Episode #159 with Garry Vanderhorne

On today's episode I'm in conversation with former wrestler, entertainer, geek and creator of 'Lucha Britannia', Garry Vanderhorne.  Garry shares how he was influenced by wrestling during his youth, including being introduced to Lucha Libre wrestling from Mexico, and how this encounter has shaped his life.   Gary also talks about the power of storytelling in the ring in Lucha Libre, why masks are important to a Luchadore & Luchadora (male and female wrestlers), and the legends within the sport.  

We also talk about his other project 'Lucha Britannia', a comedy cabaret wrestling show set in an Orwellian near future called the RetroFutureVerse.  We geek out over John Carpenter movies, WWF & WWE legends, and of course, Garry shares the quote that continually inspires him.

Garry Vanderhorne has been instrumental in making lucha libre more of an understood art form in the UK, both as the creator and head coach of the internationally renowned London School of Lucha Libre, and through his long running successful hybrid of comedy, cabaret, British & Mexican wrestling show, Lucha Britannia, has helped change the perception of professional wrestling across the world. Now celebrating 18 years of outrageous, high-flying, irreverent Lucha Libre wrestling madness, the show continues to defy expectations. Most recently, Lucha Britannia performed to its largest-ever audience — 10,000 people — at the legendary Download Festival at Castle Donington... The rest of the RetroFutureVerse is yet to be written.

Thanks for listening to the episode. I'd like to thank my guest for their time, insight and being a great sport!

I would also like to thank my producer, Ashanti Omkar, for all her hard work.

If you'd like to be a guest, drop me a line at theswingingpalmtree@gmail.com.

Keep Rising & Thriving. Aṣẹ!