From http://www.steppinoutmagazine.com/

Everything You Wanted To Know About

THE HOGANS...

But Were Very Afraid To Ask.

Interview by Chauncé Hayden

A living legend who is recognized around the world, WWE star Hulk Hogan is not only the worlds most famous wrestler - he's also a family man. When not tossing opponents out of the ring like rag dolls, Hulk is a conservative suburban dad who just so happens to live on a 20,000-square-foot estate in Clearwater, Florida with his wife Linda and two children, Brooke and Nick. Okay, maybe traditional is the wrong word.

Starting Sunday, July 10th at 10pm, VH-1 will unveil the worldwide broadcast of "Hogan Knows Best," the most talked about reality family since "The Osbournes." The cameras will be rolling as mom and dad try to protect their children from the evils of modern life...The Hogan way. Watch as 17-year-old Brooke struggles to become a pop star while her over-protective dad terrifies brave potential boyfriends. Meanwhile 14-year-old Nick attempts to walk in his famous dad's footsteps and trips more than once along the way. Yet through all the family squabbles Hulk and Linda, for the most part, seem to keep the family on the right path.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Hulk, Linda, Brooke and Nick Hogan and discuss their reasons for sharing their private lives with the world and more importantly if and when Brooke will ever do Playboy.

Chaunce Hayden: [To Hulk Hogan] You're a living legend to so many people worldwide. Why do a reality show and air your dirty laundry to your fans?

Hulk Hogan: You want the short version or the long version?

Chaunce Hayden: We got time.

Hulk: Okay, I'll give you the long version. A few years ago when "The Osbournes" took off, I was the first person that got called by all four major networks. They all wanted me to do a reality show. But at the time they wanted the show to be all about me and my comeback into wrestling. At the time I really didn't need it. My reputation is pretty much locked in for life. There just wasn't a good enough reason to have that type of invasion into my personal life. But a couple of years pass and the kids start growing up. During those years my kids had all kinds of hobbies, like ice skating, tennis, and roller hockey. But all of those were just hobbies that passed. Then all of a sudden music comes along and it doesn't pass. It's in my daughter's spirit and she's relentless. She starts taking singing and dancing lessons and starts looking for an agent. She's been taking piano lessons her whole life and is really taking it seriously. All of a sudden she records a single last year that makes it to number one on Billboard for four or five weeks. Then I get hooked up with the guy who handled Britney [Spears] for ten years, Larry Rudolph. All of a sudden VH-1 comes along and says they want to do a one-hour special called "Hulk Hogan: Stage Dad." I didn't mind doing it if I was the hook and she was the payoff. It became their highest rated one-hour special. So they came back to me and offered us a TV series.

Chaunce Hayden: It seems the only way to become a pop star today is to have a reality television series.

Hulk: The reason we agreed to do the TV series is this: Ashlee Simpson, Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan, and Britney Spears. They all have either TV or film credits to back up their music careers. I wanted to give my daughter an even playing field. TV has become the new radio.

Chaunce Hayden: So basically you're doing the reality show to help Brooke's singing career.

Hulk: Yes. It gives her more visibility and a greater awareness level. But on the other hand, my son Nick does movies. He just got offered a part in his second movie. Plus he wants to be an actor, and he's got his own production company. He does short films on cars. So it's in the family.

Linda Hogan: That's why music videos initially took off and became a success. The kids that listen to the music need the visual to go along with it. They need more than just a voice on the radio. Then came reality TV, which took it a step further. What we're hoping to achieve by allowing everybody into our home is to show people that Brooke is the real deal. We go through some real trials and tribulations. Just because of celebrity there's no doors in the music business just flying open for us.

Chaunce Hayden: [To Brooke] When your last name is Hogan, how difficult is it to be taken seriously by record companies?

Brooke Hogan: It actually makes it harder. It seems people are always into the vibe that if you're somebody's famous daughter, then you obviously can't sing. People just like to believe that because they think you're being let in the back door. People are so used to that thought process that when I walk into a room, the first thing they say is, "Okay, if you can sing, prove it." I have to work harder to prove that I can sing.

Linda: She's always being put on the spot.

Brooke: I'm always being put on the spot.

Chaunce Hayden: Meaning when you do live radio or TV appearances, the host wants you to sing live, hoping you'll crash and burn.

Brooke: Right! No warming up, no music, no nothing. Just sing! It happens every time. In fact, if you asked me to sing right now, I would do it. In two seconds.

Chaunce Hayden: Well, since this is for print it would just be my word against yours if I didn't like what I heard.

Hulk: They made her do it just the other day on some show.

Brooke: And dance!

Chaunce Hayden: How does it make you feel to always have to prove yourself?

Brooke: It's a constant uphill battle, because I can't get people to believe in me like I believe in myself.

Chaunce Hayden: Kelly Osbourne was able to turn reality TV fame into a record deal. But her reality fame also has led to addictions, rehab, and public scrutiny. Is it worth it?

Brooke: The show is great! We thought of a million different ways that there could be an upside and a downside to it. But it's mostly an upside. People will be able to see that I have a personality and that I'm friendly and that I'm a real person. I might have a zit one day, or have a bad hair day. People will also see how hard I work at singing and still not be able to get anywhere. Hopefully, people will feel for me.

Chaunce Hayden: What separates the Hogan family from the Osbournes?

Brooke: We watched that show every day!

Linda: I don't personally see us as an Osbourne-like family. Yes, they are together and they love their kids. But as far as a family unit is concerned, we have a tighter grip on what our kids are doing. I would say we're more involved in their day-to-day lives.

Chaunce Hayden: Why do you say that?

Linda: Because I've had the opportunity to stay at home with my kids while my husband was wrestling for all those years. When he came home, he couldn't wait to be a stay-at-home dad. I would say we're stricter with our kids.

Hulk: We're like the Osbournes as far as the love and support are concerned. But we run a much tighter ship. I was hooked on the Osbournes for about the first six episodes, until every other word was the F-word. Then I got over it. We have a whole different set of morals and values than they do. We're like the All-American family, only a little crazy. I've never worked a real job in my life, and apparently my kids are all going to be entertainers as well.

Chaunce Hayden: Are you okay with your kids going right into showbiz, rather than working in the real world?

Hulk: I feel good about it because they're good human beings. They've grown up straight and tall instead of crooked. I'm not worried about my kids. They have good hearts and they're good people. There's not a mean bone in their bodies. They just don't derail.

Chaunce Hayden: This question is for the children. When you look at your father, do you see the bigger-than-life icon that I'm looking at now, or do you just see dad?

Nick Hogan: I see dad.

Brooke: I see dad. It's kind of weird to me. I'm used to it now. My whole life I've seen people going crazy over him. But now I understand what's going on. So when I see people going crazy over him now, I think, "Oh my goodness. Look at the impact he's made on people around the world." People love him, and I understand that from a more mature place in my mind. But even now I think, "Wow."

Linda: She used to ask, "Why are all those people asking daddy to write his name?" Our kids just grew up knowing that their dad was their dad. It's always been weird for them seeing him as Hulk Hogan. They would get very upset when they would watch matches and he would get bloody or got hurt.

Chaunce Hayden: I have to admit that I'm surprised you allowed the kids to watch. Wasn't there a concern that it might be too traumatic for them to see their dad fight in the ring, even if it is scripted?

Hulk: The kids have seen me wrestle since they were little. But just recently the temperature of the wrestling atmosphere has changed. They've brought what they call "eye candy" in. They've exploited the storylines and turned wrestling more into a soap opera than an exhibition. They've also pushed the boundaries with the sexuality stuff. But the funny thing is, is that my kids are mature enough and smart enough so that when I tell them it's entertainment, they get it. When they look at wrestling, they see how it's changed. They remember when it was the good guy against the bad guy. Now all of a sudden it's one wrestler saying to another, "I want to rape your wife." That's actually one of the storylines that is on the air now, and I'm not involved in that.

Chaunce Hayden: Are you disappointed that's the direction professional wrestling has taken?

Hulk: I'm not disappointed. I understand the competitive edge and that people have more choices as to what they watch than in the past. It's just the nature of the beast. I understand what TV has to do these days in order to compete. But I'm different. I've got artistic liberty when it comes to the WWE. I get to pick and choose what I want to do. I don't have to rip some girl's skirt off to wrestle at SummerSlam (keith note:  unless that summerslam is 1988). I've put my time in. My segment is my segment. I can be the main event guy when I choose to be, without having to involve myself in that other stuff.

Linda: The kids have always realized their dad is Hulk Hogan. But for the most part, their vision of their father has been from backstage. They see it from a different perspective.

Chaunce Hayden: [To Brooke and Nick] Did you guys ever have a moment when you were worried about your dad because of something that was going on in the wrestling ring?

Brooke: Yeah! All the time. When we were little and didn't understand what entertainment was. You can't tell a five-year-old, "This is entertainment," and expect that child to understand. You see this humongous chair get thrown over your dad's head and blood comes out! I'm sorry, but when you're little, blood means bad!

Linda: I remember at one of the Wrestlemanias, Brooke started to get panicky and started to cry. I just looked at her and said, "Don't worry. Daddy is okay. He'll just need one or two little stitches. But he's not hurt. The blood is mixed in with sweat." I tried to calm her as best I could. But she couldn't wait to get backstage and see that her dad was okay.

Chaunce Hayden: So do we need to call in the shrink?

Brooke: (Laughs) No shrinks! Looking back, I guess I did overreact because I was younger. But I was scared. Blood is blood! The injuries are real! When my dad limps off the mat, that's real!

Chaunce Hayden: [To Hulk] Speaking of injuries, how is your body holding out these days after years of violent injuries from wrestling?

Hulk: I've had a knee replacement and a hip replacement. It's tough waking up in the morning. I had a neck injury that hasn't allowed me to feel anything in my hands for nearly 15 years. I'll pick up a hot cup of coffee out of the microwave and my fingers will be smoking and I won't even feel it. There's a trade off. It's the cost of doing business. But I also train very hard. I was up this morning training for two hours and I'm 51 years old. I can still get in the ring with a guy who's 22 years old, and if he runs out of gas after ten minutes he's in trouble, because I do not get tired. It's a pacing and conditioning thing.

Chaunce Hayden: Why do it at 51?

Hulk: I shouldn't be doing it at 51 years old. But my motivation is greater than ego or competitive edge. It's called security. I just signed a deal with the WWE that takes care of me until I'm 71 years old.

Chaunce Hayden: Is that a deal with the devil?

[Whole family laughs]

Hulk: Not at all! It's a unique business deal that etches in stone that Hulk Hogan will be immortal. It's a deal that gives my family security if I should pass away today. My family would have seven digits coming in for the next 20 years. I'm a security freak.

Linda: The thing is that it wasn't his choice to come back. Truthfully, the WWE had gone public and they needed Hulk Hogan on the roster as one of their stars. It just wasn't as impressive a deal without Hulk Hogan on the roster.

Chaunce Hayden: Be honest. Would the WWE be as popular as it is today if it wasn't for the name Hulk Hogan?

Hulk: No. When I got into this business and worked for Vince McMahon's father, nobody played entrance music, nobody sold merchandise, and ...

Linda: Nobody was tan!

Hulk: I was making more money selling merchandise out of the back of my car than I was wrestling. When I went to Madison Square Garden I asked Vince Sr. if I could play "Eye of the Tiger" as I came into the ring, and he said, "No." So I paid the sound guy $500 and told him to crank it as loud as he could when I entered the ring. The whole arena stood up and went crazy! From that day on, every wrestler wanted wresting music.

Chaunce Hayden: In the past you've had your problems with the WWE. What is your relationship with Vince McMahon like these days?

Hulk: It's great now. But it's been a love/hate relationship over the years.

Linda: There's a fine line between love and hate.

Hulk: When Vince Sr. passed away, Vince Jr. took over the business and he really didn't grab the steering wheel of this machine. At the time there were a bunch of little satellite hubs of wrestling around the country. So Linda and I moved next door to him in Connecticut. I had just done the "Rocky" movie and I said "Vince, I'm so powerful as a wrestler, we can go into all these other venues across the country and steal these arenas." And that's basically what we did. We plotted this whole plan to become the only monopoly in the business. We generated a billion dollars a year for several years.

Chaunce Hayden: That said, why not become a partner, rather than just one of Vince's wrestlers and endure all that physical abuse?

Hulk: I was really happy with having no strings attached. I was happy taking the bag with the yellow boots and tights and taking the money and going home. I just didn't want that phone ringing 24 hours a day. I wasn't into the corporate end of it. I was more into the robbing, raping, and pillaging the money tree.

Chaunce Hayden: Are there any names in the Hogan house that aren't allowed to be mentioned?

Linda: Macho Man.

Brooke: Macho Man used to come up to me and say, [with a deep voice] "Hey Brooke, I used to baby-sit you!" Now I'm thinking, what is that supposed to mean exactly? He would always remind me of that. I was like, "What? You're freaking me out!"

Chaunce Hayden: Triple H said on The Howard Stern Show that "Hulk Hogan has no acting abilities." Does that comment bother you?

Hulk: Not really. Because I consider the source. Several people have said that Triple H wouldn't be where he is now if he hadn't married the boss's daughter. Everybody has their time and their moment. So comments like that don't bother me, because when he sees me he's always singing a different tune.

Chaunce Hayden: Okay Brooke, let's talk about boys. I can't imagine having to pick you up for a date and having to meet your father for the first time. Do you find that guys shy away from you because of fear of your dad?

Brooke: First of all, guys shy away from me because I'm almost 5'11". Then when they find out my dad is Hulk Hogan, they really back off!

Hulk: Good!

Brooke: But if one guy is brave enough to come to my house to try and pick me up for a date, what you think happens is exactly what happens.

Chaunce Hayden: What happens?

Brooke: "Excuse me, Mr. Hogan, can I take out your daughter?" [Mimicking her dad] "No brother!" Boom! And he closes the door!

Chaunce Hayden: Do you give your daughter's dates a hard time for sport, or because you're really that protective?

Hulk: They'll call up and say, "Is Brooke home?" and I'll say, "Wrong number." Click.

Brooke: Now what's happening is that the guys are going through my brother to get to me. They know he likes racecars, so they'll use that to get on his good side.

Hulk: Or they'll hang around posing as Nick's friend for a couple of weeks.

Nick: You can spot those guys a mile away.

Linda: A lot of older guys try to hit on her to because she looks so mature.

Hulk: Playboy called when she was just 16. I said, "No disrespect intended guys, but she just turned 16, so don't call back!"

Linda: They didn't want to do anything nude with her, just some type of interview. But we didn't think it was appropriate.

Chaunce Hayden: Let me ask Brooke. When you turn 18, which will be in one year, will you consider doing a nude layout in Playboy?

Brooke: I don't think that's a step that I really need to take. I don't know what my mindset will be like then. It might be different. I might want to do a Playboy spread...

Hulk and Linda: WHAT!

Brooke: I mean later! I don't think I need to do that now to help my career. I think my talent will carry me though. Plus, my parents would slap the living daylights out of me!

Chaunce Hayden: Mom, dad ... what would you do if Brooke posed nude in Playboy?

Hulk: It would be a major disappointment.

Chaunce Hayden: What about Stuff or Maxim?

Brooke: They do more like bathing suit shots, right?

Chaunce Hayden: And lingerie.

Hulk: That's borderline.

Linda: I would hope that this TV show we're launching would put Brooke in a clean-cut leadership kind of light. There just isn't anybody like that anymore.

Chaunce Hayden: But clean cut doesn't sell records. Don't you agree? Sex will always sell.

Linda: That may be the next step for Brooke. But not yet.

Hulk: Mariah Carey has sold more records than anybody, and I haven't seen her strip down for Playboy yet. Posing nude or even in a skimpy swimsuit isn't the next logical step for Brooke. Plus, this may sound weird, but if Brooke were married, I might have a different comfort level about it. I know that probably sounds crazy.

Chaunce Hayden: I look at Brooke and I see a tall, pretty blonde with a famous last name. I look at Paris Hilton and I see a tall, pretty blonde with a famous last name. Both of you have a reality show and a CD. What separates you from Paris?

Brooke: I don't have a sex tape.

Hulk: And Paris Hilton can't sing and dance like Brooke. Brooke actually has a career.

Brooke: Right. I don't want to be a flash-in-the-pan kind of thing.

Hulk: The real talent in this family is Nick. He's the most natural one on camera, and he's the only one in the family who can really act. All of a sudden he's getting parts in movies right and left. I predict he blows by all of us.

Chaunce Hayden: Okay, Nick. How difficult is it being the son of Hulk Hogan?

Nick: It's tough when people expect me to live up to the Hulk Hogan name. In a way, with the career I'm looking for and the amount of success I want to have, I do want to live up to everything he's done and go further than that.

Chaunce Hayden: Do you want to wrestle?

Nick: I'm not sure yet. I really don't know if I could live up to my dad's name in wrestling.

Chaunce Hayden: [To Hulk] Do you want Nick to follow in your footsteps and wrestle?

Hulk: It's either a great plan A or it's a great plan B. There's a lot of baggage that goes with wrestling and there's no life. There are injuries and tons of drugs in the business. There's tons of stuff involved in wrestling that I wouldn't want him to have to deal with. Plus, I wouldn't want his body to feel like mine. But the one thing I can do for him is not have his body abused like mine was before I started to make money. By passing the torch to him, he could step into a very, very good position without having to have ten years of sleeping in his car and driving thousands of miles for $25. He wouldn't have to cut his face with a razor blade like I did. If he does decide to wrestle, he could make a lot of money being a Hogan. I told him that instead of working at Target over the summer, he could wrestle and make a million and a half dollars if he wants to.

Linda: But I want them to have summer jobs at Target! Because they're not doing enough around the house!

Brooke: Hey, I waitressed!

Hulk: The honest truth is, and this is a selfish dream, I would love to have a tag team match with Nick. I would love to be standing in the ring and tag him in.

Chaunce Hayden: Nick?

Nick: I'd love to do it! I'm sure it's going to happen.

Hulk: But he's only fourteen now.

Nick: It's not the right time to talk about it. But I'm sure it's going to happen.

Hulk: I told Vince McMahon that if he wants to make some serious money, have three or four guys just slaughter me in the ring, and as I try to get back on my feet have my son come out of the crowd with a steel chair and clear the ring out.

Linda: Yeah!

Chaunce Hayden: Have you ever hit your children?

Hulk: I only hit Brooke one time when she had diapers on, and I never heard the end of it. I smacked her on the ass once.

Chaunce Hayden: Ever give Nick a slap in the back of the head?

Hulk: I don't think I ever hit you, did I?

Nick: Nope.

Linda: He doesn't like ruffling the feathers. He likes to keep things peaceful. I'm the mean one.

Chaunce Hayden: Let's change the topic for minute. There have been rumors that Mike Tyson may get an offer to join the WWE. What's your thought on that?

Hulk: He's out of gas. It wouldn't help anybody. The truth is, before he lost to Buster Douglas, I wined and dined him in Japan. I was in my prime and he was in his prime. It was going to be a boxer vs. wrestler pay-per-view event and it probably would have made $100 million. So we signed the contract and I promised I wouldn't break his arm and put him in a submission hold, I'd just wrestle him. But the next night he got knocked out by Buster Douglas. From that point on, Tyson went downhill. The WWE did use him as a referee a few years ago and paid him a few million bucks. But right now I don't know anybody that would hire him. He's just too much trouble. Too much baggage. Vince may feel differently about it. But I wouldn't want to work with him.

Chaunce Hayden: [To Hulk] I hear you used to be a pretty good baseball player in your younger days. As someone who's had experience with steroid use, what are your thoughts regarding Jose Canseco's controversial steroid claims?

Hulk: First off, Jose Canseco is probably the lowest form of life I've ever known. He's the bottom of the barrel. The baseball scandal is an insult to the public's intelligence. Because everybody has known about steroids since day one. Now all of a sudden they're surprised? It's an insult. It's just ridiculous. But it's still an ongoing problem in baseball, football, hockey ...

Chaunce Hayden: And wrestling?

Hulk: Yes, but not like it used to be in the '80s when it was legal. When you could go to the doctor and get a prescription.

Linda: Ultimately, steroids would be given by a doctor to help an injury heal faster. But only for a certain amount of time.

Hulk: When Brooke's throat gets burned out from singing, the doctor will give her a steroid to help it heal faster. But I don't think it improves or enhances one's performance. I really don't.

Chaunce Hayden: Should records count if steroids were proven to have been used? Take Barry Bonds, for instance. Was he cheating if he hit all those home runs while on steroids?

Hulk: Everybody during his era was involved with it. There are guys who made the choice not to. But how can you take a record away? That was then and this is now. It's like saying Thomas Jefferson had multiple wives. It wasn't a big deal then, why make a big deal out of it now? But I was a little insulted when they made a big deal about steroid use in baseball. But the guy who really killed me was Jose Canseco, because in my business, like in baseball, there's an unwritten code of camaraderie. A guy like that is rotten to the core, and you can't trust him. I don't even know how he can look at himself in the mirror. It's as bad as betraying your country. He's lucky he's not in the wrestling business.

Chaunce Hayden: Finally, what is the key to a successful twenty-year marriage?

Hulk: Either you love somebody or you don't. We argue like cats and dogs.

Brooke: A lot!

Hulk: But then there are periods where we never argue. I feel hopeful there's another one of those periods coming along!

Nick: One of the stupidest fights in the history of the Hogan family was the night Brooke did not replace the toilet paper.

Brooke: It was a huge fight just because I didn't go to the laundry room to get a fresh roll!

Linda: So I go to the bathroom and have to drip dry!

Brooke: Yeah, that was a bad one.

Linda: But the bottom line is we love each other, and the truth is, after twenty years, who wants to spend the time breaking somebody new in? I already got him trained!

Hulk: There's been mistakes made and things happen, but when you really love somebody, it's unconditional. She's like my favorite pair of shoes.