David Lander People Online Chat Transcript

People Online spoke with actor David Lander, who many of you know as Squiggy from “Laverne & Shirley,” about his career and about his own struggle against multiple sclerosis.

People Online: Mr. Lander, thank you very much for joining us tonight.

David Lander: Thank you for joining me.

Question: Was there ever any tension between cast members on the set of “Laverne & Shirley”?

David Lander: I don't know how many times I have to say this, but I will say this again... no, no, no, I did not have sex with that woman!

Question: What exactly is MS? Was it hard for you to deal with it?

David Lander: MS is a muscular disorder. It affects, among other things, the spinal cord and sending the signals from your brain to your body, only it's frayed and keeps shorting out. (I like that analogy.) Yes, some days it was harder than others, and I imagine that's the way it will always be.

Question: Hey David, I was wondering if you know how they got the name Squiggy.

David Lander: His name is Andrew Squigmann, and ever since he was a child he was called Squiggy.

Question: Hiya, Mr. Lander! I just want to say I loved you on “Laverne & Shirley”! You are the character that made me laugh the most! When I heard you had multiple sclerosis, I cried and cried! Please tell me what it was like to work with Penny, Cindy, Michael, etc.?

David Lander: It was oodles of fun, and I don't use the word oodles all the time. People who know me know that when I say oodles I mean loads of fun. We had a terrific time, and nobody has MS in those days.

Question: Do you watch the “Laverne & Shirley” reruns?

David Lander: No. I can't stand watching myself grow younger!

Question: Hi, David... I also suffer from MS and am newly diagnosed... I'm only 23. How has it been dealing with your illness, and what can you tell me that may help me with dealing with this?

David Lander: First I would suggest that you find out about the ABC drugs, Avonex, Beta Seron, and Copaxin. Now they recommend anyone newly diagnosed take one of these three drugs. They helped me, but I didn't start using them until a couple of years ago, but if you start early it's supposed to be better. You would have a big advantage. See you in the next three-legged race!

Question: Have you met Annette Funicello, you know that woman from the old “Mickey Mouse Club”? Has her coming out helped in your decision to do the same?

David Lander: No, I never met Annette. Answering the second part of the question -- maybe.

Question: Were you and Michael good friends in real life like you guys were on the show?

David Lander: Yes, we are very good friends. We were best friends before we did “Laverne & Shirley.” We were best friends on “Laverne & Shirley,” and we stayed best friends after we did “Laverne & Shirley.”

Question: If you could do a reunion show, would you?

David Lander: Can we cut out the other characters? If so, yes! (Just kidding.) If we could get a really good rating... definitely yes!

Question: When you found out that you had MS, who was the first person you told, and why?

David Lander: My wife. For obvious reasons.

Question: Why did you keep your MS a secret from Mike for so long?

David Lander: Because I kept it a secret from everyone for so long. It wasn't because I didn't want to tell him. I didn't want to tell anyone. He was just part of that group.

Question: What was the funniest thing that happened on the set of "Laverne & Shirley"?

David Lander: Whatever it was, I have long since forgotten it.

Question: How did you get cast for the role of Squiggy?

David Lander: I got the part because it's a character Michael and I made up when we went to college together, and we were doing it 9 years before “Laverne & Shirley.” Penny Marshall was familiar with the characters, so she asked us to recreate Lenny and Squiggy for the adoring public. We were hired to write ourselves in. We didn't think the public would like them. They are both based on real people.

Question: I have seen you in a lot of different roles since “Laverne & Shirley”... what has been your favorite role since the show ended?

David Lander: The one I'm proudest of, no one has seen yet. They were all so good, I'd be embarrassed to name any one of them.

Question: Can you say something for us right now that Squiggy would say?

David Lander: When I do the role of Squiggy, my IQ goes down 42 points and I can't afford to lose any more points. I'm afraid it's going to stay there! When it drops, my fingers cramp and I can't type.

People Online: We've had a number of questions from people asking how they can learn more about MS, including this one...

Question: I wanted to know how to get in touch with Mr. Lander regarding having him speak online at one of our chat support groups.

David Lander: I'd love to do it. The best thing for them to do is to go through my publicist -- 1-800-FIGHT-MS -- and speak to someone in public relations. They'll hook you up with me.

People Online: Thanks very much, David Lander. We've just about run out of time tonight, but I'd like to ask if you have any closing thoughts?

David Lander: Thank you all very much for letting me waste your time, and I mean that in the nicest way!

People Online: Thanks again, David Lander.

People Online: And thanks to everyone in our audience for your great questions. Sorry we couldn't answer them all! Thanks for coming by. And if you want to read the transcript of our chat tonight, just stop by People Online, at Keyword: People.

Portions of this transcript may be edited by AOL to correct spelling, punctuation and/or remove any material that violates AOL's Terms of Service.