At 19, I snuck into Clown Alley of a legit circus and met a lifetime alcoholic clown who designed my face for me. On the street, I talked non-stop, and was innocent and kind and always just a little edgy. I played to the children, but entertained their parents. Never dirty, never even off-color. Just sensitive to the audience in the back row. I did a little magic. I juggled machetes and torches. Once I set a very pretty woman’s hair on fire. Mostly I talked, loud and funny. I worked the street, I worked the crowd, and I did it well. My name was Tag-A-Long Tom.