And IBM problems inspire us to push the world forward. That's why so many people work with us on everything from city traffic to ocean plastic. Smart loves problems, IBM, let's put smart to work, visit, IBM dot com, slash Smart, to learn more, whose Yoda will see you, Thursday January sixteen of the more theatre in San Francisco we're going to be of the Castro, January eighteen. One else chuck that is it man, Dinnery eighteen through the Castro or annual trip to sketch, rests with performing their. We have great crowds. There go, get a ticket you want to come see me a movie crushed the next night on Sunday and a small than you reckon shake my. And hug my neck. I would welcome that is well well, that's setting you are for when I said what else that will see you you can get all the info and tickets. You need an ass white ass K, live dot com or, as a sketch fast start, come

welcome to step you should now production of Iheart Radios Housetop were evolved into the part time jobs, clerk, there's Charles W Short Brien Jerry's nine here, but all of these beautiful, wonderful people are applause alive in Orlando Florida is our city or hostile going back their order near whew. Indeed, thank you for that, Toto was playing here next week. This relative my child, a thin and people political your home is never air you'll, never get away, it has got all that, I'm so

for we get started. Actually, if you guys want those be, I would like to dedicate this show to a very special woman named hours. Harrison who also happens You have been you re grandma and she passed on Monday. So she is actually a fellow Floridians. She lived outside of tamper for most of her life had like parrots in peacocks like Super Florida and she was a very wonderful woman. So I want to dedicate this show two hours airs in her memory. Everyone things they were enemies, hearing she's, very proud of you right now. You hire me I'm so we didn't spring. You here to talk about his grandma exclusively where's your here tonight, to talk to you about legends and in particular one legend

Oh man The crowd shatters. Rarely funny well, there's been some concern right. Already deepen this early in the shown. That's the last one you get them so this there was even better than Zelda. This legends name was Andre, the giant. and by the way, if you and others is Florida. But if you're not a fan of wrestling retirement, fear not I'm not a thing wrestling you're, not a real fan of wrestling. This is interesting stuff. We bring, is something so niece that only when vans would enjoy trust. In fact, you can make it

Is that if you are a wrestling thing, you might not like this just excused herself so to start at the beginning, Andre the giant was not born under the giant. He was born Andre Rene Roussimoff on May 19th, one thousand nine hundred and forty six in Columbia, AIR France, which is a town that is close to where he was raised in a french farming town called Moleon. But I'm silent. I dont have people whom I met Maria and down. In Mali and he was raised by his parents, Boris Marianne, gruesome off, who of the bulgarian imposed percent respectively, and it was the third of five siblings and he was born at eleven pounds which recalls Cannabich at a couple of women, gas sucked air through their dinner,

here. Boris resume off some surprise, these bulgarian- that name Terry, but when you kids everything surrogate, you, gotta put yourself out. There live on the edge like that bores Rosen, the bulgarian who would have thought it. Who would have thought that one too, no there is Emily Farmers and he worked on the family farm, as did all the kids. I think he was the third of five children here's one thing that may or may not be true, but an interesting little Tippit will throw out a supposedly when he was in school. With the other children therein. All France they would occasionally get rides in the pickup truck to school, from playwright Samuel Beckett right. This is the appropriate response. Like a little surprise, but now it's totally blown away

the little Andre. It was never little because he was eleven pounds at birth. He began to grow very early, all of his siblings and even his parents were all the sort of the average size, so no one knew what was coming when lit Andrei by the age of twelve, was six feet tall and wait. Two hundred and forty pounds yes and so on being farmers were like we have an act for her third child. And they were pretty happy about this than Andrews. It don't get too comfortable, because in two years I'm gonna quit school in eighth grade and go find my fortunes in Paris and he did and it's one of those things where, when you'd researching and telling people that he went to Paris to find his forces after dropping a great, if you stop and think about it, the man, letting your fourteen year old son moved to Paris by himself to go find words as a different time as a cool parents, Erika package,

So maybe they just didn't miss a mad for others wandering around no, but I'm sure they try to talk amount of other like these swing sites like no unaverred who's. Gonna pull the cart So he did. He actually started to find his fortunes. Not the best fortunate body found saw me started moving furniture figure just kind of through his is kind of through couches through doorways, upstairs that kind of stuff to her and then later he became a professional rugby player, which is ok, it's getting closer and closer, but Rugby actually led him inadvertent, can accidentally into the world of wrestling, that's right because he trained at a gym as a rugby player, along with some other wrestlers who were wrestlers that train there with them and one day one of the rest of us got hurt. They looked around the gym and they said: hey huge human come over. Here forget rugby. You should

So what us, because it was France and they say, rascal, surely. And he did, and he really took to it and before you know it, he was touring as a pro ressler in Japan. In New Zealand yeah and in Japan in particular, here this persona named cause a monster, Them off what he had a few names right: yeah you wrestled under the butcher, was one the Andrea, the butcher, gruesome off, so so one was the french giant, which is way too on the nose, like other american podcast her. If I were ready and then another few you imagine, I would give my ass kick at every man, You are right in the match. In their wake, everybody we have on. I guess we should just cut to the chase. Wrestling is fake, yes answered the pod,

The other one circle is the third one, while the third one, I think we can all agree, is the best, maybe best wrestling name of all time Mr Eiffel Tower the good is it do is like the the second, the gap between the second and third stories like the mouth, I guess, there's no arms bends over links, jabs you or something it just doesn't make. Any service. If you really think about is bring together, they ended up in Japan, they did so in Japan. He had a different name monster gruesome off and must tourism offers what in rustling parlance, cholera, heal a bad guy right and in Japan, Andrey really eighth add up like in the ring outside of the ring matches he would, he would taught the fans on the streets, those big celebrity on the street. If somebody took a picture of them, he chased him down and break their camera. You love being a heel right, all in good fun,

tell that to the japanese guy, you had to go by another cambric as monster gruesome off broke. The other one in none of his friends of believing. So he eventually went to Europe to wrestle in there. He wrestled under the name Jean Fair, which The play on the term are the name, grand fair hair. The hero in french folklore, who would kill english invaders or cologne. We can never said a word cologne, lean old colonists, you're hurting like five or six extra civil colonialists colonists colonialist. No, it's just wrong, who says colonial colonialism, their colonialist right, no power in it like a bird colonies, guys colonists, Ok, I'm not losing my mind letting go on imports of right here in front of us where it is a melting who deal with is usually happens a later in the show.

Someone snorting. I wanted you, I better so, regardless of what they called the english invaders colonists in focus or grand fair would kill them with an axe, and he was this big french hero in the story, books and so John Fair was a play on that name right, and so, when he became Jean Fair, he became a hero in the rustling world. What's neurons a baby face or face heels and faces good guys. Everyone in this room doesn't know that already right. So as Jean Fair, he became pretty big around Europe, so much so that there's a legend that he told himself once in an interview we read where he went back home like aged nineteen. I think so. I ve been about five years since he left home. You went back home after he made a show

rolls Royce, goes up to the door and knocks on it and says: hey how you doing mom and dad, and they didn't recognize him at first, but they did recognize Jean Fair, their favorite wrestler, who just showing up on their doorstep and said, Sign they had been watching all this time and Andrzej the giant changed so much. They didn't recognize them. They just became fans. John Fair. I really want to believe that. Are you too, even if its bs still pretty great story? Would it be like if it's like stone. Cold, Steve, Austin showed up on your doors was like I'm your son, it's basically the same. The same thing is just a different person. You really trying to keep it together here. Everybody else is good, for this were giving got it didn't happen in Maine rigged. Airport out has made come forth.

I know you, you did last summer, people asleep in the audience and main Racine. I've also very disconcerting. Just so. You know here in the first five rose, please just stick awake I'm used to it need to have the last just stay awake. That's your job, and I consider that it is your partner start falsely, given one of those three disconcerting basically were watching you. So nineteen, seventy Andrea was working with a man named Edward Carpentier, the flying German than he was similar, believe it or not. And promoter- and he claimed that their lot allotted- tell tales in the story and we're not sure which ones are true, but he claimed that he met Andrei when he was driving down the road in France and those a redwood tree that had fallen. And Andrzej emerged and moved the tree. I think there may not be true sense. Pretty gather that's a good story, but that's not true, but

figures and very important Andres life, because he took him to Quebec two to on fair and made a very important introduction to a man named Vince Mc Man senior. Yes, out, so Vince Mcmahon Senior for those you, the five of you dont know he ass. He was a big time wrestling promote, at a time when rustling in America was regional right, it was not a nation wide thing. It was that the country was cut up into different regions. Invisible man was the head of the Worldwide Wrestling Federation, the W W W S. Apparently, events make man didn't know that world it is one word they put it on marketing materials in everything he would go on to shorten that later year, later on, his son were correct. The massive scale error that his father had started years before, but before that this ban really great idea. He said you John Fair.

Change the name in a minute? You are really something special. Then put you on one circuit or one town or whatever, to sticking to one region where you get it. You know be huge at first and then just kind of become whatever of interest is so so guy I'm going to take you from region to region around the country and promote you and he did, and in doing so Andre the giant became one of the nation's first wrestling stars because he went from town to town and it was a big deal when he came to town every time there was a really big deal. They would start promoting storylines ahead of time because, as we said, pressing is fake, so they wrong with these stories about this giant that would come to town and because all the heels were get not a hand in Memphis, soaring Jacksonville wherever, and so the hood bring in Andre too

get them all in line in the big giants. Gonna come into town he's a good guy and he is huge and no one's ever seeming like em, and that really got people in the seats and really dig way like the promoters would charge more than than was normal because they knew the people who are going to pay. It becomes the Andrey set the universe right again. In America. You finally got the name Andre, the giant believe it was Vince Mcmahon Senior who gave gave him that name and he debuted in nineteen. Seventy three at Madison Square Gardens as Andre, the giant building the eighth wonder of the world at seven feet, four inches five hundred and twenty pounds He wrestled a thing between four hundred and fifty and fifty two thousand five hundred and fifty four most of his career, except at the end on Wrestlemania three, their reports that he weighed as much as six hundred and fifty

and you can tell he was not in the best of shape. At that point we will. He was six fifty there. The story well, we'll get sad at some point, so just get ready, I saw his high. His height is in dispute. Basically, there are people directly did entire websites to trying to prove that Andrea. The giant was seventy four inches, but most credible sources say nice about sixty seven inches, some, Maybe he was toward the end of his career, but he underwent back surgery in nineteen eighty six and they remove some vertebrae there. So he was seven foot four in and they shrunk I'm down to six ft seven in people say you live in your mom's basement, the argument every single time, I'm not a back surgeon and I think that's how that works. I noticed One vertebrae, I didn't get another one now. The good news is your back on heard, but you're eight inches shorter, something that's out,

So he was truly enormous, though there are other great stories. One is that his wrists where nearly a foot in diameter right. We're like. So everybody is plainly obvious in enormous risks, but we had no frame of reference except promoted, Europe which we know is not a foot minds night either I'm so we went to the slender risk dot com. And that is a real website is research. The average human man's risk circumference and we found out of seven inches seven point four inches so what is about five inches bigger around than the average man wrist, which is huge, which I guess we should stick to a full recovery. Is there anything the ground what like knowing there's a website called this Linda risk that gas and then I'm not on it.

He wore a size, twenty six wrestling boot just for comparison colonials. Very large man started his career playing for little team called the Orlando magic yeah. He wears a twenty two hundred twenty six. So what else? There were other legends, he could pass a silver dollar coin through his rings and then another one that I dont think is true, that he had two hearts and multiple rows of tea. Like a monster in apparently Rick Player, the nature boy, Why come at the right place? He he believe. Both thus the harmony in the teeth. Whitening. Whenever you talk, another is a giant. He said that he was a kind of we can? His mouth was taught we'd metric where totally believe that We can do tat, for some reason was a guest. Our honour tv show that we had. Maybe that was one reason why it wasn't so great

and I think he was the reason it wasn't totally to really gives a Google just appears. We found out the day of that he was coming to shoot. That's a hit, we're dead so he was ridiculously strong, though he would do with this little party trick where one is or in a bar. He would move their cars as little small, you're in cars leg and not with the keys rights. He would pick it up and move it. He also there is criticism. Lifting a two thousand pound. Wait, like you I believe, two thousand pounds you can't do it. Has anyone ever try to live two thousand pounds and not try to believe me? You can't do it I'm not really live twenty bounties, their picking. Picking up a two thousand I mean

Presumably, the two thousand pound waiter was away. They said two thousand pound dog. What way lies you know and it wasn't a cartoon. The thing is he. He was feared because of his strength by the resolution, not because he was known to be like a malicious, brutal guy, but because just one slip in wrestling you can. He could really injure somebody, but he almost never did because it was a genuinely good bresler. It's one of the things about Andre, the giant, confetti Heather's, confetti, there's been a steady stream of conflict. On the whole, the flaming lips might have later so under the giant was a legitimately good ressler osier into that paragraph. So his his English, never great. You know he was born and raised in France and could speak English, but not that the greatest- and he also just put opinion this year

medical condition that we're gonna get back to later, but because of that condition as well and thence hearing was little difficult for him. So a lot of people thought that he was just this big dummy, this big brute, and that was not true at all. He was very smart guy, very savvy business man, a great showman, very observant, to bury shrewd here is not just some big oath single it right now. He wasn't to help him, though, with the language barrier when he moved from Quebec down in North America or done in the United States. I just technically Quebec is in North America, technically, he hired a guy named Frank Thou. Why though I was a referee on the correct circuit who served as services interpreter and he he hung out with them for a few years, and then you just became like a friend of his rather than somebody worked with and those kind of par for the course with Andrea, the giant compared to other sports stars. He had a very small,

If non existent entourage, she didn't have the hangers on in the toadyism in the lackeys, in the agents and like the the drug dealers who, or else you have hanging around your fury. I never took steroids known up. Here is a bit of the loner, but the frenzy had relate true, legitimate friends, so he's kind of an anomaly, since in the sports world, and apparently he did have a very pretty strict lists either a friend or your enemy, and once you are on that list, you're gonna for life his The prince was very long as he was a good guy, really love people, but he did the few enemies. In the end, the wrestling world One was big, John stud. Who is another very large man who wrestled, and he allegedly called Andrea Circus frequents once and as he will as we go on. Andrea was very sensitive guy about his eyes and he D want to be called a circus freak who do good points.

He also had a thing with iron Sheikh for reasons that are unclear, He also had a very long standing beef with rainy the motto: man, Savage, that's right, and this one boils down to the fact that. Randy like to oil up. He would baby. Himself, which was a common thing and wrestling because I guess shiny must close read on camera, and that's not why. Oil up another, barely Elizabeth, on tv and so, Randy, would oil up in a big way baby and people tell Randy like Andrea, doesn't like the oil in the wrestling match all, I can you just when you wrestle him, can you not oil up needs to know, we're gonna oil up has

aside. By way, everybody is one of the tragic I known facts of rainy, the martyr man savages life than he was physically incapable snapping into his own Slim Jim. Fingers were so oil walk around in the street common strangers to snap Induced Leonard Orban. Denigrating himself said apparently scared Merely years later, underhand as a daughter named Robin and she wasn't super close with their dad. We're gonna get about a little bit. More is very sad but she's trying to get information about her dad get stories from rescued from wrestlers and friends and she went to Randy Savage and he said I wish I could tell you more, but you dad just didn't like me. I had nothing but the utmost respect for him, but he just didn't like me.

Just slipped and slid down the street has anyone ever so. We in an was wrestling one of his enemies, he rideau out like a little more punishment and than was normal and one of the punishments he had reserved for March remain in particular was he would throw em down to the man step on his hair and then you can come up and leave like tufts of hair on the map behind them. Changes for two reasons. One and clearly it hurts to have tufts of hair pulled out of your head, but also he knew macho man was very sensitive about losing his hair. So he would yank it out by the foot for this footfall kind of me, its size, twenty six? What, for example, is a lot in here? his friends he liked to mess with two, because he was a very fine guy in the ring, and you know Gonna do to Andrei the giant like he can't around the show and he was in there. So he would measure.

With his buddies, Hacksaw Jim Dugan, told a story, one time: Andrei choking him with a strap. He had that he was very famous for that one, single old School wrestling England. He choked him with that strap and and would bring out the sweat into his mouth. Oh just wait, you make me say: yes, He also would like push his opponent down sit on them in part, and it sounds pretty bad but it turns out that and honorary the giant fart lasted apparently no joke for, like thirty seconds like they were cut too Mercer Break and come back of. It still be hurting on this person and down money, just Google under the giant part in their alike dozens stories, yeah someone I can remember who said it, but somebody in an interview called it an event.

I think what this going pretty. Well, don't you think so you just think it's gonna write. Well, That means that we might release this, which means then that we have to work in an message break so We're going to do that to you guys will bear with us we will be right back after the most problems, its human nature, to hate problems? But why is that, after all problems, inspire us to men, things bend things make things better? That's why so many people work with IBM on everything, from city traffic, to ocean plastic, new schools to new energy flight delays to food safety. Smart loves problems,

IBM, let's put smart to work, visit, IBM dot com, flash smart to learn more. Back. Everybody work magic vanity if you remember where we left off, that the giant was part on people right now the commercial greatly with initial break, just like I said so. What then in his career, was he got really famous, were being what's called the king of the cage match and if you don't know what wrestling is engage matches are also called a battery out when they would literally put a cage. Around the ring and they would but twenty deeds in there and they would all just fake hate each other until no one could fake it anymore.

And then the last man standing was the victor and Andrzej really dominated these matches. He was known as king of the cage man to actually tried because I wasn't a joke. I was so once he hit. The American circuit is star, rose very, very quickly. I'll buy the mid 70s. He was the highest paid wrestler in the world. He was listed as such in the Guinness Book of World records. They said they made oak smooth 400k that year in nineteen, seventy four, which is a lot of cheese thank virtues is largely is now, but it's cute now, when you look at athletes, are taken at right exactly, but he was one of the high speed athletes period in the world he was He was also one of the most famous. There is a nineteen eighty one profile of em in sports, illustrated that said that, with the possible exception of Mohammed Ali, he was the most recognisable active figure in sports in the world that super famous.

And so what you gonna do in you're, super famous wrestler, you're gonna start being on tv, and he did this a lot he would show up, and if you were around in the seventies and eighties, and you watch network television like the rest of his did. You might see him pop up on be Jane. The bare right people and main had no idea what be Jane. The bear was stunned, using a two part or be Jane the bear. He played big foot. Little on the nose in it the six million dollar man- and there was this one scene, wearily majors star of six million dollar man was supposed to get thrown across the room by big foot on.

The giant, and he was a little worried that he was gonna get hurt and he was very pleased to find out that under the giant was like. We set a very skilled athlete and knew how to do this. The ruddy saw the he saw the pounce basically, and if you really stop and think about the sub text that it strongly suggest that Lee Majors thought pursing was real quite possible authorities is gonna injure me. I mean he jumped army from what was the using Conan, the destroyer sure alongside Schwarzenegger, well Chamberlain and Grace Jones weirdest casket, history has put it holds up. Does it I mean you didn't hold up, a written hasn't got anywhere other than it holds up as well as it ever did. He use on a very famous honey comes commercial where he played a giant but but way for a medieval giant.

Invading a tree house full of kids because he was hungry for a big. I need it's my under the giant for his good, pretty terrible. He comes by the way. Was also very weird time in the eighties, where the singer Cindy Laufer, somehow got in in pro wrestling and would have, she would go to events and take part in some events and then would have wrestlers be interviewed. As the eighties were weird. Everybody is a very strange time, but it just sort of signifies like what a big pop culture icon under the giant was this. He really was. He got the big hoisted. The end of the Goonies seem video, it yeah, that's like the big shot and when you along the horse hoisting, Cyndi, Lauper everybody's going pay attention alone. He also like the Ladys, but by all accounts you as a true gentlemen, there's a quote here from one another: you said everywhere he goes. There are women. Women, women,

who range wildly and socio economic level, age and even interest and pro wrestling, and he treats them all the same splendidly Andrei simply enjoys a company of women and they enjoy. This seems like a good dude. He was either by today's standards so as wealthy and famous as he was yet extremely simple tastes. Like don't forget, he was raised the farm boy in France and he definitely never lost his route, so his favorite things to do or the king, I with friends unless you want to be alone playing cards in Spain,

Typically, you know and cribbage were his games, bigtime self. So much so a credit transparency so get this Andres giant, love quivers! So much that you would be playing a backstage constantly and sometimes you would put off going out into the ring during a televised match, because he hadn't finishes. Cribbage came here to finish that first before we went out there so use like cribbage for life, save Earl is cribbage for the sea. Nature when a k to cut that part out so now we're gonna get to the part where we talk about Andrade Giants drinking. If you know anything about the guy, if he saw the documentary on HBO, you know that he drank a lot laugh because he liked to drink and he was humongous, but those two things together and you

statistics like this. He was estimated to have concerned about seven thousand calories of alcohol per day trade movement, but Toto. I remember you an average day or an average beer. Drinkin says he would ploughed down. Fifty two can, beer normal day yet or eleven bottles of red wine one. Recent attacks about one match were Andrade, drank six bottles of wine before he wrestled the match and like no one Dell, literally nobody gets here. He was a famous for drinking planes dry of their many bottles. Like just gone. I sorry everybody

bloody everybody America's under the giants here and he drank all the liquor on the plane and as far as beers go the most be you ever drank and one sitting the highest number we ve seen is one hundred and fifty six in one's sitting in some people, more cautious, soldiery, like don't be foolish. Of course it in drink on and fifty six beers a hundred ninety somewhere between a hundred nineteen and honour and fifty six as the truce astounding it is. And he could hold it, but none of this is to say that he didn't get drunk as he would definitely get drunk. You can't drink a hundred nineteen beers. Eventually it's going to affect even the largest cow in the field so there were stories of him one time he and dusty road stole or strong carriages in New York City and rather more on the part of a couple of stories.

In passing out, like you would make it back to the hotel and just flop on the floor of the lobby. And what do you do well have moved this man nope. So there are two stories, one that they just through a piano cover over him, and another one, and this is the best that they just made him a feature they deserve. A velvet rope around in the wonder of the world in terms of nickel per visit here, Sars Maoist Bart its innovate? Amazing so it wasn't all salad days, Andre, the giant while he was wrestling when he was in Japan when he was first starting out back in around one thousand nine hundred and seventy,

He made a rare visit to the doktor. He hated going to the doktor hated medicine, aided anything like that, but he went to see the doctors in Japan and while he was there, they diagnosed him with a condition that condition Chuck was referring to earlier called actual mega. We enact Romagnoli is a participatory gland disorder that causes gigantic, so under the giant was by definition a giant, and while he was there at the doctors office, they said, You know this is actually something we can easily correct waste into, can get in there get in there, and you probably have a lesion or power to your pituitary gland. We can treat it and this will cease. This will stop and he said NASA Is there a way to me? If you don't? Do you probably not gonna, make it past fifty? He said I, so that's, ok and he leaves, In twelve years later he goes to the hospital again and the doctors do the same thing: different doctors Duke University. They

ignore them with economically. They say we can treat this any said now, I'm all good. He said if this is the size God wanted me to be, then this is the size of going to remain very sweet. He he might have thought he would shrink or something because part of it was a business decision. He thought he didn't. You couldn't loses wrestling career, having a surgery. I don't know they didn't explain it to him well or that they learn. Maybe he was just a younger cause. He was gig continued to grow into his thirty's. He was still growing right and with that Romania in particular, it causes. Obviously it's a runaway growth hormone is being produced by your pituitary clinkers, something's, leaning on it, and from this you keep growing and growing well under your thirties, and your bones grow too and often unlike strange way, so your face facial features, just change your bones get way denser and bigger than than would be normal. You also have secondary stuff like carpet.

On all in arthritis in diabetes and things like this. So it's not a good condition to have and also can be very psychologically damaging to, and you could say, that is definitely had an impact on the psyche of under the giant as well. Yet was very sad. He was, you know, you think about the world is sort of made for average sized folks, and you don't think about the fact that being seven foot for or seven feet tall or six, eight in five hundred pounds and what that does your life and just moving around the world, and it was tough on him. He would find himself seated like on the floor of a van cause. He couldn't sit in the seat, think about when he's lying on a plane, their pictures of him on aeroplanes, where he's occupying three rows of seats, which has great cause, he was rich and famous and they could accommodate him but think about going to the bathroom like I can barely fit in an airplane patter of their terrible under the giant, couldn't even think about it. So he had to suffer indignities. Like

getting flight attendants to hold up curtains, so you get urinate in a bucket on a flight like a long fight if he couldn't hold a dialogue and everyone, unemployment is suddenly talk very loudly about anything, but the fact that, under the writing into an ice bucket earth over there Randy. The monuments ever could pop right into any airplane bathroom write it the trade in let's go back. But, like I said he did have money any was famous, so they could accommodate him as much as possible. Vince MC man, but this extra large van that was super beefed up and it had the roof popped up and an extra large couch inside I know this is for this year are like so a Van Ryan

Yet a party van is what you're saying: there's a wizard. Writing a new vein driven by man, but there is one very sad quote he had where he said. I would give much money to be able to spend one day per week as a man, a regular size I would shop, would go to the cinema and our drive around in a sports car or walk down Fifth avenue and stare at other people for a change is right because here's, the thing he had two choices every day are really one choice. He could either hide or go out and endure the spotlight, because I think this whole coggan said you know other wrestlers can put on a disguise go like find a dark corner in a bar restaurant lay low under the giant. Could

Do that whether he was a famous wrestler or not the world felt entitled to gawk at him whenever he was out on the street and because he was famous that actually didn't help. It actually made things worse because when he went to bars, drunks would try to pick fights with them or pull knives on them and eat after like break their ribs, just to get him to go away which it did actually and then people who didn't pull knives could still get to them like they would just be like Jesus. Look at that on that guy's huge. You know that kind of stuff is walking down the street and he would actually cry in private like use a very sensitive guy, that kind of stuff got to Jerry. What we take this still you either kids but gives you're afraid of him, which was very heartbreaking. He was very gentle with kids

I try to be very soft with children. I don't want them to fear me, but often when I go to the homes of people who have kids, they will one for me, even though they see me on television. I understand what they do this, but as a sad feeling for me. Even so, so it's a pretty surprising paradox that somebody who's whose alike the sum total of their issues are to be found in this condition. He who had such trouble, making it through the world would choose pro wrestling as a career. The travel all the time during the seventies. He would Russell three hundred and thirty, two three hundred and forty night a year, almost always in a different city. Every night, like this someone who really valued a leap here. You don't mean it meant something around when you got breaks, though those rare breaks that he would get, he would go home and his home in the United States and Japan

in North Carolina in a town called Ehler, be he bought a ranch? There are nineteen. Seventy seven will ranch house in forty. Nine acres was it over the top. It was very kind of a modest home, but he loved the land he had rottweiler and he had cattle and he had horses and he had a hunting tv that he would ride around there was this couple fringy and Jackie. That were is some of his best friends and they can it's a care the place where he was. And that was really that's really where he went to two just beyond the giant, renew the use among friends and loved ones and when we stared and got that he also get this. I didn't realize this. You ve told me this. Today he had a fish camp called giants, fish camp in seventeen Lord near Sarasota. Has anybody ever heard of it? Apparently that was Andre. The giants fish camp. It turns out my father in law and you miss Grandpa, whose my father was dad, regardless your grandpa

They would go fishing of this fish camp with Andrei the giant. My father in law used to go fishing with Andre, the giant and he said andrea- the giant used to carry this like custom made at or on deck chair with special cushions around in the back of his pick up trial, because this is like the chair, ecosystems, his chair and he would sell ring. Off of his giant fingers that need The grass and apparently he gave under my father in law. What yes, and he doesn't know where it is yeah, man is arrived. We'll find him at his picture them telling you the story of her dinner, as he takes like this napkin ring Just sets it on the table and nobody knows that bracelets is kind of you guys offers. No other thing: where are those pretty to an dump it? So you

grandpa in under the giant would speak polish to one another really gets supposed people on the audience s other. You say it was like you mean prom, Joker, something so the classic prom joker from under the joint sweaty fingers so arm. He also shocked on pvc alot. One other well fact about him very cute, so by the early nineteen eightys. By this point it was the W W S. It was a really really big spectacle in the. U S They had Andrei the giant to thank for a lot of this area he went. It was a big deal. It was getting tv view

from around the world more into wrestling and wrestlers benefited just for wrestling with him. Even losing against them was a big deal, because you know you be on tv in front of the biggest audiences or at Madison Square Garden to a sold out show and no one benefited more from this relationship. Then wrestler name whole code right so who killed? Did you guys know that he started out as a heel as a bad guy he's a bag. I had no idea where he finally made the conversion over to a face and when he did, he became the W W S. Like biggest star at a time when the W W S by this time they drop that third deadline was as big as it ever was as mere effect. So he was huge and he had Andrey the giant to thank for that largely, and there is a Ongoing k, Faber fake rival,

friendship between Andre, the giant whole coding. There were kind of friend of ease and the W W S. And then Russell too came to think in nineteen eighty six and under the giant one twenty Man Battle Roy. How and he said you know what that's it good, I'm gonna go into summers IRA, I'm not going to officially retire, but my bodies breaking down from Ankara mainly a drink. Fifty two beers a day on an average day. I think I'm good he's gonna go off and rest a little bit and them wrestle, I want to focus on a little film. I just got hired to to be inaccurate. The princess bright. I saw people free, laughing when you sit down so

fancy that movie anyone I've never never met. Anyone is like rent totally vague. You know that the few They announced they were making it yeah he's holding people to go in the right people going. Nuts than other people are like who cares? It doesn't take away from the original, no directive more arguing on the internet if you believe that this No, not really I do see I'm kind of like it doesn't do anything to detract from the original. Do we don't go see this one violates the laws of earth mean making the princess bride this one matters waggery, let's get on the street. You know that Fazekas to be like the rock or somebody, and I like the rock sir he's fine he'll trial to heart. He couldn't be

No I'm worried the rock is going to be well, I'm not going to sleep tonight. There's a fruit fly Jean. Did you notice that called the physics Jean? Because, if you remove it produces prove eyes of unusual size right does not joke the last pirate joke? It wasn't really joke. It was a little one yap end of it was wish nice This part was supposed to be funny. The middle part sort of little said and then be funny again at the end you think at all, and yet we were reality out right now. That's all they love you here. This is your second home, this,

say another insider joke about the billboard, guy, whatever you feel like you're losing your men young. We know enough to stay away from data, be to my right. That's great! even though I am now princes bride, that's where we are so Rob Reiner hired him on the advice of the writer of the book, and he said: there's this guy, you should higher Andre the giant Rob Reiner had never heard of him he's like limit than her more famous Mohammed Ali, but Rob runner unaware. He was at the time you centre acts. It's a beautiful, so use on all of the family, that's what he was doing so. He didn't know who Andre the giant was they send them into audition and he couldn't understand what he was saying and he was like what am I supposed to do here and they said

just higher under the giant trust me. He fits the part in these one of the biggest stars in the world and you ok, It was kind of that easy is if we needed a giant. This guy was a giant just hired the giant. So Andrei did not stop drinking during the film shoot. He continued on his normal ways, and there were three gentlemen named Chris Random. How we carry allies or Elvis. Apparently, so you really pronounce it really. You have been saying oh eyes, wildlife, yeah I've been seeing always not Elvis. He's right and the kings coat and Mandy Potemkin. How about that? They could hang with Andrea. The giant at the bars did wrong and they could not So many many days onset. There are reports of those three guys Andrei showing up like let's go. Let's do this and those three can enjoy

in their heels, rather than that. He also when he checked out of his room at the London Hyatt. After the end of his shoot, he had a forty thousand dollar barked have to pay to satellite, which means they drink. Nearly all the contents of the many Barnes They will hotel area. That begin is a fact and then I added a joke. Man is so much more funding in the studio, so I mean no offense. We have a good time I didn't take offense, I never crossed my mind. I want to make it sound, like a waiter funded in the studio, but when you add eight hundred people, it's always more niner. And there I know we have fired but but break up in here

where's loading, the snap in we have a good time. Let me so a lot Xo Andrea, was really very sweet through this whole production and very nervous about his performance. He really really wanted to do a good job because he was on a movie set and it was a big movie, And it was a really big deal to him and he was very nervous when he went to Toronto. I can say Toronto here, yeah, it's true Mona, apparently just in time tell yet every oils and her answer. In Toronto. At the premier nineteen eighty seven, his friend him White said he was actually shaking now. During the premier, the movie, because he wasn't sure how the other actors we're gonna, accept him afterward when they cheered and

on the back and everything he was. The happiest guy in the world- and so was I for him very Sweet- is a good friend her. He loves character so much. He would carry a vhf copy of the princess bride around with them now like in his bag or in a hotel room like around with them He would say, look right, probably the scale action, you're a member's view. You got me with the means to me Oh, oh so when he was on tour were like a rustling afterward. He would. He would invite, like fellow wrestlers, those friends with two like hang on his room and while it is very bill, ok, here's the issues, the room service. May you want you order anything you want to eat or drink and wait till it arrived and then whoever was there would start eating and drinking any delay.

Hey. You want to watch the princess right now that I have you drive and apparently so. Antipasto is Randy Savages brother and Andrea was good friends with Lady Papa. He did Randy loved landing. He did this to Lanni six times on one tour by the editor land. He was like a dog my hiding behind plants. When he saw a dream to see, I wanna get invited up towards the princess faded. I can't believe you get folly for it four times he was like I'll order, this mistake, but we're not going The movie right here have deserved a dessert, but he said he said, and I would point out. The tv like on his part was coming up and then, when his part came and went to laugh and classic and asked how he did every time you loved that movie any love that he had had a part in it as

shared his body was breaking down pretty bad, though others that ones where he has to catch Robin right who jumps into his arms and Greiner when he hired him. Thought like this is great. We have this this athlete in this wrestler and we won't have to hire a stunt person. He can do all this stuff turns out. He couldn't do any of it cuz it's cuz of his back and they had to lower Robin Wright down who played like a hundred pounds on cables that they didn't had to Greek out interesting term. It was pretty impressive and, yes, it was. It was a big deals. Body was breaking down. He isn't really bad shape. He caught a soldier through because it was important to him, but he found himself at the end, the princess bride and pretty rough shaped physically. He did. He also found himself being visited. Surprise visit by Vince with me and Junior, who had by then drop the w from debate of each of you, have just made a w w

had overseen like its meteoric rise, and he showed up in England trying to convince Andrea, the giant to come back to wrestling and under whose, like known, I really send this. Probably the worst thing I could do my bodies breaking down embed shape can even hold hundred pound Robin Right pen is. It is terrible that was paraphrasing him envisage man when take no for an answer and finally managed to breakdown. Is resistance and talked him into getting back surgery and arranged for in England, and that, as I said before, under the giant didn't even like to go to the doctors office wouldn't take pills, wouldn't take medication, didn't even take illicit drugs in the eighties in wrestling like AEGIS, all he did was drink those his medication drinking. So the fact that he agreed to undergo

back surgeries pretty baffling, but he did the under went back surgery. Nineteen. Eighty six like us it in England and there's some urban legends about the surgery like that they had to use oversized surgical tools, a large animal veterinarian may or may not be true whether the anesthesiologists had to guess at how much anesthesia to use I'm sure. That's super. Correct shirt, but he did it based on how much alcohol, under the tiny drank acknowledged it. Take, for instance, out in the lobby of the hotel, exactly what they call a piano cover night. How much is the answer. So depends on here. Talking too to see how this is viewed. Vincent man and big wrestling fans think they did him a big favor by rule revitalizing his career and bringing back in the spotlight

people like us who are little more contrary to that point of view say now. You took advantage of the sky was obviously breaking down, I'm just a somewhere tickets and to exploit him kind of till the end of his life and then took an amount of coal when you're done awesome, which some people say, booth, inspect man so now we re suit. What will signal message, as I just realized? beard of the lizard on the toilet. You spoke to me, Sir John although it does a good one. You may release it. You gotta get a second one in there, so everybody Beyond me, if you'll love bear with us. Oh yeah, really it's pretty dangerous spot there were this, we will be right back,

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where we left Andre the giant body breaking down Vincent man brings back now, we stumble upon a little event called wrestle Mania three, which, if your wrestling van it's this, Jerry event it was held in Detroit at the Pontiac Silver dumb. They had plenty of smoke. Trust me Ninety thousand people at the Pontiac Silver Dome in Michigan, and it was the biggest sporting events sort of history? Up to that point, and for the match, which hold slogan wrote mainly majors heard? That is that we want He won't Coggan wrote the match, Andre, the giant was. He was toying with them for weeks leading up to it because in the match, Hulk Hogan wins and becomes like the champ of the WWF and it's a big deal, but when he was they like hey Andre of you, have you seen this

Are you good with it Andrey with justice and like you, I don't worry about it, we'll work it out in the ring or whatever and would not tell hole like yes, you're going to win will go along with your script and, in fact, whole coding didn't know he was going to wait until the very end of this month. When went the giant calls for a body slammed in a leg drop in, Thirdly, when whole coke embody slammed under the giant, he pulled the bicep and quadriceps trying to pick him up. And under the giant was even like pressing off of the help him in a whole Kogi still injured himself, which you going to do when you pick up under the giants. Just part and parcel with a buddy did when the crowd white that's right after wrestle many three he continued wrestling cause the W w soda kicked into the curve, but was very sad, so he back to where he started. He went to Japan and Mexico and wrestled on those circuits for a little while he

his last match in Japan just one month before he died, and by that time he had wrestled more than five thousand matches in his career I'd thousand times crazy. So toward the end, is like nobody kicks Andre, the giant of the curve, I'm going to wrestle on my own terms, and he started touring all over the place and you became a little more like a booster. So he was like big time into tag team matches by then because well one he could walk out to the ring with his arm slung over his tag team partner, which people in the crowd was like of its great near, like total, teammates, really Andrea was using the guy's, a cane and then so he could just kind of staying in the corner and like play up the drama, but not actually wrestle in the fans, though they were there. Just happy. He was their gathered in care to have him in the building was enough and yet really really pretty cool. So here we are at the end very Sadly, Andreas Father, Boris, was approaching death in January of nineteen.

Three of the age of eighty seven and Andrzej went to see him in France before he died. He stay there for his father's funeral and then he would die two weeks after that you're in France, so on the last day on earth for Andrea the joy he did what he love more than anything else. He hung out with his oldest friends from his childhood. In France, his family there played tons of cribbage and drank lots and lots of really good french. Why? Right? Fart on everybody here and he

dropped off at a hotel in Paris that he was staying at in him. He went up the stairs and I was the last time anyone saw him alive the next morning when he was supposed to be picked up. They went up to his room and knocked when he didn't appear and finally opened up the door and found Andre the giant dead in bed. He died in the night of heart failure because the thing with acromegaly is most of the your body grows and grows and grows, but the heart doesn't and the heart gets taxed overview. No forty six years in the case of Andre the giant can't be any longer, and so that's what happened Andrews Giants hardly gave out. So there wasn't a crematorium in France that could handle his body, so they flew him back to North Carolina and giant custom built coffin and apparently did the W w steal the coffin. It's a word you could use even after they further back here, yeah they didn't like like

was body on mid flight and something they just basically wait till you have met. We may lead to fly him back, no known and careful and back then stole it. Yes, like basically take the headquarters for to put on display, you see. Ok, he's each act is working Mitchell. So ninety ninety three, the W W e at this point, established its hall of fame ray. The giant was the very first and only indirectly, and that inaugural class and every year now, the W W e still holds a bout Arroyo named after Andre, the giant in his honor, which is, if something about it, the pinnacle of human existence, to have a better royal held in your name every year like ease. One of us in this room with his to that, like ok, Actually, now everybody we can do it,

I mention his daughter Robin earlier, and the fact that they were closed, and this is sort of one of the sad parts of the of his life was that you know when you're wrestling five thousand times in a career in three hundred thirty nights a year. You're, not like anyone in the entertainment business who tours and travels You're not gonna, be around your family much. So he had a daughter that he did not get to see that much. He had an ex wife that you did not get it with it all which didn't help matters. I don't think there were actually married out now, just an x x that didn't get along with, so they weren't not like working it out, so we could see Robin there was one time where he tried to have her flown to North Carolina and she was sort of scared to fly. So he sent his good friend Jackie to go, collect her and meet her at the airport and at the last second, you can have back. Yeah because use like I'm going to hang out with my dad who have met twice in my arms not allowed to come and I'm nine years all them a little freaked out. That's right so that you didn't

They did keep in touch mostly over the phone but like when every came through town for a wrestling like she would come and hang out with backstage and Jackie MC caully. One of his two closest friends later say that what it looked like from the outside Andrey really really loved his daughter and when he died, he left a son did Jackie some too. As other best friend, Frenchy and in the rest was left a Robin get, including their right to his likeness and image, which I think we all know is where the real money, That's a swedish plus, so I think she was trying to do a documentary or something about him for a while, but the release interviewing like old friends of his ass. She could learn more about him right through a sweet so though he had acquired toward the end of his life. I'm sorry the height of his career, reset it I've had good fortune, and I am grateful for my life if I were to die tomorrow, I know of eaten more good food, drunk more beer and fine line and had more free see more the world than most men ever will.

I've had everything in life, but a family, and I hope to have that one day for now No, a family wouldn't work, because my traveling, but one day who knows I might myself a giant fur grandson There is under the giant, everybody review of the body you study should know is production. I heard works for me that's my heart! Radio! Is it that I heard radio apple podcast over every listen to your favorite show. What is it that makes us human

Next us remember, taxing my hasn't videos. I've heard saying I I found the perfect dogs. What are those moments that turn the ordinary into extraordinary, and I saw him- and I just went that's my kid like He'S- I call on both hosted the new podcast love. What matters presents your story, which shares real stories of love and compassion from real people all over the nation. Listen and such When I heard you apple podcast, Ever you wasn't a pot guests.