TLDR: A Toronto rock band once built an entire song around a plaid-suited fictional ad salesman from a 1970s American sitcom. Frank Bonner didn’t just allow it, he showed up and played the role again himself, decades after the show had ended.
Rheostatics, a Canadian indie rock band formed in Toronto, released “The Tarleks” as the second single from their 2004 album 2067, a concept record loosely imagining Canada on the 200th anniversary of Confederation.
The song’s title, and its subject, had nothing to do with that concept at all.
It was named for Herb Tarlek, the perpetually unsuccessful, loudly dressed advertising salesman played by Frank Bonner on WKRP in Cincinnati.
Band co-founder Dave Bidini has been open about his own lifelong affection for the show, and “The Tarleks” grew out of that fandom rather than any calculated marketing angle.
Bonner Didn’t Just License the Idea, He Showed Up
The band shot a music video for the song that same year, and rather than use an impersonator or archival footage, they got Frank Bonner himself to appear in it, reprising Herb Tarlek more than two decades after WKRP had gone off the air.
The four-minute video features Bonner alongside band members Dave Bidini and Martin Tielli.
One fan account of a 2005 Rheostatics concert in Hamilton, Ontario, captured just how far the relationship between the band and the actor had gone. Right before launching into “The Tarleks” live, Bidini stopped mid-song to tell the crowd that Bonner had personally emailed him, joking that he was now appearing on “an internet soap opera.”
The Song Became a Real Piece of the Band’s Live Show
“The Tarleks” kept showing up in the band’s setlists for years afterward, often introduced with the same kind of affectionate, in-character riffing Bidini brought to that 2005 show. Fans who caught Rheostatics live through the mid-2000s frequently singled the song out as one of the more purely fun, crowd-pleasing moments in a catalog otherwise known for sprawling, more serious material.
You can read more about Bonner’s own career, including the directing path he valued even more than acting, in our dedicated piece on Frank Bonner, and about the rest of the WKRP cast in our full guide to the show.
The Tarleks, Frequently Asked Questions
Is there really a song about Herb Tarlek from WKRP in Cincinnati?
Yes. Canadian band Rheostatics released “The Tarleks” in 2004 as the second single from their album 2067, named directly after the WKRP in Cincinnati character.
Did Frank Bonner appear in the music video for The Tarleks?
Yes, Bonner personally reprised his role as Herb Tarlek in the 2004 music video, appearing alongside band members Dave Bidini and Martin Tielli.
What album is The Tarleks from?
It’s the second single from Rheostatics’ 2004 album 2067, a loosely conceptual record imagining Canada around the 200th anniversary of Confederation.
