September 6, 2023
I tabled with my interview subject in April, my first convention in 4-5 years. Some of that was the crash of normal following the pandemic. Some of that was convention recruiters going only for artists since they can do sketches and draw crowds. Some of this might be I am just a shitty poet. Who knows?
But in April I met Terrance Griep and we got along famously, like we'd been friends for years. He's funny, bright, and a great writer. But most people think of him in his alter alter ego, a professional wrestler, a bad boy named SpiderBaby. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I've enjoyed his company at the convention, and our communications since.
(All contents image and words are © the creators of such)
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You assume dual roles in this world of creativeness... as a professional wrestler and comic book writer. When was your entry into wrestling?
I began as a color commentator in September 2001.
How did it come about?
As a freelance writer who had had some success with national publishers, I realized that I'd never looked for writing work locally. I found a local wrestling promotion advertising for a TV announcer and saw a way into writing for local television. At least, that's what I told myself at the time.
Why, in particular did you choose such a profession?
I didn't choose it--I blundered into it. I started as a color commentator, but, because that promotion also trained wrestlers, I went, so to speak, all in. At first, the idea behind my wrestling training was that, as a commentator, I could get beat up by taunted good guy wrestlers without actually dying, but my debut forced us all to go in a different direction.
Your bio speaks to your being open about being gay. Did that play a role your being considered a heel/bad guy, or was it just a statement of being?
I came out before my first wrestling match way back on November 9, 2003—a different time fersherzies. The whole point of SpiderBaby, my wrestling persona, is, "Here's a performer who's gay and a wrestler, or character, who’s gay...but not engaged in a gimmick that's Gorgeous, Exotic, Pink or Lavender. SpiderBaby's first catch phrase was, "It's okay to boo me because of what I do...but not because of who I am." I really wanted to make that point and move on, but being "the gay wrestler" has remained SpiderBaby's core because that's what the fans decided.
Was your being openly gay ever used against you as such?
My
presence forced a new decorum onto the locker room—suddenly, it wasn’t
okay to use “gay” as a synonym for “bad” which was a fairly common
practice...although the vast majority of my fellow wrestlers supported
me in every way possible. I had to say NO to clueless bookers who wanted
to portray me as a sexual predator. I had to say NO to being gay bashed
in the ring—SpiderBaby is one queen who, despite his many flaws, always
fights back.
Did you always prefer to be a bad guy?
Yeah. Bad guys, or heels, were consistently more compelling to me as a young fan.
Who were your role models as wrestlers?
I
had so many favorites: Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Curt "Mister Perfect"
Hennig, "Gentleman" Chris Adams. The dirty tactics of Gino Hernandez
were SpiderBaby’s first in-ring influence. All these years later, I'm
still adding and subtracting stolen move sets. As a commentator, I
borrowed from Jim Cornette and referenced my SpiderMommy. My real world
mother has since become part of SpiderBaby’s continuity, posing with
title belts and roses.
There are friends. On the indy level, we're a pretty easy-going, supportive troupe trying to make ourselves, our siblings, and our craft better. I received numerous bits of input early on, all too wrestling-centric to be useful here.
When did you become a comic book writer?
I started the process in college. I suppose this makes me the only liberal arts student in academic history actually to do in the real world what he studied in school.
What comics inspired you in particular?
The Dark Knight Returns by Miller and Varley, Watchmen by Moore and Gibbons, and Elektra Lives Again by Miller and Varley were my first grand inspirations. My rallying cry starting out was, "I'm going to try to make comics as great as these, and if I fall short, I'll still be doing better than much of what's currently being produced." (This was years and years ago, I hasten to add.) Elektra Lives Again is brilliantly structured, and it’s a total gut punch: Matt Murdock expresses implacable fury at Elektra for her sin of dying and breaking his heart. That expression is simultaneously unreasonable and understandable—terribly, awfully, utterly human.
What talents in comics inspired you or do you hold high in esteem and influence upon you?
The first writer whose work I fell in love with was Gardner Fox--he was long gone when I discovered him, so I could only access his writing through reprints. Subsequently, Miller and Moore obviously became inspirations. Kirby, Ditko, Cruse, Crumb, and especially Eisner helped me along during the journey. I'm proud to say I’m still open to influence--I recently listened to the unabridged audiobook of No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy and discovered a new-for-me writing technique that I'm keeping in my holster.
I like your light hearted works more, but all comics I've read so far have been quite good. As such what comic book project would you do if you had full authority, creatives to help you create, and absolute guarantee of entry onto the shelves?
I’m such a proud nerd, I could easily give two dozen answers to this fine question. Ideally, for DC Comics, I’d love to write a five-member super-hero group made up of four third-stringers and lead by a has-been. The meta-story would be an exploration of the super-heroes’ motives which would be revealed as not all that super and not all that heroic, alas... but they would come around. Well, some of them would... but only after one died... permanently, if you can imagine such a thing.
Recently the subject of Artificial Intelligence and the creative arts has become a hot topic. In your opinion, is AI something for a creative person worth fearing, or is it going to become a tool in the creative person's tool box? Can you see it be a little of both?
I’m not an expert on the subject—I’m too busy generating intelligence the old-fashioned way to dive deeply into it—but the Screen Actors’ Guild, the Writers’ Guild, and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists have included it among their concerns for going on strike, so the issue obviously has merit. These chords—we’re going to replaced by machines—have been struck before, many times, throughout human history, going back to the Luddites and well before the Luddites. Ultimately, all such tools have provided boons and curses...but I’m happy to admit this one is unique and deserves special attention. It’s up to humanity to ensure that, whatever its face, this potent tool, like all the tools that came before it, remains a tool. Failing that, each of us had better be especially nice to everyone named John Connor and Sarah Connor.
As a shitty poet, if it stole and adapted my writing, people would say, AI writes shitty poetry, what's the big deal, but what if it could end up with Alan Moore depth of work?
I may be whistling past the graveyard, but I don’t think that’s possible. Yet. Vigilance is humanity’s best course, though. And your poetry isn’t shitty.
Umm, thank you.
What do you perceive to be your future in wrestling, as aged heroes and villains often have to stop performing due to health, would you move into management? Comics I assume you can keep writing...
I recently announced my retirement from professional wrestling...then had to announce the postponement of my retirement from professional wrestling. When I retire, though, which will definitely happen in 2024, my intention is to throw the door wide open, step through the threshold, and not look back. You’ll notice I didn’t close the door in the metaphor, but, as of this moment, I think of the independent wrestling scene as high school. I’m ready to move onto the next phase of my life, fully and permanently.
I think you are an entirely funny, honest, bright, and talented human.
Thank you.
Thank you, I am grateful for your time and thoughtful answers.
You’re welcome.
Is there any subject I missed you'd care to cover?
Ha. That’s my final question when I interview flesh-and-blood people, as well, and nearly everyone crashes and burns after I ask it, despite my reassurance that “No” is a perfectly acceptable answer. (Fox 9’s Maury Glover is the only subject who laudably answered, “No.”) For my part, I’ll thank you for the interview and thank Midwest Comic Book Fans for my seating at their last convention. I shared a table and a panel with someone—his name rhymes with, uh, Apex Kress—whose constantly flowing creativity, bravery, toughness, guts, and vulnerability make me proud to call him a new friend.
Proof of this table combination as taken by artist Jim Keefe
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