June 14th, 2012

Wolf Shrink Valet

by Wayno & Piraro

Bizarro is brought to you today by Barking Backpack.

We here at BizarroComics Blog caught up with cartoonist Dan Piraro in his Los Angeles hideaway for an exclusive interview about his career.

BCB: What makes you so cool?

DP: Gosh, am I cool? Thanks, I don’t really think of myself as cool. I’m just me.(makes “aw, shucks” face)

BCB: How do you keep your hair so thick, shiny, and healthy looking?

DP: I use a shampoo/conditioner combo that I bought at a drug store. Since I bought it at a drug store, I tried to smoke it but it made me kind of sick, so now I just use it on my hair.

BCB: What was the hardest part about doing the cartoon posted here about a wolf?

DP: Getting him to pose in an anthropomorphic stance like that. He bit me several times during the modeling process.

BCB: Do you draw all of your cartoons from live models?

DP: Yes. I do my cartoons as close as possible to the way Renaissance cartoonists did it. I even make my own paper and ink. Take the cartoon about the shrink’s advice; the man playing the doc is Bob Abrahams, a neighbor of mine here in Hollywood who used to be a sound engineer for television. I cast him because he has a great “psychiatrist voice.” The patient is played by my dentist, Dr. Floyd Payne.

BCB: You’ve been in LA for over six months now, yet your teeth are still the color of human teeth. Do you plan to get them whitened?

DP: I can’t really afford it at the moment, so I’m going to try to get away with it a little longer. I understand that after you establish residency in Los Angeles, you have 30 days to get your driver’s license switched over and get your teeth whitened. I just hope I don’t get stopped by a cop on either count.

BCB: Is this cartoon about the valet parkers drawn from an actual stand here in LA?

DP: No. I found these guys in Minnesota while visiting the Mayo Clinic recently.

BCB: Mayo Clinic? Are you all right?

DP: My legs were making strange noises when I walked and local doctors couldn’t figure it out so they sent me there. Turns out it was just the corduroy pants I was wearing, rubbing together. They gave me a pair of cotton twill pants and it solved the problem.