Plaid-clad WKRP ad man Tarlek to appear in new Rheostatics videoTORONTO (CP) — Baby, if you’ve ever wondered, wondered whatever became of WKRP in Cincinnati’s Herb Tarlek, look no further than Toronto.
Frank Bonner, who portrayed the plaid-clad advertising salesman on the beloved TV comedy series, will be in the city Wednesday filming a video with Canadian rockers the Rheostatics.
The band has a song on its new album, 2067, called The Tarleks.
According to the Rheos’ record company, Bonner frequently turns down requests to reprise the Tarlek role, but said yes to the video because he likes the new song.
WKRP in Cincinnati, which also starred Loni Anderson and Gordon Jump, ran from 1978 to 1982.
The series followed the hijinks at a Top 40 radio station and featured a cast of memorably offbeat characters including Bonner’s Tarlek, who was married but spent much of his time making advances towards Anderson’s character, station receptionist Jennifer.
― Huk-L, Monday, 1 November 2004 20:37 (twenty years ago)
WKRP’s Herb Tarlek back in plaid for filming of Rheostatics videoBy Andrea Baillie
TORONTO (CP) — For the first time since his days at WKRP in Cincinnati, Herb Tarlek was back in plaid Wednesday.
Frank Bonner, who played the style-challenged ad man on the beloved TV sitcom, was in Toronto shooting a music video with iconic Canadian indie band the Rheostatics for their new song, The Tarleks.
“The polyester king is back for one day,” said Bonner.
“Somewhere in Toronto there is a Volkswagen without seat covers.”
Until now, Bonner says he has been reluctant to reprise the WKRP role for fear of being pigeonholed.
“I just don’t do it,” he says.
Still, the show — which chronicled life at a quirky top 40 radio station and ran from 1978 to 1982 — has lived on in reruns, and Bonner’s memorable alter ego has been tough to shake.
People still come up to him to say they have “Herb Tarlek Day” at work where everyone wears their worst clothes.
When Bonner was asked to appear in the video, his children convinced him it was finally time for Herb to stage a comeback.
“I’ve never done a music video,” says Bonner. “I thought, ‘What a hoot.’ ”
He was also “blown away” that someone would come up with a song about Herb Tarlek.
Rheos guitarist and lead singer Martin Tielli, who says The Tarleks is about “the infiltration of tacky salesmen into our everyday, private lives,” is equally astonished that his initial idea turned into a real-life encounter with Bonner.
“It’s like you just sort of write something that’s really just off the top of (your) head with as little thought as possible,” he said during a break in the video shoot.
“To see it manifest itself in real life is pretty hilarious.”
The band’s new album, 2067, is an engaging mix of everything from straight-ahead pop songs to far-out prog and even a hidden track — an electronic rendering of their classic tune Record Body Count.
They’ll be staging one of their marathon gigs at Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern from Nov. 11 to 20.
But on Wednesday, the focus was all on The Tarleks as Bonner prepared to don his trademark suit one more time and make a rare appearance in front of the camera.
For the last 10 years he’s spent most of his time directing, his most recent project being an Internet soap opera.
About twice a year he hooks up with his former castmates, including Loni Anderson, Howard Hesseman and Gary Sandy. Gordon Jump, who played befuddled WKRP station manager Arthur Carlson, died last year.
“Unfortunately we lost ‘the big guy,’ ” says Bonner, referring to Jump’s nickname on the show. “(It was) a big, big loss for all of us.”
When preparing for Wednesday’s shoot, Bonner was surprised to find he has not lost touch with the essence of Herb Tarlek.
“I just hadn’t thought about Herb — that whole attitude wasn’t even in my system, I thought,” he says.
“(Then) I put the clothes on. Man, it’s like it seeped into the bloodstream.”
― Huk-L, Wednesday, 3 November 2004 18:21 (twenty years ago)