The Clown Is In

Like many people, my first introduction to Patch Adams was the Universal Pictures film starring Robin Williams released on Christmas Day in 1998. Although Patch Adams was changing lives and operating humanitarian clown tours yearly before the film?s release, the movie brought his name to the forefront and introduced him to a whole new generation of people who were unaware of the great things he was accomplishing.

Being ever fascinated by biographical movies, I remember scouring the internet for any information I could find on the real Patch Adams, and what I found was quite extensive. During this search I discovered that Mr. Adams was still alive and thriving, traveling the world doing “Clown Mission” work. Filing this information away into the recesses of my mind, it would take a whopping 20 years before I would ever meet Patch Adams and partake on one of these clown missions.

The year was 2018 when I witnessed the death of my father. At a loss of what to do with the remainder of my life, I decided to take a year off from working. During my alone and self-discovery time two words kept popping up in my mind over and over again…Patch Adams. I decided to investigate what Patch was up to and soon discovered that he would be embarking on a clown mission to Russia in November (2018).

Something in the pit of my stomach took hold of me the moment I found that out. It was as if the universe was telling me to contact Patch Adams to see if I could go on the clown tour. Are you nuts? What do I know about being a clown? Absolutely nothing. Perhaps with my theater training I could “act” like a clown, but I knew absolutely nothing about “being” a clown. I took a few days to sleep it off, hoping that this nagging feeling would go away, but it actually grew stronger.

Against my better judgement, I contacted Patch Adams, somewhat hoping he would tell me that I did not have enough experience to go on such a clown tour and to really take some time to think about it. Instead, he welcomed me with open arms and before I knew it, I was on a plane to Moscow to meet up with 35 other clowns for a once in a lifetime experience.

I will admit that on my first clown tour, I was shy and did not want to appear like a groupie, so I did not interact with Patch as much as other clowns did. I spent a majority of my time observing other clowns and taking mental notes about how to be as effective as possible while clowning.

Wishing that I had spent some better quality time with Patch and asked him the burning questions that I had, I made the decision to go on another clown mission. Then the pandemic hit and everything shut down. It would take another four years before I got my chance to tour with Patch again. Wanting a completely different experience than our Russia excursion, I opted to travel to Morocco with another merry band of clowns. On this particular tour, I spent quite a bit of time with Patch, for eight days, two cities, and clowning in two airports. I decided it was now or never to ask Patch the questions I held onto since the 2018 tour.

When I arrived at JFK airport and made it through security, I saw Patch Adams sitting at the gate. He?s very hard to miss, with this colorful clown clothes and his flowing white and blue hair. I sat down and reintroduced myself to him. I must have looked like I had a million questions, he leaned over to me and said, “Is there anything you want to know? I?m an open book.” This was my chance!

BULLSEYE: So, from the very beginning, how were you introduced to clowning? Did you do clown training?

PATCH: I was a nerd, dweeb, sissy boy growing up. I was beaten up every day my last two years of high school. Then I wanted to kill myself. I didn?t want to live in a world of violence and injustice. Three times in one year I was hospitalized for this desire to die. And then who knows, lightning strikes me and says, “Stupid! You don’t kill yourself, you make revolution!” So, every time someone came close to beating me up I would clown. I?d do something funny, crazy and off the wall, and it caused the bullying to stop. At the age of eighteen I began a revolution for loving. It was easy to do because my mother gave me self esteem. She made me know that if I decide to do something, I can do it.

BULLSEYE: Anyone who knows knows that you are a doctor who brought clowning into the hospitals. Why clown in a hospital?

PATCH: I am a CLOWN who happens to be a doctor. Clowning comes first. My personality is of a fool, I am educated as a doctor, and I will listen and give my diagnoses and advice humorously and lovingly. So, why clown in a hospital? Because hospitals are horrible places. No one likes being in a hospital, where a doctor can be rude and arrogant and treat everyone badly. A hospital is serious and filled with technology. No medical school in the world teaches compassion. I started to clown everywhere, not just hospitals and nursing homes. The adult world was so serious. So, when I go to medical school, I start a hospital that is free, where everyone is equal, that you interview your patients for 4 hours. That you live with the patients and have lots of art. There are the ideas I was working on…not just clowning in hospitals. That?s just a taste.

PATCH: Now let me ask you a question, how did you first hear of these clown tours?

BULLSEYE: Well, this is not going to be the answer you want to hear, but I first heard about you by seeing the movie with Robin Williams.

PATCH: Ah, yes. A movie comes along and a movie wants to sell tickets. So, love doesn?t sell tickets. Peace doesn?t sell tickets. Justice doesn?t sell tickets. Two things sell tickets: violence and funny. So, they shrink Patch down to a “funny doctor.” So then people see the movie and say, “Oh Patch! A funny doctor!” Not a doctor who wants to end capitalism. Not a doctor who wants the world to be loving. And even the people who view the film and become clowns in a hospital, they don?t even think, maybe I should clown on the street.

BULLSEYE: While we are on the topic of the movie, how accurate is the film?

PATCH: In order to sell tickets, the film took many creative liberties, like changing the gender of one of the characters to provide a romance, which never happened. The Patch Adams character was much more tame in the movie than what I truly am.

BULLSEYE: One last question about the film and we will move on. What is the biggest misconception that people might have about the film?

PATCH: That I made a lot of money off the movie. The studio promised to pay me $1million to help build my Gesundheit Hospital. To date, they have paid absolutely nothing. I have written them 5 letters and they have never responded to any of them. And I have never lost my sense of humor or my desire to love people and care. If one wants to be discouraged they can be discouraged all they want to, I don?t find it is ever useful to me.

Now let me ask YOU a question, Bryan. What do you plan to do differently on this tour than you did on the Russia tour?

Although I was stunned by the question, and had not really given much thought to what I was planning to do differently. The truth is, I was completely different on the Morocco tour than on the Russian tour. Perhaps the main difference was the fact that I now had a clown character that I have worked four years on creating. In Russia, I just threw a few costumes together, and truly had no clue what I was doing. Now I had a character, an original costume, and had a clearer vision of what I wanted to accomplish.

An unexpected result of having a character and the experience of a previous tour under my belt, I also felt more comfortable being around the other clowns. On the first tour, I felt completely self-conscious and intimidated by the other clowns on the tour. They all seemed to know what they were doing, and I was frantically trying to figure it out the whole time.

So, what exactly happens on these clown tours? A lot! Once the tours are announced, you gather your costumes and toys. It is recommended that you only take two pieces of luggage, as you are responsible to transporting your own luggage from city to city. I actually packed a small backpack in my suitcase, that I would fill up each day with the toys and items I would need while I was out and about, because we typically did not return to the hotel between clowning events.

Patch heavily suggests that we travel as a clown from the moment we leave the house. This was actually a blessing, because my clown shoes were way too big to fit in my luggage. Clowning in the airport is a great way for new clowns to learn how to interact with the public before the tour begins. More importantly, the continuous visibility is something you need to get used to.

Being on a clown tour, you are pretty much on stage 24/7. There virtually is no off switch. Perhaps the only times we are not clowning, is when we are on the bus, and when we curl up in bed at night.

Our daily schedule began with breakfast, usually around 7am. This was a time to wake up and socialize with the other clowns. Every clown tended to eat at a different time, so each morning you get to chat with a different group of clowns. Once breakfast was complete, we boarded the bus for the day, and head off to our first orphanage or hospital. However, in Morocco, our first morning was spent participating in a clown workshop, emphasizing body movement and sound, but not necessarily words.

After lunch it was off to our very first orphanage. Even for experienced clowns, the prospect of going into a place that you have never visited before can be a daunting task. It?s not uncommon to feel a rush of adrenaline or a wave of fear sweep over you. Once inside however, that all disappears as your main focus is bringing joy to the children. How you do that is completely up to you. Every clown brings something unique to the table.

Some clowns choose to entertain by doing balloons and magic. Other clowns choose to sit quietly and allow the children to come to them. Perhaps they will just hold the child, comb their hair, and just be present with them. I typically choose to play. Whether it?s tossing balloons, flinging chickens, or blowing bubbles, I stay pretty active, until a child comes over and wants me to pick him up! Being flexible is a must on one of these tours, because what you plan to do and what you actually do, could be drastically different.

On this particular tour, we had a wonderful clown, Chicle from Puerto Rico, with us. With the ability to stretch his skin, fold himself up inside a suitcase and completely immerse himself inside a giant balloon, he became our headliner at a few of the orphanages we attended. It?s not often that we conclude our visit with a giant show, but it was a nice touch at three of the places that we visited. I even got a chance to be in one of his shows. Patch asked early in the trip what I wanted to do different on this tour than the last, and the answer was simple. I said yes to everything that was asked of me on this tour. I did not shy away from any opportunity.

After concluding two humanitarian tours with Patch Adams, one in Russia and the other in Morocco, it was a no-brainer when the opportunity presented itself to be a part of the Mexico City Tour in March of 2023. Clowning in three different countries and within three completely different cultures, it made me wonder how the clown tours got started, and how Patch decides which countries to tour.

BULLSEYE: How did these first clown tours start?

PATCH: After the initial hospital closed, I felt a need to care for others and spread joy. So some friends and I decided to travel to other countries and clown in hospitals and other locations. This later expanded into the Global Outreach that we have today.

BULLSEYE: How do you decide what countries to travel to?

PATCH: I grew up an Army brat so I had been to Germany, Japan and a number of other countries. I started these tours because I saw the need to bring joy to these different environments. I am a clown who happens to be a doctor, so I am a nut at heart. I am not sorry that I am a doctor, but a clown is who I really am.

BULLSEYE: What is your hope for the future of the clown tours?

PATCH: I absolutely love doing them, and everyone who goes on one, you included, also loves doing them. As you know my leg was amputated during the pandemic, and that has not dampened my spirits about doing the tours. I am 77 years old, and I feel 35. Clowning is my strongest tool in getting closer to getting my hospital built.

BULLSEYE: You recently had the honor of being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. What are your thoughts on that accomplishment?

PATCH: Well, on one hand it doesn?t surprise me, but on the other hand, it?s just a thing. Any honor and promotion that gets my name out into the public consciousness is great for raising funds to get the hospital built.

BULLSEYE: I hate to bring this up one more time, but December 2023 will mark the 25th Anniversary of the movie Patch Adams. Are you doing anything special to commemorate that event?

PATCH: Well I just don?t understand why the movie studio never paid me for my story and they never kept any of their promises. I don?t have any particular plans to commemorate it. Do you?

BULLSEYE: Absolutely! I would like to see every single person who saw and loved the film donate $25 or more to the Gesundheit Institute fund. If everyone who saw the movie donated, you would have your hospital built.

PATCH: That?s a great idea!

If you would like to make a change in the world and would like to donate to help make Patch?svision for free healthcare real, you can send a donation to:

Patch Adams M.D.

Gesundheit Institute

P.O. Box 307

Urbana, IL 61803

If you would like to know more about what the Gesundheit Institute is, and where donations go, or to sign up to participate in a life-changing clown mission, please visit https://www.patchadams.org/

BULLSEYE: One final question Patch. What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment?

PATCH: My wife Susan. I love a real romance, and it?s as sweet now as it has ever been.

Thoughts from Bryan Lee:

There are no other words to express how these Clown Missions personally touch each and every person who attends one. The impact you have on others is immeasurable. The impact the clown tours have is life changing. Don?t take my word for it, join us on a clown tour and experience it for yourself!

#charitablegiving #humanitarian #humanitarianclown #patchadams #nobelpeaceprize #bullseyetheclown #peace #love #healthcare