Tag: DragonKing Dark

DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show: What’s so special about 1983?

Posted on by Karl Stern

1983 was one of the most important years in the history of professional wrestling.

Here’s some examples:

  • The building of the WWF national expansion
  • The fall of the territories
  • The eventual birth of the major yearly event
  • Hulkamania
  • The fall of Jimmy Snuka
  • The success of Mid-South Wrestling
  • The best year of Southeastern Wrestling
  • An era of flux for Memphis
  • The red-hot Von Erichs vs. Freebirds war in World Class
  • The 1980s peak and beginnings of the fall of the AWA
  • The massive shows in Mexico
  • The birth of the IWGP title in Japan

There’s a lot to talk about. 

Check out my new book DragonKingKarl Stern’s 1983 Pro Wrestling Omnibus available now at Amazon.

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DragonKing Dark: Death of Chester Bennington

Posted on by Karl Stern

Continuing our 100 darkest moments in pop culture series we take a look at the tragic death of Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington. Bennington was one of a series of high profile musicians who died very young after a life of battling mental illness and addiction. 

The tragic story of Chester Bennington touched many in the entertainment industry and severely impacted the music scene. Here is his story.

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DragonKing Dark: The Harvey Weinstein scandal

Posted on by Karl Stern

My ongoing series examining 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history continues with a look at the movie scandal that spawned the #MeToo movement and the many crimes of producer Harvey Weinstein. 

Weinstein was a powerful movie producer in Hollywood who is accused of numerous heinous sexual assaults against a large number of actresses, including several to level stars. 

In order to discuss this story, some listeners may find the accusations triggering. Listener discretion advised.

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DragonKing Dark: The Bill Cosby scandal

Posted on by Karl Stern

Bill Cosby was “America’s Dad.”

He was a mega-popular comedian and actor with his NBC TV sitcom The Cosby Show holding the spot as the biggest television show of the late 1980s. 

Then, it all came crashing down a few years ago when allegations of rampant sexual misconduct and assault began to surface which ultimately saw Cosby spend three years in prison.

And then, his conviction was overturned.

We cover the how and why on DragonKing Dark as I continue our look at the 100 darkest moments in pop culture history.

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DragonKing Dark: Tonya Harding vs. Nancy Kerrigan

Posted on by Karl Stern

Our Dark 100 series looking of the 100 darkest moments in pop culture history continues with a look back at the 1994 sports scandal involving U.S. Olympic skaters Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan.

Harding was accused of being involved in a physical assault of Kerrigan in order to increase her Olympic medal chances. The attack was the darkest moment in figure skating history and became an infamous moment in popular culture.

Click below to listen to the show.

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DragonKing Dark: The death of John Belushi

Posted on by Karl Stern

Continuing our series of 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history, we take a look back at the death of young comedic star and a Saturday Night Live original, John Belushi. 

Belushi was a star still on the rise with multiple hit movies and an iconic stint on SNL. However, drugs gained a hold on Belushi that he just couldn’t break and it ultimately cost him his life.

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DragonKing Dark: What happened to Glenn Miller?

Posted on by Karl Stern

If you know any big band swing music, then it is probably by Glenn Miller and his orchestra.

Some of the most recognizable instrumental hits were arranged and recorded by the biggest pop star of the early 1940s, Glenn Miller. He was every bit as big of a star as Elvis or The Beatles in that era.

So, what happened to him? Where is he now? Nobody knows. At the height of his fame, he joined the United States Army Air Force in World War II and went missing somewhere between London and Paris. This is the story of pop megastar Glenn Miller.

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DragonKing Dark: Las Vegas concert massacre

Posted on by Karl Stern

On this episode of DragonKing Dark, we continue our series on 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history.

This week we look back at the 2017 Las Vegas concert massacre that took place on the strip in Las Vegas targeting a large country music festival. 61 people died during the attack. It remains the largest mass shooting conducted by an individual on American history.

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DragonKing Dark: The ‘Twilight Zone’ movie disaster

Posted on by Karl Stern

The Dark 100 rolls on.

In July 1982, actor Vic Morrow and two child actors were killed by a helicopter crash while filming a scene for “The Twilight Zone” movie.

The accident revealed numerous shortcuts and safety protocols that were bypassed which contributed to the tragedy. 

The Twilight Zone movie disaster is one of our 100 darkest moments in pop culture history.

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DragonKing Dark: Napster Kills the Music Business

Posted on by Karl Stern

Nothing is free. Everything has a cost, including music.

Our series of 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history continues with an entry you might not expect. 

In the late 1990s through early 2000s, file sharing services like Napster and Limewire were all the rage. People justified stealing music by pointing out the hypocrisy and lavish indulgences of the big music companies. But the artists were caught in the crossfire and the music industry changed, and not necessarily for the better. 

On this week’s DragonKing Dark, we look at how the rise of Napster and file sharing both paved the way for streaming and podcasting but almost killed the music business at the same time.

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DragonKing Dark: The death of Bruce Lee

Posted on by Karl Stern

We continue our series on the 100 darkest moments in pop culture by examining the death of action movie star and perhaps the world’s most influential martial artist: Bruce Lee.

The name Bruce Lee stirs up almost mythological images. One of the most skilled martial artists ever, Lee was even more than that. He was a movie star making an impact, a philosopher, an author, and at the young age of 32, he mysteriously died just as his biggest movie was released.

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DragonKing Dark: The AIDS crisis impact on pop culture

Posted on by Karl Stern

I continue my series on 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history and this week’s DarkongKing Dark is a little different in that respect as I take a look at the profound impact the AIDS epidemic had on pop culture in the 1980s into the 1990s.

Numerous important entertainment figures like Freddie Mercury, Rock Hudson, Anthony Perkins, Arthur Ashe, Tom Fogerty, Eazy E, and others died from causes linked to AIDS and HIV. How different might mediums like music, TV, movies, sports, and more have been if the crisis had not struck?

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DragonKing Dark: What have we learned after 300 episodes?

Posted on by Karl Stern

We take a break from our 100 darkest moments in pop culture history to reflect back on what I have learned after 300 episodes of the DragonKing Dark podcast.

Have any of our shows changed my opinion on UFOs, cryptids, ghosts or societal issues? The answer is yes as I feel less convinced of some but more convinced of others.

Join me as I take a look back at some of the topics covered and where we stand now, plus I name my most memorable segment of the show and replay the creepy news segment.

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DragonKing Dark: The death of ‘Superman’ actor George Reeves

Posted on by Karl Stern

He was Superman for an entire generation. He was faster than a locomotive and could leap a tall building in a single bound, but George Reeves was dead at the age of 45.

There has been much mystery around the his death which was officially ruled a suicide. Many people were skeptical and it seems like they may have had reason to be.

This week as part of our 100 darkest moments in pop culture history series, I take a look at the death of Superman: George Reeves.

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DragonKing Dark: The death of Chicago’s Terry Kath

Posted on by Karl Stern

Who was Terry Kath? He was one of the most influential singers and guitarists of the early 1970s, starring with the band Chicago.

If all you know about Chicago are the Peter Cetera-era ballads, let me introduce you to a time when they were experimental, influential, and led by one of the most dynamic guitarists in rock. Kath was a guitarist who none other than Jimi Hendrix said was better than him.

Then, he was dead at the age of 31 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Why? What might have been?

In the latest entry into the 100 darkest moments in pop culture history, we look at the death of Terry Kath on this week’s DragonKing Dark.

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