Archive for May, 2008

I guess I didn’t do one last week with everything going on, so here we go.

I was feeling a little musical this week. This was a music video/highlight reel commissioned for the Hollywood Balds using their entrance, “BALD” by The Darkness, that I put together back in December.

• Hollywood Balds consist of “Deeeelicious” Jimmy Demarco and Vendetta in the IWC.
• This video was a lot of fun to put together.
• I make several “cameos” in this one in the crowd (typically upper right side)
• Jimmy Demarco reminds me of the video every time I run into him.
• Most of the footage is from the Hollywood Balds’ matches at the Court Time Sports Center in Elizabeth, PA, one is from Newville, PA, if I recall correctly.
• Sorg isn’t a fan of the Darkness. But this song is awesome.
• This was only my second attempt at a music video, I believe.

Hope you dug it. Hope you rocked it. Have another one next week.

When I started getting into the Juggalo community, around 2000, I noticed a trend that we all embraced the internet and grew strong. ICP has garnered an online following that, I’m sure, suppresses their need to invest in “traditional” means of advertising. How many tours and albums are released with an internet push, almost alone, and made it to top 10s and sold out venues. From the Faygoluvers, to RealJuggalos, TheSixth.com, Milenko500, and all of the little regional web sites that popped up (including WPAJ).

For the past several years, I have noticed some trends. First, the “thinning” of juggalo sites. There have been less and less presence of lasting Juggalo sites. Everyone goes to Faygoluvers and JuggaloNews to get their news. In some cases, more than going to ICP or Twiztid’s site. Fact: According to Alexa.com, Faygoluvers.net does indeed rank higher in visitors that insaneclownposse.com.

Also, over the last couple of years, we have embraced some new things, such as Shoutcast streams, Podcasts, and more. I’ve had the pleasure to help teach at several seminars since, and want to make sure the Juggalos are looking forward as well.

I’ve talked with plenty of people at these conferences that are considered experts in social networks and new media, and they are often amazed by our community’s efforts and gatherings of great numbers of people, including the incredible Kennywood group pictures, comedy shows, and release parties. And I’m not ready to think that we can’t repeat, of even grow this success.

So what are we to do, as a community? We embraced web sites and message boards. But what’s next? How to we keep these thing going?

Already, many have taken on social networking. Just search “Juggalo” on Myspace and you get scores of profiles. There are a smattering of Myspace Groups, but very few have any real conversation going on. The people that put together myhatchetspace.com know how important all of this is.

I encourage productive ‘lo’s to look into Podcasting. With limited computer knowledge, and sometimes, just with a phone, you can start a show that can be done live, accept callers, run a live chat room, on several services with ease, including Talkshoe.com (where we host Mayhem and WPAJ Interview), Blogtalkradio.com (where Jury does The Artist Point), and even BlogTV.com (where we simulcast Mayhem Show live). Both of the Podcasting option also get your show on itunes and other Podcasting directories, making your shows instantly available to thousands(millions?) of potential listeners.

And as far as keeping it social, I recommend Juggalos look to these portable social sites. Twitter, you’ve seen at the top of WPAJ with a stream of WPAJ ninjas. It’s like a giant chat room that we all share. The real appeal is the ability to get this service on your cell phone (hope you have unlimited text messages) and being able to connect anywhere you’re at. Another service on it’s way is Brightkite. Much like Twitter, but you can check in at a location, send photos, messages, and see if there are other ninjas on your list in your neighborhood to connect with.

I want to extend a hand of help to anyone who may be inspired to start something like this, or participate in any of the sites mentioned. If anyone has any questions about what’s new in this “Web 2.0″ world, feel free to contact me, Juggalos. Hit me up on AIM at spsjuggalo, or my personal email at mikesorg@gmail.com.

I invite all the Juggalos to contribute their thoughts on our newly rechristianed WPAJ Board at this thread.

It was a marathon, but we have three new interviews up on the WPAJ Interview Feed!

First, one of three groups debuting at Sorgstock Spring Edition in just over a week, Poetically Gifted Honkeys. Check them out at www.Myspace.com/poeticallygiftedhonkeys.

Next, another Pittsburgh talent, we talk with Sikes about his debut album, his rock band, Cassonova Sparks, and what’s coming up for Sikes! Check him out at www.Myspace.com/therealsikes!

Last, we talk to Psycho Jesus about the Blaze tour, the Gathering, Mario Kart, and look out for those cars. Scope him out at www.Myspace.com/psychojesus

Lunchbox and Missfit are live at the Creative Treehouse with some Pod People! Thanks to Jesse for letting us record!

Part 1 We talk wrestling news, RAW, Steelcity Wrestlefest, and we are joined by Norm Huelsman, of the StromHuelsman Podcast, and Casual Magic.

Part 2 We cover the fan mail and discuss some wrestling, as LB and Missfit enjoy their wheelie chairs.

This is Episode 118 for Tuesday, May 27, 2008. You can get the episode here on Talkshoe, subscribe, and as always, stay tuned to www.WrestlingMayhemShow.com for the latest! The Wrestling Mayhem Show is recorded live and can be heard/viewed from 8 PM to 10 PM Eastern on Talkshoe.com and BlogTV.com.

From www.WesternPAJuggalos.com:

Hey guys. I received an email just this evening from an old friend of the site, Fat Toney.

Now, Fat Toney was one of the guys that got me into that whole “streaming radio” concept a few years ago that spawned WPAJ Radio and, eventually, the WPAJ podcasts I run, in the Wrestling Mayhem Show and WPAJ Interview. In the long run, I have a lot to thank him for leading me to the position in this town’s blogosphere community I have today. We finally got to meet at the Juggalo Day at Kennywood in 2003, as well as the Gathering of the Juggalos that next year, I believe. He’s had a lot of stuff in his life, a wife and a child, that made him move away from this community and go on with his life, keeping in touch all along with me.

Here is an excerpt from his email explaining his situation:

No secret that I am an avid wrestling fan/podcaster, and Web 2.0 aficionado. Well, I think it’s high time WWE.com’s producers attended a Podcamp session or two…

Things I like about WWE.com

• The Dirt Sheet and Santino’s Casa are some of the best WWE segments not on TV right now. (and they should be). If this were the days of syndicated Superstars and Wrestling Challenge of 15 years ago, they would find a home there.
• The inclusion of “industry news” is a great way to show WWE as the dominant role they are, and still scratch the backs of the “undercard” of the business that they derive their talent pool from, in most cases. Even their “competitor” in TNA is listed in several stories, as well as Ring of Honor.
• Thank you for cleaning up the navigation as of late. It was getting hard to find something as simple as title histories and future PPV schedules before now.

But WWE.com, Joey Styles, here are some things that will make your site truely up to date.

• Lose the Windows Media Player. It’s a bitch to use in non-IE browsers, as most haven’t them up properly, or have some sort of relationship problem, from my experience. I do see your attempts at incorporating Silverlight, starting with the ECW content. Time will tell what that brings.
• RSS Feeds. I would love to hook up WWE.com in my Google Reader to see when my favorite segments (the Sheet and Casa, mentioned above) and even news stories, without me having to peruse the site and discover these updates on my own.
• As an attachment to that, itunes! Why wouldn’t I be able to do the same with the videos in my itunes! automatically serve me the WWE.com segments I want. They could even sxpand their on demand service they push through their web site to watch old matches and PPVs for purchase through there. No reason DVD releases and events couldn’t be released here as well.

But overall, I’m surprisingly happy in the direction of the site since Joey Styles’ reassignment as .com bossman.

For those close to me, you know something horrible happened this past week. I don’t know what I’m going to say, but I need this right now….

Last Tuesday night, my cousin, Tom Lorigan, was stabbed and killed in Greenville, PA. His daughter, Heather, was also stabbed in the head. She is in critical condition, almost a week later now.

There are many updates on the situation, thus far.

I can’t say that I was close to either. I had little dealings with them over the past years. Tom was living down the road from my father at my grandparents’ old house, through some turns of events. Much of the Sorg side of my family seemed detached, from my point of view. Things just stopped after Grandpa died, and Grandma’s deteriorating condition set this drift in stone. My immediate family was closer than ever. So I didn’t know what to think, going up for the funeral. I was shocked at the events. Mortified that it was my family. But I didn’t get hit with the emotional impact of what and who it was until Monday morning. My cousin Andy had a beautiful speech about Tom. Even taking responsibility for the “long hair trend” he started as a high school rocker, that spread to Tom, and still lives on with my father, brother, and myself. Connie came up as well. I knew she grew up alongside all of the Lorigan boys. So I expected something from her.

I honestly never had much interaction aside from all of those family gatherings that I’ve long forgotten about, I suppose. The mentions about Tom being the bit of a prankster, playing with snakes (which I, for one, hated it, and not still fond of snakes). I remembered playing with Heather and Rachel, and always running into them in the hallways when I transferred to Greenville for my last years of school. They were just there. And now they’re not.

This is something that won’t die, really. Heather is still in the hospital, fighting for her life. I don’t think I could possibly expect a “full” recovery from the injuries she received. Two very young children witnessed this event, and will be affected for years to come. Greenville will feel it for a long time, much like a high school suicide that occurred before I came along. Just a glance at this message board gives you an idea of what’s going one up there. The man arrested just hung himself Saturday in his jail cell. That is one less source of answers to this damn thing.

And what a commentary on our day when, minutes after seeing the article naming the killers’ arrest, I found myself on a myspace page for the girl mentioned. It was a surreal moment to see this page with the two of them, and “friends” and comments back and forth with the kids and their mother and Heather’s sister. I didn’t even know Tom had a myspace page until it was mentioned in the newspaper.

This was a horrible incident. And it’s going to get worse, and probably weirder, before it gets better.

I was snookered into renting “In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale” and finally watched it this evening. Now, I recognized “Dungeon Siege” as a video game I never played, and thought it to be purely coincidence. But as the opening titles rolled, I was damaged by the name…Uwe Boll…So now…

Things that I’ve learned from Uwe Boll

1. There are very few movies that I will take out of my DVD player, place back into the little red envelope, and place into my mailbox without finishing. And I’ve rented some crap before.
2. Actors that kick ass in other movies, such as Jason Statham (The Transporter), Ron Pierce(?Hellboy), and Burt Reynolds (anything cool in the last 20 years) are not enough to save a movie like this. I was even excited to see Matthew Lillard(Hackers, Scream)
3. Jason Statham has some great fight scenes in his career. This does not translate into large army battles int he middle of the woods, or the keen use of a damn boomerang.
4. The wizard guy in this reminds me of a show of better quality. Sliders. Yes, I said Sliders. Even that was better than this crap. (disclaimer: Sorg is a Sliders fan, yet still acknowledges it’s quality)
5. Uwe Boll is a genius in taking advantage of his native German entertainment industry tax-break laws to finance his films (producers receive a 100% deductible, it seems) If only the producers of acclaimed films such as Pan’s Labyrinth take advantage of such things.
6. The trailer was very deceptive in the film’s awesomeness. Kudos to the trailer editors who hid the horridness of this. They even did this without showing Burt Reynolds as the king! That alone would have tricked me into this rental.
7. Ninja archers and vine lesbians were the oddest additions.
8. And Ray Liotta has a sweet leather jacket for being in medieval times

It’s coming sooner than you think, and the words are starting to be exchanged betweent he combatants! Here’s the latest lineup!

Presented by
www.WrestlingMayhemShow.com

DDW Prove Yourself Match
Bobby Danger vs Lucian X

Masked Challenge Match!
Ro-Sham-Bo vs The Sparrow

Plus Elder Statesman, MexicanJewLizard, Sweaty Snatch, Chupa Thingie and more!

SorgStock 2008: Spring Edition
June 7
5:00 PM to All Night Long
191 Ray Road, Jamestown, PA 1s6134
Google Maps * MapQuest

Doc Remedy, Lunchbox and FOTS Missy are in studio and ready to Mayhem!

Part 1 We talk to XPW’s GQ Money about the upcoming XPW reunion show, and the Ab Rocket?

Part 2 We talk to Pittsburgh legend and B-94 DJ, Bubba the Bulldog about starting IWC, his experiences over his 12 year career, and him finally getting his hands on Kurt Angle this Saturday at Steel City WrestleFest!!! We also get Fanmail and a call from “Macho”.

This is Episode 117 for Tuesday, May 20, 2008. You can get the episode here on Talkshoe, subscribe, and as always, stay tuned to www.WrestlingMayhemShow.com for the latest! The Wrestling Mayhem Show is recorded live and can be heard/viewed from 8 PM to 10 PM Eastern on Talkshoe.com and BlogTV.com.

BlogTV.com videos from this week’s show…
MayhemCam: Stoke Missy
MayhemCam: Clown Apology
MayhemCam: Monkey Thing
MayhemCam:Kendo Stick
MayhemCam: Macho Monkey
MayhemCam: “I’m Chachi”
MayhemCam: Foam Penis
MayhemCam: Dr. Feelbad Nut Sack
MayhemCam: Dance Outro