[Scruffy]

This is just me, but, here goes anyway...
There is a rule that I break regularly. The "dirty neck". COAI and the others are really adamant about every square inch of skin be covered in makeup. Yet, how can to tie balloons or paint faces with gloves on? Moral of the Story: I never wear flesh colored makeup. However, I do blend the "rouge" into my cheeks pretty far up. And I'm pretty fair skinned anyway. So you don't really notice.
Here are the rules I would never break.
Smoking in costume (I don't smoke so no problem)
drinking ink..o er achohol in upblic Er. public. ( I actually never drink)
Working Blue as Scruffy BTW, "Blue " in and old term. Essentially, it means dirty, crude, or crass oe irreverant.

Other rules such as eating in public or drinking in public. Those depend on the situaton. I'm a tramp. can't remember when the last good meal I had was. So, sometime I might do a bit with my extenible fork and spoon. However, I am a diabetic. I need to eat at regular times. So, I try to do this in my car, or if the venue has a safe room where we can take a break I'll do it there. Often, our clowning group will go to a restaurant after an event. I don't have a problem with this. usually by the time we get there things have pretty well died down anyway. Plus, I carry a pocket full of balloons so, I'm always at the ready. even when I'm hungry. :wink:
An old rule that has thankfully fallen by the wayside is that a clown should never speak in public. I feel that Bob bell, and his copatriates, ended that forever. A clown needs to be able to speak. on the old Magical Land of Allakazam TV show,, Rebo; AKA Bev Bergeron, never spoke. At public appearances, he had to.So they devised Rebo's magical talking box. With this, Rebo could speak. Mime has it's place. But so does talking. Any performer who thinks that clowns shouldn't talk has never tried to keep forty kids at a birthday party entertained for an hour.
Anyway, rules have there place. I feel that the ones that I keep are essential to keeping the clowns "Squeaky clean" image. Others may disagree. and I'm cool with that.But, These are the ones that are the most important to me.