Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Local cartoo By C.E. HOLMAN Boscacci di Managing/Viewpoints Editor weight of 115 A I . . T~. shv, nice guv. as up-ana-coming carioonisi .. r Paul J. Boscacci stares at the blank n os' 1 ',1 .... ... Bay area, b page on his drawing table, he pon- Carolina in 1 ders sketching another panel. an A colc To Boscacci a blank page pre- fer tQ Ft Jack; sents a world of opportunity for him me ca to create more crazed characters for lke iAa-my his comic strip, "Backlands." adventure " ht For inspiration, he spins in his jje saj^ hi: swivel chair and stares at his draw- junior high sc ing of Woodstock, Snoopy's yel- caricature of 1 low-beaked sidekick from the popu- just doodling, lar "Peanuts" comic strip that was had a dead-c drawn and autographed by its ere- think that wa< ator, Charles M. Schulz. that I could re "Someday I want to be just like When he re Charles Schulz. I mean this guy is to be a carte almost 70-years-old, and makes would be go millions just by drawing the adven- degree. "I'm tures of a bald kid and a beagle who advertising ju thinks he's a fighter pilot," my cartoons. Boscacci said. fall back on." Boscacci, whose pen name is For the pas Paul Jon because he is "tired of has been an e people mispronouncing' my last The Gamect name," is a 21-year-old advertising newspaper. Hi senior at the University of South pen can be mi Carolina. "I get so tired of going to especially a c< the doctor or restaurant, and having "I did a cj people ask, 'Is Mr. Bondoni, or Bobby Cren Bostuchi here?' come to USC rrop iving t< By JACK DUNN Editor in Chief a A comedian disguised as Wendy, Dave's fast s food daughter, has a trunk full of goodies from a 2 "booby" trap (a bra with mousetraps attached) to v a children's string-phone with call waiting. Carrot Top, prop comedian, will be coming to * the Township Auditorium Aug. 25. He explained what he does. 1 "It's a Steve Martin kind of party thing. I use stand-up and props. The whole nine yards. "I started getting into it in college," he said. * "Me and some friends went to the local amateur 2 night, and they pretty much forced me on the stage. 1 did it the next year. Then I started work- 1 ing regularly at a local comedy club in Florida." Since his start five years ago, he has put together N more and more material. Props are key to his act. 1 Specializing in Over-Runs & ir catalogs. This Unique Shop offe ages about 1 Streel 252-8734 Because live wit The Mo Plannin ( WW [iB'H ;Hi mist looks t escribes himself, at a pounds, as "a skinny, " He was born in Los lear the San Francisco " ut moved to South 990 when his father, >nel, received a transion. irtooning is a lot like i not just a job, it's an ; joked. s adventure began in 1 haa 1 li/hon ho Hrnu/ o IIV/VI W11V11 11V U1W W CI H)P T* lis art teacher. "I was * and all of a sudden I - *(06* >n likeness of her. I ?*+ > when I first realized ally draw." :alized that he wanted . , . . ? lOilisl, he decided it Advcrl,sm8 sen,or Pa' ,od to get a college offidal cartoonist for' getting a degree in st in case I can't sell mascot wearing a wedc I need something to only he was being stooc altar. People came up t t two years, Boscacci and said they felt I had iditorial cartoonist for tured everyone's disapp >ck, USC's student he said, e does believe that the When not attending ghtier than the sword, poking fun at politicians irtoonist'spen. is coming up with new artoon shortly after "Backlands," which tak< lins decided not to the fictional town of Hay: It was of the team "Hayseed was modi a perform ai "I make them all," he said. "I like being creitive and making jokes around them. I love the tand-up part of it, but the props are what it's all ibout. It's not like I'm just standing up there vith a plant," he said. "I would rather do the tand-up instead of carrying all this stuff around, nit it's my act. What can I say? "I like the whole audience picking up on the lifferent stuff I do," he said. Carrot Top, who said he has mainly been hiting a younger audience, said he is expanding, de has recently appeared on the Tonight Show md Regis Philbin. "An older crowd is coming out," he said. "I >layed a Showcase at the Koxy the other night, foil know, the place where Jim Morrison played vith The Doors. They had a chair there wnere he hrew up in. I got a picture of it." regulars from your favorite mail ord rs great-looking Casual Clothing fo /2 the catalog price. a a Any Purchase ^ f jf f $25 or more I I Coupon Expires 9-1! a $i?e> cotton, aotiiicou-c a r (next to Hiller Haraware; Mon. - Sat. 10-6 Sun. 1:30 - 5:0 ; you can't hout it... &.TING 7s y iP yiQ1ir\ irtar Board g Calendar WVfl mi :o Woodsto< Eric Glenn/The Gamecock nl Jon Boscacci works on a sketch. He is the Hie Gamecock newspaper. ling dress, Elizabethtown, Kentucky. It was 1 up at the near Ft. Knox where my dad was o me after stationed. I wanted to have a spoof really cap- of small-town life," he said, ointment," The characters are modeled after people he has met. The town mayor, classes or Ferris Varmitty, is a "yellow-bellied i, Boscacci varmint. He's kinda conniving, r ideas for manipulative, sleazy. He's just like ;s place in any Washington politician, only seed. smarter," he quipped, eled after Other supporting characters t Township He digressed. "Old and young came to that show." Carrot Top described his act as the "MTV style qj comedy and that wnne it is open to ail ages, he prefers younger audiences. "I prefer a college-age crowd because they are more hip and into to what I do." Does he think his looks influenced his choice of career? "Why? Because I look like a dork? Definitely I don't look like a banker. People remember me because I have a memorable look. Other comedians walk down the street and no one knows whc they are. Everyone remembers me. "I was always doing weird stuff," he said. "1 was a pretty goofy kid. I guess that's what makes my act different." Mali room Sometimes it's er like home on a ira" Carpet Mill Outl --i carpet remnan of j styles. We can ._931 for less than yo _g?i savings on firsl $/ Show your stud for an additiona | discount off ou already low pric LAURELS! GERVAIS Sr E? H Ct 3 J cs ? S x ? < GREEN ST. Ri Coliseum ^ BLOSSOMS (803) 779-56C 1700 Huger Street, C _ C? HOURS - :k for ins include Gobey, a "conscientious koala," and Edsel, Ferris' beaverlike cousin that "invents mindless things that really don't work," he said. He credits "divine inspiration" for the creation of his characters and storylines. Among their typical misadventures has been an attempt at building a hot dog empire off of the Veiny Dog, the world's only hot dog with a vein of ketchup running through it. "I think that my stories are the cutting edge humor for my generation," Boscacci said, In late May, after getting a copyright for the strip, he began sending samples of it to major comic strip syndicators, like Universal Press, Tribune Media Services, and United Media. He said the responses have been slow in coming, and Universal told him they were not accepting new strips. He said that there is only a "1 in 2000 chance of being syndicated." Boscacci believes that some syndicators are "more interested in wide-ranging humor involving human characters," and that that is the reason he hasn't been accepted yet. III I Br ^ ^ ? Carrot Top will be performing a lO your feel lik< hard to make those d ^tnrlpnt'c hiirlnot* thai ~ w VW, t. et has bought specia ts in a wide array of < alsc^^ke custom ai Many other j 'olumbio ' gdill Ca *lil( Oufl : Monday - Saturday 9' . piration Boscacci remains hopeful, and has just begun drawing a new untitled comic strip, that has some of "Backlands" characters and few human characters "throw in to please the syndicators." Boscacci credits "Pogo" creator Walt Kelly, political cartoonist x *: 1. ~ i r?: 11 wt?** lvxiKc rcicrs, anu uiii wauerson, creator of "Calvin and Hobbes," as his major artistic influences. His comedic influences include Robin Williams, Steve Martin and Mel Brooks. Even if Boscacci isn't syndicated for comic strips, he wants to become a syndicated editorial cartoonist. "Editorial cartooning gives me the power to comment on the important issues of the day. Our society has become so visually oriented that I think the cartoons have become more powerful and influential than any column," Boscacci said. Looking toward his future, Boscacci plans to graduate in May 1994, and move back to the Bay area. Boscacci sees his future as another blank page upon which he hopes his talents will draw unlimited possibilities. > : : mm t the Township Wednesday, 8 p.m. dorm ft home orm rooms seem t's why Cogdill I truckloads of :olors, sizes and rea rugs, probably sizes also available, j rpef [g| C? am to 6pm