When it comes to clowning with a purpose, Patch Adams is the quintessential Clown Prince of  the Universe.   Many Ashevillians first learned of Patch Adams a few years back when the Robin Williams portrayed Patch in the biographical movie filmed right here in Asheville.   But the film isn’t the only local connection to the pied piper for positive clowning.

Local Musicians Ash Devine and veteran Asheville clown Charlotte Huggins will travel with Patch Adams and a host of clowns on a humanitarian trip to Haiti from March 1^st to March 8^th.

The Asheville Music Scene recently spoke with Ash and Charlotte about the upcoming trip.

AMS:  So tell us a little about the upcoming trip?

ASH: We will be spending the week at an orphanage and a disabled children's hospital, we will interact with them, play games and hopefully bring joy to their community.  Clowns from all over the country will be going down with Patch and it should be a moving experience.   The goal of the group is to bring love, share compassion and fun to the children whom we visit.

Charlotte:   We are working with the organization Haiti Children (founded, funded, and organized by Susie Krabacher  (www.haitichildren.com) in Port-au-Prince, visiting orphanages, schools, children's hospital wings, a facility for abandoned babies, and an orphanage for severely handicapped children.  We will visit 2 to 3 facilities every day and spend time playing, laughing, tickling, jumping around, hugging, and generally being elated with everyone we meet.  Gesundheit! Institute has been wanting to go to Haiti for a while.  We try to go to places worldwide that are in the most need of positive, loving human interaction.  Right now Haiti is having a bad, bad time.  There is lots of political, social, economic, and ecological turmoil.  This will be our first visit to Haiti, which is exciting and also requires a lot of planning and logistics for keeping everyone safe and making sure that everyone has an excellent, impacting time.

AMS:  How long will you be down there?

ASH:  We will be going to Haiti March 1st-March 8th. This is our spring break from UNCA and we are glad it worked out for us to have the available time to travel.

AMS:    Ash, you’re best know around town for your music and commitment to activism.  What inspired you to make the trip and to add clowning to your list of skills?

ASH: Charlotte is a veteran clown and has traveled with the group on previous occasions.  Charlotte posted a flyer at UNCA. When I saw the flyer a light turned on in my head. I thought, wow, I should do this."

I did the Asheville holiday parade; I dressed as a clown and danced with the Lazoom bus. During this parade a wonderful part of my self was unleashed. I felt like my child-self again. I have to say that parade inspired me to further pursue clowning. And I realized that day, that as a child i was constantly clowning. I was a very energetic, ridiculous child who loved to entertain people and make them laugh. i believe that energy can be put to good use in this world right now.

AMS:  Ash, How does clowning fit into your approach to making a difference in the world?

ASH:  Laughing is very healthy. Even if a clown does not cause someone to laugh, a clown can provide good company or entertainment. Clowns can be healers. If we cannot change someone’s life circumstance, we can at least acknowledge them, and create space for creativity and love within their situation. We can also just BE with people. Simply acknowledging a person, is a powerful thing.

Clowns are also activists. Through non violent theatrical performance, We can create satires of very serious situations, therefore lessoning the need for violence. We can make a statement with our funny costumes about how ridiculous in-justice can be, by showing the most innocent, compassionate and naive aspects of human nature.

AMS:   Charlotte, I’m curious about how you become interested in clowning

Charlotte:  In 2004 my little sister Lillie went to Cuba (! before the travel cut off) and we have been volunteering internationally ever since.  The group we work with is Patch Adams's Gesundheit! Institute (www.patchadams.org ).

AMS:  Charlotte, you’re the veteran clown here, are you also a musician?

Charlotte:   I am a face-painting clown, but I sing to patients if they need a more quiet clown time, and I like to sing kind of rowdy empowerment songs to the kids and women who are so often at the bottom of the totem pole.

AMS:   Ash, How did you end up in Asheville? Did you choose Asheville or did Asheville choose you.....or a little of both.

ASH:  I moved to Asheville in the spring of 2004. My sister lived here, so that gave me incentive to move. I have to say that my parents chose Asheville for me, because for my entire life they would tell me about this wonderful place. Several times i came to visit with my family, and I fell in love with it. Now 15 years later, my whole family lives here! I moved here to expand myself as an artist. I knew it would be a great place to network with other artists. I also felt the magic when I came to visit. i am from VA, Appalachia originally, so it was a comfortable move for me to stay in the mountains

AMS:  Ash, How does your music fit into your approach to making a difference in the world?

ASH: Music brings people together, it inspires people. Music can reach those emotions inside of people which they cannot quite express through words. The power of music is universal, that is why music is such a great communication tool. People from any culture can listen to a song, and have the tones and notes in common with the rest of the world.

AMS:   Charlotte, do you view your clowing as a tool to acheive larger goals? 

Charlotte:   Clowning is only loving emotion.  It is sometimes hard to explain to people WHY we are going--we don't give aid (medical supplies, food, et c.), and we don't do medical exams.  We have built clinics and painted streets of houses, but the primary goal is to get close to people to let them know that SOMEONE is there for them...that someone knows where they are, what they are going through, and is only there to love and acknowledge them as a person.  The philosophy behind Patch's clowning is that the clown is a tool to get people to let you in.  Getting people off guard with silliness and funny costumes and toys lets the clown get in close to talk and hug and giggle...and this takes people's minds off of the loneliness or upset they are feeling in all different situations.  We clown in the streets, in hospitals, orphanages,  schools, prisons, asylums, and where ever we are needed.  Human interaction and recognition of all peoples as in need of love is the purpose.

AMS:    Ash, How are clowning and music performance similar? how are they different?

ASH: There are many similarities. Both are performing arts. Both are a form of entertainment. Both are a form of therapy.

Both are a form of communication. Both are a form of expression. The main difference I can think of right now has to do with the approach. My music for instance, uses a combination of words and notes to convey a message, where my clown character will use a combination of gestures, songs ( not necessarily with words). Movements and games to convey a message. Clowning for me is less about the words, and more about communication through movement.

AMS:    Do you plan to continue your musical pursuits and clowning? do you ever blend them together?

ASH:  yes, Charlotte and I have talked about starting a clown club at UNCA. I will continue to explore the possibilities of clowning and music together. The two go hand in hand for me. Clowning is inspiring me to expand my musical repertoire, by picking up strange and fantastic instruments such as the Ukulele, kazoo, whistles and harmonicas. As a clown, I to do song and dance numbers, in-fact song and dance is most of what my clown characters like to do.

AMS:   Is Asheville a good place for clowns?

ASH: Yes Asheville is an awesome place for clowns. This place

is over-run with clowns. We need to have a clown parade !Perhaps even a clown collective, that gets groups together to travel to nursing homes, schools and other places in need !

Charlotte:   Kindof.  I do it anyway.  There are several clowns in town, and there is interest in clown skills.  Ash and I are at UNCA today in clown singing silly songs and hula hooping and talking to people and MAKING THEM SEE US B/C WE ARE SILLY, and so are they, so why look away??  We're all people....

AMS:   Ash, your known for your involvement in various causes and trying to make a difference in the world.   Is Asheville a good place for an activist?

ASH:  Yes, also a great place for activists to network and build a foundation for their work, just don't get stuck any comfort zones for too long. There are many many resources here, it can be overwhelming at times.

AMS:   Charlotte what do you think.  Is Asheville a good place for activism?

Charlotte:   I used to live close to the DC area, so I was involved in more organized large protests when I was there...but I have been in and seen several peace marches here in town.  The Women in Black are highly visible (THANK YOU!).

AMS:    Ash, your music seems to be such a central part of your message.    It seems like you were more heavily into music for a while and then expanded into other areas of interest.  Is Asheville a good place for a musician?

ASH: Asheville is a great place for networking as a musician. You just have to give it time, and be very outgoing.

AMS:     What's the biggest challenge of being a musician in Asheville?

It is a challenge not to get caught up in marketing, internet and other such capitalist endeavors. It is a challenge not to worry about things like " am i going anywhere really?, will i ever get my cd recorded". I have been trying to finish recording my first album for five years, many things have gotten in my way but i have to keep having faith that I will be provided for, if i keep playing music, than the music will do what it needs to do. Of course there is a certain amount of effort one must put forth, there is an even larger amount of patience and love that must be exercised with the music. We must love our music, not our money! There is a lot of competition in the Asheville music scene. I have found it very important to remember why I am playing music in the first place, it is not to impress anyone, to make money ( although eating is nice) or to be famous, it is to share with the world, to collaborate, to inspire and to be inspired. I have been here for four years, and I am just now starting to make wonderful friends with local musicians. Asheville takes time. you have to be patient and allow the universe to work for you.

AMS:   I’d love to pursue that idea further.  Maybe we can follow that up in another interview sometime.

ASH:   I’d like that.

AMS:   Thanks to you both for speaking with me.  I wish you well on your trip to Haiti.  Thanks for reminding us all that laughter and humor (and music)  are powerful tools to impact the world around us. 

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