News on Jericho's 2nd Book

Tyler Durden

Book Marks
A Lion's Tale: Jericho's Thoughts

For starters, I’d like to thank Lance for inducting A Lion’s Tale into the Book Marks Club. Surely a greater honor has not been bestowed upon me as an author, or on ALT as a tome. I worked long and hard on the book, both in writing it and in promoting the hell out of it. When doing the actual writing, my goal was to write one of the best wrestling books ever written. I decided to do that by writing a wrestling book that wasn’t specifically for wrestling fans. By that, I mean that I knew wrestling fans would dig it, but to make this the best selling book possible, I wanted to take it out of the wrestling box and explain the business and my life to a non fan. When I got the first rave review from Kirkus (a snobby literary journal), I realized that I had achieved my first goal. When doing the actual promoting, my goal was to see ALT make it to the New York Times Bestseller List. When it debuted at number 22, I had achieved that goal as well.

But I must say, it’s hard to read a review about a book written on one’s life. Does a bad review mean that my life is boring? Does a good review mean that my experiences are worth reading about? Early on after the book’s release I realized it didn’t really matter to me. I had written the best book I could, I liked it and that’s all that I cared about.

Having said that, it’s always nice to know that people enjoy something that you spent so much time on. It’s also interesting to read what sticks with them and what they took from my story.

In Lance’s case it’s interesting to read his recollections of some of the Lion’s Tales and to see how his memories conflicted with mine. I’d totally forgotten that I ordered just a banana from the Dairy Queen and that I was indeed the catalyst for the whole Cornett vs the Drive Thru debacle. Had I remembered that, you know I would’ve happily written about it!

Steve Albert brought up a good point about how due to the invention of the wonderful Youtube, that you can actually watch some of the stories told in ALT. It was interesting to me when I watched Strange Kentucky People (which is not on Youtube) or the Man Of 1004 Holds bit, how accurately I was able to recall these moments. Yet I can’t remember to bring home a loaf of bread. It’s a conundrum that never ceases to drive my poor wife nuts.

Pete enjoyed the way that ALT began and ended at the same moment. I came up with that concept when I decided that ALT would deal exclusively with my 9 year journey to the WWE. I had so many experiences and such a taxing ordeal to achieve my dream, once I got to the WWE, that stage of my life was over. It was a perfect story to write about. It also left the door open to a sequel, for which a deal has just been signed with Grand Central. Look for “UNDISPUTED ATTITUDE� to hit bookstores in the fall of 2009!

Stef made the point that I didn’t bury anybody (with the exception of the one of a kind Vampiro) in ALT. The reason for that was that I didn’t feel the need to. I had a dream and after years of hard work and varying degrees of success, I did it. What’s to complain about? I didn’t like everyone that I came into contact with during my career, but in the end I won, so poop on those peeps.

I agree with Mike Schwalen that a wrestling career like mine will probably never been seen again. That’s simply because the business has changed and guys don’t get the same opportunities anymore. It’s six months in developmental and if you’re good you get called up to the main roster. It’s also why I wanted to write the book outside of the WWE system. I had so much to write about before I ever reached New York, that I didn’t want to snub any of those great and trying times.

Carlo Cardelli wondered if Lance still has the tie he wore on the flight to Japan for our first tour. I don’t know and I still have no idea why he decided to wear a tie for a 12 hour flight. Maybe LTS was going through his Alex P Keaton stage...

Robert Emery mentioned that ALT helped inspire him to follow his dreams. That was the point of ALT. As I said in interview after countless interview, this was not a wrestling book, but rather a coming of age, stranger in a strange land, follow your dreams book with wrestling as a backdrop.

Allen Lee asked how the scuffle between Lance and I ended in Japan. I did indeed grab Lance’s package to end the skirmish. It’s one of my best moves, both in a fight and in the boudoir...

Beth Percoraro mentioned that she was worried that ALT wouldn’t be told in my voice. Yet it was, for the simple reason that I wrote every damn word of it. I knew I was going to write this book but I wasn’t completely sure how. Pete Fornatale helped me the same way that a good producer will help a band. I wrote and performed the songs and Pete helped me shape and refine them.

Steve Justice even met a girl while purchasing ALT. Cupid Jericho in the hizz...

Damien Sarcuzi’s comments prompted Lance to wonder about the chronology of ALT. I decided to keep each country’s stories separate. I felt that if I wrote everything in order, that the jumps between companies (ie: and then I went back to Mexico, and then I went back to Japan) would become confusing and jumpy. So I made the creative decision to write ALT in sections. It made it flow better and fit the Around The World In Spandex concept better.

Thanks to all of the Jerichoholics and Book Marks who read and enjoyed ALT. I didn’t expect to get so much feedback, never mind so much intelligent feedback. But then again, I should’ve expected nothing less from a Club run by Lance Storm. Hope you enjoy the next book when it’s released in 2009 but more importantly, I hope Lance the Dictator will allow UNDISPUTED ATTITUDE to be inducted into the Book Mark Club as well.

Cheers,

CJ

StormWrestling.com - Book Marks

Triple R

reading blows but i plan on gettting it