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Larry Copcar ( Larry Scarano ) A surviving member of Sam Kinison’s Rat Pack. He still performes as both  comedian and drummer.

Larry  first appears in 1967 on Roulette Records as the drummer of THE BOUGALIEU. A snotty Albany, N.Y. psych/punk band.  He also can be found on 70's LPs:  WHITNEY SUNDAY, ( recorded at Bradley's Barn in Nashville )  and  RANDY and THE GOATS.  

     Albany. Although it's last name was New York it was as rural in some spots as Alabama. Guys who are now in their early 60's were brought up on AM radio in the early 60's which had a top ten that would play James Brown followed by Patsy Cline.Legal drinking age was 18.There were jazz joints and rock clubs with players up from New York City and "chitlen circut" clubs in the South End. The area was a musical garden.What else can you do but play music growing up in a city with ten months of winter. (People from the guts of Albany didn't ski.)

In the early 70's Larry had the great fortune of one on one drum lessons with Jack DeJohnette at his house 40 miles away down in Woodstock. A gift. A blessing.  

Balls out, with $60, a drum set, and a one week gig at The 4 Queens Hotel, Larry moved his goals and dreams to Las Vegas, and spent the late 70's in casino lounge bands working old school rooms. Opening for, and learning from, the likes of Willie Nelson at The Golden Nugget and Redd Foxx at The Thunderbird. Meanwhile writing jokes for a few big time comics in town. ( Rodney Dangerfield and Joan Rivers).  He never missed a desert sunrise .It was easy to live on the other side of the clock.On his nights off he would walk  through the musician's door and go sit in the back of a showroom to watch Buddy Hackett, Don Rickles, Count Basie, and  BB King work.

The Mob vibe was still alive in Vegas. And it was music and comedy University. All there for the taking on a three mile strip.      "A small town with a big street".   It was  before the mega resort takeover. Most of the Hotels were pink vinyl cool and the casinos and showrooms were smoky.

In 1979 Larry and three other rookie comics drove down to L.A. to check out the comedy scene. One of them, Drew Carey, stayed in Los Angeles. The other guys went back to Las Vegas. The rest ,as they say is history.

 Larry took to Hollywood in the 80's, found a home at The Comedy Store, and appeared in the cult stand-up film COMEDY'S DIRTIEST DOZEN  with Chris Rock, Bill Hicks, and Tim Allen.  He opened for Sam Kinison for a year and lived to talk about it. A typical Saturday Night would find him on stage as a comic at 9 and in the studio jamming at midnight.  Living the dreams all at once. 

  Larry helped form and played drums with SAM KINISON'S OUTLAW BAND with it's revolving door of players such as Ted Nugent and Leslie West.When Sam did his Universal Amphitheater shows, Larry moved over to percussion and gave the drum chair up to Tommy Lee.( Sam's encores at his comedy shows were always a surprise all star music jam.)

A lot of people credit Larry with "giving" GUNS AND ROSES, who were always hanging out at The Comedy Store,  the title to their mega hit  "Welcome To The Jungle" which was  Larry's comedy catch phrase in the mid 80's.

  He also played with GOOD COP/BAD COP, an experimental soulnoise duo. A fixture at the legendary Al's Bar in downtown LA. And  the punkjazz band, DRUNK BY NOON .Then was unwittingly recruited as  drummer/ vocalist of ......

THE HOLLYWOOD SQUARETET. An inovative , spontaneous, freeform, sarcasm band.  Which  is LA's new darling of the buzz  band circuit. And on play lists all over the World.

A unique blend of  jazz, punk, and comedy. With Todd Homer on bass who was a founding member of THE ANGRY SAMOANS, 80's punk icons.

Their available  CDs       in the TET-TRILOGY :
             TET- OFFENSIVE         NICE TETS        TETOSTERONE! 
      Info at :          hollywoodsquaretet.com

 Coming soon      on ESP Records         CERTAIN SQUARES

   The FUGGS were on ESP Records.

"If you are going to tell people the truth, you better make them laugh; otherwise they'll kill you."

- -George Bernard Shaw

 

I drank with Joe Cocker in Buffalo in 1969.

Hung with Alice Cooper in 1970 in Philly.

Smoked with Willie Nelson's band in 1975 in Vegas.

Partied away the 80's in LA with Sam Kinison.

Pissed off Kaydo Kalin with an OJ joke at Pauly Shore's 21 birthday party gig in 1996 , Hollywood.

Had The Hells Angles dig my jokes at "Street Vibrations" biker rally in Reno four years running.                                                         Do  you believe that Sonny Barger rides a BMW ?

I saw The Rolling Stones with Brian Jones.

I saw Mickey Mantle with Yogi Berra.

I am too old to die young.     

Lately, I've been putting  together a new stand-up set .  Working out at      The Comedy Store      in La Jolla, Ca.

    " When you innovate, you've got to be prepared for everyone telling you you're nuts"  -                              -  Larry Ellison, entrepreneur

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