WHEN YOU MEET LARRY QUINTYNE, one of the first things you notice is his big smile that draws you in.
Whether he’s dressed in collar and tie for his job as a clerical officer at the Registration Department, located in the new Supreme Court Complex, or as Sparky the clown for his job with Imagine Entertainment, his is a winning personality.
Quintyne has been a clown for the past 12 years and he got started through his association with a dance group called Dance Machine that also included long-time friend Pedro Arthur.
“We would dance on the Harbour Master every Thursday night and we would be on the ship for four hours, but would only dance for ten minutes. To make up the time we would sit and kid around and talk nonsense and people would always say, ‘You all are real clowns for truth’,” Larry said.
Quintyne’s debut as a clown came when a friend got him and Pedro a gig at an exhibition at Sherbourne Conference Centre, which they really enjoyed.
Full-time entertainment
“After that, we just thought it would be nice being clowns, but Pedro took it more seriously than I did and decided he would get into entertainment full-time. People thought he was crazy, but he opened a business focused on entertainment and asked me to do clowning with him.”
Larry, in dispelling some of the myths concerning clowns, said that people might think that clowning was acting like a buffoon or just putting on make-up and some funny clothes. Clowning, said the man who has years of experience in the field, was actually serious business. In fact, there was a code of ethics recognized worldwide which all clowns had to uphold.
“There is a clown convention held in the United States which clowns worldwide [attend] and there you can register to be recognized worldwide. There is a governing body and during the course of the year it sends magazine and updates about new products on the market for clowns,” Larry said.
He has never been to the convention, but hopes to someday establish a local association for clowns in Barbados.
Quintyne’s enthusiasm for his work is evident by the wide smile on his face when he speaks about it. He said the correct terminology was not “to act like a clown” but “to be in clown” and that to be successful, a clown had to be funny, have a love for children and be a people person.
“When you are in clown there is a part of your character that shows. I like cracking jokes, talking nonsense and adding a little sarcasm, and being witty . . . . it has to be something that should come naturally.”
Although he had always liked making “sport”, Larry never once thought that he would actually be a clown.
“Not in a million years,” he said. “But I love it and it is a joy, especially working with the other clowns.”
Larry has had some memorable experiences over the past 12 years and one which stands out is the time when a child grabbed his clown nose and it dropped and rolled across the floor.
“It was funny and embarrassing at the same time.”
Another thing that brings Larry a lot of joy is being dressed in his clown outfit and not being recognized by people who know him. He wears the Auguste or half face make-up while other clowns wear the full white face.
“I get a lot of kicks out of people I know and who know me well but when I’m in my clown outfit, they do not recognize me and just pass by. I cannot wait to tell them that the clown they saw was me; that is absolute fun for me.”