Costume Inspirations

"Clothes make the man," so people have said. I think it's often true that how a person visually presents himself tells us something about the person's state of mind. The same thing is true in clowning. If you are a happy, vibrant, energetic character, you will probably wear bright colors. If you are a discouraged lethargic dragger, you probably will dress in dull, drab colors -- possibly as a hobo.

So, with that being said, here's a picture of me as my hobo character. What does my attire tell you about the character?

For me, I want to be a character tied to historical basis. I want there to be "depth" to how I present myself to my audience so there are times I have unrevealed reasons for why I do what I do. Since you're taking time to read this blog, I'm going to share with you a few of the secrets.

First, many years ago I was able to be at the UW-LaCrosse Clown Camp. There I was able to meet and spend time with an American circus legend named Mark Anthony. He was a gentle, caring, brilliant comedy performer. He was a hobo character. When I saw him perform, he was wearing a tattered hobo outfit, not in the traditional black or grey, but in a faded blue denim. That's why I chose the blue denim for the jacket.

Being a tall performer, and also loving the character "Freddie the Freeloader" performed by Red Skelton, I went for the jacket cut that has cut-away tails which mimics the jacket Red wore for his special heart-touching "every-man" character.

Understanding that my character simply tries to make ends meet...and just has to keep on trying...there are patches on various areas of my outfit. My character "Simon" still cares. He is a survivor, and he will always strive to make the best out of a situation. Thus, the patches. This idea is also portrayed by my shoe laces. They don't match. One is dark brown and long. The others is tan and short. Fact is the short one ends up having to be ties on the side of one of the shoe eyelets, not in the front in the normal position.

My socks are tattered displaying I'm poor, but also giving a bit of a feel that I'm wearing spats, which is more of a Charlie Chaplin era feel.

My vest is a long, long vest...once again reminiscent of Red Skelton. Interesting fact, though, is that the two front sides of the vest do not match. I was inspired to use this look after seeing Bruce "Charlie" Johnson as he spoke about his character's motivations. He also has a mismatched vest. I hope to be a caring survivor, just like "Charlie."

The collar and ribbon bow (for a tie) actually was given to me years ago by Arthur "Vercoe" Pedlar. Arthur is a clown legend in England. He's been inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame and still is performing at an age over 70. I still remember seeing him perform for the first time. I laughed, the cried, then sat in wonder, then laughed again. I wear the collar and bow as a tribute to this incredible man and the priviledge of calling him "friend."

The hat I wear is a duplicate of a hat that I used to wear as a young boy. My great-uncle Wendell would take me on a special trip to the small town of Plainfield, Wisconsin each summer and the highlight of the day was getting a new hat and a 10 cent ice cream cone. One summer he bought a dusty-tan hat and I wore it for years as a child. It was my favorite hat.

When I entered college, and I began this new adventure as a clown, I started by gathering items from my closet and from a Goodwill second-hand store. There my hat was, sitting in my closet, just waiting for a new adventure.

I feel, as I clown, that I don't just present a one-dimensional character to my audience when I'm dressed as Simon De Clown. I'm bringing with me the wealth of memories and relationships that have inspired the entire wardrobe of Simon. I wear it as a tribute to clowns and friends who have loved me, helped me, and inspired me through the years. Thank you to all of them.