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Lance Storm Commentary (7/15): Speaks On Returning Home & Fame
By Anthony DeBlasi
Jul 15, 2003, 17:45               <<BACK TO NEWSBOARD

"Going Home Again" By Lance Storm
Courtesy of StormWrestling.com

July 15,2003

This past week I took my first legitimate vacation in, I don’t know how long. I had a very important family wedding to go to so I booked the weekend off, packed up the whole fam damily and headed back home. By home I mean where I grew up, not home where I currently live, all through with as seldom as I get there, that too could be considered a vacation. This was the first time I’d been home in almost 6 years, so it was very strange. It was strange because it has been so long and strange because people now look at me differently.

With it being nearly 6 years since I’d been home, it marked the first time that I’ve been home since I achieved any level of “fame” in North America. This may not seem like much, and truthfully I never even thought about it ahead of time, but it changes a lot of things. For a large part of my vacation I wasn’t Lance Evers, back home to visit family, I was Lance Storm, returning local celebrity, or as it felt to me at times, Lance Storm, sideshow attraction.

“Fame” is an interesting thing. It’s something most people think they want, and granted a cool thing the first time you experience it, but once you have it, it changes the way everyone sees you and I think everyone who has “it” wishes they could turn it off, or get rid of it completely. A good friend of mine once said, “I always wanted to be rich and famous. Now I realize I just want to be rich.” These are very smart words, both money and fame can change your life but how money changes your life is predominantly up to you, with fame it’s predominantly out of your control. Please don’t’ get me wrong here, this commentary is not meant to be read as a complaint, but rather an observation.

In Calgary my “fame” (that sounds conceited but I don’t know how else to say it) only affects me when I step out of my regular routine, which isn’t all that much. I am very much a creature of habit and with the exception of the occasional trip to the theater or mall I don’t have to deal with the general public; more over with my level of “fame” it’s not like I’m getting mauled the second I step out my door. At home in North Bay my “fame” hit me far more than I expected it to and in a way I did not see coming.

Seeing old family and friends I haven’t seen in years (6-years for some and in the case of wedding guests upwards of 20) was great but also very weird. People don’t treat you the same and I got introduced differently than the rest of my family. It seemed that everyone was trying to get their own little piece of “fame by association”. Everyone who knew me way back when, knows what I do now and of course has been telling all of their current friends and family that they know, or knew me. The wedding, this past weekend, was their chance to prove it and show others. Whether it be their kids or their spouses, introductions always seemed to have a “the wrestler” or “you know…LANCE” attached to it. I received phone calls from people I’m not sure would have even thought of calling if not for what I now do for a living. I was also inundated with autograph photo requests. Even if you aren’t a wrestling fan I guarantee you know someone who is (especially kids) and this was everyone’s chance to come through as the hero and produce a cool gift when they got home.

I understand this and I certainly don’t mind signing pictures but contrary to popular belief I don’t have an endless supply of promotional 8X10s to give out. Truth be told, I’m in a constant struggle to get promo photos from the office and I currently have 1 in my possession, which I am keeping for myself. Fortunately my Mom scanned a full-page photo out of a RAW Magazine and printed several copies so I managed to fill most requests; even the one I received during the ceremony (I kid you not).

I even had the occasion to go out and hit a local bar. It was actually a bar I bounced at before I moved to Calgary to get into wrestling. The night started out fine but before too long I was the attraction of the club. It’s crazy to watch how getting noticed spreads. I’m not a big enough celebrity to get instant recognition and more often than not it starts with someone saying, “Hey you look a lot like Lance Storm.” No one expects to see famous people, (Especially in North Bay, ON.) so they usually take awhile to believe it. Once one guy spots you it spreads worse that SARS. You can actually watch the wave spread through the club. One guy points you out to another, then he tells two friends, and so on, and so on, before to long word is everywhere that you are there and people start looking for you. Once that happens you are the entertainment for the evening and spend the rest of the night signing autographs.

I even signed my first boob. (By this I don’t mean I signed some idiot in the bar, I actually signed a women’s breast) It’s not the first time I’ve been asked to sign a women’s breast just the first time I’ve obliged. It was a waitress from the bar and when I initially declined her offer (as I always do) I used the fact that my wife, who was standing right there, likely wouldn’t approve. The waitress became very embarrassed and started apologizing to my wife. My wife rather enjoys embarrassing me, and making fun of my fame, so she assures the women that she doesn’t mind at all and that I more than have her permission to sign her boob. This left me pretty much out of excuses, so I obliged and signed her breast. Thankfully with my wife present she didn’t provided her entire breast for me to sign.

I guess the point of this commentary is that despite trying to keep the career of Lance Storm and the life of Lance Evers separate, it is really a futile effort, people don’t seem to be able accept just Lance Evers anymore. The way I’m viewed, by others, will always be affected by my chosen profession. I guess I will have to remember that it is my CHOSEN profession and learn to live with it. Fortunately by the time my kids are old enough to be effected by this I should be retired and off television. I once thought it would be cool for my kids to have a famous Dad, but I’m realizing it’s probably better if they don’t.

Till next week,
Lance



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