Beer, Blood And Cornmeal

(Paperback)

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Description

Incredibly Strange Wrestling was the bastard offspring of post-punk garage rock and masked Mexican lucha libre. Fielding a cast of crazed characters with names like El Homo Loco, Mucho Sasquatcho and El Pollo Diablo, the show lives up to its name. Christians fought lions and Bigfoots mauled hapless hippies in some of the most surreal bouts ever staged. With a stage name swiped from a comic book kung-fu master, Calhoun broke into ISW as an untrained grappler and rapidly rose through the ranks. In this memoir he reveals the story of ISW with all the organised mayhem it deserves.

Reviews

"Calhoun intricately traces the developmental trajectory of [Incredibly Strange Wrestling] . . . the book gives readers a look at a formerly shadowed part of non-mainstream culture. Highly recommended." --"Recommended Readings", Butler University
"A behind-the-scenes look at one of the best oddities to come out of the Bay Area over the past few decades." --"San Francisco Chronicle"
"For seven years, Calhoun tried to help ISW break through to the mainstream . . . [and now he] chronicles that unsuccessful quest--as well as the twisted characters he met along the way." --"Scripps Howard News Service"
"This book was like candy--I could not stop eating it up. . . . A great read." "--Maximum Rock & Roll"
"Calhoun's reflections on his time in ISW make you feel as though you are ringside. . . . His insightful social commentary adds an unexpected dimension as well, enlightening outsiders to San Francisco's rich history and extremely unique culture." --"Ottawa XPress"
"Describes what can happen when wrestlers are unable to distinguish fantasy from reality." --"Bombin' Magazine"
"Just makes you want to don a leopard skin and get paid 20 bucks to go in the ring and beat up a dude in a chicken suit." --"Metro Silicon Valley"
"In this unforgettable insider's account of the bygone era when punk rock and wrestling ruled San Francisco, Bob Calhoun (aka Count Dante) proves that he's still the fastest mouth in the business. You may run, but you won't be able to hide from this gleefully warped tale. I couldn't put it down." --Matthew Polly, author, "American Shaolin"
"Like music and sex, wrestling is so much more fun when it's local, no-budget, and sleazy." --Jello Biafra, singer, spoken word flamethrower, and former wrestling manager
"Well-observed and sharply funny. [Calhoun's] characterizations nicely communicate the wrestlers' addiction to performance and risk-taking in and out of the ring." --"Slam! Sports"

Author Bio

Bob Calhoun is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in Filmfax, Salon.com, and the San Francisco Chronicle. He is the coauthor of martial arts and Hollywood stunt legend "Judo" Gene LeBell's autobiography, The Godfather of Grappling. He lives in San Francisco.