by RAF KATIGBAK

I loved wrestling, as much as any red-blooded North American boy growing up in the ’80s, which means, a lot. What was there not to like? Wrestling had everything - drama, acrobatics and dudes in tights. It was basically like ballet except everybody went around smacking each other and giving each other piledrivers. It was also our first taste of serial drama. Did Hulk Hogan’s "friendship" with Randy "Macho Man" Savage’s girlfriend Elizabeth make our blood boil with rage and jealousy? Yes. Did a single tear roll down our cheek as Hulk Hogan handed Ultimate Warrior the belt and hugged him, ushering in a new era at Wrestlemania VI? Maybe. Were we really mad last week when Kane set fire to… um… never mind. With all the flashy braggadocio behaviour and senseless acts of violence, believe it or not, there’s also a downside to wrestling. Part of the thrill of watching wrestling was choosing your favourites and arguing with friends over who was the best. In reality, there really wasn’t much choice. Besides the top tier of A-line wrestlers we were supposed to care about, there was a legion of wrestlers that ranged from the weak (punny names like Adam Bomb and Justin Credible) to the crappy (Bastion Booger, a rather portly fellow in a grey suit who would reward himself with pudding after each match) to the just plain surreal (Xanta Klaus: Santa Claus’ evil twin who came from the South Pole and instead of giving away presents, stole them). Okay, so maybe we didn’t have that much choice as to what wrestler was actually cool, but when it came to merchandising, it was a veritable cornucopia. I remember bugging my mom for two months straight until she finally got me the Ultimate Warrior Wrestling Gear Set. Sure, it cost $39.95 and ended up just being four pieces of neon string and a crappy cardboard mask that broke five minutes after I put it on. But hey, it was worth it. For those five minutes, I actually felt like the Ultimate Warrior (which, in retrospect, may not have been such a good thing).

This week though, forget about Wrestlemania. Montreal will be witness to Chin-scratch-a-mania as a double tag-team of IDM giants vie for our music spectacle dollar. In this corner tonight, July 17, at la Sala Rossa, the master of melodic atmospherics and cut up breakbeats µ-ziq and his tag-team partner, hometown hero David Kristian. In that corner, Sunday, July 20, at the SAT, the ace of drill & bass Squarepusher and his tag-team partner and legend in his own right Luke Vibert (aka Wagonchrist, Plug, Amen Andrews). Who will capture the title for heavyweight bedroom production nerd? Only you can decide… check ’em out!

In another championship bout, check out DJ Philgood at the International Footbag Championships going on all weekend long at Parc Jeanne-Mance. Saturday, July 19, drop by the new indie/weirdo music hotspot Pasalymany (5845 Parc) for a night of digital noise terror featuring Suzuki Kid, Crushkill, Aum Supreme, Czechoslovakian Cock, Unitus, b7, Skeeter and Schizoid. The tax is $4 - that’s only 50 cents per act! Oh yeah, tune in to CKUT 90.3 FM this Monday from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. for DJ Shit and MC Squared, and phone in to win!

"Ohhh yeah, dig it!" - Randy Savage Diskoakimbo@sympatico.ca

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