I know that it's been some time since we last updated the site. Okay, okay! A real long time. But hey, when you are the FTW World Heavyweight Champion it's not like you have all the time in the world to be sitting around the computer looking at Internet porn all day. Not only that, the on-the-road life of a professional wrestler is not easy. Catch a plane here, take another there. Living out of a suitcase can wear you down real quick!
So what have we been up to? We spent some time in the studio with the awesome Michael Rozon, and traveling the world defending the richest prize in our sport, the FTW Championship. A lot has happened in the wrestling world since we've been gone. We've lost a lot of our fellow wrestling brothers and sisters, including one near and dear to me; the business in general has taken some dips; and Chris Benoit finally got his just desserts! Brock Lesnar has left the WWE for the NFL, and the Ric Flair DVD marked an all-time high in DVD sales for WWE.
A lot of people have been asking us about the movie Knight Fever we were supposed to guest star in alongside "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Well, that ball is still in the air, but hopefully it will get rolling soon. Spike Liberty has recently been in touch with the producers. Hollywood or would they not. They have the greatest entertainers of all time in their hands — Foreign Object — and they'd better not let them slip through their fingers.
They were the first band to introduce me to punk rock music. The year was 1979, the album (yes, actual vinyl) was called Duty Now for the Future. They were the first band I ever saw live. Freedom of Choice tour, Santa Monica Civic, 1980. The true pioneers of the music video. Often imitated, but never duplicated. Are they not men? They are DEVO. Well, spuds of the world unite! Almost 30 years after their birth, DEVO is back and better than ever.
Rhino has just released two DEVO DVDs for all the "ninnys and twits" to enjoy. the first is called The Complete Truth About DeEvolution. A collection of most of the band's films and music videos. If you have never seen any of these gems, you are really missing out. These were actual stories, not just a bunch of lame-ass rappers having a pool party, waving their arms in front of a camera, or the moody agro bullshit rock that we are force fed through MTV (Music To Vomit by). Included on the disc are Satisfaction, Beautiful World, Girl U Want and, of course, Whip It. My personal favorite, The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprise still makes me laugh after all these years. WA-HoooOooo!
The second disc is simply titled DEVO Live. It's the complete performance from their 1996 Lollapalooza shows at Irvine Meadows. I'm happy that they put this DVD out. This show was really awesome for me. Not only was it the second day in a row that I got to see DEVO, but it was the only time that I got to see them on the same stage with the Ramones. How fuckin' cool is that? A great performance, with great energy and a set list that only the truest DEVO fans would have come up with.
If you've never seen DEVO live, now you've got the chance. They will be performing as part of a Nike's Run Hit Wonder on Sunday, April 25 at the Los Angeles Colisseum and this year it's national. So lace up and cut loose for our 5K/10K race. With six classic bands playing along the course, you're guaranteed to groove as you move! Blah blah. You can also stop by their newly-revamped Web site at www.clubdevo.com.
As mentioned in my opening rant, 2003 and now the beginning of 2004 continues the trend of losing our squared-circle brothers and sisters way too soon. Here is a short list in memorandum.
Thank you for entertaining us all.
Now I'd like to say a special goodbye to the greatest and most recent loss to Foreign Object, our treasured brother Stephan X DeLeon. From his epic battles throughout the Western states with Tim Tall Tree to his numerous WWF TV appearances, Stephan was a natural in-ring talent. Not only could Stephan rival Anarchy in the ring, but he could match the pipes as well, brother, lending his powerful and heartfelt vocals to the BadTown Boys, Lonely Street and the newly-formed Old-Time Religion. One of the highlights in the history of Foreign Object was having Louie Spicolli join us on stage to sing a duet of Love Hurts Like a Piledriver. I'm sorry I never got a chance to sing a duet with Stephan X, but I'm sure Stephan and Louie are keeping a mic open for ol' Anarchy up in that Big Steel Cage in the Sky.
RIP Stephan X DeLeon, May 12, 1969–April 6, 2004
You are loved and will be greatly missed, brother.