Bob Segar has marked my life

I was talking with the lovely Missfit last night as we were doing a good bit of driving last night, and Metallica's cover of "Turn the Page" came up on the radio. And I started thinking...

Bob has always been there...

See, when I was fairly young, I would often come with my mother to the bar, as I suspect this was the time when my father had a lot of night shifts at the foundry. Of all the things I remember of that time in my life (aside from an elderly babysitter and 700 Club, and this sweet bowling arcade game, for some reason) was always wanting to play "Old Time of Rock n' Roll" on the jukebox. And I recall going nuts on whatever small piece of floor served as a "dance floor". I could not leave the place without getting that one on the jukebox. I think this was my earliest love for music (between that and the Ghostbusters theme, which I also went nuts for on Saturday mornings and on my dad's 8 track). I can't completely recall what came first, my experience with this song, or Alf. Because I remember that first episode with Mr. Gordan Shumway sliding across the floor, doing a karaoke.

Of course my early teenage years were marked slightly by seeing the video premiere ono MTV for Metallica's "Turn the Page" cover. A video I only ever saw on television once, as I suspect from the controversial nature of it. It was a documentary style video of a mother who was a prostitute and stripper to try to take care of her daughter, with a fairly depressing ending.

Then there was Junior year prom. The theme? "We Got Tonight". This became a rather fitting title for that evening, as I had fairly abruptly ended my year and a half relationship with my girlfriend the day before at lunch. (mostly due to crappy treatment, not due to the cheating I found out about weeks later that had occured. But that's about ten other blogs I could write). So after much deliberation, we agreed to go ahead to the prom together, as uncomfortable as it may have been. But, we went, had a good time, mostly apart, and had our "last dance" to the sang/theme of the night.

One day, Mr. Seger, our paths will cross...

Kids today have way more fun...

See, when I was in High School, all the kids had the drug and sex parties amongst themselves...

At least in Highland Park, they had a responsible adult to supervise...

Kids will be kids...and ex-strippers...

A Sneak Peak

It probably makes no sense now. And, honestly, it might not make sense in the end...

Wrestling Mayhem Show 101: Chris Lerusso and Monkey Business

It's cold and blustery in the steel city of Pittsburgh. So grab that laptop, make some hot chocolate, and curl up next to the fire with some Mayhem...

Part 1 Remedy and Sorg start off low key and warm up with the help of PWX's 3 Rivers Champion, Chris Lerusso as we discuss why Indy Wrestling is just so darn swell. Be sure to check out PWX on March 1 in McKeesport, PA, and the Devil Budakahn show in Munhall, PA March 8!

Part 2 We hit the fan mail and talk on the phone with Chachi, Macho Man, and someone found that darn Monkey Head again...

This is Episode 105 for Tuesday, February 26, 2008. You can get the episode here on Talkshoe, subscribe, and as always, stay tuned to www.Wrestling Mayhem Show.com for the latest! The Wrestling Mayhem Show is recorded live and can be heard/viewed from 8 PM to 10 PM Eastern on Talkshoe.com and BlogTV.com.


And of course, we did another round of videos, thanks to our live feed on BlogTV.com.

MayhemCam: The Doc Remeshow!
MayhemCam: Monkey CRAP Commercial

MayhemCam: Monkey Interview
MayhemCam: Like and Aborted Pokemon
MayhemCam: Monkey Dance Gets Violent
MayhemCam: Doc Remed Belts

Blogs and Beer Bash

Once again, my fellow geeks prove they know how to party.

Last night was an interesting milestone, and maybe a new concept. It was the first every "Podcast Release Party" thrown by those industrious guys at the StromHuelsman Podcast. A hair-endowed Lunchbox/Will and myself showed up early (or on time? I'm still not sure yet) and witnessed the newly created pyramid de la Keystone on the porch.

The crowd started to grow, and conversations started to spark. I recall having conversations about everything from blogs to wordpress to a debate on whether the new Transformers suck or not.

It was a good time, and what looked like a great turnout. Podcasters love to get their party on. Big props to the guys for the new show, and the local Blog community to come out in force to support the guys.

Here is Norm's speech from the night via their site.

Twiztid Toxic Terror

Tonight was the big Twiztid show at Mr Smalls, and the last of the trifecta of excellent shows for us in Pittsburgh over the last month (considering Kingspade/hed pe and Blaze tours that just came through)

Rolled in after some hairy driving with the freezing rain, tagging along with Chachi and Rick (aka 8-bit and Playa 2 of the N.E.S. Crew, of course) We showed up about a quarter till. Now my ticket says doors at 6. Show at 7. We get in about 7, with the line still wrapped around the building. And we just missed both of the openers, and friends of ours, in Legally Insane and Basick Sickness. Fucking blew. But I talked to Basick and Gimpy, and heard the shows went real well. I hope someone got some video of that shit.

So the first group I got to see was Project Born. Nothing real special that I could tell, but not bad either. Then, of course, we started getting treated to DJ Clay spinning some Psychopathic classics and getting the crowd riled up between sets. This is way better than the massive downtime we usually get at Psychopathic shows like this. Then Bizarre (of D12 and Celebrity Fit Club fame) came out and fucking rocked his shit with King Gordy in tow as hype. While it was rather disturbing for two very large fat men to be running around without their shirts on, it was still a hard hitting set. Then we had Boondox, and I haven't seen a bad set from him yet. Twiztid came up to end the night. They had some mechanical zombies rising out of the fog across the stage as the show went on. Pretty sweet.

This had to be one of the most entertaining shows off the stage as well. We had a pretty good crew going on in the back. From the debates of Penguins and Browns between Chachi and Jeff, to the debate of why Boondox does/doesn't suck I had with Chachi. (I contend I like it over him because I'm from the out there country, of course. Fucking "townie") And just the interesting assortment of people that were around us that I can't even get into.

It was a great night to hang with the Juggalos in one of the most packed houses I've seen at Mr Smalls for a good while (maybe outside of any Kottonmouth Kings show). Caught up with some ninjas I don't get to see very often, with some standing out at the moment of Havok, "Feces", and JuggaloJohn. And of course I got some good time in the pit to get some of this week's frustrations out tonight. These shows never come around often enough for me. So sitting back with some Faygo (it been a while for that too) and taking in this limited tour CD they had on sale tonight.

Night ninjas!

More Mayhem Videos

Posted more random webcam videos from the last couple weeks shows. Enjoy!

Jimmy Demarco tells the truth!
Silent Ninja Sings
Hair Flip (calls out iJustine)
STOK Slam

hed pe interview now live!

from WesternPAJuggalos.com

Hey guys! It's another bomb dropped tonight, as we give you the hed pe interview from the Heavyhitters tour a few weeks back. This one has cameos by the Subnoize Family, including Big B and Richter (and his ass, unfortunately). Tune into the video and scope out the after show mayhem...

Download video!

Wrestling Mayhem Show 104: Toa and the Mayhem

The Mayhem comes in force with Silent Ninja, fancy hats, and new hairstyles!

Part 1 We declare it fancy hat day on the Wrestling Mayhem Show, see Lunchbox's new do, and welcome our esteemed guest this week, Tanoai Reed, "Toa" of NBC's hit American Gladiators.

Part 2 We hit the fan mail and welcome back some familiar faces, hit some new caffeine drinks, and just go bat shit loco!

This is Episode 104 for Tuesday, February 19, 2008. You can get the episode here on Talkshoe, subscribe, and as always, stay tuned to www.Wrestling Mayhem Show.com for the latest! The Wrestling Mayhem Show is recorded live and can be heard/viewed from 8 PM to 10 PM Eastern on Talkshoe.com and BlogTV.com.

A Night at Accept No Limitations.

Back in from a great night of wrestling, as usual, at my monthly visit to Elizabeth, PA for IWC wrestling.

Tonight, I was amazed by the names brought in by Norm Conners. We had a lot of Super Indy tournament qualifiers, and saw the likes of Matt Cross (mdogg20 of JCW/Backyard Wrestling fame), Human Tornado (of MTV's defunct WSX), who competed in an amazing match. Jerry Lynn, former ECW, WWE Light Heavyweight, and TNA X Division champion, battled Johnny Gargano in a match that may have made him as an up and coming singles competitor in IWC. And of course, Raven and Sandman combined to fight (recent Mayhem interviewee) Daivari with Dennis Gregory. That on top of some amazing build up matches with the Gambino family looking like an NWO-type faction, and J-Rocc bringing in a new monster to fight Ray Rowe. And, of course, a fantastic draw match between tag champs Jason Gory and Shiima Xion.

But the interesting part was getting in touch with our fans tonight. I was approached by a couple people about the recent Wrestling Mayhem Show episodes, including a wrestler (not IWC) that has been listening for a few weeks now. Got a picture with another fan, because Jimmy Demarco said to get my autograph this week.

But anyways, a great show. Talked show interviews with a few wrestlers. Got some new pics for the Myspace. And all around just had a dandy time.

Next wrestling experience looks like the Devil Budakahn Memorial Show March 8. It will be a great showcase for ALL of the local area indy talent and a great cause to help the family of a fallen worker.

Wrestling Mayhem Show 103: Gambino Mayhem

The Mayhem is sick, and a day late, but we have the Marshall Gambino and Jimmy Demarco in studio to take over the show.

It's Gambino Mayhem in two parts!

This is Episode 103 for Tuesday, February 13, 2008. You can get the episode here on Talkshoe, subscribe, and as always, stay tuned to www.Wrestling Mayhem Show.com for the latest! The Wrestling Mayhem Show is recorded live and can be heard/viewed from 8 PM to 10 PM Eastern on Talkshoe.com and BlogTV.com.

Applebee's is trying to kill me.

I swear everytime I go to Applebee's, I end up sick. This time was more obvious. Melissa and myself went Saturday night for dinner. We were getting our drinks when the waitress all but sneezes on us. I saw something fly out of her mouth, to the floor. She got us new drinks, but it was much too late. She came back and said how sick she was and that another waitress was taking over.

So Sunday morning I wake up and feel wrecked. Ugh. Well, it was overdue that I got sick for the winter season. And there it is! At least it's not strep or something like last year that wiped me out for almost a week.

The Dirtball Interview

As I mentioned before, I got a chance to sit down with a couple of the artists from the Heavyhitters Tour that hit Pittsburgh last Thursday. And both of these interviews will be available in the usual Podcast form, from the WPAJ Interview feed, as well as video.

The first up is The Dirtball. I caught up to him after his set to talk about touring, his new album, and the world at large.

Heavhitters Tour at Diesel

Mr Smalls, I may have a new favorite venue to watch shows. Wow.

Last night was the HeavyHitters tour featuring Kingspade and hed pe at the headline down on the Southside of Pittsburgh. (one week removed, and right across the street from the Blaze show I brought up before.) Unlike the Blaze show, which didn't really include a stellar lineup, this one was great from top to bottom. Though my colleague on WPAJ may disagree, but the Hood Gang was right up my ally. I'm sorry, I they struck all the chords with me with championship belts and a horn section to open up the show. Last I heard, my old friends in Twisted Thoughts had played a show with these guys a couple Halloweens ago and there were only two guys. Now there are upwards to ten. We're talking drums, guitars, bongos, and the aformentioned horns. It was just a fun set, leaning more towards the WTF aspect. Like I'm back with my fanny pack? Maybe you have to be a child of the 80's for it.

Insolence was next, and I think I might have seen these guys before. Some good rap/rock/punk sort of things with two front men. This lead to the highlight of a "Bush is a Nazi" chants from the crowd. Definitely worth a follow up. (fun note, their site is in English and Japanese)

I finally got in touch with my press contact for the night, and got lined up, of sorts, get my interviews. First up was Dirtball, but not until after his set with Big B under the Subnoize Souljaz banner. I must have seen this pair at least 5 times on KMK and Psychopathic tours over the years, but always a highlight of the show. We found a place downstairs "quiet" enough to talk and filmed a bit for the WPAJ Interview. This was my first in person artist interview (I've done a lot with local wrestlers) and it is definitely a lot easier. There is more room to talk and get comfortable with the subject. I was glad to have Missy, of all people come along with me to help in that aspect, and the camera work.

Got back up stairs about halfway through the Kingspade set, thanks to a lot of conversations we were having. Dirtball and Missfit share a Political Science major in their respective schooling. Pretty cool coincidence. Kingspade was as good as always, from what I saw, of course.

Then hed pe was up. We were talking about how they got the big headline slot, and it was easy to see why they decided on it. A handful of people filed out directly after the King's set, and they missed about half the show for the night. hed pe played for about 2 hours. Taking requests, talking with the crowd. Spreading his knowledge between songs. And, of course, it was the most energy the crowd had all night (there there was plenty before). Pits erupted, crowds surfed. Good shit. For some reason, almost two songs from the end, security started cracking down on the pit. Kicking myself and, from what I could tell, Basick out of it. I heard someone from the pit got into a fight with security, so that might be attributed to it. Or maybe it was getting too crazy earlier. Definitely more substantial of a pit than a week ago at Blaze.

So the show ended and we finally got hooked up with Jered from hed to do an interview. We went down to the band office, where BJ the tour manager was doing his work. Jered, as always, is a really good interview. Very informative, very fun to talk to. Then we has some extra guests. Big B, Richter, etc started hitting the room. At one point flashing the interview unfortunately, and walking through, chiming in. Random shit, but all good.

Aside from that, we tried to hook up with Kingspade after, but they had disappeared, likely turned in for the night. Oh well. Two out of three wasn't bad for the interviews I was expecting. And hopefully I'll end up hooked up with Richter down the road about the new Kingspade DVD, and the two openers as well.

It was great seeing some old friends. Shit, I hadn't seen Peewee outside of Sunoco for the longest time, always conflicting schedules to hook up. And of course a huge thanks to Gimpy2Dope and his crew for helping pass out fliers for me while I was trying to track down these interviews.

Like Gimpy said, this was one of the most enjoyable shows I've been to in a long time. And as I mentioned, Diesel is a sweet small club. The place is a lot nicer and upscale looking compared to the old Nick's Fat City that used to be in that spot. The wall behind the band lit up in different colors and added an incredibly epic feel to the last set as it got crazier as the night went on.

Juggalos Recognized

Hey guys, just a quick one. Remember that old "Juggalos R Us" article that was on the front page of the City Paper a while back? Well, good friend Melissa Meinzer, who wrote the article, just dropped me a line about it again.

First, a little news: that piece I wrote on Juggalos got an
honorable mention in Best Music Writing 2006, a book that comes out everyyear showcasing, well, music writing. Couldn't have happened without you, so thanks lots...


A big thanks to Melissa for doing such a great job on that article, and congratulations on the recognition!

I've been hacked?

Well, not me, but one of the sites I've done.

A few years ago, I had thrown together a quick website for my mother in law and the Watchdogs of the Southern Tier. A political watchdog group formed over some discrepancies in the local government in their county in Western New York.

Anyways, haven't seen it in a while. It hasn't been updated since 2006. (the movement was rather successful, by the way) I find an email from my mother in law that the message board had been hacked. You click the link, it starts to load the page. Then this.

I'm sure it's some sort of joke. Hell, I wouldn't know. I don't speak a language even related to what's on that screen. Though there's a nice Istanbul travel video from YouTube on there.



Side note: Tried Google Translate. Even if it did do the language, half of the text is in images. Ugh.

Wrestling Mayhem Show 101: CJ Sensation in studio

The Mayhem comes in force with Silent Ninja and IWC's CJ Sensation in the studio!

Part 1 CJ Sensation shares stories of an indy wrestler and how he broke his neck in the ring and came back to action!

Part 2 We have an almost hour long talk with the "Man of Action" himself, IWC ring announcer Chuck Roberts.

This is Episode 102 for Tuesday, February 5, 2008. You can get the episode here on Talkshoe, subscribe, and as always, stay tuned to www.Wrestling Mayhem Show.com for the latest! The Wrestling Mayhem Show is recorded live and can be heard/viewed from 8 PM to 10 PM Eastern on Talkshoe.com and BlogTV.com.

Big Things for the Mayhem

Was doing a write up for the interviews coming up on the Wrestling Mayhem Show. big stuff coming up:

The Wrestling Mayhem Show is entering into some exciting territory the next few weeks. We are just coming off of an amazing show where we interviewed former WWE star, Daivari, and IWC's Chuck Roberts, but the new faces continue.

First, this week, on the February 5 edition of the Wrestling Mayhem Show, we are scheduled to be joined by Elizebeth, PA's own CJ Sensation in the studio. This guy's been on and off referee duty in IWC, having feuds with the likes of Sebastian Dark and Dean Radford, recently siding with Dennis Gregory's War Machine faction, and more recently with Ricky Reyes, who he faces February 16 at IWC's Accept No Limitations. We finally get CJ to let us know "Who's the Boss"

On the February 12 Edition of the Mayhem, we welcome the dastardly duo of one half of the Hollywood Balds, "Deeelicious" Jimmy Demarco, and half of the award winning, multiple tag team champion Gambino Brothers, Marshall "The Bull" Gambino as they both join us in WPAJ Studio for the show. Last time this pair was on the show, it was raunchy and crazy, including Jimmy taking on the CRAP monkey head. And maybe we get some answers to Jimmy's last appearance, claiming to be training in Thailand for their title show at BaseBrawl.

And finally, on February 19, we get to talk to Tanoai Reed, "Toa" of NBC's American Gladiators. It's not directly wrestling related, but we have been fans of this show in it's early 90's version, and the new iteration, and are pleased to have a chance to talk to one of the Gladiators themselves. You can check out Toa's site at www.tanoaireed.com.

Super Bowl!

Well, not much was expected for this game. I actually neglected the fact it was coming up this weekend and wanted to talk some planning for an upcoming event with some friends, but that didn't work out so well.

And it wasn't easy. Silent Ninja came over with some chips and such and we grabbed some oven made pizza (not even trying to order) and were doing good. Then Will had to leave and we fumbled with recharging his car battery forever. But we dvr'd through the game and caught up with the commercials. All good.

So we're enjoying the game, and get to that last minute and a half, rooting for the Giants, of course. And we get a knock on the door. Rare. It's a drunk lady who says she's from Bridgeville and is stuck in Beechview. Well, I'll be damned if some lady's going to freeze on my porch. So I give her a ride, with Missy and Silent Ninja in tow (he had to go home anyways) just in case this lady was crazy. You never know. So we start off, and this lady says she should go to the hospital. Something about a fight, and snapping off on someone, and post par tum depression wrapped up in a miscarriage. She didn't even know there was the Super Bowl that night. That's everything I was able to get out of me and Missy talking with her. So we left her at the hospital, got her signed in like she wanted, and hopefully she gets the help she needs.

And get back and watch the last minute of the game, paused on my tv. And no twitters read to spoil it!!! Fantastic ending. I'm glad to see the Pats go down without a perfect season, and definitely absorbed some of the NY Giants patriotism when I was in NYC last week.

So yeah. There's a Super Bowl experience for you.

Silent Ninja moves into his own den...

Today, I helped my brother move into his first solo place. I suppose not entirely solo, as he's going to get help from his mother, but still, Bachelor pad.

So watch out Dormont. And keep your jawbones protected...