Andy: What's up?
Kerri McCalary: Me. Antibiotics are my friends. :)
As if this past week wasn't filled with enough indignities, I somehow got the flu.
Andy: Heh.....well, I guess first off....what characters are you the handler of, and in which feds?
Kerri McCalary: I handle "The Destroyer" Dante Inferno and his manager, "The Dark Angel" Silky Rose. Currently in the CSWA and EWI, formerly of HEW, AWA, and BWL.
Andy: How old are you?
Kerri McCalary: Nineteen, as of last fall.
Andy: Sweet 19! Can't wait.....well, how did you first get started in fantasy wrestling?
So, what is your current status in feds?
Kerri McCalary: Well, I was a semi- moderate wrestling fan a few years ago, right around the time that Shawn Michaels really exploded. When was it that he beat Bret Hart?
Andy: I think it was Survivor Series....'97?
I'm thinking either '97 or '98
Kerri McCalary: No, it was before "Bret Screwed Bret." Wrestlemania 12, that's it. Anyways, I was on AOL at the time, and hanging out in a chat room, when some guy kept scrolling an ad for an "Efed." I had no idea what it was so I asked. He put me on the mailing list. And I was interested immediately.
I really didn't think any of them could write. I had been writing poetry on and off for a little while and said to myself and my friend Mark, "I could do this "Roleplay" better than them." So I decided to see if I could.
Andy: And how would you say it worked out?
Kerri McCalary: Pretty well. I was undefeated for almost a year, in the AWA, the ONLY decent "E-Fed" that AOL has ever seen.
Andy: Wow....that's a pretty good streak....
Would you say e-feds are more for the older crowd, younger crowd, or something for everyone?
Kerri McCalary: Yeah, well unfortunately, it ended when I said, "Hey, Mark. I bet you'd have fun playing this game, too."
I think the game is for everyone, but I've definitely noticed a trend, that the older crowd (18 or older) are usually far better writers.
Andy: They don't have their characters thinking like someone who is younger?
Kerri McCalary: Not so much a thought process, maybe.... but the younger guys pretty much emulate what they see on television. They'll throw a "Do you smell what (Insert wrestler's name) is cookin'?" or "Oh, didn't you know?" Older folks will have a little more thought into it, like Warren Fitzpatrick, Deacon's handler. He's simply amazing, and you can tell he's not fourteen. Or Pete Russo's Eli Flair. Or my partner Blade. There's a certain maturity in what they all write.
Andy: It's more character driven, then....with people knowing their characters better, instead of knowing other characters trademarks....
Kerri McCalary: Exactly.
Andy: What is it that you would say you enjoy so much about FW?
Kerri McCalary: Two things.
First of all, the people I've met. I love you guys. :) Second, the writing. I love to write, and I think this is some of the most creative writing you can do. If you're good at it, that is.
Andy: Because a new twist to the ever expanding story is opened?
Kerri McCalary: Exactly. And when you're writing both with and against other people, you have to be quick on your feet to deal with a "new chapter" if you will, that someone else wrote.
Andy: What are some of the drawbacks to e-feds, though, that you see?
Kerri McCalary: The stigma. The fact that people outside the game can't see past the 'wrestling' aspect. If they could, and they could actually get to see what goes on with all of us, I think Fantasy Wrestling's critics would see that this is something most of them don't have the imagination to do.
Andy: And if you actually think about it, "wrestling" itself is kinda second place
Kerri McCalary: I agree.
Taking yourself as an example, if it wasn't for the fact that the CSWA's vice commisioner is my boyfriend, I'd think I was reading a novel starring someone named Zero, and not a FW roleplay.
Andy: So, what makes up Dante?
Kerri McCalary: I wanted to make a heel character, because I think they're a lot more fun. But at the same time, I wanted to do something different. Dante may be a heel because of his associations and his 'tactics,' but he's got a cause, and he's completely dedicated to it. In his point of view, he's right. The Dante Inferno philosophy, is that the world is a battlefield, and he, the hunter, is searching for the perfect 'prey.'
Andy: And where does Silky Rose come into play?
Kerri McCalary: She's my 'evil twin.' Where I'm shy, she's extroverted. Where I'm non- confrontational, she gets in people's faces, sometimes violently so. She's the strong personality that I wish I could be sometimes.
Andy: Do you think you could compare Dante and Rose to anyone in pro wrestling?
Kerri McCalary: Take Kane, throw in some of the Sheik's insanity, and you've got Dante. For Silky, the closest example of her personality would be Luna Vachon, but Luna doesn't do her justice. Maybe Daphne in WCW? But.... Silky Rose has been around for the past three years or so. Coincidence? :)
Andy: I'm so into the Daphne character! ...... Would you say those are some of your favorite wrestlers and such?
Kerri McCalary: My favorite wrestlers are the Hardy Boyz/Brood "stable" in the World Wrestling Federation, Vampiro, David Flair, and Crowbar in WCW, and Sabu in ECW. All time favorite would have to be the Sheik.
Andy: Are you a very big fan of the wrestling itself?
Kerri McCalary: Not really. I like the high flyers because they make it more fun to watch than someone like the Big Show, since he can do a lot less visually. But I love the interviews. I could watch three hours of good interviews more easily than twenty minutes of mediocre wrestling.
Andy: What are some of the things you like to do in your free time?
Kerri McCalary: Free time? I'm a waitress who's trying to afford a car. I don't have any free time. :) But when I do have time to relax, I like to write. Poetry, mostly. And I read a lot. But I love to just curl up with my sweetie and just do nothing.
Andy: What kind of stuff do you like to read?
Kerri McCalary: Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King are my two favorite authors. But I'll read anything. I have this insatiable thirst for knowledge.
And, for some strange reason, I live in Baltimore and am a die hard YANKEES fan. :)
Andy: Oh no! And I live in the south...meaning...a BRAVES fan...
I'm sorry, this interview is now over :)
Kerri McCalary: :-P Well then I take back what I said about Zero. :)
Andy: Well....ummm...ok....
next question is....
ummm....
What college are you attending right now?
Kerri McCalary: Loyola College. :)
Andy: What are you majoring in?
Kerri McCalary: I'm currently undecided.
But I'm only headed into my second semester, so.... :)
Andy: Ohhh....any idea what you would like to do after the dust settles and you have the diploma?
Kerri McCalary: Not at the moment. I'm just doing my 'core' classes now so I can get a feel for what all is out there.
Andy: Ahh, I hear you. So, what kind of music are you into?
Kerri McCalary: You name it, I'm a fan. Korn, Limp Bizkit, Rammstein, to Cannibal Corpse and Slayer and Slipknot, to John Lennon and Bob Dylan, and everything in between.
Andy: Any punk in there by any chance? :)
Kerri McCalary: Punk, I LOVE Offspring. Bad Religion. Drain STH. Deftones. Sex Pistols.
Live.... Breathe.... Die.... PUNK ROCK! :)
Andy: lol...hmmm...I've heard that somewhere, just can't place it....btw...Bad Religion! Punk lords, I would have to say
Have you ever looked at Greg Graffin's lyrics? Really just read them and tried to understand them?
Kerri McCalary: I can't say that I have.... but I'll be sure to do that. Mark's got a few bootlegs in his collection, too.
Lords, okay. But the Sex Pistols are Punk GODS.
Andy: yeah, I'll give 'em that.
But Pennywise are like the punk princes, maybe
Well, is there anything you wanted to add regarding Dante Inferno and the whole FW world?
Kerri McCalary: Give me a little time to get back on my feet after this past week.... but you ain't seen NOTHING yet. :)
And to all you guys who are new to the game.... NOBODY cares who you're wrestler is sleeping with.
Andy: Great! Any last words to those millions....and mill...errrr....those few who find who the site?
Kerri McCalary: The year 2000 is the year of Fast To Nowhere. :) You heard it here first.
Andy: Lol....and going faster there than ever before....well Kerri, it's been a blast. Thanks for the time.
Kerri McCalary: You're very welcome. And I think my bed is calling my name. Goodnight and Blessed Be. :)
Andy: Night
