Category Archives: Featured

“From Prison to Promise” reveals the struggles of a young Booker T

Before he was the general manager of SmackDown, a delusional King of the Ring winner or five time (five time, five time!) World Championship Wrestling World Champion, Booker T was a kid finding his way on the heated streets of Houston. One of eight siblings, things got rough for Booker after the death of his mother, when he was left to fend for himself while his closest relatives exposed him to drugs, prostitution and other criminal activities. But even in his darkest moments, Booker was able to find ways to enjoy himself as is chronicled in From Prison to Promise: Life Before the Squared Circle. Co-written by Andrew William Wright, From Prison to Promise follows Booker’s life of breakdancing (and the first time he did the spinaroonie), dealing drugs and other hardships up to the point that he and his brother Lash first tasted success in the wrestling ring. With the book recently on store shelves, Booker T talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about the hardships he faced and his hopes that From Prison to Promise might help others avoid the setbacks he had to overcome.

This book reveals some pretty funny things about a young Booker T, such as your love of country music and Richard Petty. I think a lot of people will be surprised by some of the things you were into.

Yeah, I grew up on that kind of stuff. The Doobie Brothers, Crosby, Stills and Nash, James Taylor – you never would have imagined some of the stuff I listened to. Still today I’m a music connoisseur. I love music, but today’s music is a little bit hard to grasp.

Throughout the early part of your life, you make references to wrestling here and there and emulate its stylings in various ways. But the book doesn’t talk much about how influential wrestling was on you until the point where you actually started training to wrestle. Did you follow wrestling very closely when you were younger or was it something you got into more as you got older?

I was always a fan of wrestling, but I never looked at wrestling the way most kids do, I guess because of the way I grew up. So when I watched wrestling, I always watched it from a purely entertainment perspective – I always knew the guys were out there performing and entertaining for us. So I watched it and liked it, but I also watched All My Children, General Hospital and The Three Stooges. I watched everything when I should have been studying my books. It’s all just part of my makeup of who I am.

Even when you were doing things like robbing Wendy’s, selling drugs and going to prison, the book still portrays you with a sense of humbleness and uncertainty. How hard was that struggle for you to decide what was right and wrong, especially considering the influence of those around you?

I wasn’t a bad kid. There are a lot of kids out there that aren’t bad, but there’s a lot of bad kids out there, too. So it’s hard for the system to decide who should get a break and who shouldn’t. But I think they should be able to see some stuff like that because I was a first-time offender and that was the first time I had ever been in trouble. But kids from better neighborhoods perhaps would have gotten probation or would have gotten out of it with a slap on the wrist. Where I was from may have played a role in it, but one thing I always try to tell young people is that life isn’t fair. So you can’t blame yourself for what happens after you get in a situation. You’ve just got to try and steer yourself away from getting into those situations, first and foremost, and you won’t have to figure out whether the system is being fair to you or not. It was my choice to get in that position. There’s no gray area between right and wrong and I knew I was part of something that was wrong. I knew I had to pay for it somehow and if it was going to prison, then I had to go through that. And I went through it and after I came out of it I put it behind me and never went that route again.

Between going to prison and your brother’s influence after prison, that’s oddly what got you into shape and interested in pursuing wrestling.

I always followed my brother around and wanted to be like my brother, even before we got into the wrestling business. When we lived together, he worked out and had all the girls while I was a skinny guy and had no girls. So my brother has always been an inspiration in some form of my life. He’s always been the guy I looked up to and wanted to emulate. So he definitely helped me follow my passions and I think it helped out a lot.

You started training to wrestle in 1991 and it wasn’t long after that that you were already on WCW television. What do you attribute that rapid progression to?

Wrestling, for me, was like déjà vu: it seemed like I had been there before even though I hadn’t. It came very, very easy for me, but I had some great teachers as well. I watched a lot of Bruce Lee movies as a kid, so I tried to create my own style and put something different out there. But it was all pretty easy for me.

I don’t know if it was your doing or that of your coauthor, but I loved the King Arthur reference, which sort of foreshadowed the King Booker persona we’d see you take on years after the events in the book.

I gave him a little bit of creative levity, but that’s what’s good about working with a team. I put all my thoughts down, so everything in the book is my thoughts. And towards the beginning, before I was getting in trouble, it almost feels like a feel-good story. But it was actually the beginning of my demise before I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. But it’s very in-depth and tells my whole upbringing. I didn’t have a lot of education, but I have a lot of street knowledge. That’s what enabled me to figure my way out in this life.

How much of what you learned during that time would you say you still use today in your role as SmackDown general manager and other roles you play in life?

Well, you always got to have street knowledge. One thing I’ve always been willing to do is handle things diplomatically, but sometimes you’ve just got to take the gloves off and fight. That’s one thing I’ve always been pretty good at because I’ve been fighting my whole life. A lot of people didn’t know my background until now and it’s really hard to judge a book by its cover, no pun intended, when you don’t know a guy’s background.

What kind of reactions have you gotten from the people you talk about in the book?

Everybody’s given me positive insight on the book. It’s real, and my family didn’t even know a lot of the stuff that happened in the book with myself, with my sister’s struggles and how things really were when we were young kids. For those who’ve had a chance to read it, they may have a better understanding of the person I am today and why I don’t back down from nothing or take no for an answer. I just don’t do that as a man due to what I’ve gone through. I accept no excuses from the young kids at my wrestling school because of what I went through as a young man, having to go out there and not be on welfare, not take government assistance and still struggle and find my way through. I always say, “If I can make it, anybody can.” I give breaks here and there, but not very many.

From Prison to Promise follows your life up to the point that you started to get big opportunities in wrestling. Do you plan on writing another book that picks up where this one ends or that gets more into your wrestling career?

Everybody’s asking for it and the publisher is already talking about it. But I want to make this book special, get it into the right hands and focus on it first. This is the beginning of something for my life and career after wrestling. Now it’s time for me to roll my sleeves up, put my hard hat on and go to work to start really helping some people in this life. So I want to make this thing special and reach out to the prison systems, the schools and everybody that might be in a similar position I was in.

Before I started recording, you joked about seeing this story on the big screen, but with all the movies WWE Studios has been cranking out, do you think a film adaptation might be a possibility?

It’s definitely a possibility, but I don’t know if WWE could handle that kind of a movie. It might have to be somewhere else, to be honest, because I don’t know if the WWE audience is ready to see Booker T from that perspective. It needs to be real, it can’t be sugar coated. There was this movie back in the day that I watched when I was a kid called The Mack. It was a blaxploitation movie, but it was my life as a young man getting his education. Life is life and we move on and I’m in a better place now.

www.medallionmediagroup.com

Georgia Wrestling Now welcomes Les Thatcher and “The Demigod” Mason

Leave a reply

Georgia Wrestling Now, with Wrestling with Pop Culture, Team All You Can Eat’s Matt Hankins and Georgia Wrestling History‘s Larry Goodman, have plenty to talk about after a weekend that included big shows from Universal Independent Wrestling, Alternative Pro Wrestling, Chikara, Rampage Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Resurrection and more. But our guests have even more to talk about given their respective backgrounds. A legend in almost every aspect of professional wrestling, Ringside Rap co-host Les Thatcher joins us to talk about the wrestling seminars he’s conducting at Deep Southern Championship Wrestling Oct. 13-14. Later in the show, undisputed Platinum Championship Wrestling Champion “The Demigod” Mason graces us with his presence. Which reminds me, this is our first anniversary show and Mason was the very first guest on GWN. So things come full circle on this edition of GWN!

"The Demigod" Mason has his hand raised in victory to become the undisputed PCW Champion at Sacred Ground: Chapter Three (photo by Harold Jay Taylor/Headlocks and Headshots)

Listen to internet radio with PSP on Blog Talk Radio

The trail bends south for The Mysterious and Handsome Stranger

Leave a reply

There are days when you don’t need an alarm clock. There are days when you don’t need a wake-up call. There are days when the only motivation you need to get out of bed is anticipation. This was one of those days. I found out the previous night that I might just get a chance to hear the spellbinding words of Chikara’s resident walking legend, The Mysterious and Handsome Stranger, firsthand. Chikara makes its Alabama debut this saturday with Deep Freeze, followed by Zodiac Crimes the next night in North Carolina. So I jumped at the chance to speak with the master of the trail, the rider of Desire, and the friend of sweet Sapphire.

I was shocked when the phone rang right on time and the voice on the other end was, indeed, that of The Mysterious and Handsome Stranger. It was all too good to be true. I couldn’t believe that a man who had been on the run for so long would even allow himself to be recorded on what he called “a new-fangled communicatin’ device.” Sure enough, the Stranger always has a trick up his sleeve. When I tried to take the tape to the airwaves, there was nothing there. The Stranger has been getting away through time and space for too long to be bested by a greenhorn like me. Luckily, anybody who has ever heard the words of The Mysterious and Handsome Stranger does not soon forget them. What follows is a recap of a conversation that I will always remember.

You are handsome. You are mysterious. You are a stranger. How are you?

First of all daddy, let me tell you it is The Mysterious and Handsome Stranger. I don’t want any confusion with The Handsome and Mysterious Stranger. I don’t need no copyright infringement or any legal action.

I have to tell you Stranger, I was shocked when the phone rang. I was fully prepared to conduct this interview by smoke signal if need be.

Let me tell you, I have done many interviews by smoke signal. I am always ready to do whatever I need to do. I have even sent messages through carrier pigeon. As you know, I am always joined by my faithful companion, my feral pigeon Sapphire. So she can deliver any message that I need to be delivered.

You are a very hard man to track down, as I am sure is your intent. Are you on the run from something?

I am surely on the run. They have been after me for centuries. I have been running from the Pinkertons for longer than I can remember. Do you know who they are daddy? But they will never get their hands on me. My movements are hard to track like a 17th century meteorologist. I am hard to find. You might call this number and this phone might be discontinued.

Now you are certainly no stranger to the South, but Chikara doesn’t get down this way too much. I am ecstatic to know that this Saturday you will be in my home state of Alabama at the ProSouth Arena for Chikara’s Deep Freeze.

The great state of Alabama. Sweet Home Alabama! I was born in Alabama, in a shack way back up in the woods.

Did your father call you Patches?

He certainly did.

Who are you taking on in Piedmont?

I am taking on deviANT. Now that is a deviant character. An insect. A six-legged critter. A character of dysfunction. A devious individual, much like that other Handsome and Mysterious Stranger. He ain’t no partner of mine. When I come to Piedmont, I got to put him down, baby.

I know you said that you know Alabama. It seems that your roots are deeper than any cotton plant, but do you have an escape route if things get a little out of hand.

Oh, I know Alabama like the bottom of Desire’s hooves. Desire is my faithful mare. She will never lead me astray. She will get me to safety anytime I need her.

It is not often that we get to know the whereabouts of The Mysterious and Handsome Stranger, but we know where you will be on October 6. Can you tell me where else you are headed?

I usually don’t tell the people where I am headed. If I did that I wouldn’t be The Mysterious Stranger, I would be The Predictable Stranger, if you will. But I like the cut of your jib, so I will tell you that after I squash that bug in Piedmont, Alabama, I am going to mount up Desire and head to Gibsonville, North Carolina for Chikara’s Zodiac Crimes.

Now I have searched for The Stranger in the papers. I have listened for The Stranger on the airwaves. I finally found a little clip on the Internet, and I believe that I heard you issue an open challenge to anybody in the state. Is that true?

That is certainly true. Now the Stranger has got a lot of history in the Carolinas. Apparently, they have split Carolina into two parts. This is called North Carolina, and The Stranger has a lot of roots in that area. There are a lot of people who may accept this challenge, but The Stranger is ready for ’em all.

If we can talk philosophically for a moment, we know that you are mysterious. We know that you are a tough hombre. We have seen you in a few tussles in Chikara. But we don’t know exactly what your goal is. As you look down that long tunnel into the future, is there somebody standing at the end who you might want to fire a little warning shot at?

You seem to be a man that understands The Stranger. You might be the kind of man that I would like to take out on the trail with me. A man who can watch my back when I go down into that mine and pan for gold. I don’t normally trust you media types with your printing presses and your new-fangled communicatin’ devices, but I am gonna tell you straight. I love Chikara. I love being here and I plan on being here for a while. You are right, daddy, and all the fans know that there is somebody who The Stranger wants to fire a little warning shot at, as you say. All the people who show up in North Carolina just may get a glimpse of who it is that the Mysterious and Handsome Stranger is taking aim at.

www.chikarapro.com

Out on Film engages Southern audience in “Fourplay”

Leave a reply

There are many emotions and attitudes associated with sex. Passion and eroticism are obviously some of its more common bedfellows, but sex can also be comical, subversive, experimental and stressful. In Fourplay, directed by Kyle Henry and co-produced by Michael Stipe, we see four very different stories taking place in different cities where sex is an integral and transcendent part of the main characters’ lives. Were you to watch these four short films separately, you’d likely have difficulty determining a common theme.

Gail (Sara Sevigny, left) fantasizes about Marcy (Amy Jean Johnson) in "Skokie"

But when they are presented as a single feature film, the inadvertent (and whimsical) beastiality of “Skokie” fits right in alongside the extremes of a couple on the brink of collapsing in “Austin.” And the bathroom fantasies of “Tampa” erupt (very literally) into an orgy of luchadors, Hitler and other odd characters before an invalid’s encounter with a cross-dressing prostitute becomes oddly touching and tender in “San Francisco.” As the movie makes its Southeastern premiere tonight at the Out on Film festival, Henry talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about drag queens, dogs and other related topics.

The first thing that jumps out at me about these four stories is that they are very different. There’s a wide range of tones and themes in each one even though the primary subject matter of sex is the same. How did you go about directing four drastically different films that comprise one larger work?

That was what I was looking for. I really wanted to show sexual expression from a variety of perspectives, whether it be tragic, comedic, satyric, ironic or you name it. Myself and the writers, Carlos Triviño and Jessica Hedrick, were interested in seeing the act of sex being a major turning point in the lives of characters and stories. So we picked extreme stories for extreme effect. I think there’s something tying them all together in terms of our point of view of the world as people, in a sense of charity, maybe, and generosity.

Did you plan on having these four films presented as a single film or did things just sort of fall into place that way?

Luis (Jose Villarreal) gets a lot more than he expected in "Tampa"

All four of these shorts were written before I shot the first one. That was always the intention. But we tried to do something novel where as we completed the first two shorts – “Tampa” and “San Francisco” – we wanted to put them out into the world. So we released them as stand-alone shorts at festivals. The feature, with all four titles together, is like a payoff for the people who have been following the development of the film over the last few years.

The Out on Film screening is the Southeast debut for the film. Where else has the full feature played?

This will be the fifth festival the full feature has played at. It premiered at Frameline in San Francisco, then we played at Outfest in Los Angeles and the Guanajuato International Film Festival was our Mexican premiere. Throughout the fall we’re playing it at different film festivals in New Orleans, Copenhagen and elsewhere. So we’re continuing touring film festivals through early next year.

As a director, did you have a favorite amongst the four short films?

No, they’re all my babies. I love all my children. I think they were all challenging. Working with a dog is always challenging. Well, dogs and children. At least we didn’t have a child in any of them! Working with such a huge cast on “Tampa” was really challenging. The last short, “San Francisco,” was really enjoyable to work with just two actors in a room. It certainly was the most intimate and delicate performances to direct, so that was a lot of fun.

Paul Soileau plays the cross-dressing prostitute in that one. Is that a drag persona he does on a regular basis or was it just a character he portrayed for this film?

Aliya (Paul Soileau) has more than one surprise in "San Francisco"

It was a character, but he’s now internationally known for playing two alter egos. His most well-known one is a character called Christeene, who is this gutter-mouthed drag punk rock character. He has a bunch of music videos up on Funny or Die, he’s been touring clubs all over the world for the last few years. But they’re outrageous characters. I don’t think he’d ever played something that was very real, like this character required. And he did a great job of changing his normal performance mode for the film.

After these upcoming festivals, are you working on getting Fourplay released theatrically?

Yeah, we’re already booking theaters and the theatrical release will begin in February of 2013. We’re opening first in Austin, Texas at a theater called the Alamo Drafthouse and we’re looking for theaters to show at in other cities.

Michael Stipe was one of the producers of this film. What role did he play, exactly, as a producer?

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have Michael Stipe as one of the executive producers on the film. This film never would have been made without his support. He has a company called C-Hundred Film Corp. and over the last 15 years he and his producing partner Jim McKay have put money into about 15 low-budget independent features. It’s a small amount of money that’s basically a very big grant and he and his partner give it to work that they’re interested in. They give it to challenging work that they know is going to have a hard time finding funding elsewhere because people are going to be afraid of the content or the messages being put out by the films. So they really are giving back to the artistry of our environment by supporting what they like.

www.fourplayfilm.com

King Mo makes his TNA debut this Thursday

Leave a reply

As an all-star collegiate wrestler and multi-time amateur wrestling champion, Muhammaed Lawal‘s transition into mixed martial arts has proven to be a royal success. As a former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, King Mo is simultaneously signed to Bellator Fighting Championships and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is currently training at Ohio Valley Wrestling. Making his Impact Wrestling debut on Spike this Thursday, it was announced last week that Mo would be the special guest enforcer in the match between “Cowboy” James Storm and Bobby Roode at Bound for Glory.

“I’m really not anticipating too much,” says Mo. “I’m just there to be the enforcer and make sure I enforce the rules like a good referee, straight down the middle. Bobby Roode tends to get out of line sometimes and I might have to check him. But I can’t play favorites right now. I’m going to go out there and just be neutral.”

Already known for theatrical ring entrances that include a crown, robe, throne and lovely ladies by his side, King Mo seems like a perfect fit for professional wrestling. But even with his fighting and wrestling background and penchant for showmanship, he’s still humble enough to admit that he’s not quite ready for his first pro wrestling match.

“I’ve still got a long way to go,” he says. “People think this is easy, but it’s as hard as MMA. In MMA, you get hit, but you can come back. This is a lot different. This is an art, it’s entertainment and it’s tough. I’m just waiting on them to tell me I’m ready. As far as my first match, I’m hoping it’s somebody I can pin real quick. You know, a scrub.”

All joking aside, however, Mo is clearly aware that neither Roode nor Storm could be considered a scrub. And as a special enforcer, he has the authority to utilize his fighting background to keep order at Bound for Glory. But when it does come time for him to step into the squared circle for competition, he knows it will be a serious matter.

“To me it’s all the same,” he says of his dual careers. “I treat it like it’s training camp and I’m here to learn and improve. That’s what I do in MMA: I’m there to learn and improve. When your body takes a beating and pounding, that’s part of the game … and I’m up for the challenge.”

www.impactwrestling.com

A “Gayby” is born in independent romantic comedy

Leave a reply

It is not uncommon for two longtime friends to simultaneously come to the early-midlife conclusion that their biological clocks may be winding down. For those who have reached their 30s without settling on a husband, wife or long-term partner, the idea of conceiving a child together despite the lack of physical attraction becomes more and more appealing as time goes on. Such an idea was the basis for Friends with Kids earlier this year (read Flash Gorem’s review here), but the concept gets thrown for another loop in Gayby. Making its Georgia premiere on the opening night of Atlanta’s Out on Film festival this Thursday, Gayby is based on Jonathan Lisecki’s four-year-old short film about Jenn (Jenn Harris), a single New York City yoga instructor ready for motherhood, and her gay friend Matt (Matthew Wilkas), who works in a comic book store and is still trying to get over his last boyfriend, and their decision to procreate. After premiering at South by Southwest earlier this year, Gayby has screened in numerous festivals and sees its theatrical release in New York on Oct. 12 and in Los Angeles on Oct. 26, followed by a Video on Demand and DVD release in December. As he prepares to show his Gayby off in Atlanta, writer/director Lisecki (who also plays Nelson in the film) talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about its conception.

When did you decide to expand your short film into a full-length feature?

Writer/director Jonathan Lisecki (right) plays Nelson in "Gayby"

It played around at all these festivals, so I got to see it with a bunch of different audiences all over the country and outside of the country. So I knew it had some universal appeal and people always really responded to it and loved Jenn and Matt. A little more than a year ago, I was at a festival and the two women who wound up producing the film [Secretary‘s Amy Hobby and Lipstick & Dynamite‘s Anne Hubbell] were there with me. They were like, “When are you going to make a feature of Gayby?” I was like, “I don’t know. Are you going to help me if I make it?” And they said, “Yeah, if you write one!” Once I knew that I would have people to help me, I wrote the script last May and we were shooting by August. It was kind of a quick decision.

Even though Matt is gay, he’s not stereotypically gay and it’s easy to relate with him regardless of your sexuality. He works at a comic book store and is just a regular guy who happens to be gay. Was it your intention to make him somewhat universally relatable like that?

I knew we were going to have multiple gay characters, so we should have different aspects of that life portrayed. And I know people like Matt. I just thought it would be interesting if we saw a gay character who wasn’t quick to hop in the sack with other people, who worked in a different kind of job than we usually see, who was a little bit more shy. It all just seemed right for what I wanted to say with the movie.

I didn’t want to get too much into this, “He doesn’t act gay, so he’s not a gay stereotype” thing. In the past ten years or so, it’s swung to the reverse. There are more campy characters on television, but there are also these guys who are so butch that you’d never know they were gay. Either way it can be a stereotype, it just depends on how human you write the characters. People are quick to say a certain type of person is a stereotype, but is that really true? There are people who are like every single person in my film in real life. I think you can write any type of person and as long as you treat them with honesty and intelligence, that’s how you avoid that beginning to feel like a stereotype.

At a certain point in the movie it becomes questionable if Matt is actually the father of Jenn’s baby, which creates some tension between him and Jenn. But it’s never actually revealed if he is or is not the father.

One of many awkward moments that arises between Jenn (second from left) and Matt (right) in "Gayby"

No, it’s not. That’s not really the point. The point is they’re creating this family that’s based on a bond that isn’t specifically genetic. I thought there was no real reason to answer that question. There’s also a personal aspect to that from my life where there’s a question I never had answered that I’m fine with not knowing the answer to. To wrap every single thing up in a bow sometimes feels not real, so I just wanted to leave that open ended.

Gayby was selected to screen at Out on Film on opening night, which is a pretty big deal, right?

To the festivals it is. I think they choose the movies they like to debut opening night and closing night. For a filmmaker, it’s always lovely to be at the opening night movie screenings. It just makes it feel a little more special and it’s nice. But there’s something special about sharing a movie with an audience no matter where it’s played. I guess there’s a little bit of a bonus to be played first. It just means the people who program the festival really like your movie and want to showcase it a little.

www.gaybyfilm.com

Georgia Wrestling Now welcomes Stephen Platinum, Matt “Sex” Sells and Jacob Ashworth

Leave a reply

Following our live broadcast from Sacred Ground: Chapter Three, Georgia Wrestling Now is back at it’s regular Monday night time slot. Our broadcast time expired before Sacred Ground was over, so Team All You Can Eat’s Matt Hankins and Wrestling with Pop Culture‘s Jonathan Williams catch listeners up on the last two matches, and the fate of Platinum Championship Wrestling. We also hear from Stephen Platinum and Matt “Sex” Sells. Other topics of discussion include Chikara‘s Deep Freeze at the ProSouth Arena on Oct. 6 and Zodiac Crimes at the New Mid-Atlantic Sportatorium on Oct. 7. We also hear from Pro Wrestling Resurrection Heavyweight Championship contender Jacob Ashworth. We also have a pair of tickets to Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse to give away! The first person to comment below with the answer to the follow question wins a pair of tickets for Friday, Oct. 5. Which wrestling promotion debuted at AZA last October?

Jacob Ashworth is making a name for himself in Pro Wrestling Resurrection, Anarchy Wrestling, Platinum Championship Wrestling and elsewhere (photo by Harold Jay Taylor/Headlocks and Headshots)

Listen to internet radio with PSP on Blog Talk Radio