Following the success of his two memoirs, SLOBBERKNOCKER and UNDER THE BLACK HAT, Jim Ross returns with BUSINESS IS ABOUT TO PICK UP! 50 YEARS OF WRESFollowing the success of his two memoirs, SLOBBERKNOCKER and UNDER THE BLACK HAT, Jim Ross returns with BUSINESS IS ABOUT TO PICK UP! 50 YEARS OF WRESTLING IN 50 UNFORGETTABLE CALLS.
Beginning in 1974, Ross highlights several of his biggest moments behind the announce table throughout the years. The book spotlights several professional highs like his call of the trilogy of excellent matches between Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair or the brutal clash between Bret Hart and Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13. He praises Undertaker versus Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 25 as "the perfect wrestling match" and also mentions how much it meant to him to be one of the few who knew Steve Austin's match with The Rock at WrestleMania 19 was Austin's last match. The book is filled with moments that had me taking a stroll down memory lane in my thirty plus years of being a fan.
JR is not one to sugarcoat things and if anything, this book is brutally honest. Ross understands that with his age, coupled with his numerous health scares, the time left on his clock is much shorter than the time that's already passed. It's a sobering thought to have and one that is often no doubt difficult for many to accept. Ross will be the first person to criticize himself and with his writing here, he pulls no punches. The way in which he details his struggles to stay active and relevant in a business that requires so much of its participants is tough to read at times. The sheer drive he has to stay on the road and contribute to a business he loves when his body is far from cooperative is admirable to say the least, even if any mistake he makes is amplified by social media making his job that much more difficult.
I think that's what makes him such an endearing figure. Ross is an unselfish and giving person in an industry that is populated by ruthless and exploitive people in positions of power. In his memories of his late wife Jan, particularly the chapter about his 2007 induction into the Hall of Fame where he can still picture her sitting in the front row, I couldn't help but feel for the battle he waged against his own self-confidence and his place in the world following her tragic death in 2017. Ross writes with a certain level of emotion and poise about how deeply she is missed not just by himself, but the many performers who stayed at the Ross' home and how Jan was such a force of positivity in their lives.
In light of recent revelations surrounding the abhorrent conduct of Vince McMahon, it was interesting to read JR's thoughts on the women's division in 2004, when Trish Stratus and Lita became the first women to main event an episode of RAW. Prior to today's modern-day wrestler where workrate is paramount, the look and presentation of a wrestler was the most important. Ross writes about Vince's turn from "lady wrestlers" in the 80s and early 90s to what Vince dubbed "athletic tens", where beauty was most important and wrestling acumen became "negotiable". Ross doesn't get too into the weeds here, and I'm not looking to put words into his mouth, but it seems to add more fuel to the fire of Vince's belief that women were moreso objects to be lusted over and not true entertainers.
Ross has been a constant in an industry where turnover is exceptionally high. The volume of criticism he receives for on-air flubs can at times be unfair, but does reflect his own admission that he seems to push himself beyond his limits when the strength required isn't there some days. The fact that this is his third memoir, there is still a hunger for the stories he tells and the insight he continues to provide for an industry that is always evolving....more
Life in Two Worlds details the dizzing highs and frustrating lows of the career of Jack Adams' award winning head coach Ted Nolan.
Even though I considLife in Two Worlds details the dizzing highs and frustrating lows of the career of Jack Adams' award winning head coach Ted Nolan.
Even though I consider myself a rather knowledgeable hockey fan going into this book, I can't say that I knew much about the life and career of Ted Nolan. It could be that when he achieved his greatest success, I wasn't as plugged in to the sport as I am now or it could have more to do with his struggles to find steady work behind the bench after his greatest successes. Throughout the book, Ted gives his reasons why that may be and it's heartbreaking to say the least.
The amount of adversity Ted had to face just because he is a first nation's athlete was absolutely gross. This was not just something he would be subjected to by his opponents or a hostile crowd, but it was often at the hands of his own teammates and coaches. This obviously didn't disappear once his playing days were over. There rarely seemed to be a moment in time where he truly felt comfortable. Whether its navigating bizarre tests from management, trying to find a source for a particularly unsavory rumor circulating behind his back, or trying to get those in the media to take him seriously, Ted had to find a way to keep his head above water. In fact, Ted's recollection of a very difficult game in Quebec while coaching the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats was truly an eye opening read - especially because it wasn't all that long ago (2007).
Like the many books I've read over the years detailing the struggles Indigenous people face on a day-to-day basis, Life in Two Worlds is yet another that many of us need to read to be reminded that empathy and understanding is fundamental to how we treat one another....more
Tod Is God tells the life story of ECW founder Tod Gordon.
Tod had been working in his family business, a pawn shop named Carter W. Reed when he bookedTod Is God tells the life story of ECW founder Tod Gordon.
Tod had been working in his family business, a pawn shop named Carter W. Reed when he booked Missy Hyatt to appear in the store. After some time, he grew close with Bob Goodhart, the owner and promoter for TWA (Tri-State Area Wrestling Alliance) and would eventually earn fifteen percent of the company after helping to keep Bob afloat during some tough times. Sadly, the company would fold after Bob's expenses grew too high to be supported by lackluster ticket sales.
Shortly thereafter, Tod would launch his own promotion - Eastern Championship Wrestling. It would go through its initial growing pains before landing a permanent booker in Eddie Gilbert and a spot on local Philadelphia television. After landing on national TV in syndication, Tod would begin to receive attention from Jim Crockett who was in the midst of launching his World Wrestling Network. As Graham grew suspicious of Crockett and Gordon's relationship, his paranoia would ultimately drive Gilbert away clearing the way for the man who would be synonymous with ECW, Paul Heyman.
By now I think we're all aware of Paul Heyman's inability as a businessman to keep ECW afloat as it grew from a northeastern independent promotion into a national one, but I wasn't quite prepared for the receipts Tod Gordon kept when it came to Paul's incompetence. While Gordon never did get into the business to create a competitor to Vince McMahon's WWF or Ted Turner's WCW, at the urging of Heyman the two worked to create a solid third promotion during the industry boom of the late 90s. However, whenever they seemed to have an opportunity to grow (get onto television in the New York market or even a chance to land on HBO), Heyman would kneecap the organization by either neglecting to perform an important job or mislead Gordon into believe things were better than they were.
The better parts of any wrestling book have to do with what goes on behind the scenes and the madness that goes hand-in-hand with performers keeping themselves occupied on long road trips during the downtime between shows. That being said, I thought this book went a bit overboard with the sleaziness and drugs-and-sex culture that ECW fostered backstage. It's hard to fault the author for being honest but at the risk of sounding prudish, I could have done without the constant stories of sexual debauchery that occurred behind closed doors. But hey, if that's what floats your boat in a wrestling memoir, there is more than enough here to sink your teeth into
Gordon spends much of the latter half of the book shining a light on what made several of the company's top performers special. He also brings up the names of several of those who have since passed by telling a few memorable stories of the time he spent with them and detailing the often tragic circumstances surrounding their deaths. It's difficult to read at times when you remember just how young many of these athletes were and how both the brutal drug culture of the industry as well as the relentless schedule often led to early graves.
While many people would believe Tod Gordon had wiped his hands clean of the industry after parting ways with ECW, he has quite an extensive resume beyond Extreme Championship Wrestling. Tod worked with Pro Wrestling Unplugged, 3PW, an MMA venture dubbed Extreme Fight Club, and finally CZW.
While he's no longer in the business, Tod Gordon's influence on the wrestling industry is certainly undeniable and he deserves to be recognized as a driving force behind ECW's popularity. Without Gordon's business acumen, Paul Heyman would not have had a place to freely and liberally showcase his vision of the industry alongside Tod. Wrestling fans who believe Heyman was solely responsible for ECW's success need to take a look at TOD IS GOD to uncover the full story....more
I love Alan Davies. He is one of my absolute favorites when he appears on Qi or any other British panel show, including his own (As Yet Untitled).
AlanI love Alan Davies. He is one of my absolute favorites when he appears on Qi or any other British panel show, including his own (As Yet Untitled).
Alan's story is a painful one. It is heart wrenching and I take absolutely nothing away from his experience. To go through what he did and to come out the other side is an absolute triumph.
But I can't recommend this book. To say it was a difficult listen would be an understatement (as evidenced by the fact it took me five months to get through it). It is filled with tales of psychological and sexual abuse from his absolute bastard of a father. If you can handle 5 plus hours of that, you're a stronger person than I. It was a real drudge to get through....more
To say that Debrah Miceli’s story isn’t told in a straight line would be an understatement. In the book’s introduction, Miceli notes that she tends toTo say that Debrah Miceli’s story isn’t told in a straight line would be an understatement. In the book’s introduction, Miceli notes that she tends to jump around when telling her life story which she says matches her personality. She tends to bounce back and forth between her wrestling career, her troubled upbringing, and the strained relationships it created as well as the many hats she wore following her time in the wrestling industry around the turn of the century.
Her difficult relationship with her mother Betty is one of constant strain. Debrah equates this to her mother never wanted to be a parent in the first place and throughout the years before Debrah began to form memories, she was told that her mother Betty had tried to give her away on several occasions. Somehow, things would get much worse as Debrah recounts stories of abuse and neglect on the part of her mother and accusations of rape against her stepfather. There is a particularly harrowing account of what would become of a friend of hers that she made through her early years that will likely stick with me for years to come.
In her formative wrestling years, she recounts AWA’s Verne Gagne originally rebuffing All Japan when they asked about booking Debrah for some dates. Gagne was convinced she wasn’t ready. Miceli finally had a match against All Japan performer Chigusa in the United States that endeared her to the Japanese star and led to her traveling to the far East to work for All Japan Women’s Pro Wrestling. Outside of her work in Monster Jam years later, her time in All Japan comes across as the work she is most proud of. Can you blame her? It would take decades before women’s wrestling would be treated with anywhere near the reverence it garnered in Japan.
Much of her time in WWE was one of constant strife and frustration. Vince McMahon had brought her in during the mid-90s to be the face of a revitalized women’s division, but after only a short time, it was clear that only the slightest bit of focus would be placed on her role. She arrived just as The Kliq had Vince’s ear backstage and was among the most powerful group of performers in the industry. Their sophomoric behavior and actions behind the curtain made it difficult for her to navigate the already choppy waters of her role as the division’s prized performer. If you’re familiar with The Kliq’s actions during this time, it’s hard to imagine anything here will shock you, but she does reveal a rather unfortunate and upsetting event that happened during the tail end of her time with the company that had me reeling.
Her final years in wrestling (before her one-match return in 2018 following a WWE Hall of Fame induction) are mind-boggling. Her most infamous moment of dropping the WWE Women’s Championship in the trash during her WCW re-debut is covered, but in the months and years that followed, WCW and Eric Bischoff did not have much of an idea of what to do with her – once again, an exercise in frustration for a performer ripe with talent who had seemingly no way to show it in North America.
One thing I was not expecting to find as interesting as I did was her Monster Jam career. I would consider my interest and knowledge of the world of monster trucks pretty limited to say the least, but reading about the ins and outs of competition, the intricacies of driving (front and rear steering wheels as well as the Lexan floor to help her navigate where she is when leaping over cars) and her struggle to once again make it as a woman in a male-dominated industry.
THE WOMAN WHO WOULD BE KING is at times a very difficult read. Greg Oliver does a great job capturing Debrah’s unique voice and style of storytelling, which is what you want out of an author helping tell your story. Miceli doesn’t pull any punches, calling out just about everyone who had wronged her in the past and made her life difficult. Other than her time with All Japan Women’s Wrestling, it seemed like a constant uphill battle against management to be given a spotlight as an in-ring performer, especially during her later years in WCW and after making the move to Monster Jam....more
A seven time Stanley Cup champion with the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Colorado Avalanche, Trottier recounts his road from SaskatchewA seven time Stanley Cup champion with the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Colorado Avalanche, Trottier recounts his road from Saskatchewan farm boy to NHL All-Star in his memoir, ALL ROADS HOME.
Trottier’s career ended just after I turned ten years old in 1994, so it’s safe to say I missed the bulk of his best years. That said, he isn’t someone I hear much about despite the legendary stats he put up over his long career. You know he’s a special player when Gretzky said that there were things Trottier could do that he couldn’t!
It’s no secret that I prefer a book written about a specific era or subject in hockey more than I do the straight-up player memoir, but this one did intrigue me. When you think about the 1980s in the NHL, the first team that always comes to mind is the Edmonton Oilers. And why not? They had a dynasty. But you know what team won 4 straight cups? The Bryan Trottier-led New York Islanders.
Trottier recounts the tough road travelled to establish a championship dynasty in the early 80s. The decade contained an offensive explosion the likes of which we will never see again (Gretzky had 92 goals and 210 points in the 1981-1982 season alone!) which required players to often push themselves beyond what they believed was humanly possible. Bryan writing of teammate Mike Bossy requiring someone to both carry him into the arena and tie his skates before getting on the ice and scoring three or more goals was mindblowing.
ALL ROADS HOME is more or less your paint-by-numbers player memoir. That’s not a knock at it, really. I mean, if you’ve read enough of these books like I have, it’s about what you’d expect. There isn’t really anything offensive here nor is there anything particularly exciting. If you’re a big Islanders fan who followed Bryan during his heyday, it’s likely going to be fun to relive the glory days, just like how I felt as a Leafs fan reading both Doug Gilmour or Wendell Clark’s stories....more
As a child in the 90s, Elamin Abdelmahmoud emigrated along with his parents from Sudan to Canada. In SON OF ELSEWHERE, Elamin authors a series of essaAs a child in the 90s, Elamin Abdelmahmoud emigrated along with his parents from Sudan to Canada. In SON OF ELSEWHERE, Elamin authors a series of essays in which he explores growing up in a new country, learning a new language and culture while also finding his own identity along the way.
To be honest, I had no idea who Elamin Abdelmahmoud was prior to picking up this book. That isn’t a knock on him, just that he seemed to exist outside of my periphery. Aside from the heaps of critical acclaim that came along with this release, what drew me in was his wrestling fandom (of course). It’s a gateway drug for me when it comes to a memoir, what can I say?
While his wrestling enthusiasm made up only a small part of his story, I was glad it led me to his memoir in the first place. His recollection of his time in Sudan as well as a breakdown of the country’s wartorn chaos was both fascinating and heartbreaking. It’s amazing sometimes how little I know about the plight of others across the globe. I truly felt the anxiety over his struggle to find his own identity in a culture completely different from what he had known (“I left Khartoum as a popular and charming (and modest) preteen, and I landed in Canada with two new identities: immigrant, and black”) leading to him trying to erase his ethnicity in order to fit in amongst an overwhelmingly white population in Kingston, Ontario.
Elamin is the same age as my brother (and only four years younger than me), so we shared a lot of the same pop-culture fandom. Of course there’s the aforementioned wrestling obsession, but we were both nu-metal fanatics as well as fans of the band Disturbed during their early days (Elamin tells a hilarious story about crashing the band’s Toronto soundcheck) before eventually shifting over to the indie rock explosion of the early 2000s spearheaded by The O.C (a show beloved by my younger brother).
As always when it comes to memoirs, I would prefer a more straightforward approach in terms of linear storytelling. Maybe it’s a thing that only affected me, but I found myself losing track of the timeline on a few occasions. I would have liked a bit more on his current career and what exactly he’s doing now, but I guess the focus was more on his formative years....more
Novelist As A Vocation is a sort of mish-mash memoir/writing advice book in the vein of Stephen King's On Writing, from author Hauki Murakami.
AdmittedNovelist As A Vocation is a sort of mish-mash memoir/writing advice book in the vein of Stephen King's On Writing, from author Hauki Murakami.
Admittedly, I've only read one of Murakami's novels, The Wind of Bird Chronicle, and I didn't particularly enjoy it. However, when Penguin Random House offered me a copy for review, I jumped at the chance. Why? Because I love reading or listening to authors talk about their craft. I find the intricacies of how they perform their work, whether it's their daily rituals, how they structure their storytelling or how they came to be novelists endlessly interesting.
One of the things that knocked me for a loop was how Murakami developed his unique style. After writing his first novel in his native Japanese, he decided he lacked an original style or voice. So, in an effort to shake things up, he rewrite the book in English, a language that at the time, he did not have the strongest command of, limiting his ability to overwrite the story.
The book also focuses on his origin story as a writer recounting the moment he knew he could write a novel. Murakami also gives advice to prospective writers on how to bring about their best ideas, not to put much stock in literary awards and prizes, and how not to find yourself stuck in the endless trap of rewriting your work and realizing when it is done (taking out and replacing commas in perpetuity, for example).
While the page count was brief, Murakami did seem to tread over the same topics repeatedly, and after a time, the subject matter began to wash over me. I found myself glossing over large chunks of text and not really retaining the essays before going back and re-reading.
Without a doubt, Murakami is a charming individual and his ability to be simultaneously self-deprecating while also mining from his years of experience and wisdom held to produce a layered and often entertaining approach to the craft of writing....more
I’m Glad My Mom Died is the memoir of child-actor-turned-author Jennette McCurdy.
It would be an understatement to say that this book is one of the hotI’m Glad My Mom Died is the memoir of child-actor-turned-author Jennette McCurdy.
It would be an understatement to say that this book is one of the hottest memoirs of 2022; and with good reason. Not only does McCurdy’s memoir tackle the curse of a brutal and unrelenting “Momager” on a child actor, but it also puts a spotlight on the immense importance of protecting one’s mental health and how, if it is left to spiral out of control, could have life-long consequences.
Throughout the book, Jennette takes the reader through her early life as a part of a dysfunctional family that was headed by a Mother who pushed Jeanette into a career she didn’t want. With a seemingly tenuous connection to the Mormon church as well as a home life that had fallen victim to her mother’s hoarding tendencies, Jennette had few opportunities to escape or feel like a child without feeling constantly overwhelmed.
Despite the very heavy subject matter, Jennette somehow managed to maintain a great sense of humor about it all. I guess at some points, all you can do is laugh. There are moments that while absolutely traumatic, are completely absurd with one in particular forcing me to pick my jaw up off the floor.
Before I picked this up, I can’t say I knew a lot about Jennette. Her 2007 breakout role on Disney Channel’s iCarly happened to be a sitcom geared toward a younger generation, therefore it was not on my radar. That said, it’s not like Hollywood ever seems to change regardless of the age we’re focusing on given the mental abuse she sustained during her career.
I listened to this one rather than read it. After several positive experiences with celebrities reading their own stories, I think that may be my preferred method for memoirs moving forward. Given that this was a one-woman show before becoming a book, Jennette’s performance was raw and unflinching. I applaud her ability to tell her own story – warts and all – when most may shy away from such dreadful experiences.
Jennette McCurdy’s story is an important one. The long-term effects brought about by unwanted fame and years of abuse require excruciating work to unravel and sort through on her part and McCurdy’s ability to come out on the other side is nothing short of inspiring....more
CRAZY IS MY SUPERPOWER is the memoir of retired professional wrestler AJ “AJ LEE” Mendez-Brooks.
I want to say straight off the bat that if you’re expeCRAZY IS MY SUPERPOWER is the memoir of retired professional wrestler AJ “AJ LEE” Mendez-Brooks.
I want to say straight off the bat that if you’re expecting a comprehensive look at AJ’s in-ring career, you’re not going to get that here. Although AJ’s time as a wrestler was relatively short (2007-2015), she does not spend the majority of the book going over the ins-and-outs of her time in the squared circle. Instead, AJ focuses on her early life and all the twists and turns that led to WWE.
Although I expected a wrestling book first and foremost, I cannot say enough about her resilience, determination and never-say-die attitude. Just how she was able to reach the heights that she did given her upbringing is absolutely mind-blowing. As a child, AJ had a completely chaotic home-life often having to go from apartment to apartment when rent money could not be found. If not an apartment, the family of five would end up in dingy motels and hotels and even resorted to sleeping in the family car. If that wasn’t bad enough, her parents struggled with drug addiction and her mother would eventually be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, an explanation for her abusive behavior throughout AJ’s youth.
Once we get to her days as a member of the WWE roster, things get a bit dicey. While there were some fun moments expanded upon during her days working with her best friend Celeste Bonin (aka Kaitlyn) and her blossoming relationship with current husband and fellow pro wrestler CM Punk, things feel really rushed and unfocused.
AJ Lee’s story is an empowering and inspiring one. We all have hard times in our lives and sometimes it helps to read about someone who has struggled, beaten the odds and come out on top....more
Following his critically acclaimed memoir about his years as a comic, BORN STANDING UP, Steve Martin released a second memoir containing stories aboutFollowing his critically acclaimed memoir about his years as a comic, BORN STANDING UP, Steve Martin released a second memoir containing stories about his time in the movie business, NUMBER ONE IS WALKING. Rather than taking the same path as his first autobiography, Martin enlisted the help of cartoonist Harry Bliss to produce a sort of graphic novel style retelling of Steve’s years on the silver screen.
I was all set to give this book four to five stars, but unfortunately, Steve’s career in the movies is responsible for less than half of the total page count, which is a real shame as the marketing behind the book’s release was heavily focused on pushing that it is a memoir of his Hollywood years. The bulk of the book is focused on the “Diversions”, which are New Yorker style cartoons produced by the duo. Those were OK, but not exactly what I was looking for.
That being said, I absolutely loved what he and Harry had put together as they highlighted stories from Steve about his work on films like Planes, Trains And Automobiles, A Simple Twist of Fate, and Three Amigos, and many others. I was laughing out loud reading about John Candy, Martin Short and Diane Keaton (Martin Short’s introduction on Three Amigos was the best). I desperately wanted more and I have no doubt that Steve could have produced many stories that easily could have filled the book cover to cover.
I get that this is meant to be a coffee table book, but I feel like there is a lost opportunity here. Steve is endlessly charming, hilarious and effortlessly interesting. One of my biggest regrets was not going to see him when both he and Martin Short performed live here in Ottawa a few years ago. I can’t fully recommend this one given that more than half of the book is not something I cared for or would revisit, but the movie years that the co-authors shone a spotlight on were excellent....more
I have been a Leafs fan almost as long as I can remember. I’ve told this story before in a review, but it bears repeating. When I was 8 years old, I cI have been a Leafs fan almost as long as I can remember. I’ve told this story before in a review, but it bears repeating. When I was 8 years old, I came home after spending the afternoon with my friend, who happened to be a Montreal Canadiens fan. I told my Mom and my Uncle, who was visiting that day, that I was now a Habs fan. Without missing a beat, my Uncle sat me down and told me that I was a Leafs fan. I said, “OK.” That was it.
(I swear, this is the last time I'll tell this story).
Luckily, this was in 1993, when the Leafs were great! However, that was twenty-nine years ago and things have not been super great since in the years that followed.
So with Steve “Dangle” Glynn being around my age and becoming a fan around the same time, I can sympathize with his plight. In fact, never has a book title been so accurate when it comes to the life of a Toronto Maple Leafs fan. It’s a love/hate relationship that carries with it a delicate balance between sanity and insanity.
This book could have easily digressed into one of Steve’s classic rants that make up the bulk of the content of his YouTube channel and turn into a three-hundred page dissertation into what is wrong with the franchise and how hopeless it is for its fans. But that’s not the point of the book and most importantly, you absolutely do NOT have to be a Leafs fan to find this book hilarious, endearing and above all else, entertaining.
Steve’s journey from life-long fan to media personality is both amazing and frustrating. It often seems like many of the breaks you get in the industry are completely random. It’s not like Steve didn’t work his ass off to get to where he is today, but it seems like along with talent comes a considerable amount of luck. I loved reading about his time working with Nike and his travels to the annual World Juniors tournament as well as the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. There were also some great stories about time with the Toronto Zoo, working for the now defunct Leafs TV and his internship with the Fan 590 (a sports radio station in Toronto).
I’ve never really been a big follower of Steve’s work. I’m not sure how I’ve missed him all these years, but I have a feeling that is going to change. You get a real sense that Steve is just a great guy – especially given his reputation among those in the hockey-media community. Dangle is equipped with a fairly earnest work-ethic and when you combine that with a self-deprecating writing style and sense of humour, you have a recipe for an easy read that I can whole heartedly recommend....more
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