Monthly Archives: June 2007

Jun 25 2007

Deaths in Wrestling

Some of you may know that I follow professional wrestling. I don’t actually watch it anymore, but I am fascinated by the business. I fully acknowledge that it’s violent, misogynistic, juvenile, and frequently stupid beyond belief. It’s also a billion- dollar industry that relies on non-unionized performers to work insane schedules and subject themselves to substantial and prolonged physical abuse.

To deal with the physical demands of the industry, many wrestlers come to rely on painkillers and narcotics as a long-term solution. Many others turn to steroids to develop the abnormal physiques that the industry seems to covet above all else. The combination of steroids, drug abuse, and physical wear and tear has lead to an incredibly high death rate among active and retired wrestlers. This is the industry’s dirty secret that rarely gets mainstream attention.

As an illustration, the following is a list of stars from the 80′s and 90′s who haved died at an early age in recent years.

Eddie Guerrero (38, heart failure)

Davey Boy Smith (39, heart attack)

Owen Hart (34, in-ring mishap)

Rodney Anoia aka Yokozuna (34, heart attack)

“Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig (45, drug overdose)

“Ravishing” Rick Rude (40, heart attack)

Brian Pillman (35, heart disease / drug overdose)

Dino Bravo (44, murdered)

Sherri Martel (49, cause unknown)

Mike Awesome (42, suicide)

Scott “Bam Bam” Bigelow (45, heart disease / drug overdose)

Kerry von Erich (33, suicide)

Keith Franke aka Adrian Adonis (34, hit a moose in Newfoundland)

Sylvester Ritter aka Junkyard Dog (46, fell asleep at the wheel)

Elizabeth Huelette aka Miss Elizabeth (42, drug overdose)

C Candido (33, in-ring injury led to fatal blood clot)

Ray Traylor aka Big Bossman (42, heart attack)

Raymond Hernandez aka Hercules Hernandez (47, heart attack)

Jerry Tuite aka The Wall (36, heart attack)

Michael Lockwood aka Crash Holly (34, drug overdose)

Michael Hegstrand aka Road Warrior Hawk (46, heart attack)

This afternoon, it was reported that C Benoit had been found dead in his Atlanta home, along with his wife and 7-year old son – few details are available about what happened. C is generally recognized as the best technical wrestler in North America, a Canadian legend who trained in Stu Hart’s dungeon in Calgary and went on to great success in Japan and the U.S. By all accounts, he was a nice guy who didn’t seem to have any personal demons.

So, the tragic history adds another chapter. For a week or two, fans will say the business has to change. Then another ‘roided up monster will become a hero or villain and the cycle will continue.

Jun 19 2007

The Road

I was in Chapters the other night, browsing through the Father’s Day selections. Among the books on baseball, poker, and fast cars was Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, a novel recommended by Oprah Winfrey herself. It was also 50% off, so I thought I’d pick it up.Without a doubt, it was the most depressing, chilling book I have ever read. Set in a post-apocalyptic America, it’s the story of a man and his son (neither of whom are given a name) on a journey to the coast. There are no chapters – just 287 continuous pages of pain and misery. Here’s a sample paragraph:”On the far side of the river valley the road passed through a stark black burn. Charred and limbless trunks of trees stretching away on every side. Ash moving over the road and the sagging hands of blind wire strung from the blackened lightpoles whining thinly in the wind. A burned house in a clearing and beyond that a reach of meadowlands stark and gray and a raw red mudbank where a roadworks lay abandoned.”Every once in a while they encounter roving bands of cannibals and are forced to run and hide. Without giving away the ending, you can probably assume it does not end well.The sick thing is, I couldn’t put it down – I finished it in a day. In my mind, I was the man and Aidan was the boy. I was the one watching my son waste away to nothing, I was the one doing everything possible to protect my little boy in the face of unspeakable horrors. When I turned the final page, I wanted to go lie beside him, more for my comfort than his.Would I recommend it? Yes, with the caveat that it contains graphic descriptions of depravity that will stay with you for a long time. Remember, Oprah liked it, and so did the nice folks who awarded it the Pulitzer Prize earlier this year.

Jun 14 2007

Movin’ On

Well, after nine years with the orchestra, I’ve decided it’s time for a change. So, as of September 4th, I’ll be the General Manager of the Scenes.

For the uninitiated, the Centre produces a festival celebrating the artists of a specific province or region every two years in Ottawa. In April 2009, we’ll be presenting the British Columbia Scene, featuring BC musicians, actors, dancers, chefs, and visual artists. There will be hundreds of artists traveling here from BC to perform in concert halls, churches, clubs, and other cool venues. You can check out the other Scenes by clicking here and here.

For some people, the move has come as a bit of a shock. To be honest, it wasn’t an obvious fit at first. However, when I really thought about it, I realized it’s a great opportunity that will give me greater exposure to a wide variety of artists and genres. I’ll get the chance to develop skills in areas that I don’t have a lot of experience in, and hopefully become more well-rounded.

Nine years is also a lot of time to spend in one position, although what I do now is very different from what I did back in 1998. It has been a wonderful experience, and there are a lot of things I’m going to miss about working with a great orchestra. I’m just moving down the hall, though, so I won’t be completely gone.

In the meantime, mark your calendars. April 21-ish to May 1st-ish 2009. It’s going to be great…

Jun 12 2007

The Neglected Blog

O.K., so I haven’t been the best blogger lately. I haven’t been as into it as I was a couple of months ago. Maybe it’s the realization that the same five people are reading it (thanks B, Meillyn, Maurizio, Kyle, and John), and it hasn’t become a world-wide Internet sensation like PerezHilton.com.

It can be a nice creative outlet, but I’ve also become concerned with how much personal information is here and how easily it’s linked to me. For example, I had a big job interview a couple of months ago, and I got pretty freaked out when I checked my site stats and saw the potential employer had visited earlier that morning. I don’t know why I was surprised – isn’t that the first thing you do when you meet someone these days, you google them and look into their background?

I immediately removed any references to professional wrestling on the blog – that’s a hard interest to defend to intellectual arts types. I also began worrying that they might not find my sense of humour (or lack thereof) appealing, or it would somehow colour their initial impression.

I find I can’t write about some interesting things that are going on, like the whole Philadelphia Orchestra interview. That was a cool experience, but I didn’t share it with a lot of people for obvious reasons. As much as I wanted to write about the great concert, the interesting hotel, my impressions of Philadelphia, the blog (for me) is too public a forum.

I got excited watching the blog climb the Google list when you searched for “Dearlove”. Now I’m starting to think that, with the proliferation of Facebook and Google searches, some anonymity might be a good thing. It’s a bit like the difference between a swimsuit catalogue and Playboy – it’s often better to leave something to the imagination.

Jun 2 2007

Another Requiem

Back in February I attended an NAC Orchestra performance of Faure’s Requiem and wrote about my love for that work and other Requiems (Requia?) To close the Main Series portion of the season, the orchestra performed another requiem last night that stands in stark contrast to Faure’s bright and sunny mass for the dead.

Verdi’s Requiem is big, dark, dramatic, and in several places it’s just a wee bit scary. Last night’s performance was about 90 minutes of straight music, but it was never boring. A lot of that had to do with the quality of the performance, but Verdi also included so much variety that your attention never waivers.

There are few things more thrilling that the opening of the Dies Irae. Verdi unleashes the chorus and orchestra, and I’m instantly reminded of the power 225 musicians and singers have at their disposal (no amplification required). Of course, when the text reads “Day of wrath and terror looming! Heaven and earth to ash consuming, David’s word and Sibyl’s truth foredooming! What horror must invade the mind, when the approaching judge shall find,and sift the deeds of all mankind”, you better go big or go home.

I once had the chance to play the bass drum part, and it was one of the most memorable performances I ever did. Despite our reputation for being loud, percussionists often have to play really softly (triangle, anyone?), so there is something deeply satisfying about getting the opportunity to whack the hell out of the bass drum.

The soprano for last night’s concert was Arianna Zukerman, the daughter of our Music Director. I thought it was touching that when Pinchas came out at the start of the concert he grabbed her hand and gave it a little squeeze for encouragement. Performing in front of 2,000 is nerve-racking for most people, and I have to imagine it’s comforting to know your dad is on stage next to you.