MICK FOLEY REMEMBERS JIMMY SNUKA
- 01/17/2017 (12:16:37 pm)
- Bob Mulrenin
…
Mick Foley posted the following tribute to Jimmy Snuka on his Facebook page:
REMEMBERING JIMMY SNUKA
Had it not been for this moment in time in October, 1983, it's highly unlikely that I would have created any moments at all within the world of professional wrestling/sports – entertainment. Jimmy Snuka created that moment for me - a moment that was about so much more than just an athletic dive from the top of a cage. It was professional wrestling as art, and Snuka that night was the consummate artist, painting on his own unique canvas in the most famous arena in the world. He painted with his body language, his intensity, his facial expressions - especially with those eyes - so that the slightest glance to the top of the cage created a literal buzz among the 20,000 in attendance - like a fuse being lit, leading to a powder keg of anticipation, resulting in the rarest of explosions; a crowd pop so loud and emotional that all I need do is close my eyes and I can hear it all over again, as real to me now as it was that night at The Garden over 30 years ago.
I am struggling with both the news of Jimmy's death, and the knowledge that he may have been responsible for the death of a young woman in his motel room in May, 1983. Unfortunately, that death is inextricably entwined in the life-story of Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, making the celebration of his life and career so much more difficult. I have been asked many times to comment on the matter, but haven't until now, simply because I didn't know what to say. I still don't. I hope that the final judgment of Jimmy Snuka will take into account the kindness with which he treated both fans and friends and the love he had for family and close friends. But Jimmy will likely be remembered as much for what allegedly took place on that one terrible night as he will be for his magnificent career. I don't know how to reconcile this man's heroic feats inside our world, with the tragedy he likely played a role in outside of it, but I have always found wisdom and comfort in these simple words from Bruce Springsteen: "trust the art, not the artist".
Art, at its best, inspires others to be something more than they could otherwise be. Spiritualist Thomas Merton famously wrote that "art allows us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time". The masterpiece that Jimmy Snuka created that night at Madison Square Garden ultimately allowed me to do both those things. I would be a different man without the influence of Jimmy – a man without a dream; a man you likely would never have seen on your television screen. I remember vividly standing in all at MSG that night, hoping that one day I could do something that might make others feel the type of emotion I felt at that very moment. He was a true artist who inspired others to create moments that might stand the test of time – moments that might be remembered for years, decades even a lifetime. Thank you Jimmy Snuka for inspiring me.
Had it not been for this moment in time in October, 1983, it's highly unlikely that I would have created any moments at all within the world of professional wrestling/sports – entertainment. Jimmy Snuka created that moment for me - a moment that was about so much more than just an athletic dive from the top of a cage. It was professional wrestling as art, and Snuka that night was the consummate artist, painting on his own unique canvas in the most famous arena in the world. He painted with his body language, his intensity, his facial expressions - especially with those eyes - so that the slightest glance to the top of the cage created a literal buzz among the 20,000 in attendance - like a fuse being lit, leading to a powder keg of anticipation, resulting in the rarest of explosions; a crowd pop so loud and emotional that all I need do is close my eyes and I can hear it all over again, as real to me now as it was that night at The Garden over 30 years ago.
I am struggling with both the news of Jimmy's death, and the knowledge that he may have been responsible for the death of a young woman in his motel room in May, 1983. Unfortunately, that death is inextricably entwined in the life-story of Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, making the celebration of his life and career so much more difficult. I have been asked many times to comment on the matter, but haven't until now, simply because I didn't know what to say. I still don't. I hope that the final judgment of Jimmy Snuka will take into account the kindness with which he treated both fans and friends and the love he had for family and close friends. But Jimmy will likely be remembered as much for what allegedly took place on that one terrible night as he will be for his magnificent career. I don't know how to reconcile this man's heroic feats inside our world, with the tragedy he likely played a role in outside of it, but I have always found wisdom and comfort in these simple words from Bruce Springsteen: "trust the art, not the artist".
Art, at its best, inspires others to be something more than they could otherwise be. Spiritualist Thomas Merton famously wrote that "art allows us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time". The masterpiece that Jimmy Snuka created that night at Madison Square Garden ultimately allowed me to do both those things. I would be a different man without the influence of Jimmy – a man without a dream; a man you likely would never have seen on your television screen. I remember vividly standing in all at MSG that night, hoping that one day I could do something that might make others feel the type of emotion I felt at that very moment. He was a true artist who inspired others to create moments that might stand the test of time – moments that might be remembered for years, decades even a lifetime. Thank you Jimmy Snuka for inspiring me.
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