By Bob Ignizio
This interview originally appeared on the old Utter Trash website in
August of 2004. Since that time, the late night "Big Chuck" and Lil'
John Show was cancelled. There have been a few revivals of the program
as a daytime show on weekends showing skits only, with Chuck and John
still hosting. Check your local schedules.
With that in mind,
this interview is presented as it originally ran. A few things are no longer relevant, but since
this deals with Cleveland TV history, most of it still applies. Enjoy!
"Lil' John" Rinaldi has been the co-host of the Big Chuck and Lil' John Show on Cleveland's Channel 8 since 1979. Before that, when the show was known as the Hooliahan and Big Chuck Show, John appeared in numerous skits. While his first appearance on the show, in the music video for Ray Steven's "Bridget the Midget", made reference to John's short stature, other memorable skits have featured John as a caveman, an overworked engineer in a recording studio, and frequently as a put upon husband. Recently, John was kind enough to chat with Utter Trash about his life and career. Although he somewhat downplays his contributions to the show, any true Clevelander knows that for the last 25 years his energy and wit have been an integral part of the program he co-hosts with "Big Chuck" Schodowski.
