Focus on wrestling: the real deal
Theo Ehret interviewed by Cameron Jamie
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C.J.: "From looking at your whole body of work, it seems that you documented everything and everyone, from the superstar, to the obscure jobber."
T.E.: "The magazines back East would say, 'Shoot everything you can on Mascaras, Blassie, or whoever.' I had carte blanche to shoot anything and anyone because I was on the payroll at the Olympic. Once I did my job for them, I could do whatever I wanted with the pictures. I had to pay for all of the materials, processing, etc., so really, I made just enough money to pay bills."
C.J.: "Were you familiar with pro wrestling at the time you started your job?"
T.E.: "I had no idea whatsoever. None. When I first saw it, I thought it was comical. It was so obvious that it was phony, I could never understand people believing it could be real. It's right in front of you. I would look at it and say, 'What the heck is that?' People hollering, screaming, and throwing things, my goodness!"
C.J.: "Did you ever have problems with any of the pro wrestlers?"
T.E.: "In general, I had no problem with anyone. I did have problems with the wrestling fans. Once there was a fight with The Sheik, where during the match he grabbed a pen from out of my pocket and started to stab his opponent in the head and face. The fans blamed me for giving him the pen! I needed to have a police escort for three weeks to get into the arena! (laughs) I did not like things like that too much."
C.J.: "Who were the first pro wrestlers you photographed?"
T.E.: "Fred Blassie, John Tolos, Gordman and Goliath - those guys were among the first. I remember once Andre the Giant came over to the studio to have his passport picture taken and he could not even fit through the door!"
C.J.: "You were never fond of the wrestlers, even as showmen?"
T.E.: "I never even asked any wrestler for his autograph. Not one. I knew them all, but I couldn't care less. I liked Blassie as a human, but not as a wrestler because I had no interest in this stuff. Blassie would call me constantly, and he would always use me to photograph him at charities, or wherever."
C.J.: "Wrestling is often considered to be fake, yet the amount of punishment that these wrestlers take is unbelievable. I remember when you could walk into the locker room of the Olympic and watch the wrestlers getting their foreheads stitched up by the paramedics."
T.E.: "No question about it, it looks easy, but it hurts. To me, it' s crazy. You would see these guys flying out of the ring into the seats. You could cut your head up on those things because the seats at the Olympic were made of hard plastic with sharp edges."
C.J.: "Was it difficult to shoot the battle royal matches with so many wrestlers fighting at once in the ring?"
T.E.: "In a battle royal match, you see nothing when you are close to the ring. All you saw were a bunch of body masses flying around. In order to see anything, you had to be up above. So I went to the TV booth up above the Olympic and shot from there. From the top, you could get the whole ring and all the action at once."
C.J.: "I never liked boxing for that reason. It always felt too controlled for me. The chaotic sensibility and absurdity is what I liked about pro wrestling."
T.E.: "Oh yes. In boxing, things are toned-down. I mean, it can get wild, but any sports event can get wild: basketball, baseball, anything. It depends on the mood of the people and how much beer they've had."
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Page 1 2 3 4 5
C.J.: "From looking at your whole body of work, it seems that you documented everything and everyone, from the superstar, to the obscure jobber."
T.E.: "The magazines back East would say, 'Shoot everything you can on Mascaras, Blassie, or whoever.' I had carte blanche to shoot anything and anyone because I was on the payroll at the Olympic. Once I did my job for them, I could do whatever I wanted with the pictures. I had to pay for all of the materials, processing, etc., so really, I made just enough money to pay bills."
C.J.: "Were you familiar with pro wrestling at the time you started your job?"
T.E.: "I had no idea whatsoever. None. When I first saw it, I thought it was comical. It was so obvious that it was phony, I could never understand people believing it could be real. It's right in front of you. I would look at it and say, 'What the heck is that?' People hollering, screaming, and throwing things, my goodness!"
C.J.: "Did you ever have problems with any of the pro wrestlers?"
T.E.: "In general, I had no problem with anyone. I did have problems with the wrestling fans. Once there was a fight with The Sheik, where during the match he grabbed a pen from out of my pocket and started to stab his opponent in the head and face. The fans blamed me for giving him the pen! I needed to have a police escort for three weeks to get into the arena! (laughs) I did not like things like that too much."
C.J.: "Who were the first pro wrestlers you photographed?"
T.E.: "Fred Blassie, John Tolos, Gordman and Goliath - those guys were among the first. I remember once Andre the Giant came over to the studio to have his passport picture taken and he could not even fit through the door!"
C.J.: "You were never fond of the wrestlers, even as showmen?"
T.E.: "I never even asked any wrestler for his autograph. Not one. I knew them all, but I couldn't care less. I liked Blassie as a human, but not as a wrestler because I had no interest in this stuff. Blassie would call me constantly, and he would always use me to photograph him at charities, or wherever."
C.J.: "Wrestling is often considered to be fake, yet the amount of punishment that these wrestlers take is unbelievable. I remember when you could walk into the locker room of the Olympic and watch the wrestlers getting their foreheads stitched up by the paramedics."
T.E.: "No question about it, it looks easy, but it hurts. To me, it' s crazy. You would see these guys flying out of the ring into the seats. You could cut your head up on those things because the seats at the Olympic were made of hard plastic with sharp edges."
C.J.: "Was it difficult to shoot the battle royal matches with so many wrestlers fighting at once in the ring?"
T.E.: "In a battle royal match, you see nothing when you are close to the ring. All you saw were a bunch of body masses flying around. In order to see anything, you had to be up above. So I went to the TV booth up above the Olympic and shot from there. From the top, you could get the whole ring and all the action at once."
C.J.: "I never liked boxing for that reason. It always felt too controlled for me. The chaotic sensibility and absurdity is what I liked about pro wrestling."
T.E.: "Oh yes. In boxing, things are toned-down. I mean, it can get wild, but any sports event can get wild: basketball, baseball, anything. It depends on the mood of the people and how much beer they've had."
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