Five Clowns who dedicate their lives to placing the smile on peoples faces, love in kids hearts and change in our rickety rackety world.
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
Here are five top clowns whose art and lives have made a difference to humanity.
Clown is a much aligned and confused word in the minds of many people. It conjures up bad memories of over clad costume entertainers that arrive at kids birthday parties with balloons and second rate magic. Or cheapo circus ‘pause’ clowns that rehash old routines like the ones in the movie DUMBO.
I remember years ago when I did my first expedition with Payassos sin fronteras, Before arriving in Chapas I was invited to perform in a circus in Mexico City. But the clowns there backstage could not in any way understand why I should go to perform for the Indian population there in Chapas when there was “much more money to be made here in Mexico city…”
Five clowns who have dedicated their services to their art but who have also used their love in service to others, clowns or not.
Billy Connolly
I have included Billy here as one of the clowns as his style and his absolute gift as comic personality PLUS his ability to be such a good presenter in his various documentary series and moreover as movie actor all of which make him fit into the category of nouveau clown. I remember hearing Billy Conolly on a tape when I was 19 years old. It was a live music show in which he’d go off at a tangent telling stories and jokes. One story was about the BIG YUN, a certain Jesus to be precise. It was outrageous, sinful, blasphemous, naughty, really funny (but mainly only if you were Scottish) and yet completely natural. I thought he’s the best thing I have seen since Francie and Josie (also famous Scottish comedians from my youth). In the years that followed he became the most successful Scottish comedian ever, and maybe the most famous British comic too.
Jango Edwards
Detroit born clown of clowns based in Europe for forty years, perhaps the most notorious and flamboyant clown since the Marx Brothers. Once a wild rock-and-rolling clown dervish indulging in sexuality and anarchic behaviour he instigated the famous Festival of Fools in 1975 in Amsterdam, which then became a movement which spread across Europe for several years after. Jango tapped into the rock world with his need for performing as clown and singer, the nearest comparison possible being Frank Zappa. Rooted in American vaudeville he also used mime and slapstick to bring his sketches alive. Celebrated in France and Germany especially his physical energy and often very funny comedy excited audiences and changed many lives. Now dedicated to passing on his wisdom and knowledge to younger clowns world-wide
Leo Bassi
Australia born in to a family with a long tradition of circus from the UK, France and Italy. Radically active in political injustice, Leo Bassi was featured for years one of the few foot jugglers in the world in the Paris night club Moulin Rouge. The one day he dropped out and started to perform in the streets a wild crazy and often aggressive form of waking people up. I first saw Leo Bassi driving a dodgem car through the streets of Santarchaengelo, Italy when I arrived for the festival there. He was also firing blanks with a 9 mm pistol, something you would be locked for nowadays. He has been active in benefit work for Palestine, and public detractor of the Catholic church. recently he extended his parody to a real creation of the Iglesia Patolico in his chapel in Madrid. in 2009 a Christian militia placed a bomb in a theatre where he was performing. Fortunately it was diffused in time by the army.
(Jauma) Tortell Poltrona & Montse Trias
Catalan payassos from near Barcelona well known for their circus CIRC CRIC, and for initiating Payassos sin Fronteiras in the 90s. This year marks twenty years of the non profit organisation, with over expeditions to more than war zones across the planet. Jauma and his wife Montse have been on numerous expeditions and run the circus Circ Cric near Barcelona Spain. Both popular with all clowns everywhere due to their unending generosity.
These artists are empowering not only the public that watch them with laughter, they also live their lives as clowns to the full in constant empowerment for other clowns, friends, students, the unfortunate and the planet in general. Empower network is also responsible for generating a quality existence for its members.