~ The Checkerboard Guy's Blog ~


Archive for January 8th, 2010

Jonny Olsen • Interviews from the Inside

2010-01-08Where in the world am I today?: Grand Turk, The Caribbean aboard the Emerald Princess

Prologue: I ran into Jonny O in the Byward Market sometime in the early 90s. I was back in Ottawa for Canada Day and he and his partner were working a pitch in the Byward Market. I stopped and chatted with them a bit after enjoying their show. The combination of juggling and percussion really clicked. I’ve always loved it when you put the two disciplines together and have great memories of watching the Waldo Woodhead Show when they worked with their drummer Witlo and even before that seeing the Amazing Fantasy Jugglers doing a great Ring Passing Routine while backed by a drummer. Junkyard’s additional environmental message and recycled/found props also created a really interesting dynamic. Since our first meeting we’ve bumped into each other at various festivals and events around the world including the Nanjing Clown Festival where I snapped the shot that accompanies this post.

STATS

Name: Jonny Olsen aka Junkyard Jonny – Junkyard Symphony
Birthday: October 29, 1972.
Place of Birth: Ottawa, Ontario.
Started Peforming/Working in the Industry: 1992.
Discipline: Circus/Percussion.
Website: www.junkyardsymphony.org
Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq6xwshBPkQ
Venues Worked: http://www.junkyardsymphony.org/performances.html

Hot 10 Questions:

  1. What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream and why? • Cookie Dough, because it tastes like cookie dough.
  2. Name one movie that would make it to your Top 10 all-time great films.The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.
  3. What was your favorite toy from childhood? • Big Trak.
  4. Who were your biggest inspirations when you got started? • Stompin Tom, Bob Marley, Neil Peart, Sam Malone, Hawkeye Peirce.
  5. From the world of animation what one character do you most identify with or see yourself in? • Shrek.
  6. Name something that scares you.Paris Hilton.
  7. Apart from the entertainment industry, name one other job you’ve had. • Artist see – www.jonnyolsen.com.
  8. What’s something you haven’t done yet that you’d like to try? Ski Jumping.
  9. What’s your least favourite thing about being a performer? • Volunteers that just don’t get it.
  10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? • “You’re not done yet…go back. You can take my car, it’s a Porsche of course. Oh and tell Tiger Woods to stop pretending he’s me.”

The Nugget:

Pick one nugget of wisdom you’ve picked up from your career in Show Business to share with the World.

“Life is like a trampoline, the harder you fall the harder you bounce back up. The height you reach is determined by whether you land on the trampoline on your feet or on your ass.”

–Junkyard Jonny


 
Copyright © The Checkerboard Guy. All rights reserved.