The true champions of the world this week are Spencer Rice and Marco D’Auria! These two magnificent monsters of the squared circle took Mike to wrestling school. Marco had all the signed memorabilia. Spenny had the stories and the memories. From Toronto to Buffalo and beyond, we rapped about golden wrestling memories. One thing is certain: the impression that those characters and storylines had on us impressionable young kids was significant!
We talked a little bit about Kenny Vs. Spenny but mainly focused on wrestling. Spenny’s favourites, such as Bobo Brazil and the (Original) Sheik, received a lot of love, as did mine, Andre the Giant. The 70s, the 80s, the 90s…we tried to touch upon all our golden eras.
Thank you so much Spencer Rice for taking an hour out of your long weekend to geek out with Marco and I. Special thanks to John Clauser and James Kalyn for your video submissions (sorry James I had trouble downloading yours), and thanks to my dad for the notes and videos. And to Marco for kicking total ass!
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man presents:
Episode 20: SPENCER “SPENNY” RICE talks Rasslin’ with Mike and Marco D’Auria
Anybody who knows Kenny Vs. Spenny already understands that Spencer Rice is an aficionado of wrestling. He may not be the best wrestler (Kenny won that competition by cheating), but Spenny is the real fan. He knows the names, the places, the stories. I’m proud to present the one and only Spencer Rice, tonight on Grab A Stack of Rock.
Joining me will be another diehard wrestling fan: Marco D’Auria from the Contrarians! We also have a video submission from John Clauser (The Contrarians), and some notes from the 1950s from my dad.
“Let’s talk rasslin’!” said Spenny. And talk we shall. Tonight!
Friday May 19 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. Enjoy onYouTube or on Facebook!
Thank you Marco from the Contrarians for this honour. I really loved doing this interview, and I really appreciate the chance to talk about myself and the things I love the most. I got to tell some of my favourite stories, and plug Grab a Stack of Rock with the Mad Metal Man. I also did a horrific Australian accent. Please enjoy!
And Marco…thanks again, this meant the world to me.
Extra special surprise tonight as Marco D’Auria joined us to show off the new Mystique DVD and some Elvis treasures: magazines, books and records! East coast radio legend Tim Durling also came by with some tapes, records and CDs of his own. As for me, I unboxed Rush’s Permanent Waves deluxe set, a beautiful Savatage Poets and Madmen vinyl reissue, and showed off a complete set of all four Fish-era Marillion studio box sets.
Meanwhile, Harrison the Mad Metal Man dodged a question and a half, while Mike revealed what his stripper song would be.
Have a safe and happy Christmas! We will see you next week on Dec 30th for a drop-in special!
Marco, Tim and I had a blast taking a deep dive into Kiss’ Creatures of the Night album, box set, and tour! Marco presented a collection of four Kiss bootlegs from the Creatures era. Tim brought the vinyl and cassettes. He even had a related 8-track tape. I dove deep into the Kiss box set: the book, the goodies, the music, the stories and the packaging! (For those asking me for a box set review, this is pretty much it!) Additionally, Uncle Meat stopped by with his memories of seeing the Creatures tour at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Finally, “Ask Harrison” returned with two of the best questions for my Aussie co-host yet. Harrison doesn’t have much in the way of Kiss but did present some interesting stuff in terms of Slade, Deep Purple, Def Leppard, and more.
GRAB A STACK OF ROCK…with Mike and the Mad Metal Man Episode 5: Special guests Marco D’Auria and Tim Durling
Week five of Grab a Stack of Rock, and the Kiss Creatures of the Night box set has finally arrived! And it’s awesome – the best Kiss box set to date. We’ll tell you why tonight. Additionally, Marco D’Auria and Tim Durling from the Contrarians will be on hand to show off some of their own Kiss goodies. D’ya think Tim will have 8-track tapes? What are the odds?
The popular “Ask Harrison” feature also returns, with two of the best questions yet. Let’s hope our boy from Australia is ready!
Friday November 25 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook.
A big thanks to Marco D’Auria and special surprise guest Martin Popoff, for schooling us on Mystique! From Hamilton Ontario, Mystique were a metal band with a riffy progressive rock bent. Though they later evolved into a more hard rock sound, their metal side seems to be what has stuck with fans and collectors over the decades. Their highly sought physical product commands high prices for original copies. In this interview we covered:
The starting point, and Martin’s role in the genesis of the film
Mystique, their sound, image, and rare releases
Exclusive clips from the documentary film Mystique: Standing on the Firing Line
Rare memorabilia
The Hamilton music scene
The future
See what the fuss was all about in Standing on the Firing Line: the Mystique documentary! The film will be premiering in September:
The Westdale 1014 King Street West Hamilton, ON L8S 1L4
Friday September 16, 7:30 PM
The band will be there, memorabilia will be on display in a “Mystique museum” of sorts. Martin Popoff will be on hand and Marco will be introducing the film in person. Tickets are still available. Get your tickets by clicking here.
Additionally, we made the difficult announcement that this episode will be the final LeBrain Train. Two and a half years ago, a pandemic changed everything about the way we interact socially. Now the world is changing again and I need to re-prioritise certain things in my life. I spent a lot of Friday nights in front of a screen talking to you, laughing with you, sharing with you and surviving a pandemic with you. Now I’d like to spend Friday nights looking at sunsets with Mrs. LeBrain.
It has been a pleasure and a privilege doing this for two and a half years, and I thank you all for making it possible!
Thank you to Meat, Harrison, Deke, Tee Bone, Kevin, Sarah, John, Geoff, Aaron, Marco, Tim, Rob Daniels, Robert Lawson, Max, Dr. Dave, Dr. Kathryn, James, J, Lana, Erik, Thussy, Dranovous, Michael Morwood, Mike Slayen, Brian, Brent, T-Rev, Scotty, Mom, and anyone I may have forgotten for coming on the show and bringing your own special sauce to the mix. And of course, to Chris Sarre who I could never get to agree to come onto the show, but was still part of the heart and soul of it anyway.
I love you guys. Truly I do. Towards the end of the show, we played a brand new Tee Bone song called “The Last Train”. It is a collaboration with Dr. Kathryn Ladano on bass clarinet. I think it’s one of the best things they’ve ever done.
The Last Train…wow that’s hard to believe. See you somewhere out there, some time, eventually!
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike & Harrison
Episode 114 – MYSTIQUE – Standing on the Firing Line with Marco D’Auria
Canadian Filmmaker and Contrarian Marco D’Auria is back on the LeBrain Train tonight to discuss his new film Mystique: Standing on the Firing Line! Mystique was a progressive metal band that formed in Hamilton Ontario in the 1980s. They released a single, a demo, and an EP which today are highly valued collectables. Their image might have been more hard rock/hair metal, but their music was far more challenging than their look. Unfortunately the band never released their 1989 album, which was recorded but never properly mixed. Now Marco is bringing Mystique back to the attention of the metal masses with this documentary which will debut in September.
Harrison and I will be peppering Marco with questions about this band, their discography, and his film. It is something he is very proud of, and from what little I have seen so far, he should indeed be proud!
Marco will also be doing a giveaway! In other words – catch this one LIVE. This will be a special show, and we have more surprises up our sleeves. Clips from the film (including unreleased music) and more will be going down tonight. Seriously, don’t miss it. You know how we do things here. We like surprises. Expect surprises.
mikeladano.com 