Wrestlemania, Cheap Trick, and Music Box Of Horrors
Here's what's happening this week in Chicago!
Wrestlemania 38 was all the buzz this weekend. I ended up promoting it at Rock Island Public House to show off our new sound and projector and I’d call it a success. While Sunday’s crowd was there for it, Saturday’s was mostly curious…and it made me realize some things.
If there is one constant in American pop culture, it is pro wrestling. The mass appeal may ebb and flow, but it is always present, and just about everyone went through a wrestling phase at least one point in their life. For me, it was the late ‘80s and early ‘90s when Hulk Hogan was the ultimate face and he waged war with Earthquake, Ultimate Warrior, and a massive stable of colorful heroes and villains. I tuned out in my teenage years until my younger brother discovered it in the early days of the attitude era of Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, and my interest was peaked once again. Thanks to Twitter, I still sort of keep up on the goings-on in WWE and the AEW, and even if it’s not “my thing,” I understand the appeal, and Sunday night, found myself invested in the high drama of the Stone Cold/Vince McMahon feud and the spectacle of Wee Man bodyslamming Sami Zayn…and more importantly, having a good time.
When I cranked up the sound for Wrestlemania on Saturday night, the bar was relatively quiet for a weekend and it didn’t take long for the whole room to be engaged and I realized why pro wrestling has remained as popular as it has for decades. As I said earlier, most people when through a phase where it meant everything to them, and that nostalgia instantly washes over you as you watch two larger-than-life figures duke it out in the squared circle. It’s also pretty easy to figure out who the good guy is and who the bad guy is, and if you can’t, there’s probably an expert sipping on a beer who can fill you in on whatever soapy feud is fueling the match. Pro-wrestling is pure entertainment that encourages conversation at a bar and can really bring people together.
I had my fair share of naysayers exclaiming “I don’t get it,” “it’s fake,” and (completely ignoring the stadium full of fans) asking “people still watch this?” Not everything is for everybody and you can choose to be dismissive of something you don’t understand and pout, or choose to be curious, ask some questions, get into the spirit of the thing and have some fun…and I’d much rather be having fun.
Cheap Trick Day at RIPH was an overwhelming success and so has been the launch of my new podcast, Cheap Tracks: A History Of Cheap Trick, Song By Song. Every two weeks, my self and Chris Castaneda will do a laser-focused deep dive into a song from the Cheap Trick catalog. We’ll be jumping from era to era and album to album and telling the story of the band along the way. You can of course listen to us on iTunes and Spotify.
The Music Box Of Horrors is back with a screening of Death Game, a wild psychosexual thriller featuring Seymour Cassell, Sondra Locke, and Colleen Camp. Tickets are going fast for this one and you won’t want to miss it. Presented by Music Box Theatre, Grindhouse Releasing, and Shudder.
Meanwhile, on Windy City, Double Feature, Adam and I were joined by Justin Humphreys author of The Dr. Phibes Companion to discuss The Abominable Dr. Phibes and Count Yorga, Vampire. He was a terrific guest with so much great insight into both films so this one is worth a listen.
The Halloweenies visit Antonio Bay for an exclusive commentary track to John Carpenter’s The Fog. Join our Patreon to hear this and tons more of great bonus material!
If you can’t be good, be good at it!