Greg: How did you get involved with the Whatever
Turns You On as alot of kids starred
in the sister show You Can't Do That
On Television and only
a dozen were picked for the sister show?
Jono: I'm not sure how. It was
a picked progress Roger Price went through. I
found it interesting that alot of people knew
about us at the SlimeCon 2004
Reunion as we were only kids. Kevin Somers
and I were only 14 and 15 years old and to us it
was just having fun. Christine McGlade was a year
younger and all three of us went to school
together.
Greg:
Is
Moose Christine's real nickname than on the show?
Jono: I'm not sure where it
came from. I think it was one day during drama
sessions talking about herself and they asked her
nickname and she just said Moose but again I
don't know.
Greg: Did the three of you do
any highschool plays or take drama classes in
school?
Jono: No, Roger Price wanted to
find kids being kids and didn't want experienced
actors. Kids in class wouldn't pick on us or
called us geeks since we weren't experienced
actors. Kevin did a screen test and and said he
was not wanting to be on some sucky kids show
like a kids show that aired in Canada at the time
called Let's Go! Have you ever seen it?
Greg: No I
never heard of it. How old were you when you
starred in the series when it aired in the fall
after the pilot episode in May?
 Jono: 15.
Greg:
Did you get any feedback from
viewers?
Jono:
No, it didn't last that long. Prime
time wasn't a good time slot for a kids show.
Greg:
What was your fondest memory of the
show?
Jono: Well...., I don't have any
specific memories just Les Lye, Christine, Kevin
Somers and others I worked with.
Greg: Who did
you get along with the most in the show?
Jono:
I got along with Christine and
Kevin Somers even during after the show.
Greg:
Did Kevin do any acting afterwards?
Jono: I think
he might've done a bit. After we left the 81
season of the sister show YCDTOTV
Christine, him and I were in a TV pilot called Bear
Rapids (It was shown at the
SlimeCon 2004 Reunion and I didn't remember doing
it until it was shown). We were all a bit older
looking then too.
Greg: What is
Kevin Somers up to today? I hear he became
independently wealthy from an investment of a
Real Estate boom his money was invested in back
in 1995.
Jono: (Laughs)
You can understand we both had a good sense of
humour. No, it was a good rumour as we joked
about it but he actually was teaching at a
University the last time I found out. He also
does a bit of writing and hopes to have a novel
published.
Greg: Do you
keep in touch with anyone from the show?
Jono:
Just with the reunion kindle. I see
Christine every now and then when I go up to
Ontario. I'm in Calgary, Alberta now.
Greg:
Did you ever watch any shows that
starred Ruth Buzzi before she did WTYO?
Jono:
We all remembered her in Laugh-In. It was
similar to the show and so was Hee-Haw and that
was the reason why Roger wanted her on this show.
Valerie
Bertinelli was rumoured to be involved starring
in the show. Kevin and I were excited but was
more excited when Ruth was on instead.
Greg:
What was your reaction when you
found out you'd be working with her?
Jono:
I
think we knew she was a big U.S. star and knew
who she was and we were all excited. Up to that
point, we didn't have a female character like Les
Lye.
Greg:
You
were slimed the most on the show during the
Superstitons episode and Rodney told me it left a
stain on people's skin whenever someone was
slimed. Did you have to do retakes of getting
slimed?
 Jono: I'm sure
it happened when I missed a line and had to do a
retake. I don't remember the slime leaving a
stain. You could eat food dye. It was also mixed
with flour ang glue I think. It was a prototype
of green slime. I remember when we did the sister
show when the slime was first invented that they
put wieners in it and other gross stuff for the
ingredients.
Greg: The most popular skits were the
classroom, dungeon, the cafeteria and the dome
skits. Which one's were your favourite performing
in?
Jono: I spent alot of time doing
the dungeon skits. My favourite part was getting
to act with Les Lye. We did one on one's and his
character in the dungeon skits was awesome.
Greg: Were you a big fan of any of the
musical guests?
Jono:
Yeah
I enjoyed Max Webster but he never stuck around
as he just arrived to perform and left. He never
chatted with us. I also enjoyed that other
musical guest who was the brother of that comedy
actor from SCTV Network.
Greg:
Oh
yes, Ian Thomas!
Jono:
Yes,
that's right. We had the best times with him as
he stuck around after he performed and talked
with us. He's funnier than his brother too.
Greg:
Now I understand that the bands
lipsynched and their audio versions were played
while they performed....
Jono:
Really??? (Laughs) Yes, I knew
that...
Greg:
It looked like Max Webster played
live. Do you know if he did?
Jono: I don't
think so.
Greg:
Now
I remember three episodes that aired on YTV and
are missing. One of them was Kevin Somers as the
Spelling Bee, another was when Kevin Schenk was
hiding from her Aunt Agatha and the third was
when Schenk was doing a cereal commercial and the
toy inside of the box bit his tongue. Do you
remember any of those one's?
Jono: I don't remember alot of
the episodes. Sorry. The only thing I remember
was when Schenk was dressed up in a sailor suit I
think in the beginning of the show.
Greg: Yes that was the pilot to
the upcoming series. I understand it was taped in
front of an audience.
Jono:
Parts
of the skits was in front of an audience.
 Greg: A funny skit was when
Kevin Somers fools you to wear white on the set
and Lye's character Ross tells you to take it off
and you're stripped to your underwear. Were you
nervous about that?
Jono: Yeah, there was still
stuff I wasn't comfortable with when I did that.
I remember looking back at shooting the sketches
and not getting away with some stuff. Ruth
Buzzi's school teacher's character name was
originally going to be called Miss Carriage and
they could not get away with it so they changed
it to Miss Fidt. It was very groundbreaking. Now South
Park does all that stuff and same with
the Simpsons.
Greg: When the show was axed
due to poor ratings cause 7:30 pm wasn't a proper
time for a children's show were you wondering
what was going to happen next for your acting
career?
Jono: No cause I never thought
of it that way. We never thought of ourselves as
actors as it was for fun being a kid.
Greg:
Now
when YCDTOTV reaired this time as a
primetime show in 1981 you were only in the
dungeon and fire execution skits along with
Somers as Rodney told me you two were getting too
old...
Jono:
Yep,
I was probably 16 years old.
Greg: (Laughs) Well was that
the real story? Christine still stayed on the
show.
Jono: She never grew up so she looked
exactly the same whenever she wore a curly haired
wig.
Greg:
And she still looks not too
different now.
Jono:
Exactly, and she has a family and I
believe that Somers does too.
Greg: Did you
do any other acting gigs after WTYO, YCDTOTV
and the TV pilot you starred in
with Christine and Somers?
 Jono: Nope.
Greg:What made you leave
acting?
Jono:
I
was never really into it as having a career just
like when I played football in highschool, I
stopped that cause I knew I wouldn't have a
career in it. We were all in Ottawa so there was
not alot of opportunities there.
Greg:
What have you been up to these
days?
Jono:
I
live in Calgary, Alberta and work at the
University in Calgary as a executive director for
the faculties of Kinesilogy Study of
Movement.
Greg:
Rodney told me you worked as a tax
accountant.
Jono: Yes, a
long time ago. I was a chartered accountant and
did public practice tax work.
Greg:
What
years were those?
Jono: 1989 through 1990.
Greg: Have you thought of
making a comeback to acting? We sure miss you.
Jono:
It's
not gonna happen. Not in my life plans.
Greg:
If a
grown up version of WTYO ever arisesto appeal to
the fans that back then and watching the show now
suitable for their age in their 20's and 30's
would you participate in it?
Jono:
Um....
I guess if that ever happened I would seriously
consider it. Only if they get Les Lye out of
retirement and also be on it.
Greg: Well thank you so much
for your time with this as it meant alot to me.
Jono:
Hey,
no problem
Well
Jono was one of the best kid actors on the show
and it was a blast interviewing him. He seems to
lead a happy life of what he's doing now.
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