Spread Thin With A Grin

With some time to reflect on the RCW BOOGIE'S BIRTHDAY BASH at Riders In The Country and realize how big my actual family has grown in the past 25 years around the sport.  Realizing that you are actually talking with several folks in person you've only known on Facebook for years is an interesting experience as well.  Riders will have a million stories, but searching for Robert Stanley a suitable entrance song, he discovered Rebel Meets Rebel, which he'd never heard of.  The second song, titled Rebel Meets Rebel, also features Hank Jr singing on the track, so that was chosen.  I look up and ask "and what's your name?"  "Robert Stanley."  Holy cow, we've been friends for years!  And Rebel Meets Rebel is actually a Pantera project (with the late DIMEBAG DARREL) with David Allan Coe on vocals, that I think was released in 2008 or 2009.  Mr. Kingfish uses the track "One Night Stands" for entrance music from the same album!

I don't know if we'll ever return to Riders for RCW Wrestling, I don't know for sure there will be an event next year at this point.  We had a big turnout, we had Ronnie & Amy from Lizard Lick in the house taping the premiere episode of their new tv show "Lick Life".  The crowd was as excited about being on television as they were about the added attraction show cars and the wrestling event itself and there was a roar throughout the entire evening.  Much like a larger arena show.  I won't lie.  I love Riders In The Country.  But in all honesty, I think maybe I loved George Rider and that bled over into his club and it's facilities.  I certainly felt an empty spot in the building Sunday night, and that was beside the bar where you would often find George grinning like a cheshire cat after complaining loudly about how many hot dogs the wrestlers consumed.  

I got to tell the story during the show Sunday of my first time meeting "Handsome" Jimmy Valiant.  Granted, I'd seen him at the Coliseum at least a dozen times over the years, heck, he was my grandfather's favorite wrestler.  But I remember before one of the very first ACW events that my mother called to tell me she'd met a "celebrity" earlier and was most impressed with his gentle demeanor and sincerely sweet attitude.  Yup, it was one of 3 people in my life that I'll sometimes call "Daddy", Jimmy Valiant.  I met him later that day at the same location and he treated me like an old friend on first meeting.  Pretty sure there's an autographed Polaroid here somewhere of Jimmy and I from that meeting.  [And for the record, the only other 2 folks I have ever called "Daddy" was my dad Jack Hedrick and my buddy Garry Stevens, the Madd Trucker!  Oh, and Dirty Daddy doesn't count!]