Ahead of his one-man show, Tweedy tells Katherine MacAlister how making people laugh turned into the day job of his dreams

Tweedy the Clown always knew what he wanted to be, despite the bemusement of his parents. Having his own one-man show, as well as a place in the Gifford’s Circus hall of fame, means he’s therefore living the dream.

“I always wanted to be a clown, but I never wanted to be a clown with a big red nose and long boots, or a children’s entertainer. I wanted to invent myself, be my own clown.”

A happy man then when we speak, preparing for his final Lost Property gig at The Mill in Banbury today, his next show already being rehearsed and of course Giffords Circus’ long summer season approaching, but Tweedy is never happier than when busy.

I last saw him pulling his pet iron Keith around the Gifford’s field, followed by an army of small children all howling with laughter, like a comic Pied Piper.

So how does he feel about finishing the current tour?

“I love doing Lost Property – it’s a joy to do and perform, because it’s a collection of lots of material I have gathered over the years.

“So the Lost Property title seemed appropriate because it provides the perfect excuse to get out all my props.”

Having pretty much sold out, Tweedy’s success as a solo artist is unprecedented, and having played in venues such as Madison Square Gardens in New York to a 10,000 strong audience he prefers smaller audiences.

“I really enjoyed America but I didn’t enjoy the size of the show. It was hard to make that connection with the audience and gauge their mood. I prefer the intimacy of smaller venues. That’s where I’d rather be.”

The circus then is the perfect foil for his one-man show which can get lonely, he admits, the camaraderie of the circus community all travelling around together being one he adores.

“It’s great and I’m very privileged,” he agrees. So how does one get to become a clown? “I’ve been doing it for 20 years now, but aged 20 I had no idea.

“There wasn’t internet access back then so I wrote to every clown I knew and asked their advice.

“Zippo the clown wrote back and offered me a job, so that’s what I did.

“And then a week into the cirucs Zippo was stuck in a traffic jam and I had to go on instead. I’ve been doing it ever since,” he smiles. What did his parents think of their son’s chosen profession then?

“They wanted me to get a day job, told me to learn a trade and save clowning for the weekends, that sort of thing,” he grins, “but they love it now. And once I allowed myself to become a clown everything made sense.

“It made me realise where and why I was like I was.”

So what’s the secret to being a good clown? “That’s a tough question.

“Always be yourself maybe because the clown is an extension of your persona, so enjoy yourself on stage or the audience pick up on it. But that’s what I love about clowning – it’s multi-generational and multi-cultural. You can make everybody laugh if you try. So I’ve never had the tears of a clown. I’m always like this.”

SEE IT
Tweedy’s Lost Property comes to The Mill, Banbury, today at 2pm. 
Call the box office on 01295 279002 or see themillarts centre.co.uk