r.i.p. cap'n lou

was surprised to learn this afternoon that michael chamy of zanzibar snails fame is a wrestling fan -- and that cap'n lou albano had left the planet, aged 76. in high school, i used to watch the national wrestling alliance out of tampa, florida, on the spanish-language station that broadcast from linden, new joisey. during the bad boston-foreigner-journey-styx time, i became a jazz snob for awhile and started going to monday night wrestling at madison square garden instead of rock shows. it was much more entertainment for your buck watching an old italian lady in the black dress with the head scarf breaking a wooden chair over bruno sammartino's head than watching some equally fake arena rock spectacle. my college roommate/lead singer claimed to have dated lou's daughter once. maybe he did.