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2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Worker: Last of a Dying Breed Dec 24, 2009
By C. Butcher III
C/P from [...]
Reviewed by Joe Babinsack
Everyone deserves to tell their side of the story.
That's the most important thing I can say about Brian Logan's book.
Who is Brian Logan?
He's the kind of veteran that's been everywhere, but maybe not everywhere on top. He came tantalizingly close to the WWE, suffered through the Power Plant and WCW, headlined in Ohio Valley Wrestling, toured in Puerto Rico, was teased a spot in ECW, dominated the indy scene in West Virginia, ran with the NWA, and ultimately landed in the Dale Gagner version of the AWA.
Logan's biggest claims to fame include wrestling Chris Jericho in his first U.S. match; feuding with Brock Lesnar and Shelton Benjamin (in their OVW Minnesota Stretching Crew period); and teaming with a variety of names, including Leviathan - now known as The Animal Dave Batista.
As Damian, the perennial other half of the Disciples of Synn, Logan had his most enduring mark in the professional wrestling world, holding the OVW Southern Tag Team Championships on multiple occasions, with tag team partners Slash (aka Wolfie D, aka Kelly Wolfe: the son of longtime Tennessee fixture Jamie Dundee ) and later BJ Payne (at the turn of the millennium.)
Synn is otherwise known as Stacey Goff, the longtime girlfriend of James Cornette.
The Disciples managed to appear on WWF TV, surprisingly to their OVW entrance music (Limp Bizkit's Break Stuff.) As Logan details, Slash happened to self-destruct in a two week period following that apex of their tag team career. It was likely the apex of Logan's career, although once he got his personal life straightened out and escaped (figuratively speaking) the WV justice system, he finally made it to the top of the food chain, claiming to be World Champion as the AWA Heavyweight Champion, defeating Larry Zbyszko and Ricky Landell in a three-way for the belt that claims lineage to Verne Gagne's strap.
Brian Logan's story is a compelling one. While it is plagued with spelling and typo issues, it is a forthright, disturbing and hard to put down. In a month span where I've read a few books that I regret even picking up, and read about people I really didn't feel were honest, and really didn't think were all that important in the business, I found this book to be far more interesting than either Hulk Hogan's book, or Howard Brody's.
(I'll defer to Chris Cruise's take on the Brody book until I bother to read the whole thing.)
The life of the man adopted as Brian Kees is certainly a troubled one, and one that found the path to professional wrestling wasn't exactly a road to glory. But in the end, as Kees legally changed his name to Brian Logan, he seems to have found an understanding of his life, and the business, that make it all more meaningful.
I'll leave the telling of the story to Logan himself, because despite some ongoing flaws in the presentation, he does have a talent for writing and a likeability that exudes through the words. Believe me, and no disrespect to Mr. Logan, but if his personality was not so infused in the book, I'm not so sure I'd find it believable.
West Virginia is the home state of the tale, and Logan plays up almost every stereotype and worst case scenario a Western Pennsylvanian could imagine about the state. Local politics, especially in regard to the wrestling business, are frighteningly portrayed, and one way or another, had their impact on Logan's life, let alone his career.
Troubling still is his family life.
His is a tale of relationships gone wrong, due to the travels, the usual suspects of the hard wrestling life, and the inherent distrusts involved in this business. Beyond that, his adoptive parents had their issues, and his adoptive father apparently shot at him when the author was a teenager, and actually shot him later in life.
That last 1/3 of the story is a roller coaster ride of West Virginia law enforcement, penitentiary stays and a rebirth of his life and career.
It's a convoluted story told by Logan, which involves claims of self-defense by his adoptive father, backturning by his adoptive mother, and a stunning betrayal by his then wife. But it's told convincingly, and while every single book by a professional wrestler must be taken with a grain of salt, it's hard to imagine anyone creating the stories of a level of ongoing harassment by police, bureaucratic nightmares and ultimately a lockdown on his career.
The insights into the indy world of professional wrestling are intense.
Promotions run by money marks, wannabes and people who just don't get it have obviously plagued the scene in West Virginia, and likely so many other wrestling regions or hotbeds.
How the industry survives with this level of incompetence is a question of ongoing interest.
(Then again, there are quite frankly bigger issues in the industry, as noted by the tragic death of Eddie "Umaga" Fatu and the path by which he met his demise. What, and who failed that man?)
But Brian Logan proves anything but incompetence in this book.
At times disturbing, at times compelling, but most of all, a scary picture of the indy worker struggling to earn a living, and always struggling with family issues, even in the best of pictures, Logan paints a picture of achievement in an industry better suited to destroying families, careers and anything else in its path.
The promise of the book is the story told for the sake of Brian Logan's son, Dylan.
The mother of the child is Brandi Alexander, who had a career bubbling up in WCW. Again, this story is distinctly one of Brian Logan, so I'll avoid passing judgment on any of the details, leaving it to Logan and you as the reader to make up your own mind, but the passion and the love shown by father for son is certainly compelling.
In the library of professional wrestling books, Brian Logan's is definitely one that should be added.
Logan provides much needed insight into booking at the indy level, provides a life story that was heavily impacted by the business, and while he does present some disturbing and a few cringe-worthy admissions, it's a book that builds the history of the sport and provides glimpses of major stars before they got famous, and of course, the man once called the "Player" and his perspective of the past two decades of the industry.
Again, and with all due respect to the Disciple once called Damian, who claims that editorial promises caused his spelling woes, there will be some rough spots once you start reading. But I'd recommend sticking to the reading, ignoring the minor flaws, and you'll learn a perspective of the business that you'll never glean from the glitzier and more glamorous books out there.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
a must read for any wrestling fan Dec 24, 2009
By Ashley Logan
This is a true story. Every fact is checkable and there are public records that will support the info contained in this book.
interesting Feb 08, 2011
By jeri lyn
this book is a good read for any wrestling fan. it is a glimpse into the life of a wrestler, you get to see the good and the bad of life on the road. the behind the curtain politics are interesting to read and the downfall of a talented wrestler who was his own worst enemy at times. i know brian logan personally and i was present at some of the events in the book. i am glad to have the book in my wrestling collection.
1 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 LIES, LIES, AND MORE LIES! Dec 17, 2009
By Janette Hall
This book is nothing but lies on top of lies on top of more lies from Brian Logan. #1 his name isnt even Brian Logan it is Brian Kees! This is not a true autobiography. An autobiography is supposed to be the TRUTH about your life. Not trying to candy-coat something for someone to buy it. Who is actually going to believe that his father shot him in the head. Come on now he isn't writing an autobiography he is writing a fictional book to suit his likings. This book is ALL LIES!
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