Roddy Piper
When pro wrestler/actor/entertainer Roddy Piper died on July 31 it sent a whole world who grew up on his moral grey area villainy in mourning.
He was, after all, The Joker to Hulk Hogan’s Batman, a villain in name, but more like a yin to Hogan’s yang. In hindsight he was also a was more rich and awesome character than the titular head of Hulkamania.
Sarah wrote a eulogy about Piper explaining this truth and more for Fightland.
Filed under Films, Jock Stuff, Shameless Promotion, Television
Bethe Correia
When martial artist fighter Bethe Correia was soundly trounced in a match against current UFC champ Ronda Rousey recently it wasn’t just about showcasing Rousey’s exceptional skills. It was also, in its own way, about cosmic balance.
See, Correia had rapidly risen through the UFC rankings to become a top contender. But along the way up she also unleashed a trolling carpet bomb on most of her opponents. It was only fair, then, that Rousey would restore a sense of order in the universe.
Sarah wrote about how this all came about for Fightland.
Filed under Jock Stuff, Shameless Promotion
Christopher Meloni in Wet Hot American Summer: First Day Of Camp
Christopher Meloni has reprised his role as Gene, the PTSD-afflicted camp cook, for Netflix’s Wet Hot American Summer: First Day Of Camp.
Because Sarah is a big fan of Meloni’s work she used this as an excuse to write about the history of his martial arts training for Fightland.
Oh, and she also talked about Meloni’s appearance in the prison drama OZ.
Filed under Films, Jock Stuff, Shameless Promotion, Television
Ronda Rousey
The thing about confident athletes who are comfortable in their abilities is that they’re also able to acknowledge the abilities of their peers.
For his part, motormouth MMA star Conor McGregor figures women’s UFC champ has some specific skills that are outright better than his.
Sarah wrote about McGregor’s Rousey analysis for Fightland.
Filed under Jock Stuff, Shameless Promotion
BA Johnston in his natural state. Photo cribbed from his Twitter.
Shit Sucks by Hamilton, Ontario-based everyman BA Johnston was perhaps the most divisive album nominated for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize Long List and split critics, fans and Polaris followers into two clear camps.
The haters, of which there were many (including enough Polaris jurors that Shit Sucks failed to make the 10 album Polaris Short List), viewed Johnston’s album as schtick, an unfunny musical comedy by a pizza-obsessed loser.
The lovers, though, saw a lot more to Shit Sucks. To these people Johnston was and is funny. They created a Twitter movement on his behalf. They even enlisted the support of Hitler. For them, Johnston’s confessional songs poked at that same wounded, fragile humanity that made Rodney Dangerfield forever question why he couldn’t get no respect.
There is, however, an overlooked third faction in the Shit Sucks debate — foodies. See, in his own way, Johnston is a food connoisseur, a man who has immortalized t-bone steaks, garlic fingers, english muffins and western sandwiches in song, and who dreams of having a deep fryer in his bedroom.
For these people Shit Sucks reveals many unexpected and often melted cheese-laden delights. We put on our best chili boots and decided to track all the food references on BA Johnston’s Shit Sucks album. The results were… delicious:
“Couch Potato Alright”
* cool ranch
* pocket Cheezees
* double dipped corn chips
“I Remember Skinny Jeans The Last Time Around”
* Foodland
“When Is Trash Day?”
* cat food tins
* pizza boxes
* buffalo wings
* burnt toast
“Pizza Party For One”
* pizza
* Little Caesars, Salvatore’s, Uncle Fatty’s, Cutthroat’s, Chicago Style, Pizza Perfect, Nino’s
* pepperoni
“I Don’t Want To Go To The No Frills”
* Oreos
* butter
* steak
* meat
* Dr. Oetker pizza
* Shreddies
* Faygo soda
“Gonna End Up Working In Fort McMurray”
* Pizza Hut
“Bat In The House”
* Delissio pizza
* pizza
“The Commute”
* Special K
* Tim Horton’s coffee
* McDonald’s coffee
“IKEA Hotdog”
* IKEA hotdogs
“Drinking On My Mom’s Dime”
*Golden Wedding
“Old And Lame”
* food court
* a submarine sandwich he’s too high to eat
* 7/11
* chocolate milk
“Nuke Toronto”
* nothing good to eat
“What A Wonderfully Mediocre Day”
* beers
* no name ruffles
* chip dip
* Foodland
* discounted garlic bread
* garlic
* margarine
* bread
“You Can Love Someone And Hate The Things They Love”
* assorted subs
“Shitty Cat”
* taco meat
* tomato patch
“BK Has A New King”
* Burger King
* Whopper Jr
* Whopper Wednesday
* Big Fish sandwich
* Whopper
* Water
* Soda Pop
I Overcame My Autism And All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder: A Memoir
Risky Fuel 