IGN interviews Mick Foley - June 2000
Posted by admin admin on Saturday, May 25, 2013
Under: WWF/WWE Interviews
Interview: Mick Foley
He talks about his new children's book, makes Al Snow jokes, and discusses life away from the ring.
June 28, 2000
The following interview comes from IGN Scoops
Mankind…Cactus Jack…Dude Love…
Mick Foley!
After years of sacrificing his body in some of pro wrestling's most memorable matches, Mick Foley walked away from the game in April of 2000. Now he's enjoying retirement from the ring, acting as the new WWF Commissioner, and working on a follow up to his best-selling autobiography 'Have a Nice Day'. This time around he's working on a children's Christmas story called 'Crackers for Breakfast'. I caught up with Mick in Louisville, Kentucky in June of 2000:
Al: You know Mick, the first time I ever saw you, covered in blood and barbed wire and getting blown up with C4 explosives, I said to myself 'now there's a future children's book author'!
Foley: It's not really that ironic. Studies have shown that 63% of all ex-wrestlers at one point or another are going to be writing children's books. I was just following the path. It's almost pre-ordained.
Al: Destiny.
Foley: Exactly. Almost like the Corleones and organized crime. For me I have no other way but the wrestler way. Children's books. I have a question for you…
Al: OK?
Foley: Why are you sitting in a comfortable chair and I've got this metal bar digging into my…uh…upper buttocks area. I can't say a$$, right?
Al: We figured that if you could handle the 16 to 20 foot drop off the steel cage leaning on this rail for pictures would be no big deal!
Foley: I'm retired now! And when I wasn't falling 16 to 20 feet in my spare time I didn't like to be in any pain whatsoever! Which is why I rarely watched Al Snow matches. (insane cackle)
Al: After everything you did in your book to Al…
Foley: Well, he's going to get me back in his book I understand.
Al: Book?
Foley: It's going to be so thin that it only has one side.
Al: More of a pamphlet really.
Foley: Exactly!
Al: Where did you two meet?
Foley: Believe it or not, the first time I met Al was at the Eddie Gilbert Memorial luncheon before the show. The one thing in my book that I said I definitely regret not doing was taking part in that show. But we met there, we were seated at the same table. Al, Dan Severn, and myself. Actually I briefly met Al at an indy show in Michigan when I wrestled Sabu. Very briefly, but it was the first time we got to talking. I never really guessed upon that first meeting that I'd grow to hate him so much.
Al: A very bitter feud.
Foley: Very bitter. It's the only feud I'm aware of that carried through real life onto television and into a book.
Al: He was in your first book so much, does Al make it into the children's book?
Foley: Absolutely! Would you like to hear a little bit of it?
Al: I'd be honored.
Foley: The elves filled out the children's list,
They gave them what they planned.
They even made some Al Snow dolls…
The one's the stores had banned.
Not bad right?
Al: It's beautiful!
Foley: It's got wrestling in there. It didn't start out that way. I didn't sit down to make it wrestling. It just turned in that way:
Santa looked in the mirror and said
My butt looks like Rikishi's does,
And Santa said he did believe
It may have been those million cookies
He ate last Christmas Eve.
That was the first reference. Apparently wrestling is the only thing I know anything about. It became wrestling with a couple of things. Then the editor, Judith Reagan, she's not the editor she is Reagan Books, she really liked it but she wanted to see even more wrestling. So I made a little subplot where Mrs. Claus calls Vince and Vince dispatches a plane full of wrestlers to the North Pole.
Al: And then you have Jerry Lawler doing the illustrations.
Foley: The King. Yeah. We're supposed to keep that a secret. I've got a plan to do an on-air angle…the first on-air children's book angle. It'll be fun. Not a big angle. It certainly won't sell out a pay per view with a writer and an illustrator. But something fun for the show.
Al: How have you been enjoying retirement?
Foley: This is great! I'm really enjoying myself. I'm lucky that wrestling has become…oh, not wrestling. Can't say 'wrestling'. If Vince heard me say that he'd shoot me. That the WWF has become so hot that it has really given me a chance to make a pretty decent living just traveling around.
Al: I know you love amusement parks and they have one not too far from here (Louisville, Kentucky).
Foley: They have a great amusement park! The thing is yesterday I was signing autographs at Six Flags New England. It was a paid appearance…jeez that was a tough time! I signed for two hours while my son Dewey was drawing pictures while I was signing. Then I notice this little sign that says 'You can buy this picture - 25 cents'! And I thought he was nuts! But sure enough, this woman comes up with a quarter. So I told him, ' make it 50!' So he makes it 50 cents and people are pulling out dollar bills! The kid made $43 yesterday!!!
Al: A little entrepreneur over there!
Foley: Not too bad, right?!?! That's good business! He had a product that people wanted and took advantage of it.
Al: With you love of parks and being a hardcore legend, is there any ride that you won't go on?
Foley: Yeah! There are some rides due to some, ahem, physical restrictions. A team of experts tried to push me into the Batman ride at Six Flags and I just wouldn't fit into that pre-made groove. A little embarrassing.
Al: Break out the jaws of life to extract you.
Foley: And you know what? I can go on any roller coaster, but those circular rides that go round and round, the kind you can find at any carnival, they make me a little ill. The guy who was supposed to meet me at the airport today wasn't there, so I picked up my own car. I was feeling a little tense and then I saw on the map a little kid's park called 'Coney Island'. About 15 miles away. So Dewey and I went there and hit 7 rides before we came back. I hit a park today, so I feel pretty good about it.
Al: We're going to be talking with Al Snow a little bit later, so are you up for a little game?
Foley: Sure!
Al: Like the Newlywed Game. Let's see how well you and Al know each other.
Foley: Sounds good.
Al: What would you say was the most embarrassing character Al Snow has portrayed? You've got your Shinobi, your Avitar, your Leif Cassidy, and of course Al Snow.
Foley: I think (laughs) I think the Al Snow 'look at me I'm nuts' character. I was the guy who told Al when he turned on me, 'maybe you should do away with that "Help Me" on your head, maybe people will take you more seriously'. In all honesty when Al started being Al, I thought he was tremendous. But the few weeks there when they had the angle with The Blue Meanie coming out and saying, 'thanks to medication Al Snow is all better'. I thought that was kinda' weak. So I'll have to say it's the 'look at me I'm nuts' Al Snow.
Al: Wilma or Betty?
Foley: (Laughs) Betty, I like red-heads! I do!
Al: Wilma was the red-head. Betty had dark hair and was married to Barney.
Foley: That's right. And Wilma was a little demanding.
Al: And she had those beadie little eyes.
Foley: I'd say that Pebbles by this point has got to be a knockout.
Al: No question.
Foley: I still like red-heads. My wife's not a red-head, so I probably shouldn't say that. Not a flaming red-head. Like an auburn. It goes back to my Dolly Parton years. When she sings about Jolene. (sings)' Jolene, Jolene, with flaming locks of auburn hair and ivory skin and eyes of emerald green.' I think that's been my dream woman for some time.
Al: Then definitely Ginger over Marianne.
Foley: Definitely! No question about it. Although I've heard that Ginger didn't age well. Meanwhile, despite the fact that they were sending illegal drugs through the mail, you've got to admire the fact that Dawn Welles and Gilligan, the fact that they've remained friends is something to be proud of. If it had been a postcard instead of marijuana, it would've been commendable.
Al: Finally, if they were going to make "Al Snow: The Movie" tomorrow, who'd play Al Snow?
Foley: (Laughs) I think Al Snow would have to play Al Snow. Even if you had a casting cattle call, nobody is showing up at that audition. Al Snow by process of elimination. There's no manager or agent in the world that's going to send a client to an Al Snow audition!
Al: Best of luck with the new book!
Foley: Thanks…Have a Nice Day!!!
He talks about his new children's book, makes Al Snow jokes, and discusses life away from the ring.
June 28, 2000
The following interview comes from IGN Scoops
Mankind…Cactus Jack…Dude Love…
Mick Foley!
After years of sacrificing his body in some of pro wrestling's most memorable matches, Mick Foley walked away from the game in April of 2000. Now he's enjoying retirement from the ring, acting as the new WWF Commissioner, and working on a follow up to his best-selling autobiography 'Have a Nice Day'. This time around he's working on a children's Christmas story called 'Crackers for Breakfast'. I caught up with Mick in Louisville, Kentucky in June of 2000:
Al: You know Mick, the first time I ever saw you, covered in blood and barbed wire and getting blown up with C4 explosives, I said to myself 'now there's a future children's book author'!
Foley: It's not really that ironic. Studies have shown that 63% of all ex-wrestlers at one point or another are going to be writing children's books. I was just following the path. It's almost pre-ordained.
Al: Destiny.
Foley: Exactly. Almost like the Corleones and organized crime. For me I have no other way but the wrestler way. Children's books. I have a question for you…
Al: OK?
Foley: Why are you sitting in a comfortable chair and I've got this metal bar digging into my…uh…upper buttocks area. I can't say a$$, right?
Al: We figured that if you could handle the 16 to 20 foot drop off the steel cage leaning on this rail for pictures would be no big deal!
Foley: I'm retired now! And when I wasn't falling 16 to 20 feet in my spare time I didn't like to be in any pain whatsoever! Which is why I rarely watched Al Snow matches. (insane cackle)
Al: After everything you did in your book to Al…
Foley: Well, he's going to get me back in his book I understand.
Al: Book?
Foley: It's going to be so thin that it only has one side.
Al: More of a pamphlet really.
Foley: Exactly!
Al: Where did you two meet?
Foley: Believe it or not, the first time I met Al was at the Eddie Gilbert Memorial luncheon before the show. The one thing in my book that I said I definitely regret not doing was taking part in that show. But we met there, we were seated at the same table. Al, Dan Severn, and myself. Actually I briefly met Al at an indy show in Michigan when I wrestled Sabu. Very briefly, but it was the first time we got to talking. I never really guessed upon that first meeting that I'd grow to hate him so much.
Al: A very bitter feud.
Foley: Very bitter. It's the only feud I'm aware of that carried through real life onto television and into a book.
Al: He was in your first book so much, does Al make it into the children's book?
Foley: Absolutely! Would you like to hear a little bit of it?
Al: I'd be honored.
Foley: The elves filled out the children's list,
They gave them what they planned.
They even made some Al Snow dolls…
The one's the stores had banned.
Not bad right?
Al: It's beautiful!
Foley: It's got wrestling in there. It didn't start out that way. I didn't sit down to make it wrestling. It just turned in that way:
Santa looked in the mirror and said
My butt looks like Rikishi's does,
And Santa said he did believe
It may have been those million cookies
He ate last Christmas Eve.
That was the first reference. Apparently wrestling is the only thing I know anything about. It became wrestling with a couple of things. Then the editor, Judith Reagan, she's not the editor she is Reagan Books, she really liked it but she wanted to see even more wrestling. So I made a little subplot where Mrs. Claus calls Vince and Vince dispatches a plane full of wrestlers to the North Pole.
Al: And then you have Jerry Lawler doing the illustrations.
Foley: The King. Yeah. We're supposed to keep that a secret. I've got a plan to do an on-air angle…the first on-air children's book angle. It'll be fun. Not a big angle. It certainly won't sell out a pay per view with a writer and an illustrator. But something fun for the show.
Al: How have you been enjoying retirement?
Foley: This is great! I'm really enjoying myself. I'm lucky that wrestling has become…oh, not wrestling. Can't say 'wrestling'. If Vince heard me say that he'd shoot me. That the WWF has become so hot that it has really given me a chance to make a pretty decent living just traveling around.
Al: I know you love amusement parks and they have one not too far from here (Louisville, Kentucky).
Foley: They have a great amusement park! The thing is yesterday I was signing autographs at Six Flags New England. It was a paid appearance…jeez that was a tough time! I signed for two hours while my son Dewey was drawing pictures while I was signing. Then I notice this little sign that says 'You can buy this picture - 25 cents'! And I thought he was nuts! But sure enough, this woman comes up with a quarter. So I told him, ' make it 50!' So he makes it 50 cents and people are pulling out dollar bills! The kid made $43 yesterday!!!
Al: A little entrepreneur over there!
Foley: Not too bad, right?!?! That's good business! He had a product that people wanted and took advantage of it.
Al: With you love of parks and being a hardcore legend, is there any ride that you won't go on?
Foley: Yeah! There are some rides due to some, ahem, physical restrictions. A team of experts tried to push me into the Batman ride at Six Flags and I just wouldn't fit into that pre-made groove. A little embarrassing.
Al: Break out the jaws of life to extract you.
Foley: And you know what? I can go on any roller coaster, but those circular rides that go round and round, the kind you can find at any carnival, they make me a little ill. The guy who was supposed to meet me at the airport today wasn't there, so I picked up my own car. I was feeling a little tense and then I saw on the map a little kid's park called 'Coney Island'. About 15 miles away. So Dewey and I went there and hit 7 rides before we came back. I hit a park today, so I feel pretty good about it.
Al: We're going to be talking with Al Snow a little bit later, so are you up for a little game?
Foley: Sure!
Al: Like the Newlywed Game. Let's see how well you and Al know each other.
Foley: Sounds good.
Al: What would you say was the most embarrassing character Al Snow has portrayed? You've got your Shinobi, your Avitar, your Leif Cassidy, and of course Al Snow.
Foley: I think (laughs) I think the Al Snow 'look at me I'm nuts' character. I was the guy who told Al when he turned on me, 'maybe you should do away with that "Help Me" on your head, maybe people will take you more seriously'. In all honesty when Al started being Al, I thought he was tremendous. But the few weeks there when they had the angle with The Blue Meanie coming out and saying, 'thanks to medication Al Snow is all better'. I thought that was kinda' weak. So I'll have to say it's the 'look at me I'm nuts' Al Snow.
Al: Wilma or Betty?
Foley: (Laughs) Betty, I like red-heads! I do!
Al: Wilma was the red-head. Betty had dark hair and was married to Barney.
Foley: That's right. And Wilma was a little demanding.
Al: And she had those beadie little eyes.
Foley: I'd say that Pebbles by this point has got to be a knockout.
Al: No question.
Foley: I still like red-heads. My wife's not a red-head, so I probably shouldn't say that. Not a flaming red-head. Like an auburn. It goes back to my Dolly Parton years. When she sings about Jolene. (sings)' Jolene, Jolene, with flaming locks of auburn hair and ivory skin and eyes of emerald green.' I think that's been my dream woman for some time.
Al: Then definitely Ginger over Marianne.
Foley: Definitely! No question about it. Although I've heard that Ginger didn't age well. Meanwhile, despite the fact that they were sending illegal drugs through the mail, you've got to admire the fact that Dawn Welles and Gilligan, the fact that they've remained friends is something to be proud of. If it had been a postcard instead of marijuana, it would've been commendable.
Al: Finally, if they were going to make "Al Snow: The Movie" tomorrow, who'd play Al Snow?
Foley: (Laughs) I think Al Snow would have to play Al Snow. Even if you had a casting cattle call, nobody is showing up at that audition. Al Snow by process of elimination. There's no manager or agent in the world that's going to send a client to an Al Snow audition!
Al: Best of luck with the new book!
Foley: Thanks…Have a Nice Day!!!
In : WWF/WWE Interviews