c.
2018 Rod Ice
All
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(8-18)
Good
vibes from the 80’s.
The
appearance of Jeanne ‘Hollywood’ Basone and Cheryl ‘Lightning’
Rusa on Cult Radio A Go-Go evoked many personal memories. In
particular, watching the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling program on
Saturday afternoons, many years ago. With Terry & Tiffany DuFoe,
they interviewed other members of the cast, via telephone. The yield
was a time-travel adventure to an age of big-haired glory.
For
this writer, the streamcast of Internet radio revived a moment not so
fettered with cares and concerns of adult life. I worked a regular
job, had a wife and kid at home, and used spare hours to hammer out
motorcycle stories on my Royal KMM typewriter, a post-war relic from
Cornell University.
My
interaction with Jeanne about her colorful career helped inspire
three columns. Afterward, only one task remained. I needed to have a
look at the cause for this lady-wrestling revival. Namely, the recent
Netflix series, GLOW.
With
a soundtrack of familiar tunes from that era, it was easy to slip
into the groove created by Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch. The theme of
ambitious, young women caught in a whirlwind of seedy business
practices and harsh, alpha-male culture seemed compelling. Was this
satire or dark comedy? I reckoned a bit of both.
The
series began with Ruth Wilder, played by Alison Brie. Her fresh-faced
optimism seemed enticing. Yet she quickly developed a bad case of
emotional sunburn in the overheated scene of California
entertainment. Her counterpart and opponent, Debbie Eagan, played by
Betty Gilpin, exuded the sort of glitter and glitz much loved by the
camera. But with a brokenness underneath.
Director
Sam Sylvia, played by Marc Maron, provided a foundation for the show.
His persistent appearance as a low-budget, cinematic guru-wannabe,
with the shallow soul of a braying ass, worked in terms of the
script. His focus was on the outcome of production. Not on the
players or even on the woman revealed to be his daughter. Still, this
single-mindedness was voiced with vacuous authenticity.
If
anything, his character hit too close to the bullseye for my own
comfort.
I
could see a sad bit of myself in this character. The sin of exclusion
to reach personal goals. Of putting aside family and friends in the
name of creative fulfillment. Failings too familiar to admit
willingly. Guilt made me redden with embarrassment. I had sometimes
stumbled as a husband and father. But never as a wordsmith, pursuing
the elusive goal of one big career strike to keep my professional
mojo in motion.
I
had faith that a finished manuscript would bring absolution.
My
favorite from the GLOW cast came unexpectedly. After watching a
couple of episodes, I realized that Sheila the She-Wolf, played by
Gayle Rankin, was a mirror-image of my un-girlfriend and
partner-in-obscurity, Janis. Both she and Sheila were outliers,
socially awkward, not given to manifestations of prevailing feminine
style, and intriguing. Though my friend would have been a
grade-school child in the middle 1980’s.
With
each new episode, I wondered about her back story.
Janis
entered my personal orbit as a companion for visits to the local
Chinese buffet, about nine years ago. She was someone I saw on the
job in Geneva at a time when two divorces, bouts of unemployment and
financial ruin had humbled my cockiness. I eschewed going out to eat
alone. Her company was welcome relief from my gloom. Eventually, our
paths began to mingle with purpose. Not in a traditional, romantic
sense, but as two dissimilar spirits with a need for warmth against
the cold of night.
She
often looked like a She-Wolf, with a long mane draped over her
tattered hoodie, T-shirt and work pants. For months on the job, she
wore a plastic spider around her neck on a cord. No one had the
courage to inquire about its heritage. While others basked in the
rays of summer, she exuded joy when skies turned gray. She was
cheerfully anti-social. Not with malice, but simply with a love of
being alone. Her circle of friends stayed small. Somehow, I entered
that group after a few meals of General Tso’s Chicken. Even after
retiring in 2016, my membership card remained active.
I
soon discovered that Janis lived near Lake Erie, on a rural road. She
liked to walk together and engage in conversation, while smoking
menthol cigarettes. At first, I had reckoned her to be numb in terms
of current events and popular culture. But she began to relate a
growing fan-fascination with ‘The Walking Dead.’ After hearing
various episodes described in detail, I was motivated to find the
series on my Roku device. I binge-watched it while grinning over
familiar scenes.
Eventually,
our jaunts down the tarmac encompassed more than television reviews.
She began to peck away with questions about psychology, politics,
religion and mortality. I watched her in silent wonder. Who was my
new companion? Each page of her spoken-word-diary seemed to cover
many more, as yet unread.
As
with the character of Sheila, I had wondered about her back story.
For
myself, the modern GLOW offered a moment of synchronicity. A tendency
of similar things to happen in harmony with each other. As retirement
and disability had me looking backward, toward distant echoes of joy,
the series fit that mood completely. I felt eager to watch how the
tale would develop, in season three.
Meanwhile,
the real-time saga of Janis also had me anxious to listen, and learn.
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