Ah
All right, welcome back to the mutton sandwich podcast after a cheeky little
break. Oh yeah,
We're back with our first guest of 2022 and I think of of the, you know, almost two years we've been doing the podcast now button. This will be our first guest who is currently overseas as we speak to.
That's right. We're talking about Mr
mr Hello.
So nice to catch up with you. It's been a while my friend and
it has been,
yeah. And you're our first guest that we're actually talking to,
who's who's
overseas now. Tell us about why you you tell Singapore,
it's called Mental Health Break.
I
mean, seriously guys, over two years, we've been stuck in Singapore, right?
And then, you know, I mean for all the wonderful things that our country has done, it's a pressure cooker environment that you know, if you always tell people if you have a chance and opportunity to go, just do all the tests and protect yourself and just get out of the country once, you know, just just go, I mean, it's it's okay to to say, you know, and I'm not being unpatriotic but just go, you know, see the world breathe fresh air.
It is, it is because then you realize a lot of fear and internalized paranoia in this country is is quite real. And
it is actually I went to the US recently and like nobody even cares about Covid anymore, you know? So everywhere is just slightly different. Right? Tell us where you are.
I mean, Yeah, I mean, I mean I'm in Australia. I'm in Sydney actually. What? Well I went to Sydney um I left in november actually to just maximize my
visa. Just
do it three months, take a break. You know I'm up north and port stephens beautiful. It's
blue sky, blue
water. Yeah and just just just relaxing a little bit and just really like I said a mental health break regrouping um wondering if I come back whether still got work for me but that kind of thing like you
know, I was just gonna ask how are we ever going to see you back? Will you decide oh that's it. You know, I'm staying here and never coming back.
Yeah I'll be a checkout chick work in a supermarket here. Right? No I will
come back
next time I go to a Woodward. So like
you
know funny
enough I loved it. Yeah
funny enough it was november. I think I ran into you at great World remember. Right? Yeah. Hey what's up? And then like two days later I saw your instagram like by a
must have been at the moment,
the moment the borders opened, I bought my
ticket. Yeah well because
Singapore is the only country that I think Australia is letting in now pilot touristic so and it's fine. It's really really fun to come here and just you know. Yes you have to be careful you know? But on the streets, masks are off. But it's just yeah just the space, it's lovely to be, you know, somewhere else. Hang
on, hang on. But isn't Australia, you know, infamous for for their lockdowns, like, you know, one case and boom, they shut the borders and everything. So has that been in china?
Well,
I'm sorry, but we've read the same thing's happening in Australia as well. What's been happening over there and
so on the ground, um the new Premier Dominique, Perrault has said no more lockdowns. We have to live with the virus. So, um, so, I mean, they have gone from from no pcr test anymore. Just a normal A. R. T test. If it's positive media case, you don't have to confirm with the pr PcR to now if you are positive, just their own friends and family,
right? Kind of like
myself, kind
of like Singapore, right? Yeah. I mean, because now, even if you test positive for the H. R. T. If you're asymptomatic, just just stay home,
stay home. Don't just like when you have the common flu like to stay home, you don't go out when you're sick, right?
Exactly. It's common sense to take care of yourself, take care of your family and friends and don't be stupid, basically.
Right? Nice.
Don't be stupid like that. Don't exactly, don't do a Djokovic, you know, um,
oh
speaking of which it's happening right
now. Exactly,
as we're recording this, that that that that that that the trial is going on right now. So that's the
end of january.
That's
very exciting, hey Jose, let's um you know on this podcast we love to reminisce and all that. So we've known you for a very, very long time. But before, before we get there was even one time where we were colleagues because Joseon was a radio DJ at some
point, that's right
in his, in his career. But before, before we talk about that, let's talk about the very beginning. And would it be correct to say that the very beginning of Joseon leong in the Singapore consciousness was under one roof.
Um Yes, that was my first in the way tv um outing my first tv appearance. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 19 oh my God something, 1990 something
I
was I was in secondary school I remember and you know what
secondary school
watching, watching under one roof, who is this guy, you know this, this this this guy who fell in love with veneta Lopez's character and all that. Yeah, yeah. Tell us, tell us what what led you to to get into that show and and and boom from then on Jose superstar.
How
did that begin
erupted like a very overripe pimple.
I
Know I was I was doing theater since 1993 when I started doing theater and then um I think the producers under one roof came to watch a play and said and thought oh that that you know that guy and that skinny ball on stage could be one of our guest stars in episode two or three I think of season one and they just contacted me and said, hey come. So I was like, okay, wow, alright, never
done tv, don't know what to do, just going completely blur. Um, so that was my, my first experience and I guess, you know, the powers that be kind of liked it continued from there. But yeah, it was a great opportunity to be on tv. Yeah, so that was how it all started.
That's what a story and and you know, you obviously, you've never looked back, you know, you've kept up with your place, your stage plays, stage work and, and tv work and you've even done stand up comedy, which is very hard to do believers. We've tried feeling miserably,
but you tried to do
it every morning.
What, you know, you know, Yeah, if you're good at doing radio to stick with radio.
Yes, yes. All all the tv stuff that you've done, which would you say would be your most memorable.
Do you know what guys? I really enjoyed my time as a contestant in Pyramid on Pyramid
game. It
was, I had so much fun, you know, because I I was, I'm such a competitive guy, right? I like to win And my, my biggest opponents were with William Xavier because he also lucky,
like competitive. Yeah,
yeah, and pam we, so every time we compete, right, well sure poor contestants, We don't care about
them. Sparks fly.
Yeah, that was such a throwback. It was so fun to watch
because
it was so fun,
right? Because is one of those games where you know the answer, You're just watching them struggle to get there. It's not like, like, like, like we are Singaporeans for example, you don't want the audience doesn't know the answer. You're, you're playing along pyramid game is you know, the answer. You're just watching them struggle to get that. That's that's fun. That's fun.
And everyone was screaming at the tv.
Exactly.
It's like, oh my gosh, that's our own collective goggle box, you know,
And speaking of which of course, you are the longtime host of We are Singaporeans show.
That's a Dream come true.
So that we have appeared on many times actually
sitting in. This is so fun.
Yeah. You know, so, but do you enjoy doing game shows like that?
Yeah. Like I said, it's a dream come true because you know, there's so many iterations of the entertainment industry, right? You can be a host, you can be a talk show host, stand up comedian, actor, singer, whatever. But hosting your own game show was, you know, it's just like when I got the job, I was like, seriously? Because when I went for the, when I went for the audition, right? I mean, you know how it is like in Singapore. You get called for an audition. You call. I won't get one line.
You only have who they have in mind just to fill up the audition tape?
Must must be
maybe
it's always I mean
but I was never in my head I was never on anyone's list. So I just got the the rules, I went oh okay simple enough okay to throw the rule book aside and just went on to the camera and that's okay, that's how you play the game. And then two days later you free this, you're hosting the show and what are you
serious? So
yeah there was another one of those, you know you think you look back and you go wow I'm so grateful that happened because it really put you know double confirmed the phrase in our lingual.
Exactly right.
Double confirm everyone uses it. So it's like yeah
did you trademarked the phrase by the way or does mediacorp own
it
there there,
I've
trademarked double content production. So that's my company.
Nice. Beautiful. Wonderful.
That's
brilliant because I don't think anyone else should take credit for for for making that that phrase famous
now you
can share
you you've done it all from stage to the T. V. To the stand up to whatever else you're hosting as well, what's next for Mr Jose leon like yeah we know you're taking a break right now but you know is there a big bang on on the way
In 2019. I did Hosanna 50 when I turned 50 and huge huge stand ups extravaganza. And I did say that was going to be kind of my swan song in a sense, because um you know, it's expensive and the risk that we take as producers is too much, really, we don't know whether we'll sell um and then we've got mouths to feed
people to pay. Um I was literally, I got scared because I thought, you know, and then Covid happened and so many companies had to close because how right, so at, so if you ask me what's down the road, I really don't know guys, I sometimes I wake up and anxiety because, and I'm going to be frank because as a freelancer, I really won't know what my next job is. So I try to create stuff, I try to to create stuff so that I can get work and I can give work to other people as well.
Um and and that was what the past two years have been, and it was just brain draining, um grueling, I would say, group, because you guys got 99 95 but you've got regular gigs to go to, but for those of us in the freelance world, it's it's it's scary. It is, so I was very grateful for the fact that we were singaporeans came back, I hosted home together. I had theater shows and had online stuff to do, but 2022 I at the moment, it's wide open, so it's
literally
going home to to Yeah,
yeah, but but that that's that's not that's not a bad thing, take what comes and you know, as everybody recovers and and comes back, who knows what's going to happen
for sure, you know, who
knows what's going to happen. But you know, it's this thing called adult in which I'm still trying to come to terms
with, you know, some, some people, I
mean that being said, you couldn't have chosen a better year to turn 50 right? It was just before Covid you can celebrate and then boom, you know,
boom, right,
absolutely, absolutely, but I said I can't complain. Yeah,
And forever, forever 50 because you haven't celebrated birthday in the last two years, you know,
in case you don't know who's then personally I I just got to, you know, put this out there, Joseon is such a nice down to a very nurturing person that that has has has had an impact in so many people's lives including mine, me and Jose were involved in a stage play together,
tell us more
awhile ago, awhile ago, not not so recent quite awhile ago. And and you know, the minute I found out that that Jose san, I was I was going to act alongside Joseon right? Kind of the the initial feelings of of fear and anxiousness and all that kind of died down because I knew Jose was going to be there and I was so right to think that way, because the minute we started working together, well this guy is just the most nurturing, most helpful person in the
world, so are we talking about my
army days? Yeah, all those years ago, I
remember vernon because you you it was really, really scared,
yeah, it was my first time doing a stage play, I have no passion for it, I was just thrown into the role and and oh my God, I'm gonna die, people gonna hate me and all that, but Jose was there every step of the way, you know, just just just coming the hell out of me and you know, they're showing me the ropes and what goes on behind the stage production and I'll be forever grateful for that because, you know, it just made the whole process of it so fun, it became fun for me, so yeah, I enjoyed,
I'm glad I'm glad and it's it's it's an absolute pleasure because that's what I what I want to do because when I was starting out, I was given opportunities that I thought I would never get because you know, back in the day, I mean even now it's all about how you look and you know, if you don't look like James, like you won't get
any lead roles right?
I mean, seriously,
I mean you don't get to marry Diana, so you
won't get
no
God um and and and frankly I was always um you know, the government sidekick, you know, on tv for a long, long time and you know what, looking back, it was, it was fine because I got a chance to keep playing the sidekick, so I would always get work, you know, so I would like to tell these young actors nowadays don't knock it, don't rubbish. The fact that you are being typecast because you will always get typecast and you always get roles, lead roles will only happen once in a blue moon, right?
So
well said, wow,
Yeah, exactly,
so you can be my sidekick anytime. Oh,
my sidekicks are quite good, you know,
my
front kick,
not bad. So
that's that's vernon's big experience with you. My first experience with you Jose when I first met you or knew you was when you decided to do a radio stint at one point, in fact, I might not have kept track the whole time, but how long in total did you do radio?
Okay, so my first for my first foray into radio is actually all channels. It was a chinese channel.
Was
really
was I
was I was there when when you joined. Exactly, yeah,
you
next door was the Power. Yeah, I was next to ours,
so it was when it was called, that's only
that's really incredible, well done.
But you presented the english side because they were bilingual station. Yeah, of
course, yeah, the morning show, so I that's how I started. And then there was a short break. And then um then Maggie calls me up one day I bumped into her on the street and she goes hey um I need an on air partner. I'm like I'm sorry what do you mean? Come on. So I'm like okay
yeah we oh
I joined her and powerful for I think wow a long time until she left. She she came to to back then was T. C. S radio. Then I took over for a while.
Maggie, Maggie and Joseon that morning show that lasted a
while
had so much fun, I missed
that. So
so tell us tell us what you liked about doing radio because I think very few people associated with radio. But but because I was there when you first joined radio, I mean I will I will be honest as well for the rest of us at the station like Jose is joining us. Like what? Why would he why would he do that? But but tell us tell us what you remember most about doing
radio. Okay so the biggest incident that one incident I would say that happened for me, even though I had so much fun with Maggie every morning um was the first time the MRT broke down. Do you remember that? And yeah the first time it broke down and and Maggie and I were doing the morning show and it was gold and um and everyone was texting me, I was on twitter saying, oh you know and broke down, Please don't come into the
station is being jammed up etcetera, etcetera. Um, and I was calling traffic watch saying, excuse me, are we going to announce this because people are going to work at peak hour and no, no news, no news cannot say cannot say, I'm like, guys, we have to tell people that there is
a breakdown.
You know, we are, it's a morning show. Right? So we both look each other when killer, I will bite the bullet. I would just do it. So I said, you know what guys stop blah blah blah. And we kind of got into semi trouble because we didn't get the press release,
Official word of
the official, I'm like, wow, thousands of people are stuck. How much official do you want? You know? So that's what I mean. But you know sometimes we have to be responsible, you know,
and I'm so scared
of this scale of that
also, it's the beauty of radio. Right? It's about being immediate. Something happens now we talk about it right now.
Absolutely. But do we need to wait for a press release? I don't know, you
know, maybe
now things have changed,
you know, when the press release comes out. Okay,
Thanks.
Yeah. Yeah. So those, those were, those were incredible years. Actually, now that you mention, I forgot you started, which is actually quite incredible thing about
papa san then go then then lush. Then I went to lush.
Too lush. I
was lush with angel. Mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm. And then and then I got my own show in the afternoon when we moved to O. C.
Yeah central. Yeah.
Yeah. With chris Benjamin King. Benjamin King was our intern.
Okay. I know right. It's scary and interns you know all of a sudden become more famous than we do. Yeah.
Our interns get married.
You're
part of the orchard central era.
Yes.
And then after that after that I got moved to gold.
You did spend quite a bit of time. So let me ask you this, you know now you're as you said you you turned 50 already you know you're looking at you you're thinking what else to do if if the the radio door opens we'll hose and they don't come back to radio one day.
Yeah. I mean I'm not, I'm not going to say no I'm never say never because like I said the entertainment industry is so varied and we in Singapore are actually very fortunate to be one of the very few countries where the industry allows you to cross pollinate. Well big word sorry. But
because
some, some countries don't, if you are a tv and tv and even then tv sitcom. You don't do tv drama if you and it's very hard across in the film or theater. You know and then here in Singapore, I've had the chance to do so many things, you know, all the way to directing or, and so when you say yes, asked me whether I do radio again, if the opportunity is good. Yes, I would because I really enjoyed it.
You know what we look forward to that. Hopefully, you know, it happens in the new future. That would be fantastic.
Your ex partner Maggie, you know, she's our boss now. Right. So I
know and that's scary.
I Maggie,
you're hearing this. I love
you.
I tell you what, why don't we do a bilingual station like
that? You speak
chinese Maggie speaks mandarin.
Oh, I would pay
money to hear that.
Yeah, that would be amazing.
People pay money for it to stop you.
You briefly mentioned it just now, but let's touch a little bit about on Covid. So during the last year and a half before you went to Australia, like how did I mean you are best known for being on stage, but all the stages were dark. There was no stage for, for a good part of two years. So what, what mostly did you do to pass the time and even earn a living?
It was, I was very, very fortunate because the moment Covid hit. I was, you know, I mean I was scared because all our friends, my friends were like, you know, no job cancelations, but within a month of Covid hitting us in april 2020 I got a call from media cops saying, hey, we need a talk show host. I'm like, what, sorry again, We're locked down. Yeah. Yeah. We're doing a home called Home Together.
Yeah, we
need, yeah, It's a daytime talk show and we need someone to interview our politicians, our and have a cooking segment, blah, blah, blah and thinks that basically entertain people who are stuck at home. Um, and so it was very bizarre and surreal because everyone was locked down. I was going to work regularly to a studio filming, having a great time because it's also my cup of tea talking to people getting information and chatting and finding
the human side of politicians. You know, it was, it was really, really fun. And thereafter I started doing online stuff. I went virtual and I started creating, I created this show called The curious case of the Missing Product and treasure based in the raffles hotel, which is a whodunit. And um, and it was like, who choose your own adventure. So it was technology meets heritage meets art meets. So it was, and that went online so cool. Um,
yeah. And and having said that between lockdowns, um, there was theater and I was lucky enough to be in those productions that were allowed, there was allowed to go on stage and then after I finished one, the
gods are smiling upon you. So that, you
know, so I said, I really cannot complain and I'm very, very grateful for the opportunities given. So that's why I said, even when I'm going back in february, I I'm scared. But I said you know what? And most I'll be a checkout checkout cold
storage. You know, it doesn't matter
what what works works.
No shame, nothing to be scared of do and earn your money, you know,
wonderful. What a
great outlook on life. That that that really is inspiring.
Absolutely. If only everybody was as positive as you. But hey look, I just want to say we're a little bit jealous. We're on a little zoom call right now I can see you in like Australia
in the outback is old countryside.
Beautiful enjoy the rest of your trip. You know, remember to come home and don't
steal any koala
one more thing before we let you go and enjoy of course the rest of your beautiful day in Australia. We love to turn the tables on every martin savage podcast where we've been asking you questions for half an hour now it's your turn to ask the mutton something. So if you've ever wanted to ask
us anything, okay,
here you go, it's on record, you can ask one person, you can ask both. It's up to you and we have to
okay, so if I were to ask you both um if you were not doing what you do right, you know, would you what what other career path would you have
used car salesman? Really? I'll be selling cars. Used car
salesmen. But you know, people have asked this this over the years and I think as the years go by, the answer changes.
Sure. You
know, like at one point I would have said, I want to be a teacher.
Yeah.
But but after a while I realized what are very
difficult. So
if you ask me right now, I would say that most likely I'll be doing what we're doing on the side already and that's selling food.
Oh, that's right. You guys have this side thing going on,
right? Yeah. We currently run a fancy restaurant on the side.
Exactly, because I love it.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank
you, thank you like a
couple of times and oh my gosh, the trust you and the property cannot be like, oh my gosh, I love it.
I missed the moment,
your
moment, your home first meal's on us
and let us know when you're back. No, no, no, don't
worry, I will go on. But oh my gosh,
I found it very interesting. I think it's something that I could do on the side. I could do as a full time thing if if we don't do radio,
but okay, sorry, this is the second question would you ask because you guys are now like, you know, your parents, right.
Well,
yeah, what is it? I mean like the future for our kids scary, right?
Yeah.
You know, you're you're you're you're you're so on the dot by saying that, but you know, I always feel that it was scary all those years ago when our parents gave birth to us, it must have been scary for them as well because you know, times are forever changing, so it was scary
for them back then. It's scary for us now and I I I like to, you know, just close my eyes and you you settle your own future, I'll give you the means now and then I'll provide you with an education, I'll try to advise you as best as I possibly can by whatever happened to you in the future, that's your problem,
you know, because I asked because I've got my little nephew, right, so I'm like, wow, how right I am going to have to we all want to make sure that he's going to be okay, you
know? Yeah, and you know, the minute you you you realize that there's nothing you can do to make it okay for him the better because you know, then then you won't be anxious anymore and just go with the flow, let life happen and and just be there for for for your child or for your nephew to when they need you, you know
what I hear most common from vernon Jose?
No, that's not, not that
that aside, I always hear him saying like, oh you only three years old, you cannot work and make
money, you're next year
When your sentence for the same thing, like my three
kids are bleeding
me dry, I'll
Be 70 before I can retire. Well, it was my fault, right?
Yeah,
I see. Well yeah, I guess that's that's the thing, right? Because we as we get older and we got we have responsibilities to the next generation and even though I don't have kids, I still feel the, you know, the need to to be responsible. And yeah, so I just wanted to have some, you know, you know, advice from the older people.
It's just
you see what I mean about this guy, he's so nurturing and he takes care of other people and it's just an amazing person
like me, no kids. I just make fun of
your your your your you know, fossil fuel consuming monster. So yeah,
actually,
j how was your, how was your holiday? You went to the States, right?
I went to I went to the States. It was it was a great, it was a really nice holiday. Like you said, like, you know, just to be able to breathe fresh and like, really, what is it like when people don't care about covid it's just it's such an eye opening experience. So, so that was
it was it was okay. I mean, you know, you felt you realized that a lot of the fear and paranoia is, I mean is there? But
yeah, it's very self fulfilling to a certain extent. And, and like you were saying just now, you know, my advice to people who can, like if you're very, very young kids that maybe not, but for those who can just go, you know, the seven test you think is really worth it,
right? And ross is now in abu Dhabi, you
know? Yeah, exactly.
I'm like, girl,
you just came home,
but she loves going to the weirdest places like,
hey Jose, like we said, enjoy the rest of your trip, thank you for taking the time to say hi to the family for us, come back to Singapore, let us know. Like we said, the 1st 1st chance you meals on us,
All right, said thanks guys, take care, see you soon.