Wow, I’m back on the radio again at 95-1 WZZO! This is very exciting, but it’s like, “Oh my God, I’m starting all over again” and just a little scary. I am sure you get that.
So, the question is “who am I?” My name is Joe Bonadonna, yes that's my real name. I know when I was growing up as a kid, I remember trying to figure out how to say my name. I was walking down the hallway in the apartment going, “my name is Joe Bonadonna, my name is Joe Bonadonna? ... What does that even mean? As I got older people would saying, “Hey Joe Bonadonna, do you know what your name means?” I did not … “Well, you're Italian, right? So “Bona” means “Good,” and “Donna” means “Woman” so you're JOE GOOD WOMAN. That didn’t seem right.
This is where the nicknames got started. People were saying my name is just too tough, we have to come up with different names for you. How about just “Bona.” That lead to other nicknames like “Bonga Donga” … there were many more various.
You may remember this from Saturday Night Live. Gilda Radner used to do this great character based on a NYC news woman, Rose Ann Scamardella. Gilda did the SNL News calling herself Roseanne Roseannadanna. Funny stuff!
At one point I met Peter Bergman from the Firesign Theatre and he said I was Roseanne's cousin, and she was really a member of my family … Roseanne Roseannadanna Bonadonna! So, I am Cousin Joe? That is how the whole “Bonadonna” family thing started.
Well, HELLO, it is nice to be here. Joe Bonadonna, you know what? That's all she wrote!