'They've done so much good': Johnny 2 Fingers happy to be part of TeleMiracle 47
Kinsmen TeleMiracle announced its lineup of 81 performers on Thursday. The 20-hour telethon will be broadcast live from Prairieland Park in Saskatoon on February 25 and 26.
For Moose Jaw-based wrestle rock band Johnny 2 Fingers and the Deformities, playing the 47th Kinsmen TeleMiracle was a natural fit.
2 Fingers was born with, you guessed it, just two fingers on his left hand, and he says he needed a lot of operations when he was young to help him walk.
His family received a lot of help from organizations like Kinsmen TeleMiracle to pay for medical expenses and he wanted to be able to give back.
“It's a cool thing to do,” said 2 Fingers. “It's nice to be a part of something with so much history. They’ve done so much good, and they helped me out so it's nice to return the favor.”
Growing up with a disability and intensive medical needs can be an isolating experience, says 2 Fingers.
“You’re alone a lot. You’re not included in things other people can do. It’s nobody’s fault, but you just kind of don’t have a choice when you have mobility issues,” he said.
2 Fingers says these challenges have helped shape his creativity — and his ironic sense of humour.
“You don’t have a choice but to be your own company. I think that’s partially why I like being busy with my hands; why I’m a writer and I make music and that type of thing — lots of personal time.”
And after all his tribulations, 2 Fingers says he now gets a parking pass that lets him park like royalty on the streets of Moose Jaw.
He describes his band as a psychedelic mixture of George Thorogood, AC/DC and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
For public safety reasons they’ll be playing in an overnight slot, he says.
“They’re putting us on the after hours because it’s safer for everybody; for the civilians, for the safety of the children. I’m a father! I have children! I think I’m just misunderstood. I get it all the time,” he joked.
Johnny 2 Fingers also performs with Prairie Pro Wrestling as the manager for Cannonball Kelly.
Aside from music, 2 Fingers also performs with Prairie Pro Wrestling as the manager for Cannonball Kelly. They have a match coming up in Saskatoon — Season’s Beatings at the Cosmo Senior Centre on Dec. 10.
Cannonball Kelly faces off against El Asesino in a grudge match.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a new toy to the show to donate to the Secret Santa Foundation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.