I have been influenced by many different people and things in my time. Early on in life I firmly believed that I was going to be a GREAT DISNEY ANIMATOR! I poured over animation books and just about anything that I could get my hands on that explained movement and attitude. Now, in the 80s, it was much harder to find this type of material. It wasn't like today when you can press a button on a keyboard and order a "how to" or Flash program and learn at home, if you wanted to do this you had to search out the info; I sat at the library a lot! So between books on pantomime to puppetry I kind of figured out how to create "life," but that all changed when I got the bible of animation, "The illusion of life: Disney Animation by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston." This book became my life. Ever day no matter if I was sitting in a Jr. High classroom or packing for the last day of HS school, that book never left my book bag!
I would sit, copying all of the classic drawings. I got real good too. This is one reason I pretty much failed every course I was required to take in order to graduate. I was going to be an animator and that was that!
In the book I took in all of Frank and Ollie's techniques of emotion and exaggeration and noticed how close to real life it was. My drawings were looking "real," and my simple animations were "flipping" the right way.
If you have been reading this, you all know I went away from animation all together, but everything I read in that book is still the foundation I preach today to the young talent I work with. I guess you can say I'm in a different kind of "cartoon business."
While with Disney I was privileged to have met many Disney Legends including Ollie on several occasions. The first time I met him (with Frank) was at Disneyland during a merchandise event held at the Disney Gallery in New Orleans Sq. I waited in a very long line to met the guys and when it was my turn I had nothing for them to sign, no camera to pose for a photo and I just stood there looking at them looking at me. Finally Ollie said:
" Hi, what is your favorite character?"
And I believe my answer was: "Jiminy Cricket."
Frank's reply was: "Oh...he's a Ward (Kimball) fan."
That was it, I did not thank them, nothing, just "Jiminy Crickett," and for some reason I'm sure that's what they were really thinking..."Jiminy Crickett, this kid's a nut!"
Anyhow, I am glad to have had the self taught education that I have had and a great educator like Frank (who has also passed) and Ollie. His words I take and use most everyday when producing or directing. Not to mention that I still enjoy watching his work to this day! I just may have to pop in "The Jungle Book."
Howard Brody had acted as "editor" and informs me that I misspelled Dennis' last name. The correct spelling is Coralluzzo. Here's a bit about Dennis. I liked my short time with him :)
On my myspace page I have a picture of me laying in a hospital bed and I seem to be asked the same question, "what happened?" I guess enough time has passed and I guess its time to talk about that "hot summer day."
On two consecutive mornings I woke up with a "spasm" in my leg and foot. After taking a shower on the second day and starting my day I was sitting at my home computer working on emails and in a flash my head crashed against the keyboard and about 2 seconds later I was back up like nothing had happened. Following those events my foot started to "spasm" again and then I new that something was wrong! So like the fool that I am I stumbled to the car and drove myself to the Burbank Urgent Care. There I sat for close to 2 hours "spasming" all the while. Once the doctor decided to see me he had no clue to what was happening. He suggested that I go to the emergency, so again I drove myself to St. Joseph's in Burbank where they were waiting for me. Now, all this time I did not take the situation too serious because hell if there was a real problem the urgent care people would have arranged a ride; right?
So the emergency people rushed me to a bed, I signed all kinds of papers and was rushed into a big white room where a group of Umpaloompa looking folk prepped me for a cat scan. That was quick and harmless and I was sent back to the room and I waited for 3 or 4 hours to see a doctor. Finally he comes in and tells me that he doesn't see anything. Mind you he has not seen my foot get all crazy! He was trying to tell me that I was suffering from some kind of headaches. Well as he was ready to send me home my foot started acting up and I pulled my sock off and asked if this looks like a headache to him? He said no and sent for a neurologist.
In comes Dr. Melvin Balafski, this man looked like he was ready to go home or he came in just to see me. It took him like 2 hours to come in and I was sound a sleep when he got there!
He started asking questions and said something like "I can't believe I'm here to see a guy with a migraine." Right! So we talked a little more, the wrestling topic came up and I learned he was from Chicago and when he was younger he was a fan (were'nt we all?) Anyhow, while we were talking my foot went at it again, but it was under a blanket and he did not see it and he asked me to "do it again." WHAT? He sat in a corner chair as my foot sat naked, I wanted it to do it so bad, I wanted to go home. OK, it finally happens for about 3 seconds and he asked if I made it move, when I said no, he asked if this is how its been the whole time, and I said yes.
Involuntary Movement:
Still laying on the slab, he started poking at my foot, leg and calf. He used sticks and a spur! I really couldn't feel anything and that is what puzzled him. Now this is all on my left side, the right was perfect. In fact when he ran the spur up my right foot I practically kicked him in the face, that thing hurts! The Dr. tells me that he will have to admit me. I said he couldn't cause I had to be in Texas for a big double shot weekend - priority's!
Well he was pissed at that point! He tried everything to get me to say in the hospital for tests, he said I needed an MRI, BRI, ZRI anything that ends with an "I"! But, I checked myself out signing a paper stating that if I were to die he nor the hospital were liable.
The next day I was off to Texas, cane in hand...how stupid was I?
So I arrive and no one knows what is going on. All the staff knew was I was not feeling well. In my mind, knowing the pro wrestling business, I thought that if people knew I had a STROKE I was prey!
Yes folks, I didn't say it early on, I was diagnosed with some kind of stroke. The second Dr. looked at the car scan and noticed "spots" and that was his professional opinion.
Anyhow, I was walking around backstage in my full suit, getting ready to conduct interviews and we had a full house of over 5,000 in Houston. I was so confused. I've never really taken any type of medication, so they really did a number on me. My speech was slurred, I could not stand up straight without the cane and I felt like hell. The venue I was in was an open air rodeo arena and it was raining and it was humid. YES I WAS STUPID!
Here is a interview from that day that I conduced with Bob Trobich, one day after having a stroke. You'll notice I'm leaning on Bob, I'm trying to make it seem that I could not hear him, but in reality he is helping me stand up & at the end of the video I pretty much start loosing it and can't think:
The next night we were bussed to McAllen and we crowned new NWA World Tag Team Champions in Karl Anderson and Joey Ryan. I actually had a great time, well what I do remember!
So I get back home, check myself in the hospital and spend 5 days and 4 nights in St. Joesph's where I was poked and pulled every which way, had test after test and fought with just about anyone who walked into the room. My Mom and Grandmother visited and so did my Sister. Shanesphotos.com came by and snuck hot dogs and ice cream to me. That was great!
In the end I did in fact suffer from a stroke and after 6 different types of MRI's they said I have 3 lesions on my brain. Today, I still feel weird cause I don't know what is going on in there! I try to take each day as easy as I can, but with the cards, wrestling people, production people, Nissan Motors and just about everyone else its very hard to keep things easy.
So, I gotta say that I've really done something special just keeping my head up and in the game while dealing with this stuff. Thanks to everyone who has helped me during all this crap, don't think I didn't take notes! And to the fans, always a big thanks, your professional support is one reason I keep pressing on!
As a kid I would save what money I would get (usually a few bucks) or "find" to buy two magazines. I was obsessed with both MAD Magazine and Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI). I was all about MAD because of the East Coast "old style" of comedy and of course the art. There would be hours on the weekends that I would not pop my head out of my room because I was drawing and recreating the pages of MAD; I really liked Mort Drucker and Don Martin's work!
PWI on the other hand was a different world to me because I got the chance to read about fighters that I did not get to see on television. Remember, these were the territory days of the early 1980s and there was really no Cable TV. Locally in Los Angeles, we got the stuff from the Olympic and mostly early WWF programming. But, with PWI, I was able to imagine the craziness of Memphis, the blood and guts of Carlos Colon and Puerto Rican Wrestling and the huge crowds of Japan. PWI also covered the NWA pretty heavily then too. I was totally sucked into the "who is better Harley Race or Bob Backlund", "The WWF or NWA?"
It's sad to say that the mighty pro wrestling publishing groups do not really exist and it is hard to find PWI. But, last night I was at a newsstand and found an issue and started to thumb. It's really fun for me to cruise PWI today because I know close to 60% of the talent they cover, so its a real good feeling to see your friends being spotlighted.
Well for the first time in my career I have been looked upon as worth in the grand old publication. Last month I (along with Bob Trobich) was asked to participate in an interview and talk about what we are doing post TNA. Let me tell you what kind of a rush I got when Stu Staks (the publisher) called me and made the request. It took everything in me not to bust!
So for those of you interested in our storied organization please pick up the June 2008 issue and check out the story. Its 6 pages FULL COLOR! I appreciate what PWI did for us, they really did us a good service.
Our Newark event was a great success! We entertained well over 3,500 great people in Newark, NJ at the JFK Rec Center. For the most part the whole night was fun, but there were several moments that I wish I could forget. We've had this date put together since November of last year and simply was going to be a regular card, but turned into a Showcase TV taping at the last minute and we had to make "it" work for television.
The East Coast crew is lead by Ricky O (he's also one of the three commentators on the Showcase) and I feel they always do a great job planning and executing a date.
Well anyhow, I will be able to go into this much more in a bit. The reason I have to cut this short is because I have to go into a planning meeting for the April 18/19 TV tapings (back on the East).
Thanks to all involved with NWA Pro East and all the officials of the City of Newark, NJ.
. Here is video from my WLW TV program. It features Sid Vicious Vs. James "The Griz". The action is being called by Steve Murphy of St. Louis and Larry "The Axe" Henning. These guys took over after Gordon Solie was too sick to travel or speak.
So, I took the last few minutes to go over my long day. What I was doing was stalling while I compressed the Sid video for youtube, but youtube wants to be an ASS! Now after I spent the last 40 minutes or so editing and compressing the file they want to goof with things and not allow it to work! What the hell is their problem? I'm on a deadline! I hate myself.
It's a little past 10:00pm on the West Coast of the United States and I am still at my desk working. Now this is not abnormal at all, I'm usually working at this hour, but today was a bit different because I started at about 9:30am (again not unusual) making phone calls to the East for our Newark card. Here is what I did today:
6:00 am - Woke up (because some ass decided that was a good time to start hammering outside) 6:15 am - Dozed back off 6:23 am - Woke back up 6:30 am - Started watching the John Adams series on HBO 7:15 am - Woke back up (somehow I fell back asleep and the hammering started again) 7:18 am - Started Adams again 7:30 am - Started HD dub of the Showcase for a TV station 9:00 am - Got out of bed and watched my landlady's D-in-law tear up my backyard and plant flowers 9:15 am - Bob Trobich called me 9:20 am - Took a shower 9:34 am - Sat at the desk 9:37 am - Andy Schmitz called 9:45 am Ricky O called 10:01 am - Stopped the HD dub and shipped it FedEx 10:20 am - THE WORLD CHAMPION CALLED 10:50 am - Started producing elements for next weeks "Hollywood Edition" of the Showcase 11:23 am - Andy called back 11:38 am - Chris Macneill called 11:43 am - Talked to Twin River Marketing about the card on the 18th 11:56 am - Tried calling referee's in Rhode Island 12:19 pm - Started laundry 12:56 pm - Tried calling Ed Chuman 1:08 pm - Went and bought Starbucks! 1:36 pm - Went back to same shopping center and bought Subway 1:57 pm - GOT FAT 2:00 pm - Conducted Conf. call with Macneill and Houston TV Station all while editing TV 2:37 pm - Messed with Shanesphotos.com because he was frustrated with the NWA site ;)
MAN AM I EVER TIRED THINKING OF ALL OF THIS AND I DID MAKE A LOG TOO!
Anyhow, now I'm finishing a youtube clip of a Sid Vicious match from the WLW days. The publicity people in Wildwood thought it would be a good idea if we posted one. I have no idea what it will do or generate and interest.
I still have to pack for my 9:00 am flight and finish a flyer for Lodi. Ahhh, the life of a pro wrestling promoter.
Tomorrow I will be taking my, what seems to be hundredth trip to the NY/NJ area. Please don't take this as complaining, cause I'm not. My first trip to the East was for the Cauliflower/NWA 50th event in Cherry Hill, NJ (by now you should remember that's where I met Solie and the rest). I remember flying into Philly (Side note: while waiting for my bags I was standing next to Roy Jones, Jr. at that time he was considered one of the best on Earth) and driving into Jersey with Chris Hansen and Keith King. Anyhow, that was the first of what would be many, many wrestling related trips there.
I want to say that three or four years ago I started going that way to scout talent for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Kevin Quinn (at the time the Inoki Dojo trainer) and I were sent to a show specifically for that reason. A local guy named Eric brought us in and stagged a show just for us. Just so we could look at East Coast talent. I must admit that we were very pleased with the turn out and some had lots of potential. Also there were Chris Candido and Tammy. It was nice to catch up with them, I hadn't seen them since the WWF and mid west, it had been years. That day I learned that Jersey was a "hot bed" for pro wrestling. I knew Dennis Carluzzo was pretty successful and I knew if I got "in" with the right people "things" would progress the right way.
A year or so after the trip with Quinn I went back to scout at an event billed as Cyberspace Wrestling Federation (later NWA Cyberspace) ran by a couple named Billy Firehawk and Daisy. The show was full of fine talent! After that first event I knew that these might be the people to partner with. Once they joined the NWA via Fred Richards (the local member) I made several other trips that year. I tried negotiating with Firehawk, but he had his crew that had his ear. It was very clear that they didn't want an "outsider" coming anywhere near their toy. I say toy cause that is what it looked like to me. I didn't know Firehawk or Daisy before and I grew fond on them. I knew they were being taken advantage of and I knew that "my" folks could help them a lot, but my words fell on deaf ears.
During one of those Cyberspace trips, Eric introduced me to Rick Otazu or Ricky O. Ricky is a local promoter and Eric felt that maybe we could work together, so way late at night (maybe 2 AM) Ricky jumped in his car and drove from Lodi, NJ to Long Island...FOLKS THAT IS NO SHORT TRIP!
That morning we talked wrestling. I found out that Ricky was at the Cherry Hill show too; he was working for Carluzzo. So after about an hour or three Rick, Eric and I agreed to start a new company.
I came up with the name...Liberty States Wrestling...I really like the sound of it. Greg Young did up a logo and we started pressing forward on our first event. I wanted to make these cards NWA ones, but Richards had a deal with Firehawk, Liberty States would be non-affiliated. I thought it was pretty dumb for us not be able to use the NWA name with me being a member and all, but I respected my NWA brothers wishes and didn't run as such. In time, Richards did allow us to use the NWA Champions in the area, but that was when Cyberspace was running into trouble. During this time, Ricky brought in a jolly fella he called "Sumo Jeff." I liked Jeff, but he was not in the wrestling business, he was very much a super fan. "Sumo Jeff" did not last.
Our first event was put together by Ricky and me. He choose the Lodi Boys and Girls Club; Lodi was his home town. We had a great card headlined by NWA World Champion Christian taking on local hero Jay Lethal (Lethal had signed to TNA about a month or so before). At this time my relationship with TNA was solid and they worked very well with me to make the event a success, but back then the needed promoters like us to showcase their talent because they were not touring or promoting events.
That night we saw 700 beaming faces. Eric put himself in the opening match without telling anyone of us. I was mad at first, but then laughed my ass off to see how over he got himself. Christian/Lethal was a hit (I think this was Christian's first non-WWE card outside of the Impact Studio) and everyone was happy, that was until after the ring came down and the people went home. Some of the boys on the East must have thought I was a chump or novice promoter and they tried hard to push their rates on me, but we did not budge, we paid what we agreed on walking in. Then there was a situation with WWE Tough Enough Winner Dan Puder (this was his first "real" show too) and his payout. Let's just say that I saved Eric's ass on that one and paid out the nose for Mr. Puder (not ragging, I like Puder).
So why all this blah-blah?
This Friday Rick and I will be producing another event together. The relationship has been outstanding. I have met many wonderful and interesting people through him (especially his Wife and kids). Dave Grecko is his right hand man and is a walking pro wrestling encyclopedia. He has been a great help over the years.
So tomorrow Jeremy Schott (the head of NWA TV/Video production) and I will be flying into Newark, NJ. This time for the City of Newark, Ricky has forged a fabulous relationship with them and this is our third outing for them. Its great to see the kids in that neighborhood happy. Its great for the guys to work in front of a packed house too! Our average draw at the JFK Rec Center is 3000!
It's great going to Jersey! I will be able to meet up with Mario and Thom Savoldi, maybe go to the City and hang a bit cause I'll be back on that side of the world on April 18 & 19 for shows in Lincoln, RI and Wildwood, NJ.
As Spring of 2008 begins I see the colors start to change (or what color there is in California) and the blossoms bloom. The main color that I see changing is the color of my hair. More and more each year I see the dark getting lighter and now the blond(ish) brown is straight up white. I pretty much passed the gray stage and well I gotta get use to having white hair!
People who know me already know I'm an "old soul" and I constantly get teased for being a "Grandpa," but the white hair is going to do me in! Anyone have any tips?
But seriously, I know that this is just a part of the circle...and I don't think Brian (the guy who cuts my hair) is going to get started on "painting" my head each month. The last year has been a pretty strenuous one, and I've always noticed how having a "big job" turns the color of their heads, just look at the past few presidents (not that I'm anything close to the President of the US)!
