The Daily Gamecock

Issue date: 4/28/08 Section: The Mix

Media Credit: Cristina Kubicki/The Daily Gamecock The Boombox Man, a graduate computer science student, walks around USC with his 1980s boombox.

USC is home to many proud traditions, and one man is responsible for one of the most unique.

He walks around campus week after week, serenading students with the stereo on his shoulder. He plays anything and everything, from '80s hits to video game remixes. Sometimes he's even in costume.

This iconic figure is known to many students simply as The Boombox Man.

A first-year graduate student who calls himself "J.J.," the boombox man has been entertaining the campus for four years and counting. He explained that carrying around the boombox was a friend's idea, a product of struggling to amuse themselves while living in the now-demolished Douglas.

"He and I both thought the campus was sort of boring," J.J. said. "What better way to get people talking than putting an old boombox on your shoulder and blaring bad music?"

J.J. and his friend weren't sure what reactions they could expect, but they were pleasantly surprised when it made people laugh.

"The weirdest part," he said, "was that people actually liked it."

J.J. shared the boombox responsibilities with his friend starting in spring 2004 and became the sole bearer of the box in the fall of 2005. The boombox itself is considerably older - a model from 1986 - but J.J. says it is a "beauty."

In spite of a Facebook group called "People Who Love the Boombox Man" that boasts over 1,000 members, J.J. remains humble.

"It is flattering to have a club based on something stupid you do," he said. He added that he usually gets comments from students at least once a week while on his rounds.

Not content to just play music, J.J. occasionally wears costumes. They've ranged from a leprechaun on St. Patrick's Day to a Twinkie for Halloween, with Blinky, the red ghost from Pacman, in between. J.J. said the Twinkie is his favorite.

"I know, above all, people always remember me wearing the Twinkie costume," he said.

J.J. said he has great memories from his experience. There's the time he was nearly arrested for "harassing the crazy preachers who were screaming at people they were going to hell," and there's also the time when he was kicked out of the Russell House for inciting a riot.

His favorite, though, was when people began to dance as he walked past the B.A. building. He said that by the time he reached the Pickens Street bridge, there was a "mob" of people dancing around him to the music.

"That day, I lived out one of my lifelong dreams," he said. "I created a spontaneous musical."

J.J. said he plans to carry the boombox until he graduates, which should be another year. He said the future legacy of the box will depend on who carries it next.

"I believe someone out there has the right stuff to take it on, but it is not for the faint of heart," he said.

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