A popular wrestler around for around a dozen years. Hardly mentioned on this forum or elsewhere. Any memories, and does anyone know what became of him. Is he still around? He deserves remembering.
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Talk Wrestling
Share your memories of British wrestling 1930 - 1988
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An interesting diversion taken by this thread. When the Wrestling Heritage website started we coined the phrase "It's all about the memories."
In those days, nearly twenty years ago, there were lots of people around able and willing to share their memories of McManus, Pallo, Nagasaki et al on Heritage and the other forums of the time - One Stop, British Wrestling Archive and British Wrestlers Reunion. Time moves on. These days only Heritage remains and many of those fans are sadly no longer with us or have exhausted every memory of the good old days.
Whilst memories are the lifeblood of the forum, they give it vitality and bring a sense of fun, the memories alone would be an empty vessel. For any value those memories require a context and that means seeking out and sharing a record of the events of the time. Without any official records that's a difficult task, but thanks to our incredible contributors we are slowly getting there and recording wrestling's history. We are as guilty as any other site of sometimes citing something that seems factually accurate at the time only to be replaced with a contrary "fact" later. That's not to be dismissed; it's how we all move forward together, and provides a far more valuable and accurate record of events than memories alone. That there is a great deal of misinformation out there should not cause us to shy away from the task of preserving history but encourage us to redress that balance.
What is important is that we continue to question statements wherever they appear, including Heritage, remain aware and challenge our own prejudices, keep an open mind, attempt to understand the "big picture" and not get sidelined by individual events, remain curious and most important of all, continue to have fun.
No Powerlock, I am not saying that if you didn't see it, it didn't happen.
What I am saying is: if you did see it, it did happen, regardless of what "records" today might write.
Memories trump records.
Only this month here I said I had seen Nagasaki in London in the sixties. I was told this was impossible. When I produced the poster, there was silence. Hence I wrote "Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe." A shame my memory was not valued because it didn't conform to incomplete or fictitious "records."
I was equally convinced of my Kalmen Gaston statement, but someone produced a sprurious "record" to dismiss my memory. "Record" now discredited.
Memories are a source. Something found "on the internet" is not necessarily a source.
Nostalgia is not history but both are valuable.
Hope this cheers you up Anglo.
I'm afraid I disagree.
The whole point for me of coming on here is to revive memories. Memories of facts; memories of my keen/over enthusiasm 50 + years ago. Memories of the times I stalked wrestlers to get their autographs - the night I bagged the Wild Man of Borneo's will stick with me to the grave.
Enjoying others' memories. Saxonwolf in awe of Gargantua at a nightclub; Matey Dave seeing the Thomson v Kellett bloodbath in 1963; Hack in Ct Bartelli's bungalow, all very Hansel & Gretel; Graham's endless and at times self-deprecating tales of being a budding promoter. And many many more.
Certainly not of buying autographs that others secured. Or indeed of too many records which are so often just wrong with sites outside UK banging down data (☺) willy nilly thinking it irrelevant or impossible to check.
Just like here, I made the opening statement that Kalmen had stopped in 1970. (I knew also about his 1971 Albert Hall return on reflection.) I would have known had he been around after then. I was very alert in those days.
Now I see others' "records" prove my personal memories are right. The best sources are We Ourselves, as it were. We who were there.
(I also knew a non-male who had a fixation with Kalmen's looks and followed him with even more determined interest, but thereby hangs another tale....)
It's always good to offer a source so we can try to verify information from a second (or third) point.
I can't find any verified bookings after 1971 in Ray's files or the BNA. Ray has one billing for 1973 but no result.
May 2, 1974.....powerlocks 1975 dont add up Bournemouth was always a thursday, 30 Sept a tuesday.
After searching the internet found the following:
Royal Albert Hall 15. Novemebr 1967 billed from Budapest
On Facebook vs. Ken Joyce
Please note that I'm not on Face Book so can't look up any of the details.
Cheers
The last bout I can find was at Bournemouth Winter Gardens on 30th Sept 1975 against Len Hurst
In 1965 he lived with Jackie Gaston at Penwern Road Earls Court.
No trace of either of them dying in England.
Electoral rolls confirm spelling Kalman Gaston.
My guess is that he moved on.
No marriage found here either , if they were indeed man and wife.
The last finds I could find were 1973. 1960 to 1973.
1975? He disappeared in 1970. Must have popped back for a bout or two out of nostalgia.
He seemed to be heading places at a time when McManus nurtured good-looking-boy opponents for himself and Pallo such as Mike Eagers and others. There was all that business about him resembling The Saint.
Sometimes spelt Calmen.
He too probably realised there was no long.term career in rolling over for portly Mick.
I couldn't find anything after 1975
Good question Hack I have wondered the same.