Kayfabe Monday--July 19th Edition

At 6 years old, I was fascinated with the world of professional wrestling. The flashy lights, the pyro, how my brother yelled and screamed at the television, the entertainment, and the way it brought my family together. Little did I realize that like the rock and roll world, there is a group of women who follow a particular wrestler. Not because they enjoy his talent or skill, it is for the sole purpose of getting them into bed. Welcome to the land of RING RATS.

So what is a Ring Rat you ask? Well you might know the term as groupie. A groupie is a person who seeks emotional and sexual intimacy with a musician or other celebrity. "Groupie" is derived from group in reference to a musical group, but the word is also used in a more general sense, especially in casual conversation.

Female groupies in particular have a long-standing reputation of being available to celebrities, pop stars, rock stars and other public figures. Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant is quoted as distinguishing between fans who wanted brief sexual encounters, and "groupies" who traveled with musicians for extended periods of time, acting as a surrogate girlfriend or mother, often taking care of the musician's valuables, drugs, wardrobe, and social life. Nancy Spungen, who became the partner of Sid Vicious of The Sex Pistols, is one such example of what is sometimes referred to as "road wives." Cynthia Plaster Caster and The GTOs ("Girls Together Outrageously"), with Pamela Des Barres, in particular, as de-facto spokeswoman, are probably the best known groupies of this type.

Des Barres, who wrote two books detailing her experiences as a groupie – I'm With The Band (1987) and Take Another Little Piece of My Heart: A Groupie Grows Up (1993) – as well as another non-fiction book, Rock Bottom: Dark Moments in Music Babylon, asserts that a groupie is to a rock band as Mary Magdalene was to Jesus. Her most recent book, Let's Spend the Night Together (2007), is a collection of wildly varied interviews with classic "old school" groupies including Catherine James, Connie Hamzy, Cherry Vanilla, Dee Dee Keel, Margaret Moser, and Patti Johnsen, as well as modern groupies like Mandy Murders Lexa Vonn and the Plastics. Des Barres, who married rock star-actor Michael Des Barres, also persuaded cult actress Tura Satana, rock muse Bebe Buell, actress Patti D'Arbanville, and Cassandra Peterson, better known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark to talk about their relationships with musicians.

According to Des Barres book, there is at least one verified male groupie, Pleather, who followed female celebrities such as Courtney Love and members of the 80s pop group The Bangles.

"Apple Scruffs", from George Harrison's album All Things Must Pass, refers to the Apple scruffs, a group of teenage girls who staked out The Beatles' Apple Corps offices, Abbey Road Studios, and Paul McCartney's home, often sleeping outside in rough weather, waiting for a glimpse of a Beatle. The Beatles' song "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" refers to the day a few Scruffs climbed into Paul McCartney's house through an upstairs bathroom window and raided his closet for a pair of trousers, which they took turns wearing. They also took a framed photograph, which they later returned at McCartney's request. The movie Almost Famous revolves around the life of groupies (although calling themselves 'band aides').

Now back in 1998 when I started my professional wrestling photography career, I was constantly questioned of who did I suck or fuck to get into the business. Apparently that is how some women wrestlers start out and then they smarten up and get some training. In my case, I have never went down that route. Have I been hit on or flirted with? Oh heck yes. Even back then I had the ethic of "work hard" then "join the casting couch". But some guys, even wrestlers, do not think with their heads on their shoulders. Case in point: Chasyn Rance arrested: Orlando wrestler who appeared on 'Tool Academy' accused of sex with girl

By Anika Myers Palm, Orlando Sentinel

An Orlando wrestler who recently competed on a VH1 reality television show is accused of having sex with a teen girl.

Chasyn John Rance, a 27-year-old professional wrestler who appeared in the third season of VH1's Tool Academy, was arrested Sunday and charged with lewd or lascivious battery.

The charge is a second-degree felony.

A California girl told the Orange County Sheriff's Office in April that she had at least two sexual encounters with Rance in 2008, when she was 15 and visiting her father in Florida.

The girl's mother read her daughter's diary in March and discovered that her daughter had written that she "felt bad" about some things she had done in Orlando, an arrest report shows.
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In the diary, the girl admitted drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana and having intercourse with Rance, then 25, at his Orlando home after one of his wrestling matches, the report said.

The girl's mother contacted the Orange County Sheriff's Office from California about the alleged sexual encounters, but initially did not permit her daughter to speak with an Orange County investigator.

The mother took the girl to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's office and was told she was in the wrong jurisdiction.

The girl, her mother and attorney James Ledford appeared at the Orange County Sheriff's Office on April 9, the report said.

During the interview, the girl said she had more than one sexual encounter with Rance at his Orlando home.

She also said that she had spent time with him at the beach and slept in the same bed — without having sex — and still communicated with him regularly through phone calls and text messages.

The girl said the two had talked about getting married after she gets older, but that she thought he should "go to jail for about a hundred years" because he was bad and cheated on his girlfriends, according to the report.

During a series of three phone calls recorded at the sheriff's office in April, Rance told the girl that he thought she was "cool" and that he had been drunk during their first sexual encounter.

"I didn't want to do that. I was waiting for a long time," he said, according to the report. "I was going to wait until you were like 18." Rance further told the girl that he didn't think he had forced her to have sex with him, said she was attractive and mature-looking and apologized for hurting her.

The Orlando Sentinel is not naming the girl or her family members because she is underage. Ledford, the girl's family's attorney, declined to speak Wednesday. Rance also declined to speak. His attorney, Warren Lindsey, did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Rance was released from the Orange County Jail Monday on $3,500 bond, according to jail records.

The 181-pound University of Central Florida graduate describes himself on his website using the phrase "Not Cocky."

His appearance on Tool Academy, which seeks to teach romantic relationship skills to so-called bad boys, aired Feb. 14. Rance, who had been assigned the nickname "Wrestlin' Tool," walked off during the first episode.

Another Orlando resident, Jacob Tapia, ultimately won the show's $100,000 top prize.

Rance is next scheduled to wrestle on Saturday at the Salvation Army Gymnasium in Sanford.

So what is my point? While the one night stand might be fun, you best be careful. As you can read, that one night stand might mess up your career, as well as your life.

As always, I believe in Kayfabe.
JoiseyDani

P.S.: I am thinking about doing a Wrestling DVD giveaway when I post my Kayfabe Monday #20 blog. What do you think?