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Clownin' around - and lovin' it

Local 15-year-old receives awards at convention, appears in magazine

John M. Setzler Jr.

BJ Cortino, aka King GlitterSniff, has been performing for 10 years.

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More on Charlie's Chaplains

By Dee Henry | Hickory Daily Record

Published: August 4, 2008

HICKORY - BJ Cortino's parents never tell him to stop clowning around. In fact, they fully support him doing so, and in a way, expect it of him.

"I've always been involved in clowning, ever since my mom started with Charlie's Chaplains," Cortino said.

Mom is Becky Cortino, better known as "CarroTop Rainbo" in her role with Charlie's Chaplains, a nonprofit group of volunteers who bring humor therapy to patients at Frye Regional Medical Center. She has been involved in the group, of which she is now coordinator, for about 10 years. That means BJ, aka "King GlitterSniff," has been in the group since he was 5 years old.

"I started out as 'Buttons the Clown,' and I wore a black and red plaid outfit," he said. "And I had a squeeze nose that made a noise when you squeezed it."

Cortino, with his now white and red plaid outfit, yellow hair and green glittery nose, has caught the attention of two young girls as he sits in the lobby of Frye Regional. The Chaplains are performing "nose transplants" to visitors and patients alike, bringing a smile to many faces. The two girls giggle as they "sneeze" off the red sponge noses they received and giggle as they look at BJ to see if he's watching them. He is.

"Kids are definitely my favorite type of crowd," he said, as he plays along with the girls. "I can communicate easily with any age group, but there seems to be a connection between me and the little guys."

And while most would say the payoff for clowning is in the smiles they receive, BJ does admit to being pleased when he opened up the latest issue of The New Calliope Magazine, a publication of the Clowns of America International (COAI), and saw a familiar face in some of the photographs inside.

"I was like, 'Wow.' It was interesting," he answers when asked how it felt to see himself in a national magazine. "Now don't get me wrong. I'm not a modest person," he continued, laughing.

BJ's photos appeared in the magazine with an article about Junior Joey award winners at a recent COAI convention. "King GlitterSniff" won a silver award for achievement in the art of clowning in Group Performance and a bronze award in Single Performance.

COAI members between the ages of 8 and 15 are designated "Junior Joeys," a takeoff of one nickname for clowns, "Joey" honoring Joseph Grimaldi, the original "Clown Joey." Grimaldi lived from 1779 to 1837.

BJ shows an intelligence surpassing his 15 years, but never completely loses the clown personality. Clowning is something he has come to enjoy, as it has become almost a second side to his personality.
"It is the only excuse a person could give for having a multiple personality," he said.

He claims his alter ego — "King GlitterSniff" — is more of an extrovert than he is, giving him an outlet, almost an excuse, to do things BJ Cortino wouldn't do.

"As a clown, you can do something silly and get away with it," he smiles.

BJ's mom, Becky, was thrilled to see her son on the pages of the magazine.

"It was very cool," she said.

Becky Cortino got her sons involved in the Chaplains — her oldest, Sammy, performs as an illusionist as "Magic's Royal Duke" — when she was looking for something the three of them could do together. It worked, and the three are still involved in the group and close 10 years later.

Clowning, BJ said, is something everyone can share.

"We're all kids at heart," he said. "There's always an inner kid in everyone, just waiting to get out."