Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Rememberance of Killers past

To the best of my recollection I only ever saw Killer Kowalski pinned twice. And frankly that's at least one time too many.
The first time Kowalski got pinned (For now it's Kowalski, there may come a moment in this recollection when the name Walter is more appropriate, but we will come to that) was the very first episode of World Championship Wrestling on channel 9. There had been other wrestling on channel 7, but channel 9 is where I get hooked. Kowalski is in the ring and Jack Little announces that whoever he is supposed to be fighting has had some kind of hold up and is not there. Kowalski, growls, does whatever, and is about to leave the ring. Then this young guy who has already wrestled, Dale Lewis, comes out and says he'll wrestle Kowalski. So he does and on the very first program ever, Killer Kowalski gets beaten. Who'd have thought.
Kowalksi was the greatest villain, I know I should say heel, but back in the day they were villains. He'd get the claw on and that was it. Pepper Gomez comes out and spends weeks having guys jump on his stomach from on top of ladders to show he's got a cast iron stomach, you can run Pepper, but eventually the Killer caught up with you. I don't think after all that build up you even made it to main event status before he broke you down. I didn't see it, but I heard about it.
Whenever he came out here Kowalski always won the title and always held it for as long as he wanted. He beat Denucci, Mark Lewin, Spiros Arion, Tex McKenzie. Speaking of whom it always bothers me to put Tex in with those boys, he just didn't have it. The old ladies liked him because he was excessively tall and permanently smiling with his 'I got him now Jack' yell before the bulldog headlock, but he couldn't wrestle. I loved it one Sunday when Tex was on his way out and Mitsu Arakawa Who was maybe five foot nothing beat him with a karate chop to the throat.  Seeing that six foot whatever of loud mouthed optimistic joy hit the deck and stay down really made my Sunday.
But back to the matters at hand.
Kowalski turned good at least twice. I believe on the second occasion he came out here and gave an interview, with the friendly line: Please, call me Walter. So, Walter turns good and everyone's happy, except for Bulldog Bob Brown, who wants his evil heel Killer back. And then, right there on TV, Walter is teaming with Mark Lewin against Brown and someone else and in the way of all things bright and beautiful, Lewin accidentally hits his own partner instead of the bad guys. And then, and here I may be being proved a liar and seeing Kowalski pinned three times, because possibly he gets pinned here, but what happens next eradicates that pin. He gets up and he's not happy. He attacks Lewin, beats the crap out of him and praise the lord the Killer is back.
Needless to say every good guy who rates interview time is throwing up his hands and asking; why? How could we not have seen that this would happen. No one is more shocked than junior good guy come Italian replacement for Domenic Denucci, Mario Milano. Mario holds up his hands and also asks why, but also adds, that the Killer had even had dinner at his house and gave no indication that anything crazy like this would occur.
Strange, that is should be Mario throwing up his hands, who knew then that in only a short time later he would be the one who would prove that Kowalsk was indeed mortal. Which leads me to…
The real second time I see Kowalksi get pinned is on a Saturday show from Brisbane, two out of three falls against Mario Milano. Milano must have been getting some kind of massive push because he won; not only does Walter get pinned, but he's an after thought, all the focus is on the winner, Mario Milano. Which caused me to question my entire reason for existence.
I never got to see Kowalksi wrestle live, but if I had I would have liked to have seen him on the first tour of Australia when he feuded with Domenic Denucci.
That is the life I lead.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Top 10 23-09-10

Idiot Wind, Bob Dylan, The Bootleg Series, Vol. 1-3
One of the few songs I can play right through. We played this song once and it was consigned to the ‘It’s too long ‘ rack. I beg to disagree.

Nebraska, Bruce Springsteen, Nebraska
I love this album. I also love the way Bruce brings out this exercise in acoustic darkness when Columbia must have been screaming for Darkness on the Edge of Town Vol 2. There’s not a song on this album that couldn’t be on this list.

My fathers house, Emmylou Harris, 13
I could have put Bruce’s version, but I love the bagpipes in this version. Another song I’d love to do. What a wrist slitter of a gig that would be.

A Thousand Kisses Deep, Leonard Cohen, dear Heather
I heard this in the Good Thief and just loved it. Goes perfectly with Nick Nolte’s wrinkled face.

Death's Got A Warrant, Patty Griffin, Downtown Church
From the Buddy Miller school of greatness. Something about this song reminds me of Johnny Cash singing God’s gonna cut you down.

Save Some Time To Dream, John Mellencamp, No Better Than This
John Mellencamp hardly gets heard of any more. But he’s making some sweet music.

Burning Hell, Tom Jones, Praise & Blame
Heard this on triple R and had to put it on for the voice, the riff and the fact that it’s a John Lee Hooker song done well.

Thing Called Love (Umplugged), Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne & Springsteen
Just a great song that always makes it on the list. Actually I wouldn’t mind doing this either which would dull the depression of what preceded it.

Save the Last Dance for Me, John Lennon/Harry Nilson, Pussycats
My memory tells me this is a great album wish I could find the version of many rivers to cross.

Tell It Like It Is, Aaron Neville, Tell It Like It Is
They played this in The Big Easy, Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin. ‘Nuff said.

Week one done.