Memoirs of a Madman Book Review!
Welcome to the world of a man who has made a small living out of bleeding and being injured on a regular basis. A fella who has worked with or simply befriended many legends in his chosen profession, but also numerous horror stars, underground celebs, and singers in many countries around the world.
Hardcore Deathmatch Wrestling. Ask a lot of grappling fans about that genre and they’ll likely crunch their faces or wax lyrical about how “it’s all out of shape non-wresting idiots having garbage matches hitting each other with shit and bleeding all over!” Well to be honest, it’s all of the above apart from one thing: at least 90% of the combatants are trained professionally, they are likely from other indie groups and promotions, or have decided that they want to bleed for their fans as a full time career so have to learn how not to die basically!
Severed Cinema readers will know already by some previous reviews that I’m a big fan of Deathmatch tournaments and events, having discovered it all back in 2004 after reading a review for CZW’s Tournament of Death III. Soon enough I bagged the DVD and was hooked, having grown bored of standard WWE stuff I’d already moved into TNA and ROH, etcetera.
As stated above, some folks make it a career, they have a love for it. They are very loyal and trusting of all the men and women who battle night after night in various arenas, clubs, pubs, parks, whatever. One such man is Kevin Canady/ aka Mad Man Pondo. A kid obsessed by wrestling, knowing he isn’t going to be a WWF guy, finds his way into a smaller industry where you wrestle, take bumps, and get hit with sharp objects! Also, it’s worth mentioning his high-profile adoration of the horror industry which is featured at large within the very pages.
This book, Memoirs of a Madman, has been co-written with famed grappling scribe, John Cosper, who has also put out books on the late and legendary, Tracy Smothers, Louisville wrestling, 1880’s era grappling, plus a shed load of fiction novels.
Our journey with Mad Man Pondo takes us through the beginnings of IWA Mid-South, then briefly into CZW, and other promotions such as Juggalo Championship Wrestling and shit loads of stuff in Japan. Along the way we read testaments from folks he’s met such as Vanilla Ice, Robert Englund, plus tales involving David Blaine, Marilyn Manson, Kane Hodder, Bridget the Midget, and many other celebs with a large mix of industry legends like The Honky Tonk Man, Terry Funk, etcetera.
Ah yes, let me add more the glory stories – near execution via the Yakuza, losing a car to Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka, working with the great Abdullah the Butcher, Junkyard Dog, dancing with MC Hammer, the fun and games of The Jerry Springer Show, clueless promoters, haters, lovers, pranks and jokes sometimes fun sometimes completely evil, throughout the 300 plus pages we have ups, downs, successes, failures, betrayals, close friendships, injuries large and small, told openly and honestly.
The book is nicely illustrated at regular intervals with many black ‘n’ white pics which doesn’t just cover wrestling, he’s been on TV in other things plus in a movie or two. He states that his home is adorned with horror stuff — it’s his lifetime passion basically aside from wrestling.
Memoirs of a Madman is a classic for anyone who loves wrestling, and for those who don’t have an interest or passion because it opens up a totally different realm. John Cosper has done a magnificent job putting everything together with balances between drama, shock, excitement, and above all, a wickedly insane sense of humour. It took me about four days, in-between my full-time job, to read it. That’s how engrossing it is. I had a headache and sore eyes, but I did it. I know this is one of the books in my library that I’ll return to and read again a few times.
Memoirs of a Madman is a tome of fun violence for the whole family. Highly recommended.
Book: Memoirs of a Madman
Edited by: John Cosper
Written by: Mad Man Pondo, John Cosper
Art by: Sei Ozawa
Year: 2018
Published by: Create Space