kindergarten.
What astonishes most people about my art of performing is how I have the fine touch of getting people involved without embarassing them. I provoke crazy unexpected things to happen but never at the cost of my audience; they should always be the hero in the end.
I use many physical skills like juggling, unicycling, magic, mime, situation comedy and balloon-twisting but the main thing is to make the people laugh. The use of a rubber spider at the right moment or even just a funny facial expression can be more interesting than juggling 5 balls behind the back (and a lot easier) My experience as a street entertainer helps me deal with any situation that comes up. And while I most like to play at festivals, I try to integrate the audience into the show, even when I perform on a stage.
The stereotype of the stupid clown using old tired gags is not
what clowning is about for me. Children enjoy my performance
without me acting the pathetic "kiddy clown". I like to use a red nose but without the makeup and overly loud costumes of a traditional clown which tend to frighten kids. One can be colorful, silly and fun without scaring or making fun of anyone.
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| ...number 1 question I get asked... |
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What got you started, are you from a circus family or what?
Not at all, although having 9 siblings, my upbringing was crazy at times. While at University getting my Bs in Business, I started juggling and unicycling as a hobby. By the end of my studies, street-shows were putting the food on the table. Instead of taking a normal job, I opted to travel and see the world and managed to do it by entertaining people.
I have been based in Europe since 1983 and now live in southwestern Germany where I earn most of my money in the warmer months. When I have the time and cash, I still like to travel part of the winter in warm, third-world countries where I often entertain people just for fun, sometimes just using fruits in the market places to juggle with. It is a great way to interact with the local people who I've often photographed. Although I don't work as a photographer, I have exhibited many of my pictures.
One of the greatest things about my travels is all of the other performers and jugglers I have gotten to meet. Particularly in third-world countries, I have been impressed by the dedication of many circus school projects which have not only given an education to disadvantaged children but have also informed their communities about human rights and dignity and to see beyond one's experiences of poverty and conflict. I've published many stories about my ideas on juggling, clowning and performing, including tales of my travels in Kaskade - a European juggling magazine.
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| ...Second
most asked question... |
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Can you earn a living doing this?
Gosh, I'm alive and have lived from performing since I finished University. I am not wealthy and doubt I ever will be. I don't even know of any rich clowns. I guess getting famous on TV and film might do the trick but that's not my style or ambition. Sadly, it seems to get tougher all the time to make a living from making people happy. People aren't aware that for every hour one performs, there are also at least 5 hours of office work, in addition to training and designing promo material, costumes or new material.
Many organizers have been promoting their events as competitions. Rather than the performers being fairly paid, they should battle it out to see who gets some crumbs. Often the "winner" doesn't even get a reasonable sum and the rest of the artists have to settle for a token fee or whatever they can collect in their hats although such events bring great advantages to the local economy. The sponsorship money from governments, businesses, media etc. land in the pockets of the agents and/or organizers. The audiences are usually misled to think the performers are getting treated well rather than exploited. I refuse to support this shameful mistreatment of artists. If a city festival's budget for rental-toilets is more than the budget for the performers, then there is something wrong! Please support fair treatment of the entertainers who bring a little joy into peoples lives!
Why did you end up in Germany?
Good question. Wish I had a good answer! One might consider it missionary work to bring humor to Germany but actually each culture and individual has a funny bone; my ambition is to find out what it is and give it a big tweak. Actually, I would travel about Europe from Norway to Italy, from Portugal to the Czech Republic and Germany just happens to be in the center, the economy is not bad (compared to say Romania anyway) and there is not too much robbery. I guess there are worse places to live! (or?)
What's your most interesting performing experience?
Well, I've had a number of them. I once did a show in Papua New Guinea and people panicked when I made a handkerchief disappear. Black magic is supposed to be the source of most bad occurrences and obviously I was a person with some kind of mystical power. Afterwards, I said that I would come back to the market place in some hours and when I returned there were around 2000 people waiting on me.
Once in Stuttgart, somebody went off the roof of a department store around the corner from where I was doing a show. Did he jump or maybe he got a bit too close to the edge attempting to check out the action?
The coolest experience was when the wife of an American soldier went into labor from laughing so much at my show. The guy later said that he thinks of me whenever he sees his daughter. Let me add this disclaimer, my performance may not be advisable for pregnant women (or men) with an overly active sense of humor. Otherwise, 100% of the daily-recommended dosage of laughter is contained in just one show!
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| ...What's
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If I had a crystal ball I would have done much better in the stock market and made millions. As an entertainer, I don't crave fame but would like to get hired for more big international festivals rather than just the 1-day local fests and Sunday openings for car dealers. I always give 100% at such events but of course, the Leinfelden-Echterdingen Krautfest is hopefully not the summit of my career.
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