Getting the better of bulls

Stand-up comedians have it easy.

When Rockin' Robbie Hodges performs, he has to keep the crowd laughing for longer than a 15-minute segment, his audience is much too large to squeeze inside a nightclub, and he can't fall back on risque humor if all else fails to get a chuckle.

Then there's the matter of using only a barrel to protect himself from an 1,800-pound bull with horns lowered.

Hodges performed Friday at the 20th annual Show Me Center rodeo, which continues at 8 p.m. today.

As a rodeo clown and "barrel man," Hodges not only entertains crowds of thousands at a time with his antics and comedy routines, he's responsible for keeping the two bullfighters and the cowboy safe until the bull can be put back in its pen.

The bullfighters protect the cowboy from getting injured and in turn get "better protection than the president gets," Hodges said.

Greek Ellick, 43, one of the bullfighters and clowns who frequently works with Hodges, said the adrenaline rush of his work is comparable to that of "100 roller-coaster rides rolled into one."

Hodges, 40, of Cave Spring, Ga., has been a barrel man for eight years, coming off a long career as a bareback rider. As he looked around the Show Me Center, he recalled he won the bareback event at the annual Show Me Center Rodeo twice in his career.

Missed the competition

When he retired in 1999 from riding, the sport had taken a physical toll on him, Hodges admits. But he was also in a better position to pay his bills.

Still, he missed the edge of competition. He raced stock cars for a while to alleviate the longing, he said.

Though Hodges said he's always aware of the potential danger, the reward comes from the times a bullfighter will turn to him and say, "Thanks for the save."

In the event that a cowboy is injured in the ring, however, the comedy stops.

"That's his time," Hodges said.

In those cases, Hodges invites the audience to say a prayer with him for the injured rider and tries to preserve the dignity and gravity of the situation.

"Until he gets up and is all right. Then he's fair game," he said.

Hodges knows he's lucky not to have seen many riders or animals seriously hurt and never to have seen anyone killed in his 25 years.

"I don't know how I'd handle that," he said.

Hodges said he knows just about every bull he ends up sharing a ring with, the same way a defensive end knows a running back, and that, like football players, some are tougher than others.

"They could turn over a vehicle," Ellick said.

The strength of bulls being bred for competition these days is one of the reasons why Ellick refers to himself and Hodges as a dying breed.

"Those of us that actually believe in staying in the barrel are almost a thing of the past," Ellick said.

Staying in the custom-designed barrel is one part of his act that Hodges says will never change. He learned his techniques from rodeo clowning legends like Rudy Burns and Rick Young and won't veer from tradition.

His comedy, though, is his own. Most recently, he's added sumo wrestling and dancing puppets into the mix.

For the past two years, Hodges has been nominated Clown of the Year by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, but he doesn't dwell on that too much, he said.

"Making 5,000 people laugh is way more important," he said.

Ellick, a second-generation rodeo clown, said he'll keep going until they take his truck away from him and then he intends to hitchhike to the rodeo.

In fact, Ellick said he plans on being the oldest rodeo clown in the country one day.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

Rodeo barrel man and entertainer Rockin' Robbie Hodges demonstrated Friday at the Show Me Center how well he can fit into his barrel if danger approaches.KIT DOYLE kdoyle@semissourian.com

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