The billboard is instructing me that I am familiar with this clown.

Mar 28, 2007

I am assuming, based on how this man’s visage has been plastered on every other subway poster in Manhattan, that I am supposed to both a) know who he is and b) care.

I posit that this man Bello is not actually famous but simply has remarkable looking hair. Barnum and Bailey’s circus present him as an already-famous person in their advertising posters and we humans assume that they are correct. And after enough of us have seen these posters, then he IS famous. A self-fulfilling prophecy.

Like all clowns, Bello creeps me out.

13 Replies

Dan Dickinson
Mar 28th, 2007 at 12:35 pm

I am glad to know I am not the only one grappling with this.
Billy P
Mar 28th, 2007 at 12:39 pm

Will, you’re so cynical. Bello’s not some manufactured character or mercenary actor plucked from obscurity by the P.T. Barnum corporate PR machine–he’s the real deal. According to the first link above, no less august(e) a publication than Time magazine has named him “America’s Best Clown.” Also, no joke, the bio for Bello on the “Read More” page at the bottom informs us that “Bello feels very strongly about instilling the many morals he has learned from his family and he also influences his children with Bible stories.” I can’t decide whether a moralistic clown is more frightening than a regular one.
Rob
Mar 28th, 2007 at 1:21 pm

how many hours have i stood on the subway platform pondering that hair?
Linda
Mar 28th, 2007 at 3:18 pm

Why is this filed under “Andy Rooney”?
Dyna
Mar 29th, 2007 at 4:46 pm

I think Bello has been headlining for Ringling Bros for the last couple years… I know I’ve seen him before on their posters. But it is a self-fulfilling prophecy for them to make Bello a star and then boast that he’s the star of the show.

But as for winning “America’s Best Clown,” is there really a competition for this? Has there ever been?

Name a famous clown. I can only think of Emmett Kelly and he’s been dead for decades.
Will
Mar 29th, 2007 at 5:34 pm

A small correction: I do remember seeing him in posters for the previous 2 years. But I know of him ONLY from these posters. I wouldn’t know of him as a famous clown except for these posters presenting him as if he were a big deal.
Eason
Mar 29th, 2007 at 8:52 pm

I’m fascinated by the aspect of clowning whereby the clown has to really dig deep to find the persona that expresses his true inner clown. Bello and Kid (of Kid ‘n Play) should clearly hang out.
Linda
Mar 30th, 2007 at 9:16 am

Bozo was a famous clown. And Ronald McDonald. Grandma Clown from the Big Apple Circus? After that, I can’t think of any.
Billy P
Mar 30th, 2007 at 9:21 am

Pee-Wee Herman
mitch
Mar 30th, 2007 at 10:10 pm

There’s Slovo (is that his name?) who had “the snow show” at that theater on Astor Place. Speaking of Astor Place, does “The Blue Man Group” count as clowns?
Neil
Apr 12th, 2007 at 2:57 am

I miss David Larible.
Dressler
May 1st, 2007 at 11:27 am

Bello use to be in the Big Apple Circus. He was and probably still is a douche. He was around when Grandma retired. He made me cry because he told me I was chubby. Fuck Bello.
Doibles
May 10th, 2007 at 12:49 pm

I feel like there’s this whole kid-culture that people without rugrats don’t know about. So yeah, apparently this annoying clown is famous, Rugrats movies are really popular, Who in the Hell is Carmen San Diego? is a really popular show, etc. People with kids at my job try to tell me about the new kid movies like “Cars” or whatever. My blank stares, shrugs, and “talk to the hand” gestures usually shut them up pretty quickly. There’s definitely a cultural divide there that I’m in no hurry to become a part of.