Post by Hobo on May 3, 2010 15:43:39 GMT -5
Q) Our friend's over at CHIKARA have a birthday coming up! They are turning 7. And unlike most 7 year olds, they aren't asking for expensive electronics and video games, but rather releasing them, as at their annual King of Trios event, they announced the CHIKARA: Rudo Ressurection video game would be coming to "multiple platforms". To celebrate Aniversario, Wrestling Afterlife will have the father of CHIKARA in "Lightning" Mike Quackenbush for a very special Q&A interview. Mike, welcome.
A) Thank you for that warm e-welcome. I feel at home here.
Q) I think the first question on everyone’s mind is something I need to get out of the way quickly. CHIKARA VIDEO GAME!?!? What can you tell us about the video game? Namely, can you define “multiple platforms” at this point and time?
A) At this point, there is very little that we can say. We are drafting a press release to go out hopefully within a week, detailing information about our partners and the development process. But for now, mums the word.
Q) How long has a CHIKARA video game been in the works?
A) The process behind this began about 5 - 6 months ago.
Q) What “type of game” will it be? An RPG? A typical wrestling game? A tower defense blaster? Perhaps a new skin for Uno, the card game turned video game rather than the wrestler?
A) If I thought we could make a CHIKARA game that was entirely a tower defense blaster, or a variation on Whack-A-Mole, I would.
Q) Moving along, CHIKARA as a whole is reaching a landmark time, as the 7th birthday of the little engine that could is coming up. How does it feel to have an independent wrestling company running for SEVEN YEARS, especially as a veteran of the indy scene where wrestling companies come and go by the day?
A) Actually, that is not entirely correct. This month, we close our 9th season of live events, and begin our 10th season. This always confuses people, so let me break it down (again) for you like this:
CHIKARA's first year of live events ran from May 2002 - May 2003.
Year 2 ran from May 2003 - May 2004.
Year 3 ran from May 2004 - May 2005.
Year 4 ran from May 2005 - May 2006.
Year 5 ran from May 2006 - May 2007.
Year 6 ran from May 2007 - May 2008.
Year 7 ran from May 2008 - May 2009.
Year 8 ran from May 2009 - May 2010.
Our 9th year begins on May 25th.
I realize this impressive listing on my part does not answer your question. That's how I roll.
Q) A few weeks ago, we had your self proclaimed prized student, Vin Gerard, on Afterlife for an interview. Who through YOUR eyes is your favorite student?
A) That's very difficult to answer. Every trainee that completes the process and graduates to become a performer, in some way, shape or form - I take great pride in.
Q) And who is your least favorite? It’s okay if you say Vin Gerard. We’re still trying to get his stink off our sofas.
A) Thanks for making that easy. Vin Gerard.
Q) Is there one student that you trained, that you won’t acknowledge that you trained? Is there anyone who “dropped out” of one of your training classes who went on to fame elsewhere in wrestling?
A) There are certainly those that trained with us for just a short period of time that went on to find work on the circuit before completing the process, or finishing our program. I don't really consider those people to be trained by me. There are people out there that have, literally, spent just a few hours training with me and then tell people "I was trained by Mike Quackenbush." That seems a bit false to me. I find stuff like that floating around Wikipedia or other dubious sources all the time.
Q) Trying into the long running themed shows, from reader Matt Original, any chances of a long running weekly episodic CHIKARA TV show?
A) Certainly anything is possible. A funny story about that. There was talk, not all that long ago, about framing a reality show around what I do for a living. They were most interested in those times when I am hired out to do a seminar for another wrestling group, and then as part of my consulting business, help the company better market, organize and establish their characters and brand. Since 99% of "reality shows" are actually scripted these days, the network involved said it would be very hard to find writers that could tackle the subject matter with real authenticity. To this, I said, that I am a writer - in fact, I've written 6 books, had hundreds of published articles, etc., etc., etc. No one would be more qualified for that job than me. And they laughed at that idea. Nothing I had done, no amount of accolades or other things on my resume to them were even worth talking about, as I had never written TV before. Better to hire a staff of writers instead. That is the insanity of the television industry. So when you watch tripe like TNA or steaming piles of excrement like RAW and wonder - who writes this awful crap? Reflect on this story of mine.
Q) From reader ben, how do you feel CHIKARA would translate to a TV station? And what would the demographic aim be for a CHIKARA TV show?
A) That would really depend on the network itself. Everything is so niche, so narrow-casted these days, that the network defines the tone and demo of the show. And trust me when I tell you, no one is interested in another wrestling show right now.
Q) As a follow up question, what happened with Skayde? Is there any chance of the bridge being rebuilt again after it has been burnt in the past?
A) Our take on what went down is out there in the public forum, and I don't care to recount it here. We've already heard from Jorge crying claims of "miscommunication" and from Turbo, asking to not be booked through Jorge any more to avoid future issues. To sum it up, our final word on it is this: the cost of doing business with Jorge Rivera clearly outweighs the value.
Q) You’ve had a hand in training several guys outside of the CHIKARA realm, the most famous being “death match legends” Danny Havoc and Thumbtack Jack. What the heck went wrong with them? Did they stumble into class on a bad day, maybe catch you before you had your coffee, so instead of arm drags class you beat them with boards with nails in it?!?
A) First off, let me say that I like Danny and Jack quite a bit. They are good people. But aren't we handing out the title of "legend" a little too lightly here? Neither of them has even been around for ten years. Let's give them a chance to earn the title of legend before bestowing it upon them. Now they're going to read this interview, and send me nasty texts and we're all going to have to go out to Dairy Queen to make peace.
Additionally, I never train until after my coffee. Never.
Q) And on a similar note, how do you feel about other students of your’s working death matches? UltraMantis Black did one of the Carnage Cups, Shane Storm/STIGMA worked a CZW death match with Danny Havoc, and Ophidian was scheduled to work a Carnage Cup? What are your opinions on this?
A) I understand that the guys sometimes want to branch out and try new things. More power to them.
Q) General thoughts on Dragon Gate USA?
A) Well, generally speaking, it is a wrestling organization that features Japanese and American talent.
Q) From reader CM Showstopper, do you have any more books on the horizon?
A) Ah....yes and no. I have a book I've been working on for about 9 years now, and it is mostly complete. But it's a monster. About 800 entries, and I just don't know that I will ever finish it. I've also given some thought to starting a book about CHIKARA from the first day forward. I just haven't been able to make time to do it.
Q) From reader Red Dragon, if you could book any dream match, what would it be?
A) Vin Gerard vs. Soap (Soap wins.)
Q) Thoughts on LOST finally ending? How do you feel when people compare CHIKARA to LOST in ways of story writing?
A) I am sad to see it go. I think it is the best thing on television. I like their approach to non-linear storytelling, and a lot can be learned from watching how they structure a season. Any comparison to such a finely-crafted show is very flattering.
Q) Final thoughts, generalization, shows to shill, Frisbees to plug, other assorted merchandise that you’d like to tell people to buy? Websites you like and think people should visit? Open mic.
A) Thanks for giving me a forum to speak, and I hope you'll visit us at chikarapro.com, especially if we are coming to a town near you soon - all information about upcoming events is there! Find us on YouTube or in iTunes, we have a weekly podcast called "CHIKARA Podcast-A-Go-Go" that wins all kinds of awards and is generally considered all kinds of awesome. I also have a non-wrestling (audio) podcast that I do weekly, it can be found at grizzlybearcafe.com. Muchas gracias!
A) Thank you for that warm e-welcome. I feel at home here.
Q) I think the first question on everyone’s mind is something I need to get out of the way quickly. CHIKARA VIDEO GAME!?!? What can you tell us about the video game? Namely, can you define “multiple platforms” at this point and time?
A) At this point, there is very little that we can say. We are drafting a press release to go out hopefully within a week, detailing information about our partners and the development process. But for now, mums the word.
Q) How long has a CHIKARA video game been in the works?
A) The process behind this began about 5 - 6 months ago.
Q) What “type of game” will it be? An RPG? A typical wrestling game? A tower defense blaster? Perhaps a new skin for Uno, the card game turned video game rather than the wrestler?
A) If I thought we could make a CHIKARA game that was entirely a tower defense blaster, or a variation on Whack-A-Mole, I would.
Q) Moving along, CHIKARA as a whole is reaching a landmark time, as the 7th birthday of the little engine that could is coming up. How does it feel to have an independent wrestling company running for SEVEN YEARS, especially as a veteran of the indy scene where wrestling companies come and go by the day?
A) Actually, that is not entirely correct. This month, we close our 9th season of live events, and begin our 10th season. This always confuses people, so let me break it down (again) for you like this:
CHIKARA's first year of live events ran from May 2002 - May 2003.
Year 2 ran from May 2003 - May 2004.
Year 3 ran from May 2004 - May 2005.
Year 4 ran from May 2005 - May 2006.
Year 5 ran from May 2006 - May 2007.
Year 6 ran from May 2007 - May 2008.
Year 7 ran from May 2008 - May 2009.
Year 8 ran from May 2009 - May 2010.
Our 9th year begins on May 25th.
I realize this impressive listing on my part does not answer your question. That's how I roll.
Q) A few weeks ago, we had your self proclaimed prized student, Vin Gerard, on Afterlife for an interview. Who through YOUR eyes is your favorite student?
A) That's very difficult to answer. Every trainee that completes the process and graduates to become a performer, in some way, shape or form - I take great pride in.
Q) And who is your least favorite? It’s okay if you say Vin Gerard. We’re still trying to get his stink off our sofas.
A) Thanks for making that easy. Vin Gerard.
Q) Is there one student that you trained, that you won’t acknowledge that you trained? Is there anyone who “dropped out” of one of your training classes who went on to fame elsewhere in wrestling?
A) There are certainly those that trained with us for just a short period of time that went on to find work on the circuit before completing the process, or finishing our program. I don't really consider those people to be trained by me. There are people out there that have, literally, spent just a few hours training with me and then tell people "I was trained by Mike Quackenbush." That seems a bit false to me. I find stuff like that floating around Wikipedia or other dubious sources all the time.
Q) Trying into the long running themed shows, from reader Matt Original, any chances of a long running weekly episodic CHIKARA TV show?
A) Certainly anything is possible. A funny story about that. There was talk, not all that long ago, about framing a reality show around what I do for a living. They were most interested in those times when I am hired out to do a seminar for another wrestling group, and then as part of my consulting business, help the company better market, organize and establish their characters and brand. Since 99% of "reality shows" are actually scripted these days, the network involved said it would be very hard to find writers that could tackle the subject matter with real authenticity. To this, I said, that I am a writer - in fact, I've written 6 books, had hundreds of published articles, etc., etc., etc. No one would be more qualified for that job than me. And they laughed at that idea. Nothing I had done, no amount of accolades or other things on my resume to them were even worth talking about, as I had never written TV before. Better to hire a staff of writers instead. That is the insanity of the television industry. So when you watch tripe like TNA or steaming piles of excrement like RAW and wonder - who writes this awful crap? Reflect on this story of mine.
Q) From reader ben, how do you feel CHIKARA would translate to a TV station? And what would the demographic aim be for a CHIKARA TV show?
A) That would really depend on the network itself. Everything is so niche, so narrow-casted these days, that the network defines the tone and demo of the show. And trust me when I tell you, no one is interested in another wrestling show right now.
Q) As a follow up question, what happened with Skayde? Is there any chance of the bridge being rebuilt again after it has been burnt in the past?
A) Our take on what went down is out there in the public forum, and I don't care to recount it here. We've already heard from Jorge crying claims of "miscommunication" and from Turbo, asking to not be booked through Jorge any more to avoid future issues. To sum it up, our final word on it is this: the cost of doing business with Jorge Rivera clearly outweighs the value.
Q) You’ve had a hand in training several guys outside of the CHIKARA realm, the most famous being “death match legends” Danny Havoc and Thumbtack Jack. What the heck went wrong with them? Did they stumble into class on a bad day, maybe catch you before you had your coffee, so instead of arm drags class you beat them with boards with nails in it?!?
A) First off, let me say that I like Danny and Jack quite a bit. They are good people. But aren't we handing out the title of "legend" a little too lightly here? Neither of them has even been around for ten years. Let's give them a chance to earn the title of legend before bestowing it upon them. Now they're going to read this interview, and send me nasty texts and we're all going to have to go out to Dairy Queen to make peace.
Additionally, I never train until after my coffee. Never.
Q) And on a similar note, how do you feel about other students of your’s working death matches? UltraMantis Black did one of the Carnage Cups, Shane Storm/STIGMA worked a CZW death match with Danny Havoc, and Ophidian was scheduled to work a Carnage Cup? What are your opinions on this?
A) I understand that the guys sometimes want to branch out and try new things. More power to them.
Q) General thoughts on Dragon Gate USA?
A) Well, generally speaking, it is a wrestling organization that features Japanese and American talent.
Q) From reader CM Showstopper, do you have any more books on the horizon?
A) Ah....yes and no. I have a book I've been working on for about 9 years now, and it is mostly complete. But it's a monster. About 800 entries, and I just don't know that I will ever finish it. I've also given some thought to starting a book about CHIKARA from the first day forward. I just haven't been able to make time to do it.
Q) From reader Red Dragon, if you could book any dream match, what would it be?
A) Vin Gerard vs. Soap (Soap wins.)
Q) Thoughts on LOST finally ending? How do you feel when people compare CHIKARA to LOST in ways of story writing?
A) I am sad to see it go. I think it is the best thing on television. I like their approach to non-linear storytelling, and a lot can be learned from watching how they structure a season. Any comparison to such a finely-crafted show is very flattering.
Q) Final thoughts, generalization, shows to shill, Frisbees to plug, other assorted merchandise that you’d like to tell people to buy? Websites you like and think people should visit? Open mic.
A) Thanks for giving me a forum to speak, and I hope you'll visit us at chikarapro.com, especially if we are coming to a town near you soon - all information about upcoming events is there! Find us on YouTube or in iTunes, we have a weekly podcast called "CHIKARA Podcast-A-Go-Go" that wins all kinds of awards and is generally considered all kinds of awesome. I also have a non-wrestling (audio) podcast that I do weekly, it can be found at grizzlybearcafe.com. Muchas gracias!
