Interviews (62)
Rick Martel
Like so many, I started watching Professional Wrestling in 1984. At that time Vince McMahon was deep in the process of taking his company National, and turning both the World Wrestling Federation and his biggest star, Hulk Hogan into household names. As I fell in love with the pageantry and spectacle of the industry I wanted to learn as much of it as I could.","Like so many, I started watching Professional Wrestling in 1984. At that time Vince McMahon was deep in the process of taking his company National, and turning both the World Wrestling Federation and his biggest star, Hulk Hogan into household names. As I fell in love with the pageantry and spectacle of the industry I wanted to learn as much of it as I could. Back then, the easiest way to do that was by magazines, specifically the Pro Wrestling Illustrated series. It was there I learned about the competition to the WWF, specifically the National Wrestling Alliance and the American Wrestling Association. This allowed me to learn of names like Harley Race, Ric Flair, The Road Warriors and the man who was the AWA World Champion at that time, Rick Martel. Little did I know that over twenty five years later I would have the chance to interview the man who would become the man who transformed himself into “The Model”, one of the top villains of the late 80’s and early 90’s for the WWF.
Charles Connor - The Original Drummer for Little Richard
It isn’t every day that you get to speak to a legend. Recently, we here at notinhalloffame.com had the opportunity to chat with Charles Connor, the original drummer for Little Richard. Our conversation with Charles allowed us to speak to a man who was not only a witness to the birth of Rock and Roll, but also the man who created its engine.
Charles Connor was born in the cradle of American Music, New Orleans, Louisiana, to a Creole mother and a Merchant Marine father from Santo Domingo. Connor jokes that when his mother would walk by a funeral procession, he would “be kicking in the womb along with the music.” Recognizing his talent at a young age (Connor earned money as a toddler tap dancing for white tourists), his parents bought him his first drum set. Even when he was not at his set, Connor would literally bang out beats on whatever was in front of him. This included school desks that drove teachers crazy, but Charles couldn’t resist the temptation as he “just loved the sound those hollow desks would make.”