That Guy: Random acts of weirdness make good TV

I am still in New York filming a late-night breakfast show from a high-rise hotel suite. It is a fairly loose format show that features amazing guests, the likes of which New Zealand has never seen.

John was a guest who was chosen to appear on the show mainly because he has an incredibly lazy eye.

We felt this obvious affliction would contribute to making good TV, but now I am not so sure.

He is in fact a part-time astronomer and taught us many things, including the fact that Venetian blinds wouldn't work that well in space, so louvre-type curtains would be a better option when considering what blinds to install in your spacecraft.

Other guests included Dr V, a doctor who specialises in vasectomies. A highlight of that episode was when he gave Matai, my co-host, a vasectomy right there and then in the hotel bathroom. He then did a vasectomy reversal to show how simple that procedure is.

Matai is now in a state of vasectomy reversal and should be capable of once again fathering children, though he should hold off for a couple of weeks at least.

We had a ghost hunter, a couple of psychotherapists, and a relationship expert who can't seem to stay in a steady relationship.

There are many different ways of getting guests for a TV show. You can advertise for them, go though agents and publicity managers or meet him drinking on the street the day of the filming. Johnny Northern Star fits into the later category.

He performed a couple of songs, including a jingle he wrote for Pepsi back in 1987. They never actually used it, of course, and are yet to return his calls.

He eventually managed to record a demo of the jingle, and this was, of course, recorded by none other than the actor who played Grandpa in The Munsters TV show.

This eclectic array of talent was topped off by Funny Freddy Hernandez, the magic clown who brought pre-made balloon animals into the show. His act culminated with him magically conjuring a pair of little boy's undies out of his magic bag.

Then he turned them into a gerbil. It all became a little uncomfortable after that, even by our standards, and Freddy was encouraged to leave right after the show rather than stick around for a few drinks at the daily wrap party.

It has been an interesting couple of weeks in New York but I feel I have done my dash here. There are still so many things I wished I had filmed, still so many places I wished I had visited, and still so many gaps that need to be filled, but it is time to move on.

Tomorrow I head off to Salt Fork Lodge in Ohio to attend the annual Big Foot conference.

There is a very good chance that next week's column will focus mainly on this prestigious event, and may even feature exclusive photos.

These, in all likelihood, will be photos of the conference and those attending - not Big Foot himself, but you never know, really.

It would be fair to say that I am a little homesick, and I am looking forward to getting home to my family.

The novelty of flatting with five guys again wore off a couple of days into the trip, probably just after my first hangover, and even something as exciting as the Big Foot conference can't make up for it.