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The only other character to join Hollywood Harris and Boogerhead in their acts is “Bravo,” an Australian Shepherd/ Dalmatian cross that Harris adopted as a puppy at a North Carolina rodeo eight years ago. Bravo’s main gig is pretending to be a bull that chases Boogerhead around the barrels and tears off his baggy pants before dashing out of the arena. When it comes time to travel, Bravo flies as a service dog in the cabin with his human partners. “The flight attendants love him,” says Brinson. Brinson attends Trilogy School in Gainesville. A number of the students there travel frequently because they perform like Brinson or participate in high-level sports. “This school is really flexible and very supportive of our travel,” he explains, noting that it’s similar to home schooling. “There’s lots of one-on-one and you work at your own pace. As long as the work gets done, it doesn’t matter if you travel.” Intelligent and articulate, the 17-year-old, who typically plays the “straight man” to his father’s “funny man,” is never shy once he’s in costume. “I think I’m better at physical stuff than talking,” he admits. “Sometimes my friends don’t believe this is what I do. The only drawback is that we’re always gone on the weekend, so I can’t do things with friends. But it’s a small price to pay.” “He’s not a normal kid,” says mom Kelly. “When Brinson is in the arena, he’s a natural. He comes by it right.” To his mother’s chagrin, Brinson wants to learn to fight bulls, just like his dad did years ago. “I want to learn so if I get stuck in the arena with a bull, I won’t freeze up. I’ll know what to do,” he says. “I can watch bull fighting videos on the Internet forever and still want to do it. I guess it’s the adrenaline.” In case you’re wondering, it’s possible to make a very good living as a rodeo clown.
“There are guys now making a good six-figure income. The top clown today recently signed a four-year, million dollar contract,” notes Cliff. “But you really have to want to not stay home, and I like to stay home.” “Staying home” is relative. Hollywood Harris and Boogerhead still work rodeos across the country year-round—from California to New York, Minnesota to Texas—but they usually fly to these weekend jobs. If the job is in Florida or Georgia and six hours or less away, they’ll drive. It’s not uncommon for them to be gone three, even four weekends a month. When they are home, both can often be found helping behind the counter at Coffee N Cream in Micanopy, a café Cliff and Kelly bought in 2002. “Every successful rodeo clown needs a wife at home with a good job,” laughs Kelly. Brinson, the self-proclaimed “malt-making king,” will also help dish up ice cream in a pinch. Located on historic Cholokka Boulevard, the cozy shop is open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week. Although Brinson will likely attend college to learn how to improve the business side of his career with marketing, promoting and accounting, he has no intention of doing anything else for a living. “There’s no way I can see myself not clowning. I’d rather do this job than anything,” he says. “Making people laugh is my biggest joy in life.” Cliff Harris has come a long way since his first paying rodeo clown job in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, in 1979 when he christened himself “Hollywood Harris.” The fact that his son is an integral part of his career may be unusual, but Cliff and Brinson can’t imagine working— or living—any other way. “We’ve been together 24/7, except for school, for Brinson’s whole life. We’re really close,” says Cliff. “He and I get to spend all this time together and get paid doing it. That’s what most fathers hope to do when they retire.”
Learn More hollywoodandboogerhead.com Catch Hollywood Harris and Boogerhead in person: Glen “Peewee” Mercer Benefit Bull Ride Saturday, February 5, 2011, 7pm Williston Horseman’s Park, Williston (352) 207-0070
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