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The 97th edition of JG’s Radio Free Insanity is on the air and available right now at WorldWrestlingInsanity.com (Flash and MP3 download) This week's guests are a pair of WWE Hall of Famers.  It's Jimmy and Johnny - The Valiant Brothers.

 

Both shoots took place this week on ClubWWI.com.  The first guest was Jimmy "The Boogie Woogie Man" Valiant.  Jimmy spoke for 44 minutes on ClubWWI about a ton of topics including how Bobby Heenan lead the birth of the Valiants, how he eats soup with such a long beard, kissing Tony Shiavone (on the lips!), changing the Rock's diapers, being the first wrestler to have theme music, Ole Anderson, breaking into the business, Dusty Rhodes, the original Nikolai Volkoff, Verne Gagne, Bobo Brazil's trunks, working with a young Roddy Piper and much more.

 

Then, our second guest, "Luscious" Johnny Valiant came to ClubWWI.com for his 42 minute uncut shoot.  Johnny V talked to James Guttman about so many aspects of his lengthy career.  During his ClubWWI discussion, John talked about being locked in a room with a half naked and "lonely" Andre The Giant, attending military school with a young Vince McMahon, being with AWA during its dying days, meeting Bruno Sammartino, Eric Bischoff getting Verne's coffee, managing Hulk Hogan, appearing on Law and Order and The Sopranos, his Chinese wife, and much more.

 

The Valiants are two of over 100 stars on the Club. Among the other interviews available on ClubWWI.com are Kevin Nash, Vince Russo Eric Bischoff, Jerry Lawler, John Heidenreich, Sid Vicious, Tammy "Sunny" Sytch, Nick "U-Gene" Dinsmore, Christian Cage, Samoa Joe, Chris Masters, Fred "Shockmaster" Ottman, Diamond Dallas Page, Shawn Daivari, La Resistance, The Steiner Brothers, AJ Styles, Demolition, Paul Bearer, Bobby Heenan, Ted DiBiase, Road Warrior Animal, The Iron Sheik, Rhino, Dustin Rhodes, Earl Hebner, Charlie Haas, Christy Hemme, Christopher Daniels, Juvi Guerrera and many more.

 

Before cuing up the interviews, James Guttman discusses the recent WWE DVDs that have come out.  He also reminds listeners to vote for the WorldWrestlingInsanity.com year-end awards.   On top of that, two weeks from now, we'll have the Third Annual Radio Free Insanity Year-End edition - featuring the Top Five Moments of Insanity from 2007.  You can vote for the Top Five crazy moments of the year dropping a line to Insanity@WorldWrestlingInsanity.com

 

JG also speaks about other things you can catch on ClubWWI.com including  "ROH Man Up According to ZAH" audio, Canadian Bulldog's discussion with " (a) Hulk Hogan (soundboard)," JG's reviews of WWE's WCCW and AWA DVDs, plus - just posted - ZAH's weekly Club audio show.  All this along with real time coverage of WWE Armageddon tonight on WorldWrestlingInsanity.com. 

 

After that, JG cues up clips from Jimmy Valiant.

 

-ClubWWI.com Break -

 

James Guttman introduces Jimmy "The Boogie Woogie Man" Valiant and welcomes him to the show.  Jimmy thanks him for calling and says he wants to be the ambassador of professional wrestling now that he's retired. 

 

Guttman asks Jimmy about what he has going on right now.  Valiant says he's running a wrestling camp called "Boogie's Wrestling Camp."  His career went on from 1964 to 2004 and he had about 10,000 matches.  His book, "Woo!  Mercy Daddy," is available on his website (JimmyValiant.com).  It's full of stories from his career. 

 

- ClubWWI.com Break -

 

James brings up the hair matches that Jimmy had with Paul Jones during "Boogie Man Jam '84" and how the feud was allowed to build as long as it was.  Guttman asks if wrestling promoters have the patience to allow a conflict to build like that in 2007.   Boogie Woogie answers:

 

"Well, you know, they should. They're missing the boat, brother. I'm not knocking anything Vince is doing now because, you know, here's what I say to people. Brother, if it wasn't drawing money for WWE, they'll flip it around and figure it out because it's business. But man oh man, I love them personal feuds. That's where your money's at because man, oh, man.  The Assassins.  I worked with the Assassins for a year with Paul Jones and his army.  One solid year.  Finally, they hooked me, man.  They tied me up in the ropes and they took my beard.  They cut my beard and that's when Boogie Jam came around.  It was 1984 and I'm sitting on a curb, man.  I'm down.  Boogie's low and ba-ba-ba.  Anyway, I never could, in that year, I tried to get their masks and for a year I couldn't get it, you know.  Here's the whole thing.  I tell the people on the street, 'I'm gonna give you my heart and my soul.  I'm gonna give you the hair on my head.  I want one more match with eh Assassin and if I don't get that mask, I wanna hold his mask in my right hand for my people.  If I can't take that mask, I'll shave my head.  I don't have nothing left.  Take my hair, man.'  So we put up the mask against the hair.  We went around the loop, man.   You know, brother, every night I took the Assassin's mask off, brother...  It was a hot thing, that Boogie Man Jam, man."

 

Valiant says the feud still has the record for most tickets sold at the North Carolina Civic Center.  The Fire Marshall had to chase people from the building.  Jimmy repeats that it's "personal issues" that truly gets people going. 

 

"That's how we drew money.  We didn't need all the bad gestures and the bad things, you know, the bad language, all the nekkid women and all that."

 

He says that's what's working, but if it didn't work, WWE would change it.  James asks Valiant if he still watches today's wrestling.  Jimmy says he doesn't, but doesn't have to.  Every Sunday, at his training camp, his kids tell him all about it.  He sees WWE every so often and he even has a legends action figure out.  In fact, he thinks there's something in the works for a Valiant Brothers legends figure set in the future. Jimmy's in their Hall of Fame too.  He says he has nothing but good things to say about the business.  He lives it every day of his life. 

 

Valiant then gives directions to Boogie's Training Camp and invites everyone to come check it out. 

 

Guttman tells Jimmy that he asked him about it because he wanted to know his thoughts on the wrestler, The Boogeyman. 

 

"The cat eating the worms? I never seen him. My kids keep me up on it."

 

--
After the clips finish up, James introduces the second guest.  It's Johnny Valiant from his ClubWWI.com shoot.
---
James Guttman introduces Luscious Johnny Valiant to the show and asks what he has going on in his world.  Johnny says he keeps things very simple.  Things aren't too bad.  He does some acting and comedy here and there.  Sometimes he gets on stage.  If not, he can look at people sitting near him on the subway and draw his own conclusions.  He doesn't go to the movies, watch much TV, or follow sports.  He watches the news or listens to radio shows.  He once pursued comedy in New York City, but now sits back and ponders his next move. 

 

Guttman says he's from New York and read about John.  He was doing a one man show for a while.  Valiant says he did.  He was in the East Village doing it.  He received from reviews from The Boston Globe and The Village Voice.  Johnny says it was interesting.  His goal was to move people emotionally.  Hopefully they found out something about themselves in an entertaining manner.  The audience had a predisposed opinion before he came out since he was in the wrestling business.  They usually stereotype wrestlers.  They didn't know if he would come out and be "throwing around chairs" or "acting zany."

 

"I don't really have any  props any longer.  I don't have long bleach blonde hair.  I don't have a fancy sequined jacket.  I don't have sunglasses or Jimmy Valiant next to me or Jerry Valiant or Lou Albano or, in many regards, I certainly don't have an opponent.  Sometimes, the toughest opponent is success.  There's many ways a person can achieve success.  I did.  A limited amount in pro wrestling."

 

Valiant says there weren't many people to see his success since it was territorial back then.  He traveled from show to show, but it wasn't like it is today.  He slept in cars and hotels night after night.  He would drive up with old school wrestlers who were drinking whisky and telling stories. 

 

"They could care less that the roads were freezing up…or their minds."

 

Johnny says that's how you learn.  You learn from the veterans as you travel.  At 61, it's tough to go on stage and let people behind the curtain.  They don't know wrestlers as human beings, much like A-Rod or Mitt Romney.  It's all perception. Fans think they know you, but they don't really know you as a person until you let them.

 

ClubWWI.com Break.

 

Guttman brings up WrestleMania 3 and Johnny V's promo before the Dream Team vs. The Rougeaus.  Valiant ad-libbed a line that James remembers to this day. "Parle vous scrambled eggs, grandma."   Johnny says he pretty much always ad-libbed.  It was all based on his people he had met.  In fact, Valiant says that Tony Altimore, Lou Albano's partner in the Sicilians, had a big effect on the Luscious Johnny V character.  He was quick witted and could think off the top of his head.  It was that mixed with a cab driver mixed with a mob character. 

 

"Then again, what would a guy be doing with bleached blonde hair?  I never see too many guys driving a cab with bleached hair." 

 

Valiant says he hasn't changed much.  He's still the same guy. "A soup of the day type of guy."  Guttman brings up how John was used to get over so many teams.  For example, The Dream Team.

 

"Beefcake never had the capacity to speak too well.  That was part of his persona that he couldn't speak too well.  Uh, he thought he could.  But that made it even that more dangerous because you had Greg Valentine.  He's kinda the slow type.  You put those two together, I was perfect for them." 

 

Remember, both shoots took place this week on ClubWWI.com. Jimmy Valiant spoke for 44 minutes on ClubWWI about a ton of topics including how Bobby Heenan lead the birth of the Valiants, how he eats soup with such a long beard, kissing Tony Shiavone (on the lips!), Ole Anderson, breaking into the business, Dusty Rhodes, the original Nikolai Volkoff, Verne Gagne, Bobo Brazil's trunks, working with a young Roddy Piper and much more.

 

Then, our second guest, "Luscious" Johnny Valiant came to ClubWWI.com for his 42 minute uncut shoot.  Johnny V talked to James Guttman about so many aspects of his lengthy career.  During his ClubWWI discussion, John talked about being locked in a room with a half naked and "lonely" Andre The Giant, attending military school with a young Vince McMahon, being with AWA during its dying days, meeting Bruno Sammartino, Eric Bischoff getting Verne's coffee, managing Hulk Hogan, appearing on Law and Order and The Sopranos, his Chinese wife, and much more.

 

The Valiants are two of over 100 stars on the Club. Among the other interviews available on ClubWWI.com are Kevin Nash, Vince Russo Eric Bischoff, Jerry Lawler, John Heidenreich, Sid Vicious, Tammy "Sunny" Sytch, Nick "U-Gene" Dinsmore, Christian Cage, Samoa Joe, Chris Masters, Fred "Shockmaster" Ottman, Diamond Dallas Page, Shawn Daivari, La Resistance, The Steiner Brothers, AJ Styles, Demolition, Paul Bearer, Bobby Heenan, Ted DiBiase, Road Warrior Animal, The Iron Sheik, Rhino, Dustin Rhodes, Earl Hebner, Charlie Haas, Christy Hemme, Christopher Daniels, Juvi Guerrera, and many more.