Post by Fiona McFly on Sept 27, 2021 2:56:14 GMT
The second episode of Fiona’s Corner: The Mama Bear Sessions opens up with the graphic of a bear devouring a rival, surrounded on all sides by olive branches. As the countdown clock reaches zero, we hear the strains of the show’s official theme song, Queen’s “I Want It All.”
”I want it all
I want it all
I want it all
And I want it now…”
The programme opens up inside Fiona’s “Den of Memories” at her ranch house in Fredericksburg, Texas; we see the large trophy case in the background, showing wrestling titles and other memorabilia from her travels. She adjusts the boom mic above her head to add some more clarity to her voice.
FIONA MCFLY:
Guys, gals, and nonbinary pals...September is coming to a close, the aura of autumn is in the air, and it’s time for the second Fiona’s Corner. I think -- no, I know -- that we’re gonna have a lot of fun with this episode, but we’ve got so much to unpack.
Anyways, this is my ranch house in the Texas city of Fredericksburg, where I normally call “home.” We’ve just finished our Northern Ireland scenes for the new Lunar Whale project, and as you can see...this place is a mess! We’ll be filming more scenes here and around Fredericksburg pretty soon; in fact, a key moment towards the end of the film will be shot right here, in this house. Hopefully, we’ll have some preview clips of the film ready and waiting for a frenzied audience within the coming months.
On a personal level, I’ve been a huge fan of both the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises for many years. If you were to ask me what makes these films so special, I’d say...it’d probably have to be the music.
When you think about it, music is the most cherished thing we can ever have that’s central to our lives -- aside from the friendships and memories we make, of course. Whether you’re on the road, at an airport or theme park, or at a major sporting event, you’re not gonna be able to escape the power that music provides. It seduces the mind, evoking a response inside your soul that will last forever and ever.
So...what types of music do you like to listen to? Have a favourite artist or band in mind? Please feel free to leave a comment below on the YouTube page or send your comments to my Facebook, Parler, Instagram, or Twitter feeds -- @mamabearmcflyiwf, #FionasCorner.
Anyways, my guest for September has had himself quite the colourful ride throughout his decade-long career in professional wrestling. He’s had his struggles, yet he’s had his biggest triumphs. Now...he shares his story with all of you. Guys, gals, and nonbinary pals, I present to you…James Gilmore!
The original Final Fantasy victory jingle is cued up, followed by the Willie Nelson classic tune “On the Road Again”...
”On the road again
I just can’t wait to get on the road again
Well I find love is making music with my friends
And I can’t wait to get on the road again…”
...followed by the hook to James Gilmore’s entrance theme, an instrumental remix of “ShellShocked.”
"(All for one when we fight together)
Knock, knock, you about to get shell shocked
(All for one when we ride together)
Knock, knock, you about to get shell shocked
(All for one when we fight together)
Knock, knock, you about to get shell shocked
(This family can bear any weather)
Knock, knock, you about to get shell shocked..."
We see a split-screen of James Gilmore as he’s settled into the in-home studio he shares with his wife, Yulia Malakova. He and Fiona pretend to share a “virtual hug” as the music fades out.
FIONA:
JJ is with us tonight via Zoom, from his home in Arlington. Yet he’s here to talk to us this evening, and I’m very happy to have him here. For the purposes of full and fair disclosure, JJ and I are business partners who help co-run the Rising Dragons Wrestling and Martial Arts Academy -- formerly All Infamous -- in Grapevine, Texas along with Rob Diamond. For those who aren’t into wrestling and haven’t a clue as to who he is, let’s have JJ introduce himself to the world.
JAMES GILMORE:
Alrighty then...I’m James Gilmore. I hold a B.A. in History from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Class of 2010. I’m a former two-time World and StrongStyle Champion in the Imperial Wrestling Federation -- and a proud father of twins, Luke Reagan and Leia Melania. I’m also a big game show fan, watchin’ The Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune on a regular basis.
Fiona chuckles as she cues up the canned applause.
FIONA:
That’s great to hear! So, getting back to the main topic at hand...do you have a favourite band you like to listen to?
JAMES:
Honestly, I’ll listen to anything except rap or hip-hop. As far as a favorite artist goes, I have to pick Garth Brooks. I have an especially soft spot for country music, and Garth Brooks set the bar for how country feels and sounds.
FIONA:
Well, good to hear. The first -- and most notable -- musical experience I had was witnessing Live Aid at Wembley back in 1985. A certain band called Queen stole the show that day, and my father was a huge fan of Brian May; from that moment onward, I became a Queen diehard myself. Although lately...I’ve found myself dabbling into a more modern bill of fare and listening to bands like Halestorm or the Foo Fighters.
Well JJ, what do you say?! We have so much to unravel here -- let’s get to the Mailbag!
The sound of a flyover of fighter jets is cued up, followed by the chorus of Elvis Presley’s 1950s classic, “Return to Sender.”
”She wrote upon it
Return to sender, address unknown
No such number, no such zone
We had a quarrel, a lovers' spat
I write I'm sorry but my letter keeps coming back…”
The song fades out as we now see Fiona taking a sip from a bottle of Snapple peach tea.
FIONA:
The Mailbag is open, and I’d like to thank you all for your submissions this month. Since I’d like to grow a steady base of new and returning fans, from this point onward I’m eschewing the one submission per fan rule. With that in mind, the first piece of mail of the programme comes from DJ, who asks this to JJ…
Fiona glances at her computer screen and reads the message out loud.
”How do you feel about the LGBT community outside of Fiona?”
JJ warmly nodded as he listened to the query.
JAMES:
That’s a helluva good question, DJ.
Honestly? I’ve met people from all different walks of life while bein’ on the road, and to me...it doesn’t matter if they’re LGBT or straight ‘cuz they ALL have a story to tell -- about where they’ve been, who they’ve met. I got to talk to, and shake hands with, George Takei durin’ a Star Trek-themed cruise five years ago, and from that experience I learned a valuable lesson.
About lookin’ past our differences and seein’ parts of ourselves within each other -- even if we don’t like what we see all the time.
So, regardless of your skin color, whether you’re LGBT or straight, Republican or Democrat, or whatever you believe in? I love you all for just the way you are -- and you’re always welcome to stop by and take a tour of the Academy and learn about what we do.
And...that’s all I’ve got to say about that.
The Islander alum took a big sigh of relief, perhaps hoping that his answer was good enough. Fiona smiled from ear to ear.
FIONA:
I hope this makes a few things clear. And...hrmm, DJ’s got another one -- this time, it’s for both of us.
JAMES:
DJ’s the type of guy that Bob Barker would love, a Loyal Friend and True.
Fiona giggled as she read the next message on her screen.
”Do you have a favorite movie not from the 80s?”
JJ gives the “thumbs up,” allowing Fiona to start.
FIONA:
Anything not from the 80s, huh? I can’t really pick a singular favourite movie, but I do have a favourite film series. That honour goes to the Harry Potter films -- each of the eight movies are really unique and very well-produced.
JAMES:
As for me? Got a couple of ‘em from the 90s -- mainly The Shawshank Redemption and, I’ll say it now, Happy Gilmore -- if only for that fight with Bob Barker. My wife and I have a favorite film series we watch, and...well, it’s sort of a guily pleasure…
Hoo-boy, Fiona cackles under her breath as JJ paused.
JAMES:
...yeah. Yulia and I like to watch the Fifty Shades trilogy.
JJ couldn’t get any more words about movies out after that. Fiona is losing her mind, caught up in fits of wild laughter that last for several minutes. Eventually, they both calmed down long enough for the next question to be read.
FIONA:
A’right...let’s see...this one’s from Lily. Welcome to the programme, love! Here we go…
Fiona glances over at her monitor…
”You’re stuck on a desert island, pick five albums, that’s what you have to listen to forever. What’re your choices and why?”
...and warmly nodded.
FIONA:
That’s a good one right there. JJ, I think we ought to keep a little ground rule going -- one album per artist.
JAMES:
That’s cool. Anyways, I think you and I can both agree to have copies of Michael Jackson’s Thriller album from 1982 and Queen’s Innuendo album from ‘91.
Fiona smiled.
FIONA:
Common choices, I see. On my end, the other three I’d pick out for myself would have to be Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon from 1973, Led Zeppelin’s Led Zeppelin II from 1969, and the Ramones’ titular debut album from 1976. I like my music to pop out, but also be quite subversive to the mind.
JAMES:
Well, we’re countin’ compilation albums, I’ll take a collection of Garth Brooks, Elvis Presley, and Metallica. Iconic artists, legendary tracks...hrm, what else can I say?!
FIONA:
What else, indeed. Anyways, this one comes from KingOfClubs, who writes…
Fiona glances over once more…
”Could we see a Dancing With The Stars appearance from you at some point in the future?”
...and James fervently shakes his head.
JAMES:
Oh, no way. Dancin’ really isn’t for me, even though I’ll join in on the fun sometimes.
FIONA:
Actually, I have some wonderful news for you all!
Oh, I can't wait to hear this…the ex-Islander whispers as he raises his brows.
FIONA:
This morning, I got the word from a representative over at ABC. I have accepted an invitation to participate in Dancing With The Stars as a contestant for the show’s 31st season. The premiere date is unknown, but they’re hoping for sometime during September 2022. I hope to make a great run out of it, no matter what happens.
JAMES:
Whoa...looks like you’re gonna be in for one helluva busy schedule next year.
FIONA:
Hopefully, Lunar Whale will do very well theatrically. Anyways, next question -- actually, several from The Great King.
JAMES:
Another Loyal Friend and True...
Fiona chuckles as she looks at her monitor...
”Who is the best influence into the start of you guy’s career, why make Infamous a stable then into a gym, and does James and Fiona think of Nick Danger as a great influence towards the future stars of IWF?”
…James nods warmly as he starts to answer.
JAMES:
Jack Gaither, bar none, and I think Fi can attest to that one. I wrote a book called The Golden Road ten years ago, chroniclin’ Jack durin’ a tour of the Far East. It was my very first time to ever be flyin’ outta the USA, and what a guy he truly was. I noted the struggles, I noted the triumphs, and when it came time for me to think about makin’ the commitment to join the wrestlin’ business, I remember him sittin’ me down and tellin’ me.
“JJ...this ain’t gonna be easy, it wasn’t meant to be that way. This gig will take a few years off your life, and you might not like everyone you’ll meet. At the end of the day...what matters, more than titles or other things, is what will happen to the legacy you’ve built after you’re gone.
That's one of the best things anyone has ever told me in my life, and yeah...it was a struggle, a very long struggle. Truth is, the grindin' and groundin' you go through is a helluva lot more realistic than goin' for the big win overnight.
Fiona chimed in.
FIONA:
Jack could be stubborn at times, but he loved this business enough to bring people in. I, for one, am happy that he brought the both of us into the sport, and someday...future generations are gonna pass down what we've taught them.
As for Nick Danger, I haven’t been around him longer than JJ’s had, but from what I’ve seen? He tries very hard, but he’s still a work in progress -- just like how I was when I first struggled to get my foot in the door.
When it all boils down to it, it’s up to him to ensure that he keeps working hard, that he keeps staying committed to the craft. I have great faith in him that he’ll have his breakthrough at some point.
James tagged himself back in.
JAMES:
As for why the Academy was originally named All Infamous? Honestly, I haven’t a darn clue. All I do know is that, while we did have a solid core of trainees comin’ in, recruiting more just hasn’t been easy. While the core values and tenets remain the same, we decided to change it to Rising Dragons to help increase recruitment and give us a sense of originality.
Fiona checks her watch and realises that time was running short.
FIONA:
Looks like time isn’t our ally again, so let’s get these last two questions down quickly. This one’s from UncleGuido1066!
Fiona and James look at their screens as the question is displayed…
”What is the air speed velocity of an unlaiden swallow?”
...both of them start laughing out loud, realising that they’ve been trolled.
FIONA:
What am I gonna do with you…?!
JAMES:
Why not send him a copy of the Collector’s Edition of the original Infinity & Beyond...
Fiona chuckled.
FIONA:
That’s a good one. Plus, he’ll get an extra special surprise to go along with it…
JAMES:
A Fiona bikini pic?!
She cackled before reading the final question…
”Hey… Tara here. First time caller. Sooo, umm. Do you have some sort of death wish?”
...before clearing her throat.
FIONA:
Really, Tara? You take the time to respond to me on Twitter yet you dodge my invitation to join the podcast?! My invitation to you is STILL open, by the by, but I’ll save the remainder of my energy for Friday ‘cos frankly...I don’t respond kindly to threats.
JAMES:
Okay, Fi...let’s get it together and cool down.
FIONA:
Right. Anyways, in lieu of the Song of the Month, JJ has something that he'd like to say to you all at this time. So, without further delay…
Fiona takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, allowing James to speak. JJ takes a moment to pause and reflect upon what he is about to say.
JAMES:
Well, I’m gonna make this one short. As a lot of you already know, my primary doctor is very concerned about my heart and all that. Raisin’ a family, workin’ the Academy, travelin’ on the road...it’s been quite stressful on all fronts. That bein’ said, after consultin’ with my wife and my doctor, I have agreed to take a step away from IWF for the time bein’.
In October, I’ll be goin’ on what’s called a limited run before takin’ off in November. I don’t know when I’ll be comin’ back, to be honest, but...I’m shootin’ for the Roulette in March of 2022. But we’ll see how my health situation goes from now ‘til then.
James eked out a relieved smile, perhaps glad that he got his big announcement out of the way without hiding anything. Fiona nodded lovingly as she took another sip from her drink.
FIONA:
JJ...you need the rest. You’ve earned it, now enjoy it. As the saying goes, wrestling will always be there, lying in wait. In the meantime, Fiona’s Corner will be back in October with a Halloween-themed, spook-tacular special. ‘Til then, I’m Fiona saying help control the pet population -- have your pets spayed or neutered!
May the wind be at your back -- love you all and see you next month!
“I Want It All” begins playing once more as we transition back to the podcast’s logo.