My Only Real-life Bozo Story

I had a friend in high school, Peter Trager, who told me his own Bozo story that I still remember (human memory is a rather strange phenomenon, isn't it?). It may be apocryphal, but I still find it funny even if it never happened.

Apparently Peter was on the Bozo show when he was a kid. Peter was fairly competitive as a high school student, and, from his Bozo story, he had also been one - not to mention a sore loser - when he was just a toddler too.

Peter's Bozo story went like this...

Somehow Peter's Dad managed to get his young son Peter on the Bozo TV show. I never knew what Peter's Dad did - vaguely I knew he was involved in law in some way. In any case, Dad pulled some strings and got Peter on the show.

Towards the end of the show Peter was picked for one of the competitions - it may have been musical chairs, but I don't recall. Perhaps Peter didn't recall either. In any case, Peter was doing well for a bit, but ultimately he was eliminated from the competition, to which he said, "Fuck!" rather loudly.

Of course there's nothing quite as jarring as a young toddler using the F-word, particularly when it was happening on a TV show for kids. So Bozo took Peter aside and said with a comforting smile, "You shouldn't say that my friend. That's a Bozo no-no!"

To which Peter said he replied threateningly, "Clam it clown!"

Boy, would I love to see that video if it exists!

Peter was definitely a major wise ass. He was a fairly short guy, but he loved making trouble and provoking people just for the hell of it. So I don't doubt that young Peter tried to clam up the clown.

I wonder if he's feeling guilty now that Bozo has gone to that great Big Top in the sky?