Mat Memories
My Wild Life in Pro Wrestling, Country Music and with the Mets
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Narrated by:
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John Arezzi
About this listen
John Arezzi was a lifelong Mets fan who dreamed of a job in baseball. In 1981, he took a job with the Mets Class A team in North Carolina. But Arezzi had another love: professional wrestling. He ran a fan club for the villainous "Classy" Freddie Blassie as a teenager, then progressed to wrestling photographer, and finally even stepped into the ring himself as John Anthony. Eventually he escaped to pursue a new life in altogether different world: country music. After adopting a new name, John Alexander, his many accomplishments include discovering both Patty Loveless and (decades later) Kelsea Ballerini. But wrestling is tough to shake....
In the 1990s, Arezzi hosted the pioneering radio talk show Pro Wrestling Spotlight. He also ran the first major conventions, assembling a wrestling who's who to meet with fans. He promoted shows, both at home and abroad, and was a key figure behind importing lucha libre into America.
Mat Memories is Arezzi's chance to hold the mic, and he holds nothing back - he names names and tells the untold behind-the-scenes stories: from the ring, the stage, and the diamond.
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The 1990s was a decade of profound change on Broadway. At the dawn of the '90s, the British invasion of Broadway was in full swing, as musical spectacles like Les Miserables, Cats, and The Phantom of the Opera dominated the box office. But Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard soon spelled the end of this era and ushered in a new wave of American musicals, beginning with the ascendance of an unlikely show by a struggling writer who reimagined Puccini’s opera La Bohème as the smash Broadway show Rent
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Why Didn’t Michael Riedel Read This Himself?
- By Tallulah on 01-17-22
By: Michael Riedel
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Luck or Something Like It
- A Memoir
- By: Kenny Rogers
- Narrated by: Taber Burns
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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A remarkable story of a boy who couldn't stop singing, and a man who knew how to hold 'em. For more than half a century, Kenny Rogers has been recording some of the most revered and beloved music in America and around the world. In that time, he has become a living legend by combining everything from R&B to country and gospel to folk in his unique voice to create a sound that's both wholly original and instantly recognizable.
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Fun to listen to.
- By b.sea on 07-25-19
By: Kenny Rogers
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Empire State of Mind
- How Jay-Z Went from Street Corner to Corner Office
- By: Zack O'Malley Greenburg
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Some people think Jay-Z is just another rapper. Others see him as just another celebrity/mega-star. The reality is, no matter what you think Jay-Z is, he is first and foremost a business. And as much as Martha Stewart or Oprah, he has turned himself into a lifestyle. This audiobook explains just how Jay-Z propelled himself from the bleak streets of Brooklyn to the heights of the business world.
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It was ok
- By Michelle M. on 01-03-17
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Me, the Mob, and the Music
- One Helluva Ride with Tommy James and the Shondells
- By: Tommy James, Martin Fitzpatrick
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Everyone knows the hits: "Mony Mony," "I Think We're Alone Now," "Crimson and Clover," "Crystal Blue Persuasion." They are nuggets of rock and pop history. However, few know the unlikely story of how these hits came to be. Tommy James had been performing in rock bands in the Michigan area since the age of 12. Prompted to record a few songs by a local disc jockey in 1964, Tommy chose an obscurity titled "Hanky Panky," which became a minor local hit that came and went.
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What a ride - excellent story, well told
- By Dave on 03-25-10
By: Tommy James, and others
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I Want My MTV
- The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution
- By: Craig Marks, Rob Tannenbaum
- Narrated by: Luke Daniels
- Length: 20 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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It was a pretty radical idea - a channel for teenagers, showing nothing but music videos. It was such a radical idea that almost no one thought it would actually succeed, much less become a force in the worlds of music, television, film, fashion, sports, and even politics. But it did work. MTV became more than anyone had ever imagined. I Want My MTV tells the story of the first decade of MTV, the golden era when MTV's programming was all videos, all the time, and kids watched religiously to see their favorite bands, learn about new music, and have something to talk about at parties.
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The Most Entertaining Book of the Year
- By David on 10-24-12
By: Craig Marks, and others
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Talking to Canadians
- A Memoir
- By: Rick Mercer
- Narrated by: Rick Mercer
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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What is Rick Mercer going to do now? That was the question on everyone's lips when the beloved comedian retired his hugely successful TV show after 15 seasons - and at the peak of its popularity. The answer came not long after, when he roared back in a new role as stand-up-comedian, playing to sold-out houses wherever he appeared. And then COVID-19 struck. And his legions of fans began asking again: What is Rick Mercer going to do now? Well, for one thing, he's been writing a comic masterpiece.
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Mercer Killed and He Will Kill Again
- By Quinn M on 11-28-22
By: Rick Mercer
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Alice in Chains
- The Untold Story
- By: David de Sola
- Narrated by: Sebastian York
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Alice in Chains was the first of grunge's big four - ahead of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden - to get a gold record and achieve national recognition. With the charismatic Layne Staley behind the microphone, they became one of the most influential and successful bands to come out of the Seattle music scene. But as the band got bigger, so did its problems.
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Disappointing!!!!
- By Rob on 12-23-16
By: David de Sola
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Dynomite!
- Good Times, Bad Times…Our Times - A Memoir
- By: Jimmie Walker, Sal Manna
- Narrated by: Jimmie Walker
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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>Born into the violence of South Bronx ghetto life, the comic pioneer of TV’s Good Times fame offers a hilarious and politically charged review of his career as one of television’s first hugely successful Black stars. From opening for the Black Panthers and getting his first Tonight Show spot to becoming the first “Black” TV sitcom star, having comedians David Letterman and Jay Leno writing jokes for him, recording number-one comedy albums, and opening for rock n’ roll bands in 50,000 seat stadiums, Walker’s career hit all the highs.
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An transparent story of a socially but funny American icon.
- By John Lucasey on 05-08-21
By: Jimmie Walker, and others
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Respect Yourself
- Stax Records and the Soul Explosion
- By: Robert Gordon
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 17 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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The story of Stax Records unfolds like a Greek tragedy. A white brother and sister build a record company that becomes a monument to racial harmony in 1960’s segregated south Memphis. Their success is startling, and Stax soon defines an international sound. Then, after losses both business and personal, the siblings part, and the brother allies with a visionary African-American partner. Under integrated leadership, Stax explodes as a national player until, Icarus-like, they fall from great heights to a tragic demise.
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Great narration
- By A. K. Moore on 10-29-14
By: Robert Gordon
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The Comedians
- Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels and the History of American Comedy
- By: Kliph Nesteroff
- Narrated by: Kliph Nesteroff
- Length: 15 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Comedians, comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff brings to life a century of American comedy with real-life characters, forgotten stars, mainstream heroes and counterculture iconoclasts. Based on over 200 original interviews and extensive archival research, Nesteroff's groundbreaking work is a narrative exploration of the way comedians have reflected, shaped, and changed American culture over the past 100 years.
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Performance issues
- By E. A. Smith on 09-02-19
By: Kliph Nesteroff
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Hardcore History
- The Extremely Unauthorized Story of the ECW
- By: Scott E. Williams
- Narrated by: Karl Miller
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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ECW was one extreme contradiction piled on top of another. It was an incredibly influential company in the world of professional wrestling during the 1990s, yet it was never profitable. It portrayed itself as the ultimate in anti-authority rebellion, but its leadership was, at various points, working covertly with the two wrestling giants, the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. Most of all, it blurred the line between real life and the fantasy world of professional wrestling like no other company before it.
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Get a narrator with product knowledge
- By Dr Feelgood on 11-29-16
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The Improv
- An Oral History of the Comedy Club That Revolutionized Stand-Up
- By: Budd Friedman, Tripp Whetsell, Jay Leno - foreword
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1963, 30-year-old Friedman - who had recently quit his job as a Boston advertising executive and returned to his hometown of New York to become a theatrical producer - opened a coffee house for Broadway performers called the Improvisation. His goal? Simply to make a living, and if all went according to plan, to also make enough professional contacts to be able to mount his first Broadway show within a year's time. Later shortened to the Improv, its first West 44th Street location was in a seedy section of Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen.
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Shockingly tone deaf
- By JenniferW on 06-28-23
By: Budd Friedman, and others
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They Call Me Supermensch
- A Backstage Pass to the Amazing Worlds of Film, Food, and Rock'n'Roll
- By: Shep Gordon
- Narrated by: Shep Gordon
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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In the course of his legendary career as a manager, an agent, and a producer, Shep Gordon has worked with and befriended some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, from Alice Cooper to Bette Davis, Raquel Welch to Groucho Marx, Blondie to Jimi Hendrix, Sylvester Stallone to Salvador Dali, Luther Vandross to Teddy Pendergrass. He is also credited with inventing the "celebrity chef" and has worked with Nobu Matsuhisa, Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Roger Vergé, and many others.
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It's like he's never seen the words before
- By Joe F. on 11-01-17
By: Shep Gordon
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The History of Rock & Roll
- Volume 1: 1920-1963
- By: Ed Ward
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 15 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Ed Ward covers the first half of the history of rock & roll in this sweeping and definitive narrative - from the 1920s, when the music of rambling medicine shows mingled with the songs of vaudeville and minstrel acts to create the very early sounds of country and rhythm and blues, to the rise of the first independent record labels post-World War II, and concluding in December 1963, just as an immense change in the airwaves took hold and the Beatles prepared for their first American tour.
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Author's blindspots mar this book
- By Mark Clark on 03-28-17
By: Ed Ward
What listeners say about Mat Memories
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Sexy Wayne
- 05-30-21
John's Journey Is Exciting To Hear Him Speak
John has a great story to tell about his journey through three different industries....that are really related in some way as they bring joy and excitement to the fan. John's narration is meaningful and sincere and a joy to listen to
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- Nicholas Price
- 05-18-21
A fascinating life
I heard about John when he started being a guest on one of my favorite podcasts, the 6:05 Podcast. I enjoyed his stories as well as his life perspective. When I heard he was releasing a book, I had to have it.
John has led a truly fascinating life and it is very well documented here. John reads the audiobook himself and that’s a plus to me. Only John can tell his story the way it’s meant to be told. For someone who has played a pivotal role in the lives and success of so many, John is very humble and the book seems like a very honest account of the events that happened. That is something that is not a given from someone in the wrestling world.
While I am primarily a wrestling fan, the country music and baseball portions of this book kept me just as hooked. I just finished the book and I will be listening again soon, to pick up any details I may have missed.
Highly recommended! Great job John!
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- Tim Wescott
- 05-26-21
arrogance
Fantastic tale about a man's life who never could quite make it over the hump. It all makes sense when you get to the part about Deal or No Deal and the disparaging things he had to say about Donald Trump, who did so much for John's nephew, who John claims to have so much love for. Those comments cleared it all up for me to the question of "damn, how didn't he just get over the hump." Arrogance.
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- indifference84
- 10-13-23
It's good.
If you've found this particular book and you are here reading reviews, you are probably already familiar with John, his radio show, those early conventions, Pro Wrestling, etc.
Give it a shot. It's a cool story and it'll probably make you feel quite nostalgic, just as it did me.
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- Rodney
- 05-15-21
I’m a victim - also where’s the wrestling?
Overall the book is 3-stars, that means average, no bad, just average. People are buying the book to hear wrestling stories, instead that’s covered briefly on the middle of the book, surrounded by his stories about country music.
John isn’t really a likable person in this book. He’s always the victim in nearly every case. Everyone in wrestling is a corrupt s-bag except for him. … then he goes to Nashville and guess what… everyone is a corrupt s-bag except for him. That’s the book - John is a great guy just trying to hook up with women who need his business experience or guidance, and they always let him down and erase him from history. It gets old hearing about how honest and great he is, while he steals their money and makes bad decisions that cause the talent to fire him.
The book tells nothing new or interesting about wrestling - he still sound angry and upset with events of nearly 30-years ago and goes into basically no depth on anything. He knows people are reading it to hear wrestling stories - so he does the bare minimum - but it’s all surface stuff with maybe a few nuggets were he talks money, so I guess that’s “insider” info for that crowd. It’s very disappointing there wasn’t much there.
With all that said I wasn’t really bored by the book or anything. The parts were he’s whining can drag a bit but he’s always for something new to whine about coming up, so he doesn’t dwell on any one thing all that long.
Also it’s laughable he talks about people on the south being racist and his example is someone saying how well a ‘colored boy’ did something. Meanwhile in the rest of the book he’s talking about trailer trash, rednecks and midgets - using those words. I mean I’m fine with all the words - they’re words - but for someone so sensitive to language and wanting to constantly be a victim, he’s just laughably unaware.
Also at the end of the book he nearly loses everything through his own poor finical planning and turns to charity to save his upper middle home from bankruptcy. Yeah, nice story, people raising money to save the home for a guy who brags about making a ton of money, more than 99.99% of the wrestling nerds reading this book. Give him credit for know how to hustle people to pay his bills.
On a positive side Arezzi does a great job as a reader. He’s a natural, has a good voice and by audiobook standards is really good. I’ll give him a legit 5-stars there, if he wanted to be a professional reader it’s something he’s do well at based on this book.
Overall, I think the book is way too short on wrestling to be of any value there. However, even with as negative as I sound, I wasn’t bored. He’s had quite the life in terms of the ground covered. His constant whining about how everyone else is the bad guy, and having zero self awareness gets old and is the downfall of the book.
Still, if the concept of the book is interesting - you should give it a listen.
And remember - 3-stars means average, it doesn’t mean bad.
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2 people found this helpful
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- BMX DAD
- 08-10-21
wonderful story
Lots of fun
Forrest Gump of wrestling
Moral of the story ,love your life !
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- Tony
- 05-16-21
wish there was more wrestling details
great book, I love John, I liked the book, in just would rather have heard more in-depth stories about the wrestling stuff. it's about his life, though, so I guess that's the way the story has to go.
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