On occasion, Mars was given to fits of strangely theatrical behavior. This usually coincided with the appearance of his outré alter ego, “Pappy the Clown.” The first time Pappy appeared was during a gig at a punk club in Virginia Beach. “We did a sound check, and then Chris came back for the show made up like a clown, with no explanation,” recalled Westerberg. “And he wouldn’t say a word. It was all mime. It kinda startled us. We all thought this is pretty much genius . . . but weird as hell.” “It was . . . God . . . it was funny,” said Tommy Stinson. “It was pretty disturbing at first too,
...more

