Greg Alvin Thomblon made a good career for 10 years out of painting his face white, wearing brightly coloured baggy clothes, putting on a bright red nose, and making people laugh.
An accomplished magician and illusionist, his passion has always been bringing joy and thrills to children and adults alike.
Thomblon, a native of Penampang, on the west coast of Sabah, is actually a trained civil engineer but left the profession in 2010 after only two years to go into the party entertainment business full time.
“I figured I should be doing something I actually enjoyed,” Thomblon, now 40, told FMT.
“I’ve always enjoyed entertaining people and making them smile. I was also convinced I would have more free time being an entertainer rather than continuing in my nine-to-five job.”
He was laughably wrong about that, as he soon found out.
“The opposite was actually the case, as many times I had to work from seven in the morning until midnight. But I didn’t mind because I loved what I was doing,” he said.
His clown-slash-magician business grew fast and he was soon also selling party decorations, fancy dress costumes and props for all kinds of events. He even opened two shops for that purpose in local malls.
His services became the most sought-after in town, and his engagements included performing at corporate dinners and even state banquets hosted by the Sabah governor and chief minister.
“I regularly made up to RM30,000 a month,” he said.
But those days are now just a memory for the father of three young children.
Covid-19 has decimated his business just as it has so many others. He built his mini entertainment empire over 10 years and lost nearly all of it in just a few months when the lockdowns made it impossible for people to gather.
His services were no longer required, and he reluctantly put away his magic wand, red nose and huge multi-coloured shoes.
He had to close one of his party shops due to financial constraints, with the other one just barely scraping by.
His savings were fast running out, and so it wasn’t too long before he was forced to return to his old profession.
“I opened an engineering company of my own this year, taking small-time contracts just in order to survive,” he said.
Even now, with pandemic restrictions finally being relaxed, hardly anyone needs a clown while Covid-19 is still a threat and he’s lucky if he makes RM2,000 a month.
But the proud World Clown Association member is determined to get his oversized shoes back on stage in front of audiences no matter how long it takes.
“The pandemic experience has taught me that I must persevere,” he said. “I think this health situation will go on for another year or two but I’m willing to weather it out, although I really can’t wait for that day to come.”
A natural entertainer, he even got out his greasepaint and wore his clown costume for his vaccination appointment.
“I don’t care what anyone thinks,” he said. “I’m simply happy if I can make other people happy.”
Let’s hope the spotlight will soon be beckoning for the return of Sabah’s clown prince.
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