JFC sat down with Bullseye The Clown and dished on several issues that shaped his life and eventually lead him to becoming a clown later in life.

JFC: What did you always want to be when you grew up?

Ever since I can remember, I have had “the bug.” No, not lice or bedbugs, but the acting bug. I’ve always had this innate desire to become someone else. Someone tougher, someone stronger, someone leaner, someone meaner. . . just someone . . . other than who I was. This yearning to transform into a persona other than the one I was born into.

From an outsider’s perspective, I might appear to have had a typical childhood. An easygoing soul who loved playing practical jokes on friends and family with the penchant for being overly dramatic. This probably comes from watching way too many soap operas when I was a kid.

Underneath the smiles and twinkling eyes there was also a very serious side, a side that no one ever saw. I became a master at hiding my true feelings, even when I was in grade school. I learned how to make jokes, and poke fun at myself to minimize the sting when others made fun of me.

JFC: You were bullied when you were younger, is that correct?

Although bullying seems to be at the forefront of every news cycle these days, back when I was growing up it was not something many people talked about. When it was mentioned, it was in off-handed comments such as “Boys will be boys,” or “It’s just a phase, they will grow out of it” or “Just learn to get along with each other.”

From Bullied to

with Bryan Lee and JFC�&�

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It wasn’t just playground bullies I had to get a handle on, I also had to figure out how to navigate past a physically and verbally abusive alcoholic stepfather. I would often invent games and challenges for myself to outsmart the bullies and my stepfather. I called one such game, Keep The Bully Busy, which I mainly played with my stepfather. When he would fly into a rage, I’d run to my room and lock the door. . . then unlock and open the window and hide in my closet. When my stepfather finally got in the room, he noticed my window was open, assumed I jumped outside, and roamed the countryside looking for me until he passed out. The next day he would forget all about it.

With the bullies at school, re-direction seemed to be the key. I would make wisecracks, create jokes and one-liners, or ask off the wall questions to bumfuzzle the bullies to where they would forget what they were doing in the first place.

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JFC: What path brought you to clowning?

Quite honestly, the thought of being a clown never crossed my mind. For many years I was an actor and a stand-up comedian, and most of the acting roles I got were always the comic relief of the production.

When I graduated from Ashland University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre, I thought for sure that I was going to become this very serious actor, but when that didn’t happen I sort of stumbled into stand-up comedy. My friends always thought I was funny and thought I should be a comedian. I didn’t know the first thing about launching a career in stand-up comedy. As luck would have it, I bought a book called Stand-Up Comedy: The Book and started reading it. I ended up calling the author of the book and asking her if she was even funny, because I had never heard of her. Her response was, see for yourself when you open for me on my Ohio tour. And with that, I became her opening act for my first comedy tour.

JFC: How did you make the leap from stand-up comedy to clowning?

In some respects, I was not getting any fulfillment out of doing stand-up comedy. There was just some element that was missing. I couldn’t quite figure it out. So after 10 years of doing comedy, I retired from stand-up.

I was familiar with Patch Adams from watching the film with Robin Williams, so from time to time I would visit his website to see what he was up to, and I noticed he did humanitarian clown trips to various countries. I guess I stored that memory in the back of my mind.

When my actual father passed away in 2018, I wanted to do something different to honor his memory. Since he had never flown on an airplane, I decided I wanted to take a trip somewhere. Not knowing quite where to go, I remembered Patch Adams. I checked his schedule and noticed he was taking a Clown Tour to Russia, and then the idea was hatched. Having never been a clown before, I felt completely out of my comfort zone. This trip was a crash course in humanitarian clowning. Being a clown and “on stage” 24 hours per day for 14 straight days was a challenge in itself. Factor in the inability to speak Russian, and it also became a crash course in physical comedy.

Patch Adams with Bryan Lee in Moscow, 2018

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is repetitive and unwanted harmful behavior intended to give the bully power over you.

Bullying

When I returned from the clown tour, I really thought that would be the end of the clowning. I never really thought about making a career out of it. But the experiences I had in Russia kept haunting me. As much as I enjoyed seeing how happy I made others, it was amazing the effect clowning had on me while I was doing it. I definitely saw the healing power of clowning, and how it transforms those with depression. So, I decided to just start slowly by incorporating clowning into my fitness business. I had been traveling to senior living communities with a fitness program to work out with the residents. I changed the name of my business to Clown Fitness and began using circus music, balloons, bands, and all sorts of silly antics with the business.

JFC: You seem to pave your own way with clowning, not following traditional paths. Was that a conscious decision?

Just like one size fits all underwear does not cover all the bums in the world, clowning appears to be the same way, at least in my mind. Many clowns do birthday parties, face painting, balloon animals, juggling and many other things. Children’s parties were never a major goal of mine.

I guess I was never meant to fit in. I was always meant to stand out. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen. No matter what I endeavor to do, I always have to reinvent the wheel, even when the wheel is already there and working fine. This is my one fundamental character flaw!

I feel my true calling is in the humanitarian clowning arena. Visiting orphanages, hospitals, drug rehabilitation centers, hospices and even other countries who need help in some way is what I am compelled to do. Almost like a clown missionary. I have become a sponsor to two children in need. To me this is the passion and purpose within me . . . transforming lives is why I have chosen this particular path.

JFC: On your website you say that you make the invisible visible. What does that mean exactly?

There is no worse feeling in this entire world than feeling left out, unimportant, or that you are invisible. If I had one dream or desire, it would be no one ever had to go through life or end their life feeling as though they didn’t matter and they weren’t loved. That is why, no matter what room I walk into, I search out those select few who don’t come running up to me, wanting my attention. I might simply give a sticker, a handshake or spend a few minutes getting to know the shy ones. I might be the first person they encounter who truly sees them.

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JFC: What made you want to bring anti-bullying messages into your clowning?

I never really wanted to talk about it. I avoided it when I did stand-up and public speaking, but I never wanted to be the poster boy for an anti-bullying movement. I was bullied as a youngster and even into my adult years and never wanted to talk about it. But the more I thought about it, I knew that I was put through years of bullying for a purpose, I just never knew what that purpose was.

However, knowing I had the power to help those who were bullied through this new medium of clowning, I decided to branch out into that with a new YouTube series called Bullseye On Bullying. Don’t get me wrong, this is not simply a show for children. Millions of adults are victims of bullies, and my intent is to be a beacon for them as well!

JFC: How would you describe your YouTube show?

Bullseye On Bullying is part information, part education, part entertainment and all heart. Knowing not every person will be in agreement with what I say on my show, that fear is no longer stopping me. I will not please everyone, and I will not try. What you are going to get from me is genuine. This is my story, what happened to me, and how I overcame it. No one can tell me it’s wrong because I lived it. What worked for me might not work for you and that is okay . . . no two people, no two problems and no two solutions are exactly the same.

JFC: Why did you choose the name Bullseye for your clown?

When a bully hurls an insult your way or calls you a name, it’s just as if they are slinging arrows at you. Some of those arrows completely miss the mark, and zoom right past you, leaving no lasting effect. However, some of those heavier arrows hit the Bullseye right in the middle and can have a profound effect on you. I chose the name, I guess, to take back that Bullseye target, and take away that target for the bullies. (Somehow this makes more sense in my mind than it does on paper.)

JFC: Looks like you are spinning quite a few plates at the moment.

Oh, you have no idea! Besides the YouTube show, I will also release a book titled Bullseye On Bullying: Survival Tips To Beating The Bullies. The book is a glimpse into the many types of bullying out there with tips on how to conquer the fear within. This is not a book about the bullies, but about those of us who are being bullied. It is a way of teaching every one of us how to stand up, speak out, and reclaim the authority we have given away to the bullies.

I am also writing and directing a play titled Driving Us Crazy, which is a clown parody of Driving Miss Daisy. The show is cast, and we begin rehearsals in August. Hopefully, the theater we will perform in will be open by the end of September. That is our hope. JFC