Uff-Da! Island Norske Spotted Flogging Tacos on TV!
No surprise that islander John Norby is on TV. Sue Frause photo.
Being a TV star hasn’t changed John Norby one iota.
OK, star may be a bit of a stretch. But John does appear on a TV commercial here in the Pacific Northwest and there are more coming up.
“I’m a Norske flogging tacos!” laughed John, stomping his feet in delight.
John and I are having late afternoon tea at Useless Bay Coffee in Langley.
The 61-year-old islander, who moved to Whidbey in 1969, admits his new “career” is something of a surprise.
“I’ve never done any acting,” said John, whose long resume includes cheese factory worker, carpenter, merchant marine, machinist and shipwright to name a few. He’s been in unions since he was 17 years old and is currently employed by the Washington State Ferries.
The commercial came about when his sister spotted a casting call notice at the Sons of Norway lodge in Olympia. Taco Time was looking for a gaggle of Norwegian-looking fellas for a commercial to be shot in Seattle. She passed along the information to John, he made an appointment with Jodi Rothfield Casting in Seattle, and the rest is entertainment history.
So what did he have to do for the audition, his best Stan Boreson/Uncle Torvald impersonation?
Nope, he simply spoke in Norwegian; sang a Norwegian folk song; and told Sven and Olly jokes in his spot-on Norwegian dialect.
The gig turned out to be an all-day fish taco shoot at the Buckaroo Tavern in Fremont.
“One guy was a real actor, and the rest of us were Norwegians — except for one Swede,” said John. He provided his own wardrobe, including his late father’s stocking cap and a hand-knit blue and white sweater made by a cousin in Norway.
For John, the commercial was a lark.
And when he mentions it to people, they smile. He likes that part best.
John will also appear in the new Xbox 360 game Alan Wake, coming out in 2008. He’ll be digitalized and there will be no remnants of his Scandihoovian garb: he’ll play an older biker decked out in a leather vest.
Oh, and there’s a big party next month in Ballard. That would be the 17th of May celebration, in honor of Norwegian Constitution Day.
John will ride on the Olympia Sons of Norway boat in the annual parade, tossing herring to the kids along the route.
Then he laughs that John Norby laugh and stomps his feet.
If you don’t own a TV, can’t stand TV, or TIVO out the all commercials on TV, you can watch the commercial right here. Just click I SAW JOHN NORBY ON TV and then click on the cactus. You may have to watch it a few times to catch John. He’s sitting on a stool in the back, wearing a cap and the handmade blue and white sweater made by his cousin in Norway.