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22 December 2023
YOU PROBABLY KNOW HIM BEST FOR HIS WRESTLING, BUT "MACHO MAN" RANDY SAVAGE HAS NOW MOVED ON TO THE WORLD OF MUSIC MAKING. JUST RECENTLY, HE RELEASED A RAP ALBUM, TITLED BE A MAN. (YES, YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY: A RAP ALBUM.) AND HE DROPPED SOME KNOWLEDGE ON WAYNE CHINSANG. OH YEAH!!!
Wayne: How’s it going?
Randy: What’s up?
W: What’s going on, man?
R: Everything’s going on.
W: Well, first, we let everyone know that we’re recording them, and the interview will be a direct transcription.
R: Alright.
W: Okay, so, your new album, Be A Man, just came out on October 7th. How did this come about, and how did you get into making music?
R: Well, the opportunity presented itself about a year ago. I was actually managing a friend of mine-- an ex-wrestler named Brian Adams-- and I was trying to get him into boxing. A guy named Bill Edwards, the CEO of Big 3 Entertainment, was also interested in boxing, and he caught me off guard when he asked me if I wanted to come over to his studio to see his facilities. I expressed to him that I had a desire and love for music, so he had me on over to see what was up. So I met this crew, Da Raskulls, over there, and my DJ, Big K. We all started hanging out, laid down some tracks, one thing led to another, and we were on our way to making an album.
W: So with all of the other genres of music out there, how did you pick rap as the genre you were going to try your hand at?
R: Well, I was a rock ‘n’ roller growing up, but I knew, without a doubt, that I couldn’t sing. (laughs)
W: (laughs)
R: But I wanted to entertain like the rest of the bands, and I love music so much. So when rap came out, I thought to myself, “Hey, I can do this.” (laughs) I mean that without disrespect to other rappers out there that are making a living at it. I went in there to entertain my wrestling fans with music, you know?
W: Yeah.
R: So that’s how it started.
W: How did the creative process go? I mean, how did it lead to the final product of the album?
R: Basically, I was just hanging out with these guys-- them getting to know me, me getting to know them-- and they’d write some lyrics down and come up with some beats, and we’d just talk about what excited us about the music, and it just kind of grew. The chemistry was there,.. incredibly there. You can’t force something like that if it’s not there. The things that they would write after talking to me,.. I just couldn’t believe it. It hit the nail right on the head.
W: So, with your first single off the album, “Be A Man”, there is some obvious tension between you and Hulk Hogan. What brought all of this up?
R: He started disrespecting me and my family over the airwaves. Instead of dealing with it like a man does-- pulling somebody aside, talking about it-- he felt it was necessary to tell some lies over the air. I couldn’t believe it was happening. So I challenged him to a charity match, with all of the money going toward the Children’s Hospital. Basically, we had personal differences and business differences, but I wasn’t going to lower myself to that and tell a bunch of lies on him like he was doing on me. So I said, “Let’s fight it out like a man. You did good in the ring, and I did good in the ring. So let’s have our first real professional wrestling match of all time.” And I gave him two weeks to accept the challenge. I said that if he didn’t do it, I was just going to give $10,000 to the kids as a token, which was less than it would have been if we raised money with the Pay-Per-View and merchandising revenue. So he came up with 1,001 reasons why not to do it, one of which was that I was supposedly looking for a write-off at the end of the year, which is crazy. When he didn’t accept, I gave the $10,000 as a Christmas present to the kids under the Hulk Hogan Coward Fund.
W: (laughs)
R: So that way he could have a write-off. I’m sure I embarrassed him that way. But then he’d continue to drop my name in places, and I’d always hear about it and go, “What the hell? Has this guy lost it or what?”
W: Had you kept in touch with him over the years?
R: No. Not at all. None of my friends do that to me. I don’t keep in touch with nobody that’s gonna try to slander me. So there’s bad blood there. I don’t know if he needs to go to Eagle Rehab or what his deal is; whether he’s lost it or whatever. So here it is two years later, and I started making music. And he was giving me those jabs over the airwaves, just like Hulk Hogan does. So I decided to take one song and dedicate it to him, because he’s this pathetic person.
W: Have you heard from him or his camp since the song came out?
R: No. He’s been trying to laugh it off. But he went to a football game, and people started chanting, “Be a man, be a man,” at him. It’s kind of haunting him. So, one by one, all of these Hulkamaniacs are looking at him like, “Well, maybe he’s not the person we thought he was.” Another thing is that he called my dad on the phone and cussed him out for no apparent reason.
W: Really?
R: It was pretty disgusting, you know? I’m sure you wouldn’t want your mom or dad in their retired years to get a rude phone call from one of your contemporaries.
W: Yeah.
R: I’m sure everyone can understand that. The best thing that he or anybody can learn from this is that in order to not disrespect the wrong person, don’t disrespect anybody. And, for Hogan, don’t hunt what you can’t kill. The strongest people are going to stand up for themselves.
W: That’s pretty--
R: Heavy?
W: (laughs) Yeah.
R: It’s just pretty ridiculous. The last thing I wanted to do was call somebody out over the media. But that’s where it started, so there’s no way I can call him to the side, because he used a media blitz.
W: Well, it sounds like you gave him a chance--
R: I gave him more than a chance. I also gave him a chance to shut up, but he keeps doing it. So, here we go again. This time I’m going to use the music industry to do it. You know, if he doesn’t accept the challenge, I don’t care what he says after that.
W: So after this it’s just pretty much behind you?
R: Yeah. I mean, what can I do? He’s going to be the biggest wuss of all time, and that’ll be it. It’ll be a wrap.
W: So I read that you’ll be touring to promote the album. Are you going to be at regular venues?
R: Yeah. I want to face people. I did a concert at Treasure Island in Florida as a payback to Big 3 Records, so we turned it into an event. It kind of got crazy, which is great. I loved it. Then I also performed a couple songs on the New York news and the Chicago news. I did a couple spots on TV, you know, just playing around, kicking some lyrics around. I really enjoy it. I get that rush of being in front of a live crowd.
W: I was going to ask if performing music was similar to wrestling in front of an audience.
R: Yeah. I get the little butterflies right before, just like I did with my matches. I used to get that right before a Pay-Per-View, and I felt that same way when I’m rapping for my audience. They really seemed to like it. Everyone had their hands in the air. It felt good.
W: That’s cool. Now, you’ve also done some acting. I know you played a part in Spider-Man, and I have a friend that used to work at Character Builders in Columbus, and they’re working on Disney's Tarzan 2.
R: Uh-huh.
W: And I know that you’re doing some voice work for them.
R: Right.
W: So how do you like acting?
R: Well, you know, I can only play one character with my voice. (laughs)
W: (laughs) Right.
R: But I’m definitely down with doing the voiceovers. Like you said, I did Tarzan 2, and it comes out in 2005. But I’m kind of putting everything to the side because I’m really interested and excited about promoting my music.
W: Right. Well, you do a lot of things, like acting, music, and wrestling. Do you prefer any of these things over the others, or would you like to find a way to combine them since they are all so similar?
R: Well, I’m really just excited about the music more than anything else. I’ve done the acting, but it’s more of just an extension of the “Macho Man” character. It’s not like I’m the world’s greatest actor and can play all of these different roles, you know? (laughs)
W: Right.
R: Whereas I think Hulk Hogan thinks he is the world’s greatest actor. (laughs)
W: (laughs)
R: He’s pathetic, know what I mean? But even with the music I don’t take myself that seriously. I don’t think I’m the world’s greatest rapper, you know?
W: Yeah.
R: I’m just out there having fun and entertaining my wrestling fans. Possibly like L.T. (Lawrence Taylor) did when he brought some people from football into wrestling, you know-- like for Wrestlemanias and stuff like that. I’ll do the same thing. I’ll bring some people from wrestling into the hip-hop and rap culture.
W: Do you see those things as all being very connected, like with the music and the wrestling?
R: Yeah. There’s a lot of crossovers. I’d like to be one of those people to help it crossover. Like, to be a wrestling MC. And I think there is a place for me to do that, you know? I’m excited about it. I want to do it, I have fun when I’m doing it, and my fans seem to have a good time when I’m doing it. So, it’s all good.
W: That’s great. Do you follow WWE anymore?
R: To be honest, I don’t really know what’s going on these days. I hear a little bit about it because the fans tell me about it. But I know those wrestlers are working hard, going around the country, flying everywhere, away from their families. And I know they’re raising the bar on themselves. You know, it gets harder and harder,.. it’s like the X Games. You go back the next year, they’re doing unbelievable things, and everything from the year before is now out-of-date.
W: Yeah, exactly. I just started watching it again recently after not watching it for years, and now it seems like everyone can fly.
R: It’s crazy. It’s like they’re jumping from the balcony into a Dixie Cup with no water.
W: (laughs)
R: (laughs) At least we had water when I did it. I’d like to remind all of my fans out there that they can follow me on machoman.com, and the CD is available on there. As I go around the country, man, I’m just having fun meeting the people.
W: Is that the best part? Meeting the fans?
R: Yeah. Meeting and performing for the people.
W: You know, I was reading up about you for this interview, and I came across something that I was absolutely surprised by. You used to be really into baseball-- even played on some major league farm teams-- and were drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals.
R: Right. Cardinals, Reds, and White Sox in the minor leagues. Never made it to the major leagues, but I played for four years. But I had the time of my life, you know what I mean? It was great. I just followed my dreams. I played football, basketball, and baseball in high school. I’m just one of those people that love sports.
W: Do you still follow all sports?
R: I don’t follow it day-to-day, kind of like wrestling. When I do watch it, it’s out of full respect. I don’t watch it just as a fan, but in awe of how the sport has changed; whether it be football, basketball, baseball, or hockey.
W: Right. So, the new album is out and you’re going to start touring, but what other projects do you have planned?
R: That’s about it right there. It’s all about the music right now, and the CD.
W: Are there plans to make another one?
R: Oh, absolutely. Me and my DJ are already writing stuff down for a second album. We’ve got all this energy right now, and we’re getting all of this feedback from the band. So we’re just penciling stuff down and coming up with some beats. It’s a brand-new thing for me. Even though I’ve loved music all of my life, to actually be able to have a chance to do it is incredible.
W: Great. Okay, the last question I have for you doesn’t have anything to do with anything we’ve talked about, but we ask everyone this question.
R: Alright.
W: Do dogs have lips?
R: (pauses) Do dogs have lips? (laughs) Oh my gosh. I’d say that yes, they do. And they talk and say that Hogan’s a punk.
W: (laughs) That’s great.
R: (laughs)
W: Well, thanks for doing this.
R: Not a problem.
W: Oh, last thing. We have certain people we interview do a little audio blurb for the site, and then we put it on there for people to hear. It’s just something like, “Hey, this is so-and-so, and I taste like chicken.” Would you be willing to do that?
R: Sure.
W: Great. It’s recording, so you can just go ahead whenever.
R: Oh yeah! This is the “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and a little known fact is I taste like chicken! Oh yeah!
W: (laughs) Thanks, man.
R: Alright.
VISIT MACHO MAN HERE.
PURCHASE ITEMS BY "MACHO MAN" RANDY SAVAGE
Wayne: How’s it going?
Randy: What’s up?
W: What’s going on, man?
R: Everything’s going on.
W: Well, first, we let everyone know that we’re recording them, and the interview will be a direct transcription.
R: Alright.
W: Okay, so, your new album, Be A Man, just came out on October 7th. How did this come about, and how did you get into making music?
R: Well, the opportunity presented itself about a year ago. I was actually managing a friend of mine-- an ex-wrestler named Brian Adams-- and I was trying to get him into boxing. A guy named Bill Edwards, the CEO of Big 3 Entertainment, was also interested in boxing, and he caught me off guard when he asked me if I wanted to come over to his studio to see his facilities. I expressed to him that I had a desire and love for music, so he had me on over to see what was up. So I met this crew, Da Raskulls, over there, and my DJ, Big K. We all started hanging out, laid down some tracks, one thing led to another, and we were on our way to making an album.
W: So with all of the other genres of music out there, how did you pick rap as the genre you were going to try your hand at?
R: Well, I was a rock ‘n’ roller growing up, but I knew, without a doubt, that I couldn’t sing. (laughs)
W: (laughs)
R: But I wanted to entertain like the rest of the bands, and I love music so much. So when rap came out, I thought to myself, “Hey, I can do this.” (laughs) I mean that without disrespect to other rappers out there that are making a living at it. I went in there to entertain my wrestling fans with music, you know?
W: Yeah.
R: So that’s how it started.
W: How did the creative process go? I mean, how did it lead to the final product of the album?
R: Basically, I was just hanging out with these guys-- them getting to know me, me getting to know them-- and they’d write some lyrics down and come up with some beats, and we’d just talk about what excited us about the music, and it just kind of grew. The chemistry was there,.. incredibly there. You can’t force something like that if it’s not there. The things that they would write after talking to me,.. I just couldn’t believe it. It hit the nail right on the head.
W: So, with your first single off the album, “Be A Man”, there is some obvious tension between you and Hulk Hogan. What brought all of this up?
R: He started disrespecting me and my family over the airwaves. Instead of dealing with it like a man does-- pulling somebody aside, talking about it-- he felt it was necessary to tell some lies over the air. I couldn’t believe it was happening. So I challenged him to a charity match, with all of the money going toward the Children’s Hospital. Basically, we had personal differences and business differences, but I wasn’t going to lower myself to that and tell a bunch of lies on him like he was doing on me. So I said, “Let’s fight it out like a man. You did good in the ring, and I did good in the ring. So let’s have our first real professional wrestling match of all time.” And I gave him two weeks to accept the challenge. I said that if he didn’t do it, I was just going to give $10,000 to the kids as a token, which was less than it would have been if we raised money with the Pay-Per-View and merchandising revenue. So he came up with 1,001 reasons why not to do it, one of which was that I was supposedly looking for a write-off at the end of the year, which is crazy. When he didn’t accept, I gave the $10,000 as a Christmas present to the kids under the Hulk Hogan Coward Fund.
W: (laughs)
R: So that way he could have a write-off. I’m sure I embarrassed him that way. But then he’d continue to drop my name in places, and I’d always hear about it and go, “What the hell? Has this guy lost it or what?”
W: Had you kept in touch with him over the years?
R: No. Not at all. None of my friends do that to me. I don’t keep in touch with nobody that’s gonna try to slander me. So there’s bad blood there. I don’t know if he needs to go to Eagle Rehab or what his deal is; whether he’s lost it or whatever. So here it is two years later, and I started making music. And he was giving me those jabs over the airwaves, just like Hulk Hogan does. So I decided to take one song and dedicate it to him, because he’s this pathetic person.
W: Have you heard from him or his camp since the song came out?
R: No. He’s been trying to laugh it off. But he went to a football game, and people started chanting, “Be a man, be a man,” at him. It’s kind of haunting him. So, one by one, all of these Hulkamaniacs are looking at him like, “Well, maybe he’s not the person we thought he was.” Another thing is that he called my dad on the phone and cussed him out for no apparent reason.
W: Really?
R: It was pretty disgusting, you know? I’m sure you wouldn’t want your mom or dad in their retired years to get a rude phone call from one of your contemporaries.
W: Yeah.
R: I’m sure everyone can understand that. The best thing that he or anybody can learn from this is that in order to not disrespect the wrong person, don’t disrespect anybody. And, for Hogan, don’t hunt what you can’t kill. The strongest people are going to stand up for themselves.
W: That’s pretty--
R: Heavy?
W: (laughs) Yeah.
R: It’s just pretty ridiculous. The last thing I wanted to do was call somebody out over the media. But that’s where it started, so there’s no way I can call him to the side, because he used a media blitz.
W: Well, it sounds like you gave him a chance--
R: I gave him more than a chance. I also gave him a chance to shut up, but he keeps doing it. So, here we go again. This time I’m going to use the music industry to do it. You know, if he doesn’t accept the challenge, I don’t care what he says after that.
W: So after this it’s just pretty much behind you?
R: Yeah. I mean, what can I do? He’s going to be the biggest wuss of all time, and that’ll be it. It’ll be a wrap.
W: So I read that you’ll be touring to promote the album. Are you going to be at regular venues?
R: Yeah. I want to face people. I did a concert at Treasure Island in Florida as a payback to Big 3 Records, so we turned it into an event. It kind of got crazy, which is great. I loved it. Then I also performed a couple songs on the New York news and the Chicago news. I did a couple spots on TV, you know, just playing around, kicking some lyrics around. I really enjoy it. I get that rush of being in front of a live crowd.
W: I was going to ask if performing music was similar to wrestling in front of an audience.
R: Yeah. I get the little butterflies right before, just like I did with my matches. I used to get that right before a Pay-Per-View, and I felt that same way when I’m rapping for my audience. They really seemed to like it. Everyone had their hands in the air. It felt good.
W: That’s cool. Now, you’ve also done some acting. I know you played a part in Spider-Man, and I have a friend that used to work at Character Builders in Columbus, and they’re working on Disney's Tarzan 2.
R: Uh-huh.
W: And I know that you’re doing some voice work for them.
R: Right.
W: So how do you like acting?
R: Well, you know, I can only play one character with my voice. (laughs)
W: (laughs) Right.
R: But I’m definitely down with doing the voiceovers. Like you said, I did Tarzan 2, and it comes out in 2005. But I’m kind of putting everything to the side because I’m really interested and excited about promoting my music.
W: Right. Well, you do a lot of things, like acting, music, and wrestling. Do you prefer any of these things over the others, or would you like to find a way to combine them since they are all so similar?
R: Well, I’m really just excited about the music more than anything else. I’ve done the acting, but it’s more of just an extension of the “Macho Man” character. It’s not like I’m the world’s greatest actor and can play all of these different roles, you know? (laughs)
W: Right.
R: Whereas I think Hulk Hogan thinks he is the world’s greatest actor. (laughs)
W: (laughs)
R: He’s pathetic, know what I mean? But even with the music I don’t take myself that seriously. I don’t think I’m the world’s greatest rapper, you know?
W: Yeah.
R: I’m just out there having fun and entertaining my wrestling fans. Possibly like L.T. (Lawrence Taylor) did when he brought some people from football into wrestling, you know-- like for Wrestlemanias and stuff like that. I’ll do the same thing. I’ll bring some people from wrestling into the hip-hop and rap culture.
W: Do you see those things as all being very connected, like with the music and the wrestling?
R: Yeah. There’s a lot of crossovers. I’d like to be one of those people to help it crossover. Like, to be a wrestling MC. And I think there is a place for me to do that, you know? I’m excited about it. I want to do it, I have fun when I’m doing it, and my fans seem to have a good time when I’m doing it. So, it’s all good.
W: That’s great. Do you follow WWE anymore?
R: To be honest, I don’t really know what’s going on these days. I hear a little bit about it because the fans tell me about it. But I know those wrestlers are working hard, going around the country, flying everywhere, away from their families. And I know they’re raising the bar on themselves. You know, it gets harder and harder,.. it’s like the X Games. You go back the next year, they’re doing unbelievable things, and everything from the year before is now out-of-date.
W: Yeah, exactly. I just started watching it again recently after not watching it for years, and now it seems like everyone can fly.
R: It’s crazy. It’s like they’re jumping from the balcony into a Dixie Cup with no water.
W: (laughs)
R: (laughs) At least we had water when I did it. I’d like to remind all of my fans out there that they can follow me on machoman.com, and the CD is available on there. As I go around the country, man, I’m just having fun meeting the people.
W: Is that the best part? Meeting the fans?
R: Yeah. Meeting and performing for the people.
W: You know, I was reading up about you for this interview, and I came across something that I was absolutely surprised by. You used to be really into baseball-- even played on some major league farm teams-- and were drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals.
R: Right. Cardinals, Reds, and White Sox in the minor leagues. Never made it to the major leagues, but I played for four years. But I had the time of my life, you know what I mean? It was great. I just followed my dreams. I played football, basketball, and baseball in high school. I’m just one of those people that love sports.
W: Do you still follow all sports?
R: I don’t follow it day-to-day, kind of like wrestling. When I do watch it, it’s out of full respect. I don’t watch it just as a fan, but in awe of how the sport has changed; whether it be football, basketball, baseball, or hockey.
W: Right. So, the new album is out and you’re going to start touring, but what other projects do you have planned?
R: That’s about it right there. It’s all about the music right now, and the CD.
W: Are there plans to make another one?
R: Oh, absolutely. Me and my DJ are already writing stuff down for a second album. We’ve got all this energy right now, and we’re getting all of this feedback from the band. So we’re just penciling stuff down and coming up with some beats. It’s a brand-new thing for me. Even though I’ve loved music all of my life, to actually be able to have a chance to do it is incredible.
W: Great. Okay, the last question I have for you doesn’t have anything to do with anything we’ve talked about, but we ask everyone this question.
R: Alright.
W: Do dogs have lips?
R: (pauses) Do dogs have lips? (laughs) Oh my gosh. I’d say that yes, they do. And they talk and say that Hogan’s a punk.
W: (laughs) That’s great.
R: (laughs)
W: Well, thanks for doing this.
R: Not a problem.
W: Oh, last thing. We have certain people we interview do a little audio blurb for the site, and then we put it on there for people to hear. It’s just something like, “Hey, this is so-and-so, and I taste like chicken.” Would you be willing to do that?
R: Sure.
W: Great. It’s recording, so you can just go ahead whenever.
R: Oh yeah! This is the “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and a little known fact is I taste like chicken! Oh yeah!
W: (laughs) Thanks, man.
R: Alright.
VISIT MACHO MAN HERE.
PURCHASE ITEMS BY "MACHO MAN" RANDY SAVAGE
artid
1736
Old Image
6_3_machoman.jpg
issue
vol 6 - issue 03 (nov 2003)
section
interviews