ProFile: Alex Phelps
Alex Phelps – Bravane Shandon Alexander Phelps – is the National Student President of the NIRA. “It is voted on by the board,” said the […]
ProFile: Dave “Showtime” Meyer
Dave performs at the 2015 BRM Finals - Casey Martin Photography
Written by: Lily Landreth
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Dave “Showtime” Meyer danced his way to IFR46 Comedy Act Showcase Champion during the IPRA finals in Oklahoma City. Known for his YouTube videos featuring the Horse Screamer and an Amish man, Jacob, the rodeo clown from Jonestown, Pa., was competing in his first IPRA event with six minutes in the arena for his act. One of ten contestants entered, including Hollywood Harris, Dave knew his work would have to be distinctive. He pulled out one of his favorite characters, Jacob the Amish man, and shuffled into the arena, barefoot and bewhiskered. By the end of the act, Jacob was dancing in a pair of magical shoes, and Dave went home with the championship buckle. “It was cool to walk away with the buckle,” says Dave. “The announcer I worked with, Don McGee, also won first place, so that was pretty neat! We laid out a bit of a plan – I don’t like things to be scripted – and we rolled with it!”
Though Dave wasn’t born into rodeo, it captivated him in his teens, particularly the bull riding. “I got on my first bull when I was 18 or 19,” he recalls. “I’d wanted to do it since I was about 15, but my parents said absolutely not.” By the time he was 19, Dave was married to his wife, Becky, and though he couldn’t pursue bull riding full time, he was in the chutes at every opportunity. “I ended up riding bulls on and off for about ten years, and I wasn’t very good, but it all worked out in the end. I had never planned on being a rodeo clown, but I think travelling up and down the East Coast and watching a lot of other rodeo clowns was all in God’s plan – I just didn’t realize it at the time! In 2013, I got on my last bull and clowned my first event all in the same month.”
After seeing his fair share of clown acts from behind the chutes, Dave felt he could bring a fresh angle to the arena. “I work hard to make sure everything I do is unique, original, and different. I’m into physical comedy and using every day, real life events for material, because that’s what people can relate to. Everything I do is high energy.”
Dave’s high energy and marketing smarts have earned him a huge fan base, with more than 63,000 followers on Facebook, and several sponsors, including T K Specialties, Nod Big Apparel, Rodeo Wrecks, and Kimes Ranch Jeans. “I have close to 50 shows booked so far this year, including the IPRA, SEBRA, PCB events, and the entire Bullride Mania tour, but I still have plenty of dates available,” says Dave. If he’s not driving to his next show, Dave is hauling feed to dairy farms, but any down time is spent with his wife, Becky, and their two kids, Tyler (11), and Peyton (three). Their farm outside of Jonestown also serves as inspiration for many of Dave’s videos. “My wife teaches riding lessons, and we’re involved in 4-H, plus we used to run a boarding facility, so I have an endless amount of material from being with horse people for so long. Exaggerated truth is the best form of comedy, in my opinion.”
Entering his third year as a rodeo clown and entertainer, Dave’s goal is still the same. “My goal from the start has been to work the PBR and take over for Flint Rasmussen,” he says. “I have to give a lot of credit to my parents for giving me a good work ethic – when I decided to do this, I wanted to be the best. I’m of the mindset that whatever you do, you should give it 100% and not do a half-hearted job.”
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