# Gacy was NOT a Killer Clown **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 6, 2024, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861 "2024-09-06T16:28:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/81 "2024-09-07T05:34:36Z")
I always thought is was the hidden face. I never liked masks as a kid either. The creepy clown kinda stuck with me tho’. Probably because of movies. And that Chucky doll. Gahhh!😳 ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/82 "2024-09-07T05:35:48Z")
True, masks have a similar effect on me and the clown face is just a mask made of paint. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/83 "2024-09-07T05:39:40Z")
Isn’t it true(I’m asking) serial killers do live double lives? Sunday school teacher/prostitute killer. Kinda thing. ---
**Author:** ![DaveUnknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@DaveUnknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveUnknown)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/84 "2024-09-07T05:41:41Z")
Nothing gets non-serial killers to figure out serial killers ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/85 "2024-09-07T05:42:56Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I just knew it was a seedy part of a larger city This is incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/86 "2024-09-07T05:43:17Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > You’d think the fact that Chicago has the largest population of gang members(murder and violent crime rate high too) would be worse on the place than the fact Gacy roamed there. > > Heck, I couldn’t have told you were exactly he was from before I read it here. I just knew it was a seedy part of a larger city. I don’t think that Gacy lived in a particularly rough part of the Chicago area. Technically, he lived in “Norwood Park Township,” which is a small area that’s mostly surrounded by the city of Chicago, but not actually part of the city, near O’Hare. At least at that time, I think it was a working-class neighborhood, and not particuarly known for violent crime. This is a photo of police outside of Gacy’s house in 1978. [![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/10/25/us/25gacy-victim-1/25gacy-victim-1-videoSixteenByNine3000.jpg?year=2021&h=1688&w=3000&s=2440ce74507aaf619ba8b9dce7084c54c80f89d39774e628b9a372c709c52cb6&k=ZQJBKqZ0VN&tw=1) ](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/10/25/us/25gacy-victim-1/25gacy-victim-1-videoSixteenByNine3000.jpg?year=2021&h=1688&w=3000&s=2440ce74507aaf619ba8b9dce7084c54c80f89d39774e628b9a372c709c52cb6&k=ZQJBKqZ0VN&tw=1) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/87 "2024-09-07T05:47:49Z")
I mean, I wasn’t alive yet, but I get the impression that big cities in general were a lot rougher, dirtier, and crime-ridden in the '70s than they are today, and for the most part he was trolling for victims near downtown. ---
**Author:** ![DaveUnknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@DaveUnknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveUnknown)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/88 "2024-09-07T05:52:32Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > big cities in general were a lot rougher, dirtier, and crime-ridden in the '70s than they are today Are you for real? I’m editing my original comment, but I feel like it’s a generalization. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/89 "2024-09-07T07:50:05Z")
> [@DaveUnknown](#): > > but I feel like it’s a generalization. Like I said, I wasn’t there. But when I read about how places like Chicago or Seattle were in the '70s, and I compare them to the cities I’ve been to in this day and age, it just sounds like things have gotten much better than they used to be. I don’t think there’s anywhere in the country today that could compare to say, Cabrini Green at its height. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/90 "2024-09-07T09:49:44Z")
The crime of picking young men up for his criminal intent was not done in a upscale Martini bar, is what I meant. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/91 "2024-09-07T09:57:16Z")
From the wiki cite: > [@](#): > > On July 26, 1976, Gacy picked up 18-year-old hitchhiker David Cram and offered him a job with PDM; he began work the same evening. On August 21, Cram moved into Gacy’s house. The next day, Cram and Gacy had several drinks to celebrate his 19th birthday, with Gacy dressed as Pogo. Gacy conned Cram into donning handcuffs, his wrists cuffed in front of his body rather than behind. He swung Cram around while holding the chain linking the cuffs, then said he intended to rape him. Cram kicked Gacy in the face and freed himself. Offering this to show that his clown stuff was not completely divorced from his sociopathic side. I’d guess this was just coincidence and not part of his psychopathy. For some reason he was dressed as the clown when he got the urge to commit one of his horrors. But I think it’s fair to say that the clown bit was not completely compartmentalized from his murdering, raping evil side. That nit aside, I think the “Clown Murderer” tag is primarily because it’s such an unusual combination, even if largely disconnected in his practice. It would be like discovering, for example, that a ballerina was the serial killer a city was looking for. She’d be the “Ballerina Killer” in the headlines even though her profession was completely disconnected from her murders. If the killer was a factory worker, that’s not going to be memorable or part of his moniker. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/92 "2024-09-07T19:09:31Z")
“Killer Ballerina” I would think. “Ballerina Killer” would be someone who kills ballerinas. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/93 "2024-09-07T19:42:25Z")
Hmmm🤔 I know that feelin’ ---
**Author:** ![motu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/motu/32/259_2.png) [@motu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/motu)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/94 "2024-09-07T19:43:14Z")
Gacy’s prison paintings included clowns, that adds to the association. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2024, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/95 "2024-09-07T23:45:26Z")
Due to this thread, I read the Wikipedia page about Gacy. Damn, the man was a hard worker. He built a successful construction company from scratch. Before that he successfully managed several businesses. He could put in 12+ hour days, easy. _Then_ you add in the crusisng, the gay sex, the torture and murder. This man had a motor that didn’t slow down. A total fucking monster, of course. But if you were looking for a serial killer to take a lesson from, you could do worse than following Gacy’s lead on work ethic and business acumen. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/96 "2024-09-08T00:19:51Z")
For your viewing pleasure: Svengoolie has _“Killer Klowns from Outer Space”_ on tonight. (MeTV) Enjoy. (Pop the corn, Ivy.) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/97 "2024-09-08T00:31:13Z")
If you (or anyone) wants to learn more, this documentary was really good. > **[Watch Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes | Netflix...](https://www.netflix.com/title/81298614)** > > He dined with the powerful. He preyed on the vulnerable. Beneath a smiling exterior was the horrifying darkness of a sadistic serial killer. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/AC42jnjxjFY/maxresdefault.jpg "CONVERSATIONS WITH A KILLER: THE JOHN WAYNE GACY TAPES Series | Official Trailer (HD) Netflix") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC42jnjxjFY) ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/98 "2024-09-08T01:37:27Z")
OP, you’ll be happy to know that Gacy agrees with you. He specifically answers no in the video below, when asked if he used his clown costumes to attract victims. He laments that clowning had received a bad reputation because of its association with what he did. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MyAchQRrSrY/maxresdefault.jpg "John Wayne Gacy Talks Clowning & "Entertaining" Kids") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyAchQRrSrY) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2024, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/99 "2024-09-08T02:45:13Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Damn, the man was a hard worker. > > He built a successful construction company from scratch. Before that he successfully managed several businesses. He could put in 12+ hour days, easy. If only he would have used it for niceness instead of evil! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2024, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861/100 "2024-09-10T02:24:17Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > Speaking of Mr. Gacy… > > “What was John Wayne Gacy’s favorite Country song?” > \* > \* > \* > \* > \* > \* > \* > \* > \* > > “Walkin’ the Floor Over You” > > (If you remember the case, you’ll get this.) While we’re doing musical references in good taste, there’s Chicago DJ Steve Dahl’s Pink Floyd parody. _Hey! Gacy! Leave those kids alone … All in all, it’s just another kid in the crawl_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gacy-was-not-a-killer-clown/1006861.md?page=6)