August 08, 2007
Peter E. Parisi for The Walk
It's always a pleasure to see former students taking on the ills on the world, through media engagement. So, I couldn't be more pleased to note that the late Peter E. Parisi's cause has been taken up by a two-time, former student of mine at Webster, Jim Varagona. The young man's working to assure PEP a place on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
There's a petition and info here:
Now, a few thoughts:
1. Joe Edwards - an advertiser in and subscriber to 52nd City, it must be noted - has generally stated that he doesn't like petition drives and public campaigns, ala this one, or that of famed Munchkin Mickey Carroll.
2. He's also implicitly stated that he wants the recipient to be well-known outside of St. Louis, as much as in. PEP may have a cult following in the STL, but outside... hmm. Harder to figure.
3. We'd love to see PEP get recognition, even if this effort to land him on Delmar with his own bronze star proves a non-star(ter). The site already gives a nod to the warped genius of the late videographer.
4. Since members of this town have a habit of, let's say, requisitioning ideas as they own, I have long thought of spearheading an effort to get Lou Thesz the same honor, a Walk of Fame star. If you don't have a knowledge of Thesz, start out with a look at his Wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Thesz. To emphasize that we would like like to work on such a thing, I WILL GO WITH ALL CAPS TO SAY THAT WE ARE INTERESTED.
Okay, back to PEP: check Jim's site, read up on PEP, enjoy the memories (and that catchy theme song) of "World Wide Magazine," sign a petition if you wish. Have a good day.
That URL should be http://wwm.diabetoboy.com (not www).
I made the same mistake when I first posted about the petition...
I also just added Pete to the St. Louis Wiki: www.wikilou.com
Cheers,
kopper
By the way, I agree, Lou Thesz should have a star, definitely. One of the (if not THEE) greatest wrestler to ever live!
Posted by kopper on Wed., Aug 8, 2007 at 2:51 PMThanks for the mention Thomas. Yes, I realize this is a stretch, but as I have mentioned in various other forums, the idea of a star for P.E.P. was brought up a while back by Jeff Daniel of the Post. I'll put up that article by tomorrow in the links section of my WWM site. He also stated that some other honor could be bestowed upon Pete, such as an exhibit through the MO Historical Society. I think a petition drive is necessary to show the recognition and influence of the man.
Since I posted some vids on YouTube that I obtained while working on my documentary about Parisi, I have gotten quite a response from people from St. Louis, formerly from St. Louis, or those that have simply stumbled upon the mad genius of Pete. His national influence may not be there, but by comparing him to other known names like Michael Moore, Tom Green, and the Jerry Springer show, you cannot argue with him being ahead of his time. People across St. Louis and beyond watched this spectacle which later became a mainstream style and sense of humor.
So even if this doesn't work, it reminds people about a common ground they all shared on Friday and Saturday nights for 15 years in our area. And maybe we could push our efforts towards a P.E.P. statue, complete with cigar.
Thanks for the mention Thomas. Yes, I realize this is a stretch, but as I have mentioned in various other forums, the idea of a star for P.E.P. was brought up a while back by Jeff Daniel of the Post. I'll put up that article by tomorrow in the links section of my WWM site. He also stated that some other honor could be bestowed upon Pete, such as an exhibit through the MO Historical Society. I think a petition drive is necessary to show the recognition and influence of the man.
Since I posted some vids on YouTube that I obtained while working on my documentary about Parisi, I have gotten quite a response from people from St. Louis, formerly from St. Louis, or those that have simply stumbled upon the mad genius of Pete. His national influence may not be there, but by comparing him to other known names like Michael Moore, Tom Green, and the Jerry Springer show, you cannot argue with him being ahead of his time. People across St. Louis and beyond watched this spectacle which later became a mainstream style and sense of humor.
So even if this doesn't work, it reminds people about a common ground they all shared on Friday and Saturday nights for 15 years in our area. And maybe we could push our efforts towards a P.E.P. statue, complete with cigar.