Professional clown calls scare tactics a ‘fad’ that will ‘blow over’

For those of you planning to follow the time-honored tradition of clowning this Halloween, realize your character need not rely on scare tactics.

Clown phobias have been around for decades, thanks largely to serial killer John Wayne Gacy, a part-time party clown named Pogo, and Hollywood’s many adaptations of murderous clowns — most notably with Stephen King’s Pennywise the clown in the book and movie “It.”

The hysteria ramped up again in 2016, with police receiving dozens of reports around the country of clowns acting suspiciously or behaving badly. That includes reports in Pierce County earlier this month of “scary-type clowns” lurking in the woods, by the road or under a bridge.

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However, Seattle historian Bruce Johnson explained to “Jason and Burns” that dressing up like a clown does not need to be about fear.

“You’ll find that professional clowns … do things like go into hospitals and help patients deal with what they’re experiencing and they do things like go into schools and teach safety programs and go to birthday parties and create a happy experience that guests will remember for the rest of their lives,” he said.

Johnson, aka “Charlie the Clown,” has performed since 1974 and says being a clown is serious business that can be used for good. He believes the clown hysteria that has recently dominated the headlines, and potentially Monday’s holiday, won’t last.

“I wish that they wouldn’t do it but I also know that it’s a fad it’s gonna blow over quickly and they’ll go onto something else.”

Listen below to Johnson’s advice for the next generations of clowns as well as his thoughts on John Wayne Gacy.

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