Godzilla Invades Kinokuniya USA

May 31st, 2019 by chocko

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is now playing at a theater near you and to celebrate, Kinokuniya Books is selling exclusive Godzilla merchandise.  The following cities are participating in the kaiju pop-up shops: Chicago, Carrollton, Austin, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Edgewater, New Jersey.  When we got to the New Jersey store, the pickings were slim but we were told to keep checking back for more merch in the next couple of weeks.  Below are some photos of the products at the Edgewater store, which included art books, stickers, figures, flip flops, pins, postcards, and pens. The only other place where you can find this stuff is the official Godzilla store in Japan.  Be sure to check your local participating Kinokuniya for availability because supplies are limited.

While in the are of Kinokuniya in Edgewater, fill your belly with some delicious Japanese food at the Mitsuwa Marketplace. Also check out the store Little Japan next door to the book store for more toys and Godzilla merchandise like the mini Godzilla figures you can purchase with tokens from a vending machine, large Bandai figures and a Godzilla bank which features great sound effects and a tiny version of the King Of The Monsters that pops up and takes your change. A great deal for $20!

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Chiller Theatre Halloween 2018

April 25th, 2019 by chocko

Hey misfits, cretins and crustaceans! It’s Spring again and with rain showers and buckets of blood, comes Chiller Theatre time once again..a Spooktacular gathering of all things horror, sci-fi (shout out to Forrest J. Ackerman!). It is the one toy, model and film expo you don’t want to miss and it only happens twice a year so get kraken. Mark your calendars for the weekend of April 26-28 and get over to Parsippany, New Jersey for some spooky collectible shopping, celebrity autographs and photo ops. Once again, Chiller Theatre has a great list of ghoulish guests including Linda Blair (The Exorcist), Shi Kosugi (Enter The Ninja), Tony Danza (Who’s The Boss) , Cheryl Ladd (Charlie’s Angels), and Jason Priestley (Beverly Hills 90210). I’m excited to see Carole and Paula of The Magic Garden in their first convention appearance anywhere. Here’s a look back at our visit to Chiller Theatre Halloween 2018. Hope to see you there!

Toy hoarders, unite! The vendor area at Chiller Theatre is no joke. If you are a fan of horror and old television shows and movies, you’ll want one of everything up in there.
A bin full of old wrestling magazines. How many are in there? 316 and that’s the bottom line!
The talented Animal (Keeper of The Front Gate) and his creepy illustrations
A modern update on the played out jack o’ lantern trick or treat basket. More characters to be revealed soon!
Is it May yet? Bring on Godzilla: King Of The Monsters.
Rhonda commands you to buy her and keep her near your bed at night.
I should have bought my Chiller ticket in advance. That line outside looks horrific.
This Phantom Creep head…a cool replica from the 1939 serial The Phantom Creeps starring Bela Lugosi
Blooksucka Jones and Justin Armao – Writer/Director of Bloodsucka Jones vs. The Creeping Death
hugs and kisses from The Crimson Ghost.
Frank White and Ken Caifa promoting a new Misfits photo book which may have subsequently got yanked from the shelves from a cease and desist!
How much for an autograph? How about I take a photo? Ahhhhh! That’s half my paycheck!
Italian Horror Invasion panel featuring Ruggero Deodato and Cinzia Monreale
Frank Romano, art director for Ben Cooper Halloween costume company from 1962 to 1992
art by Frank Romano
Davey and Goliath
the photos above are some of the entries from the Model & Art Contest

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A Blast From The Past: Puke Island at Tompkins Square Park 2013

March 29th, 2019 by chocko

It’s Flashback Friday and Chocko dug even deeper into the dark abyss and found some crustified photos and videos of a punk rock show that happened at Tompkins Square Park in the Lower East Side NYC almost 6 years ago! Puke Island (that is not a typo!) was masterminded by Chris of the metal/punk band ICONICIDE and his evil henchmen. There’s a little more about them in the previous post but they are releasing a new album soon and if you can reach down deep into your linty pockets…click on their gofundme to assist with what is sure to be an awesome, heavy, balls to the walls punk album. Be sure to check out the videos below and check out the Iconicide side-project, an underground hip hop group DABUMRUSHKREW busting out a stanky Geto Boys cover of “Mind Playing Tricks On Me.” The other bands were killing it so be sure to support and see them play live, buy their records and merch or check ’em out online – The Minor Cuts, Damn Broads, The Graveyard School and Cojoba!

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The Minor Cuts
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Damn Broads
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Chris of ICONICIDE aka MC Foodstamp of DABUMRUSHKREW
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Cojoba
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the hardest working drummer in punk rock Ray Reed
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The Graveyard School

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Upcoming Punk Shows at Tompkins Square Park

March 27th, 2019 by chocko

DSC_0048(Chaotic Meltdown at Tompkins Square Park)

Now that Spring has sprung and the flowers are blooming, it is a time for renewal and rejuvenation and this time of the year makes me think of all the punk shows coming up at Tompkins Square Park.  Here are a few photos that have been sitting under some dust in the Planet Chocko vaults…Puke Island 6 (not to be mistaken for Punk Island) which went down at Tompkins Square Park way back in 2016.  My goodness how time flies!  Puke Island shows are brought to you by the fine folks in the band ICONICIDE and their tag team partners, New York’s only underground newspaper THE SHADOW! Look out for Iconicide’s new album, Engine Of Apocalypse which is in the works.  If you can help them out, they have a gofundme to assist with costs in putting out their album which will be comprised of brand new material and live recordings of Iconicide featuring members who have passed away in recent years.

DSC_0076Here’s a dude with a busted foot in a wheelchair and his buddy decides to hop on the back. Spoiler: the wheelchair with occupants flipped over.

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DSC_0104The photos above feature THE DECEIVERS…a scary bunch of creepy, punk zombies singing about a few of their favorite things: hookers, handguns and heroin. Intense, angry stuff featuring lead singer Mike Denied from the band The Denied and formerly The Murder Junkies.

DSC_0147Former MTV VJ Jesse Camp soaking in the Tompkins vibes and tunes

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DSC_0163New York hardcore was represented well with WE ALL DIE pictured above.

Cancel your lower east side brunch plans and see you at the park for some upcoming shows:

MayDay in TOMPKINS SQUARE PARK

Sunday April 28, 2019 at 2 PM – 6 PM featuring performances by  KALEIDOSKOPE + SUBVERSIVE RITE + SCALPLE + FLOWER + MIEDO

Plus: Political speakers, artists and other performers

WASTECREW party and Memorial show for the late Kenny “Waste” Ahrens

Saturday May 25, 2019 at 2 PM – 7 PM featuring performances by Skum City + Cherry Pop + Hot Blood + Full Scale Riot + Caught in a Trap + The Undead + Urban Waste

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Lions, Tigers, & Dragons in Chinatown NYC

February 17th, 2019 by Mr. C

Choy Lay Fut Kung Fu school


We’ve missed the last couple of years of the Lunar New Year celebrations in NYCs Manhattan Chinatown. But on Saturday, we made a triumphant return to Super Saturday, a day in where Kung Fu schools, youth organizations, benevolent associations, community organizations, & traditional dance troupes in the New York city area all come out to perform traditional Lion Dances in the streets going from storefront to storefront collecting red envelopes and to welcome in the new year with prosperity & health to all the businesses! The term Super Saturday was created by the NYPDs 5th Precinct in Chinatown as they helped the community to organize the lion dancing including street closures and police escorts for each group without causing too much cluster fucks and possible violence breaking out amongst all the rival schools and organizations and in the 1980s, there were plenty of turf wars amongst our own. Thankfully with the gang wars behind us since the Giuliani regime, peace has been the main theme! This year’s participants include some familiar names & suspects: Yip’s Dragon Style Kung Fu, Norman Chin’s Jook Lum Gee Tong Long Pai (Southern Praying Mantis), Luen Hing, Shaolin Kung Fu Institute, Yee’s Hung Ga, United East Athletic Association, Golden Lion club, Staten Island Lions, New York United Lion Dance Troupe, Chinatown Community Young Lions, Chinese Freemason Athletic Club, & Fong’s Hung Ga!


 

Yee’s Hung Ga Kung Fu with the Dragon!
Welcome to Chinatown!
shaolin kung fu institute
Norman Chin’s Tong Long Pai (Northern Praying Mantis) working the fish market
Looking down a festive Mott Street towards Chatham Square
ming dynasty official?
Little Lions!
little dude wearing an NYPD cap
Golden Lion Club member demonstrating an unusual electric 2 wheeler!
Choy Lay Fut

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Ghostface Killah @ The Wellmont Theater (Montclair, New Jersey)

January 24th, 2019 by chocko

Ghostface Killah of the Wu-Tang Clan performed at Wellmont Theater in Montclair, New Jersey last month. Ghostface stepped on the stage and started his set with his verse from the Bad Boy remix of “Special Delivery” then performed classic Wu-Tang and solo tracks which spanned 25 years in the rap game. Ghostface rocked the stage with a little help from Wu-Tang Clan member Cappadonna and affiliates Killah Priest of Sunz of Man and Ghostface Killah’s son, Sun God who also did an excellent job opening up the show. Holding it down behind the turntables was Technician The DJ. The crowd ate up every track played off Wu-Tang’s Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), Wu-Tang Forever and Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. My favorite part of the show was Ghostface Killah doing “Protect Ya Neck” with volunteers from the audience doing Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Method Man’s verses. Check out a video of that song we recorded down below. New Jersey represented with some grimey Shaolin techniques on the microphone especially the young lady doing ODB’s lyrics like she was about to get into a fist fight after some drinks at Cuban Pete’s. You can catch all the rest of the surviving members of Wu-Tang Clan form like Voltron at upcoming reunion shows in Philadelphia and NYC to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of their debut, 36 Chambers. Hip Hop fans in the UK can see Wu-Tang Clan in May when they embark on a 3 day Gods Of Rap tour with DJ Premier and Public Enemy on the 30th Anniversary of It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back and De La Soul on the 30th Anniversary of 3 Feet High And Rising. London, Manchester, Glasgow. You’ve been warned!

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Easy Mo Bee spun at Turntable Lab

January 12th, 2019 by chocko

Legendary producer Easy Mo Bee made an appearance last night at Turntable Lab in New York City, a pristine and well organized record store in the East Village. As soon as I saw them announce the in-store, I mentally prepared for the grueling commute from New Jersey to the Motherland smack dab during rush hour on a Friday night. By the time I got to the store, Mo Bee was already full swing into a mind melting, all vinyl (mostly 45’s) soul, funk and dance set. Just a quick bio on Easy Mo Bee for those not familiar with him…this DJ turned producer worked on Big Daddy Kane’s 1989 album “It’s A Big Daddy Thing” which got him work on Cold Chillin’ Records producing singles for The Genius and Prince Rakeem who the world would know later as GZA and RZA of The Wu-Tang Clan. Mo Bee then worked with Bad Boy Entertainment to work with an up and coming artist named BIG (he wasn’t Notorious yet!). That song was “Party and Bullshit” off the 1993 “Who’s The Man” soundtrack. Mo Bee went on to produce 6 of the tracks off Notorious B.I.G.’s debut album, “Ready To Die” which dropped like an elbow off the top rope in 1994. The songs on that slab of wax which got blessed with Easy Mo Bee beats were the following: Gimme The Loot, Machine Gun Funk, Warning, Ready To Die, The What, and Friend Of Mine. During this time, Mo Bee also produced the monster smash “Flava In Ya Ear” by Craig Mack. Mo Bee also produced tracks on 2PAC’s 1995 album “Me Against The World” along with the long list of artists he would work over the years such as The Lost Boyz, Busta Rhymes, Zhane, Mos Def, Sean Price, Alicia Keys and Miles Davis…it is clear that Mo Bee has been putting in the work!

I soaked in the tunes for an hour…lots of songs that would later get sampled heavily in hip hop, furiously funky and obscure gems and after 7PM he was going more into a dance and house direction. Peace to Easy Mo Bee for letting me interrupt the set and get some CDs signed while geeking out and quoting lyrics from the time he was in a rap group, Rappin’ Is Fundamental. I brought their 1991 CD with me along with the “Who’s The Man” soundtrack , “Ready To Die” and Biggie’s double album “Life After Death” which featured two Easy Mo Bee tracks on that…”I Love The Dough” and “Going Back To Cali”. Another album I threw on the pile was “Now Or Never: Odyssey 2000”. Follow Easy Mo Bee on twitter and instagram to see what he’s up to. Peace to Turntable Lab…hope they have more cool in-stores and if you’re in the area, stop in and check them out at 84 E 10th St, New York, NY (between 3rd Ave and 4th Ave).

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Mickey The True Original Exhibition

January 1st, 2019 by chocko

 

So, if you don’t know by now…Mickey Mouse turned 90 in 2018 and part of the celebration of The Disney True Original is an immersive 16,000 square-foot exhibition in New York City. There are 12 rooms to explore featuring art and installations by nearly 30 artists paying homage to everybody’s favorite rodent. There are also old collectibles on display along with an interactive game show where everybody wins a prize. Sharpen up on your Disney trivia but don’t worry, your game show host and Mickey will drop you lots of hints. You get a collectible enamel pin if you complete the game which is better than nothing! Along the exhibition you’ll also run into some free ice cream samples, so if you get a rumbly in your tumbly, diabetic shakes or just need a break, you will get some sugary sweets to get you right on track and ready to check out art and take selfies. One of my favorite exhibits is a screening of “Steamboat Willie Redux” which is the classic 1928 Micky Mouse debut “Steamboat Willie” side by side with a modern interpretation using all sorts of animation techniques and abstract re-imaginings. Another must-see is Kenny Scharf’s Cosmic Cavern which is a room filled with all sorts of neon objects from floor to ceiling with speakers blasting music to shake whatcha mama gave ya. On the way out, be sure to stop by the Mickey’s Maker Shop where you can purchase collectibles or design your own shirt.

https://partners.disney.com/mickey-the-true-original-exhibition

You can’t just walk up and buy a ticket at the door, so click the link above to get tickets in advance and schedule your visit. Not exactly cheap…at $38 before fees that’s a whole lotta cheddar! The entrance lobby for Mickey The True Original Exhibition is at 60 Tenth Ave. in NYC which is at the corner of 10th Avenue at West 15th Street. Hours are Tuesday – Sunday from 10 AM – 8 PM. If you just want to come down and shop for some Mickey Collectibles, the Mickey’s Maker Shop is open Tue – Sun from 10 AM – 8 PM and you don’t need a ticket to get in. Oh, Boy! The last day to check out the exhibition is February 10, 2019.

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a soprano like christmas!

December 23rd, 2018 by Mr. C

Let it snow at Sip n Swirl ice cream shop in Little Falls,NJ! a Salomone Brothers Concrete truck decorated to the nines in christmas lights!

 

We’ve seen some crazy, over the top festive Christmas light decorations but this one might take the cake! Who ever heard of a lit-up spinning concrete mixing truck all decked out in led lights and blaring out Christmas tunes while a snow machine shoots out artificial snow!? Tonight we went to an ice cream shop in Little Falls, NJ called Sip N Swirl to witness just that – a New Jersey, Soprano like Christmas! Hey ho – ho ho ho!

Salomone Brothers Inc. of Wayne, NJ – a company that provides Redi-Mix concrete services to residential & commercial customers as well as provide construction contracting, plowing and of course, Christmas decorating – are the ones responsible for dedicating two of their concrete mixing and delivery vehicles to help brighten the holiday season for the residents of northern New Jersey while also visiting the St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Paterson and special needs homes.

We only saw the bigger of the 2 trucks and it was lit! The most coolest thing was that the barrel of the cement truck was able to rotate along with the lights without getting tangled up! Brilliant!

The kids in the crowd seemed to have a great time jumping around admiring a larger than life tonka toy with all its LED lights with music blasting and snow coming down!


 


We all know New Jersey gets a bad rap sometimes but there are great people and great companies like the Salomone Brothers who are doing wonderful things for the community, free of charge.  It certainly brings a smile to everyone’s faces who are lucky enough to witness something as simple as this! The Salomone brothers’ decorative concrete trucks go from place to place so check their facebook page to get the latest update on where the vehicles will be at next!

We salute you – Salomone Brothers for spreading holiday cheer and good vibes for everyone and especially for the less fortunate! Next time I need concrete poured, I know who to call!


Salomone Brothers

17 Demarest Dr

Wayne, New Jersey 07470


 

Sip N Swirl 1958 ice cream truck!
The Salomone elves working hard to get some of the lights fixed!

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Christmas Lights on Evergreen – Demarest, NJ

December 22nd, 2018 by Mr. C


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We visited a house in Demarest, NJ decorated with close to 100,000 Christmas lights and the kick of it is that the lights are synchronized with music in a dazzling choreography of blinking & rhythmic – holly, jolly, & holiday spirit!

This light show’s orchestrator & creator is 18-year-old Daniel Eisenberg. He’s been doing this since his early teenage years and his grand show has always involved thousands of Christmas lights that illuminate to music. His creation is so elaborate that he is broadcasting to FM radio so you have to tune in to 98.1 FM when nearby his house to hear the program of songs that are played in sync with the dancing of the lights!

The beauty of the whole light show is that Daniel is raising money for the American Heart Association in memory of his mom who had passed away with a heart attack several years ago. The bitter melon of this story on the Lights on Evergreen is that Daniel & his father are moving to Florida soon so this will be the last year of the Christmas light show at least at this house in NJ. I’m sure Daniel will resurrect and concoct something at the new home.

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But in the meantime, far or near to the Lights on Evergreen in Demarest, NJ – we recommend that you stop by Daniel’s home – enjoy the show – and donate to a great cause! Have a safe and happy holidays everyone! Maybe I’ll run into you at the Lights on Evergreen one last time. I’m not sure how long the light show will run after Christmas but check The Lights on Evergreen facebook link for the latest updates!

38 Evergreen Place
Demarest, New Jersey 07627

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Heartbreak Hotel: Whitney at Hi Arts – El Barrio Artspace PS109 in East Harlem

December 11th, 2018 by Mr. C

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Heartbreak Hotel: Whitney was a very fun & lively solo performance musical play written and performed by Shannon Matesky. Shannon’s story was based on her relationship and ultimate breakup with her love. Her vehicle of telling this tale was through classic Whitney Houston tunes and actually a song or two from Whitney that I’m not familiar with. Besides being the music & pop icon that Whitney is, Shannon uses Whitney as an example or metaphor of a tragic story as we know it as she tells her own experiences with her heartbreak. The performance took us on a roller coaster of emotions as she expertly used comedy, poetry & spoken word, dancing, & singing to convey her message! Whitney Houston videos were projected on the wall and was used as a segue to either change the flow and experience of her story and to also use the Whitney music video to ignite the audience into a sing along! Some songs that I can remember that we all got into was “I wanna dance with somebody”, “Run to you”, “How will I know”, “I will always love you”, “I’m your baby tonight”, & “Something in Common” with Bobby Brown. There was a live performance on the Oprah show that I don’t quite remember the tune of as well that was projected on the wall.

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(Hi-Arts building on e99th street)

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The performance was very engaging and the music instantly brought you back to a memorable time in your life as you belt out that familiar Whitney greatest hit with strangers next to you! The play made you laugh, cry, & shake your head at times. It made you think of how her experiences and Whitney’s for that matter can really apply to you and how you can better deal & cope with the good times while being dealt with the bad hand as well.

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Heartbreak Hotel: Whitney seemed to have made a few runs before and it definitely seemed to be a work in progress.

After the performance, there was a brief talk-back with Shannon and the director as they were both curious to hear what the audience thought as they had some tech issues regarding the video format and some of the playback being projected. To be honest, I didn’t realize or detect that there were any issues myself. Shannon’s performance didn’t clue me in that something was wrong. I thought everything flowed very well as she told her story from the comedic to the sad moments as well as during times of self reflection. The only props on the stage besides the glamorous fur coat upon entrance was a bathtub and a martini glass filled with water and not vodka! The bathtub and the martini glass were very strong images in the play as to what I assume the referencing to Whitney.

I’m not sure when Heartbreak Hotel will have its run again but I wouldn’t hesitate to try to redeem my falsetto vocals again on the next showing! Maybe you’ll join me?

Hi-Arts
215 E 99th Street
New York, NY 10029

(Simple props on stage but the image of the bathtub & martini glass were very meaningful especially pertaining to Whitney Houston)

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(L-Shannon Matesky;R-Lili-Anne Brown (director)

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the real life Rocky Balboa – former pro boxer Chuck Wepner / The Bayonne Bleeder

December 4th, 2018 by Mr. C


(poster and other Chuck Wepner memorabilia at the Dillin Tire Car Care on Kennedy Blvd in Bayonne,NJ. Anyone remember this match between Andre the Giant vs Chuck at Shea Stadium? look it up, it’s hilarious!)

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We had an amazing time today retracing the steps of the real life Rocky – Chuck Wepner in his hometown of Bayonne, NJ! Chuck Wepner aka The Bayonne Bleeder was the inspiration that ignited Sylvester Stallone with the creation of the Rocky movie franchise! Wepner was a heavyweight pro boxer from 1964-1978 with a final record of 35 wins – 14 losses – 2 draws. Wepner was a real life tough guy as he grew up on the streets of Bayonne learning to survive and serving in the U.S. Marine Corp put a stamp on it! He honed his boxing skills as a member of the Marine Corp boxing team and became a champion on his military base. In a nutshell, Chuck Wepner’s claim to fame in boxing was his ability to withstand punishment! His bout with Muhammad Ali was a testament to this and Wepner’s nickname of the Bayonne Bleeder was justified once more during the fight with Ali! The Bayonne Brawler’s other famous opponents include George Foreman and Sonny Liston! Wepner’s life whether his tough guy persona in/out of the ring/jail, his involvement with the mafia, his issues with drugs & alcohol, or his bout with Andre the Giant at Shea Stadium and let me not forget his fight with a black bear named Victor in Sayerville, NJ gave plenty of ideas to Sylvester Stallone to create a character we all know as Rocky Balboa!

If you’re not familiar with Chuck Wepner then I highly encourage you to watch ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary called the “Real Rocky“. You can get a glimpse of our review here if you need a little taste! The bio epic film “Chuck” (2016) starring Liev Schreiber is also a good resource into Wepner’s life. In 2017, Chuck Wepner was inducted into the NJ Hall of Fame which was held at the Asbury Park Convention Center!

But enough of the background and onto our journey today to find some archives on the man himself and to find some fun things to do in the town he grew up in!

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(First stop was at the Hudson County Park in Bayonne and to find the steps where Wepner ran up & down at for training! Our own Chocko Balboa didn’t have a problem making it to the top and inspiring generations to come!)




(We didn’t get a chance to explore the rest of the park but the premises look beautiful. We saw a well kept oval running track and a basketball court next to us that look well maintained. I can imagine in warmer weather this park would be hopping with folks taking advantage of the grounds. There was a nice walkway by the river overlooking the Newark Airport in the background and port newark with the car industries loading/unloading containers in the shipyard! Industrial buckness everywhere, I love it! There’s a nice view of the NJ Turnpike extension with the bridge on 78)









(We dipped out of the cold and into the car to our next destination – Dillin Tire Car Care mechanic shop on Kennedy Boulevard. This Tire shop supposedly had some really neat Chuck Wepner memorabilia and it didn’t disappoint! I was a little hesistant in going in at first as we didn’t want to disrupt the business flow and just waltz in there like they were running a museum but rest assured this notion was squashed as the owner of the shop and close friend of Chuck Wepner – Bruce – was as friendly and funny as can be! The shop itself and interior looked like nothing has changed since the 1970s if not longer! Bruce told us a few stories of Chuck and also about the recent bio-epic movie on Wepner called “Chuck” which premiered last year at the local Frank Theatres by the Pier which Bruce was the host and organizer of. Wish I was able to go as it sounded like a grand event for Chuck Wepner and Bayonne!)

(Memorabilia inside the waiting room…ahem… I meant the Chuck Wepner Waiting room inside the Dillin Tire car care shop!)








(Bruce showed us a video made by an international Film crew (German I think) that documented the story of Chuck Wepner and also the award reception honoring Chuck at the Venitian in Garfield, NJ. Bruce Dillin seemed to have led the charge with the producing and operations of everything for Chuck)

(We asked about the real life size statue of Wepner that was supposed to be at the top of the steps at the Hudson County Park and Bruce led us to the artist that sculpted the piece! The artist – Zhen Wu has a studio nearby! Bruce had been trying to get Mr. Wu to work on the life like sculpture for years and he finally agreed to do it! It looks magnificent! The next step is to cast a mold and then bronze fill it and then patina it! The city of Bayonne has been stalling with the official announcement of the Chuck statue placement so the date is up in the air. They think it’s just a matter of time and of course money as a lot of this will be privately funded.)

(Statue of Chuck Wepner about 80% done. The facial features and sculpting looks amazing by Zhen Wu (master sculpturist – metal fabricator artist)


Bruce mentioned that we should stop to check out a mural of Chuck on the side of a building on 33rd Street & Broadway. It’s been up since 2015.

Next, we’re on our way to Houlihans for lunch and to check out some more memorabilia of Wepner at a booth inside Houlihans. The Houlihans was located in a shopping outlet that the Frank Theaters South Cove 12 Stadium resided at and not far from the 9/11 Teardrop Memorial that we will stop by at after.

(The sole diminuitive glass encased frame of memorabilia of Chuck at one of the booths at Houlihans. I was expecting more artifacts but what they did have packed a punch – pun intended!)


Finally, we headed over to the 9/11 Teardrop memorial that had been so elusive for us. I’ve been wanting to get to this but I guess it never was priority but this time, since we were in Bayonne, this was a must especially being so close to the Houlihans!

It’s definitely a sight to behold!


(Flags half staff for former President Bush)

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