Clowncore: Six Clowns Who Just Want to Rock You

Cities, parks and campuses around the country are being stalked by creepy clowns. The wave of pranksters dressing up as clowns and menacing unsuspecting passersby is causing pandemonium across the country, and a spike in coulrophobia. However, there are many talented — and musical! — clowns out there who aren’t foaming at the mouth to murder you or even frighten you from your evening jog. We have compiled a list of these clown artists who wield mic stands rather than machetes.


1. Puddles Pity Party

Puddles, aka Big Mike Geier, has an incredible singing voice, which he uses for YouTube covers of popular songs. Although his exceedingly tall figure may resemble the fictional supernatural character Slender Man, his demeanor is anything but threatening. The self-proclaimed “Sad Clown With the Golden Voice” lends a strong jazz influence on tracks by Sia, Coldplay, the Who and Hozier. Backing Puddles is the equally talented Puddles Pity Party, which actually includes touring band Postmodern Jukebox.

You can catch Puddles Pity Party on November 11 at 8 p.m. at the Soiled Dove Underground, 7401 East First Avenue in Denver. Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox is also on tour, stopping at the 1STBANK Center on November 12 at 8 p.m. in Broomfield.

2. Mac Sabbath

Everyone’s favorite fast-food theme parody metal band lends shock and hilarity to its live performances. The band’s death-metal antics are limited to the stage and not intended to harm the public. Featuring Ronald Osbourne on vocals, Slayer MacCheeze on guitar, Grimalice on bass, and the Catburglar on drums; read more about the band in our interview from this past August.


3. Insane Clown Posse

What list of clown musicians would not be complete with the Insane Clown Posse? Insane Clown Posse, or ICP, has been bringing clown antics to the hip-hop community since the early '90s. While other clowns are running amok terrorizing the public, ICP promotes its own kind of community at its concerts. In fact, the two members, Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, helped raise money for a paralyzed Denver fan’s operations early this year. Hard-core Juggalos waiting for the next Insane Clown Posse appearance will not be disappointed, as the famous Gathering of the Juggalos will be making its way to Colorado Springs at some point in 2017. Somebody hand me a Faygo.


4. William Clark Green

All right, so William Clark Green is not a full-time clown, and it is not likely he will be even wearing makeup in his show. But Green’s latest studio album, Ringling Road, is an excellent carnival-themed Americana record. In the debut single bearing the same name as the album, Green plays ringleader in a beautifully shot vintage-style music video containing fire swallowers, bearded women and, of course, clowns. If you really enjoy the songwriter’s talent, check out other songs by Green such as “She Likes The Beatles,” a back-and-forth adversarial love song.

William Clark Green’s next Colorado appearance will be at MusicFest, Steamboat Springs’ annual country music festival, January 4-9, 2017.


5. Blaze Ya Dead Homie

Blaze Ya Dead Homie is dead. Well, not really. Blaze Ya Dead Homie takes on the persona of a reincarnated gang member killed in a blaze of bullets. In his music videos and on stage, Blaze Ya Dead dons black-and-white clown makeup similar to Insane Clown Posse. So with his reincarnation, one might take extra precaution, because that technically categorizes Blaze Ya Dead Homie as zombie clown. Blaze Ya Dead also combines the styles of gangster rap and horrorcore. So with the reality of an impending clown invasion, you can be motivated by Blaze Ya Dead Homie’s graphic lyrics to take action into your own hands.

6. Boondox

Boondox is yet another clown example in the gangster rap/horrorcore/clowncore genre that raps an rhymes while wearing pallid makeup. But what sets Boondox apart is his Southern “scarecrow” persona. So while others are wearing urban clothing, he is often seen wearing flannel and a cowboy hat. Boondox exemplifies his soft side on “We All Fall," poetically describing the change of the seasons and the falling of leaves…on cemetery mounds. It’s a wonderful track for marking the coming of fall and Halloween, as the clowns descend upon American suburbia. Boondox exemplifies the softer side of the Insane Clown Posse family tree, lending melodic piano riffs and slowing down the tempo and the rhymes to hit the hearts of his fan base. Hopefully we can all play some Boondox and reminisce in the future about "that one time clowns terrorized the nation."