8 Track, Cassette or CD? a Novella !

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Welcome back to another episode, another show, yours truly, not Kita Kolob. And it's time to man up. Why?

Because it is time to man up. Interesting today, novella. Are you familiar with that term? Well, I'm completely transparent and honest.

I was not. What is a novella? And you are not going to want to go away today because we're going to talk about a novella. We're going to talk about the cassette. We're going to talk about music.

Do you remember when, like think back to your, for me, junior high and senior high days, were there songs that came on the radio, like even come on today and immediately takes you back to a situation or set of circumstances, maybe a high school prom back in the day? Well, today with me today, Lance Lumney, welcome to the Man Up show. Well, thank you for having me. This is my third time on your show. I did some question and answers for you a while back and just glad to honored that you had me on and your show has grown and touching lives.

And I praise God for that. And I'm a big listener. Thank you for having me. I appreciate I know you are a big supporter of the show. And of course, to help and spread the word on on the podcast as well. And and and so no stranger to the show, for sure.

And I was excited to have you on, you know, follow you on social media, just like you follow me. And and recently you had debuted a novella called The Cassette. And interesting, you know, like I said in the opening, I was like, OK, what exactly is that? And of course, you know, it's it's it's a book. Right.

But instead of a book in chapters, a novella has, I guess, what we would call tracks or I almost like, well, like a cassette tape jogging some people's memories here back to the days of the eight track or cassette tape. Right. It's similar to that. Is that correct?

Well, yeah. My my basically the way a novella is basically shorter than a short story. And the reason why I put it on my brother helped design the cover and he helped me because years ago he had a book out.

So he was giving me pointers and that. So basically the reason why I put the novella on there is basically for book sales, not to confuse the readers thinking that they're going to get a 250 page book. My book is purposely as he was talking about the cassette instead of chapters, I use tracks which were on cassettes and albums. They were called tracks or songs. And so I purposely made the book, tried to make it a experience more than just a book.

You know, like you said, remember when we had cassette tapes and back then cassette tapes had maybe four songs on each side as opposed to today where artists put, you know, 15 songs on there plus four bonus songs. And so that was kind of how I put on the novella part of it to make sure that the readers know that, you know, it's only one hundred less than one hundred and fifty pages. But what what inspired you, Lance, or what prompted you to really even want to do this project? Wow. Well, this project, as you know, as a writer with your books, they just don't come within months. This took probably four or five years for me to do.

Oh, wow. Yeah, I was writing I do a blog page where I review books, movies, films, and I was also writing for a Canadian website and it was a music site and they did retro reviews. What they would do is they would tell them, hey, this is the anniversary year of this album. So will you write and listen to it and see if it holds up today? So, you know, looking back, you know, or, you know, songs that, you know, oh, this works or this sounds outdated. So I was doing things like that. And I had this story in my head of looking back at music and how, you know, obviously, as you mentioned in the intro, we remember our prom.

We remember school dances. And there was a quote that I put in the front of the book by Dick Clark. Now, if you don't know who the Clark was, American bandstand.

Come on, American bandstand. Yeah, he was the American's oldest teenager, right? He was a DJ. And so he had a quote that just kept on sticking with me. And he was talking about how maybe today's music listeners don't play the song, they just hear it. And he said, think of all the songs you listen to in your life. Popular music was a soundtrack of your lives, whether it was good or bad. You remember who you were with when you heard that song or where you were at, where you were at.

Right. So that kind of started sticking with me. And then I've always tried to write short stories and pitched them and nobody wanted to hear about living in a small town in Ohio in the 1980s or friendships or, you know, regrets. So I took two ideas and kind of combined them. And then I said, well, if I'm writing these album reviews, why don't I make a fictional band and have the character listen, you know, to this song while going back after leaving his hometown and listening to the songs and the songs bring back memories. So that's basically how I got the idea for the book. So, so, you know, someone out there, of course, out there and listening land and they're like, wow, this really kind of intrigues me.

Really, they pick up a copy of of the cassette and and as you said, a shorter story. And and yet in reading, it will it can jog, hopefully, right, maybe jog, as you said, jog their memory, take them back to some of their younger days and reminisce whether, as you said, whether it was a reunion or or whatever. Maybe it was a maybe it was a sporting event or just something that that happened in their life that that left an impression on them. Right.

Right. I mean, even even excuse me, but even if you don't listen to, say, secular music, Christian music, I remember the first song that I heard that put something in my heart. And years later helped get me saved. It was a song called Be the One by a Christian artist named Al Denson.

He had a big run in the 90s when I was in junior high. I was exposed to Striper at the time, you know, and Rebecca St. James. I mean, even worship music. It doesn't have to be, you know, just secular music. But, you know, we remember songs like that or, you know, we go to, you know, we were at a Christian camp and there was a song that was the theme of the song there. Or, you know, back in the early 90s when music, Christian music was just starting to break into the popular section and, you know, charting on the national hits like Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant and things like that. So, you know, the very first I'm a drummer. I started playing drums when I was like seven years old. The first album I got when I got my first drum set was the Oak Ridge Boys Greatest Hits. And those who know the Oak Ridge Boys, they combine gospel, pop, country. So, yeah.

So, I mean, you know, it's not just, you know, secular music. You know, we all remember songs that bring us back to where we were. School dances was always a big thing when I was in junior high. I hate to say it, but I turned 50 in October. Don't hate to say that, Lance. I dreaded it. You're 50 years young.

I dreaded it. You're 50 years young, Lance. Come on. Well, yeah. I feel like, you know. Well, only because you've been under the weather, Lance. Let me just pause right there. Yeah, exactly.

Hey, hey, let me so so let's pause the phone here a second. So you brought up a couple. It's ironic you brought the Oak Ridge Boys because for some reason they popped up on my timeline recently and I started looking, you know, because I remember those guys. Well, I think 2024 they were like on their like like final farewell tour in 2024. I'm like, man, are they because I'm not a big concert guy. But but I like the Oak Ridge Boys.

I'm like, man, are they going to be anywhere like near me? And so anyway, on that note, Rebecca St. James, like so some of our listeners may not recognize that name. But let me just share with you and the rest of our listeners a quick back story there. There was a short season of time that I lived in the Nashville area and my oldest daughter, Taryn, became friends back then.

We're going back, you know, 20, 20, 25 years ago. Well, they became friends. She wrote a song called Wait For Me and a book. Speaking of books, so combining music and books together.

Right. She writes this book called Wait For Me. She writes this song. Of course, the idea of the song was the premise of the song was I'm going to maintain my purity until the Lord brings the man of God into my life, which she did, by the way. I think she was 34. So she was a virgin till she was 34. Married, married her husband. They have an incredible marriage now. And my daughter ended up on the cover of her book, Wait For Me, and then highlighted throughout the book, Wait For Me.

And one last little sidebar footnote. There's a pretty popular group out there right now kind of blowing it up called For King and Country, who just so happens to be her brothers. And they were just little tykes way back when she was hitting it big in the music scene. So anyway, you see, this conversation, Lance, jogged my memory of those two thoughts. Rebecca St. James and the Oak Ridge Boys. That's pretty amazing.

Right. So that's awesome because when I met Rebecca St. James at a concert, she was promoting Wait For Me. And we were talking about, you know, because her writing, Al Denson, he wrote books. Yeah, her writing has been an influence on there was so much, you know, we could get into influencing later if you need to. But, you know, but yeah, her music was, you know, I was working at a Christian TV channel at the time. And, you know, huge fan of hers and her two brothers were actually backup singers when I saw her. So she was, you know, you could tell that they were, you know, they were destined to do their thing as well. And yeah, it's just amazing.

You took the word right out of my mouth. I was thinking, as you were speaking, they were destined for greatness. And and that's, by the way, that's another concert. Again, I'm not big, I'm not a big concert guy, but I just missed the opportunity. They were at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville over the Christmas holiday season last year.

And and I was I was hoping to catch because I thought like when I follow them on social media. I mean, their production looks absolutely amazing. I just want to go for the production. I like their music. Don't get me wrong.

But I just want to go for the production. Right. You're listening to the Truth Network and Truth Network dot com. Nikita Koloff here and I am excited. Did you hear the huge announcement, the big announcement? Well, maybe it's a minor announcement.

Anyway, Facebook. Go look up my new fan page, Nikita Koloff Fans, and like it and follow today. Many people often ask me, is Nikita Koloff your real name?

Well, I have news for you. Now you can get the whole story on my audio book, Nikita, A Tale of the Ring of Redemption, narrated in my own voice, gaining all perspective and insight into my whole life, including my redemption. Would your company, business or you personally like to partner with me in supporting Koloff for Christ Ministries, The Man Up Show and Man Up Minutes? Go to Koloff dot net and click the donate button. You can give monthly, annually or one time.

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Go to www dot Koloff dot net and donate today. You're listening to the Truth Network and Truth Network dot com. And it kind of takes me back to my wrestling days. And if you think of the how to combine these two together, it's kind of weird. But anyway, when I think of the production of professional wrestling now versus the days when Lex Luger and I would just walk in an arena and not even any music entrance or, you know, intro music or fanfare, but just walk to the ring, take off your ring jacket and go at it. You know, we have come a long way, both music in general and in the wrestling world. Now, you're you're a bit of a wrestling fan. Yeah.

Shift gives you for a second. Sure. Sure. I grew up watching wrestling 1984. I was which is funny because, you know, in the 80s, wrestling and music went together. Most of the time when you had the WWF and city law. Yes.

Yes. And Captain Lou and you know. But I was sitting and I was probably 13 years old and I was sitting in my house in my parents house in Columbia, Ohio, which is outside of Youngstown. And my father was watching TV. Now, this is before obviously streaming and cable. You only had certain channels you could watch. It was a Saturday morning and I was listening to Casey Kasem's American Top 40.

I listen to it every week to see what's the number one song in the land. And he called me downstairs and he said, check this out. And I'm watching and I walked downstairs not knowing what he was going to do. I thought I was watching baseball or something. And there was a Georgie Animal Steel ripping apart a turnbuckle, throwing the stuffing at the camera, yelling. And I was like, what is this?

Ripping it apart with his teeth, I think, wasn't he? Yeah. And so but and I was like, wow, I can't wait to see this again because the show was almost over. But in my area back then, wrestling wasn't on every single week in the Youngstown area. So you would see it like Saturday morning and then it might be on two weeks later on Saturday afternoon.

So I'm struggling to try and get it. You know, I was like, what is this? And so then 1985 came along and finally, I want to say it was a Cleveland station or it was either Pittsburgh.

And I found it stumbled across wrestling one day that was totally different from what the WWF was. There was this guy. He was an announcer and he was standing there with two guys. One was just totally built and just scared.

You know, it scared me to death. And he was arguing with the guy saying, hey, you need to earn your spot before you fight the world champion. And this smaller guy, who was his uncle, was saying, no, you give this man a title shot. Next thing you know, the tall guy just clotheslines that are an announcer and starts beating them. And I'm like, this is not WWF. And here it was some guy named Nikita Kola. Oh, my gosh. Was the guy David Crockett? Is that who? Yes. The famous clothesline, the Russian sickle on David Crockett.

That's right. And then a couple of weeks later, I stumbled going in to buy a comic book at our local back when we had newsstands. And there's a pro wrestling illustrated magazine there for the Great American Bash 1985. And I'm like, whoa, there's a wrestling magazine. So forget about the comics. I'm hooked on this.

Wow. So and as I mentioned in the extended your new edition of Nikita, a tale of ring and redemption. Those wrestling magazines helped me learn how to read and write better. I was in junior high and my one teacher, he let us do silent reading. You know, you had like 20 minutes to read in the back of the class. So he would let me read my wrestling magazines. He would also back then we had this was not taught in schools anymore because I was a substitute teacher for several years. You had to know the states and the state capitals on the map.

And basically he would say, well, you know, wrestling use it to your advantage. The Omni was in Atlanta, Georgia. Well, yeah, I know that, you know, Starrcade was there or, you know, right on, you know, one or, you know, whatever the big event was. Right. And he was like, well, where's that at?

Oh, it's down south. Well, show me. So wrestling helped me not only learn how to read and write better, also helped me with geography. So for me, wrestling wasn't just watching something on TV. It became a helpful tool for me as well. Well, and I'm not going to say you're the only one, but you're certainly one of the few I know where a wrestling magazine and or wrestling in general helped educate someone beyond who's body slam and who.

That's pretty amazing. Well, and speaking of the Great American Bash, 1985, I'm going to try to jog my memory here. And since we're speaking about music as well. One of my future partners. You mentioned Uncle Ivan Korolev, right? But one of my future partners, Dusty Road, the American dream, if you will. He loved David Allen Cole, country western singer David Allen Cole, who became a part of many of those American Bash tours when we took it on on on the road.

And so pretty amazing combination. Lance, let me shift gears just slightly again here, because, you know, I want, you know, our audience to know. I mean, just going back, understanding more about the author of the cassette, a novella, your graduate of Kent State. You mentioned Ohio.

So you're up in the great state of Ohio. But you've you've done a lot of things. I'm just looking at your background here from from music websites to to contributing to professional wrestling, books, music, podcasts. I mean, you mentioned your blog and where can people go? Like if they want to check out your blog or obviously they can go where can they go find the cassette, this novella?

Where can they do that? Sure. My blog page is called Lance Writes, w r i t e s dot wordpress dot com. You can find me on any of the social media pages at Lovely Lance L, which, you know, Jim Cornett dubbed me Lovely Lance. They thought Lance Lumley was a great name for a wrestling manager at the back in the 60s and 70s. He said you had handsome Jimmy Valiant and luscious Johnny. You need Lovely Lance as your manager.

So that's right. Lovely Lance L. I'm on all the social media there. You can get the cassette on Amazon right now. It's only physical copy, but hopefully we will get the digital thing going. So if you like e-books instead, just keep on checking back and we'll try to get that going. And just the fact that it's clean, I purposely made it not only just short, but I made it sure that the even though it says it's ages 14 through 18 average the age target and it's a young adult book, it's for all ages. My character in it, Alex, I purposely mentioned it several times that he goes to church.

He, you know, hangs out in youth group, things like that. So, you know, I purposely wanted to make it that we can have a good sort of wholesome book. Yeah, wholesome message. Yeah, wholesome message, right?

That kind of it. I like you. I like this.

What you sent over to be junior high school students. Alex and Carrie meet on a summer day and bonded instantly due to their love for their favorite band. And from then on, they were inseparable, vowing to always be friends, bonded through their love of music.

One cassette album in particular to find those memorable days. I love that. That's that. Hey, if that maybe that'll inspire. But I like what you say, you know, you got a target audience, but really, you know, anyone who who loves to read and or, you know, we'll just I'm sure you'll get get it up on that that e-book. I'm sitting here across from my man Robbie Dilmore, who who helped me last year take, you know, you made reference to wrestling, you know, a tale of the Ring of Redemption. Turn it into an audio book where we're in my own voice. You know, somebody can can now download an audio copy of Ring of Redemption. And what I what I loved about the project, although it was tons and tons of work to do, and my man Robbie was very patient with me, is that I could you know, I could put my own voice inflections and there were certain parts of the book that, you know, had such wonderful meaning and memory to me.

And so when someone listens to that downloads that they're they're going to, I think, based on the feedback I've already gotten from some that they're going to really, really be able to experience the story even more so than, you know, than just reading it. So, man, I appreciate you being on on the man up show today, Lance. Well, thank you for having me again. Like I said, it's great talking about music and wrestling and church. And, you know, all those things that most podcasts will not talk about. So kudos to you guys and all involved in your show. Well, you know, we just try, as you mentioned, trying to bring a, you know, a wholesome book to the marketplace. That's what we try to do with the with the man up show, you know, both on on radio and on on the podcast platform is to just, you know, bring wholesome stories like like yours. And, you know, I appreciate you being a fan, you know, all these years later to the last.

Did you ever think when you're watching that guy who sickled David Crockett that you would one day be having a conversation and or interviewed by that guy? Absolutely not. I mean, it's it's, you know, just a blessing, you know, it shows you what kind of character you are because, you know, some wrestlers will be like, you know, get out of here, kid, you know, or although I'm not a kid anymore, as I said, I just turned 50. So we're not going to go there. But, but, yeah, you need to embrace that last. I'm just trying, you know, you know. Hey, oh, by the way, you know. So did you show court Jim Cornette? Interrupt you for a second.

We're almost out of time. But Jim Cornette gave you the the name. Lovely Lance Lumley.

So did you ever manage or was just the idea that you would make a great one? He just said that the idea of my name sounded like, you know, something that the old 70s managers would be. I'd never managed or like like beautiful Bobby Heenan.

Right. Beautiful Bobby. Oh, man, I loved Bobby Heenan. He is my all time favorite.

Back in the day, just the wit and everything, man. It was awesome. Well, I want to tell you this conversation for me anyway, I don't know about the rest of our listeners, but it really brought back some memories for me talking about and I've got I got an education of my own, Lance. Now I know what a novella is.

Thanks to you. I certainly appreciate that. And man, you start to mention something like even Dick Clark of like, you know, he's no longer with us. But golly, he was like the oldest teenager on the planet, you know, hosting that that American bandstand.

I mean, before we run out of time, I'm going to throw one more out there. So American bandstand certainly was a favorite for me growing up. Like you, a favorite for me. But here's another one. The Soul Train. I don't know how many people out there with Don Cornelius. If I could even half imitate is for that deep old Don Cornelius. Welcome back to the Soul Train.

I can't even do it justice. But anyway. All right.

So lovely, last lovely. Hey, go out and go out there. Hey, go online. Get download a copy of his book. Go go get the novella or purchase a copy called The Cassette. And I think it'll be some, as he said, it's a very light reading, some very enjoyable reading. And last, I look forward to getting up, getting back up to Ohio and and maybe we can break some bread together. What do you say?

Absolutely. We got to get you up here and I will personally introduce you. If you have a church coming there, I don't need a cue card. I can just do it. I'll give you the best, best intro you've ever had. You will spontaneously do just like we used to do it back in the day.

Spontaneous interviews and spontaneous introductions. Well, I want to thank all of you for tuning in. Once again, you're so faithful. Hey, go out today and live a God filled, God blessed day. This podcast is made possible by the grace of God and your faithful prayers, support and generous gifts.

May God bless you for your continual contributions. Go to Koloff.net and donate today. If you are enjoying the Man Up Show, would you help us spread the word? Tell your family, tell your friends, tell your neighbors to download, subscribe and leave a comment. Hi, Nikita Koloff.

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