David Chappell presents

UP CLOSE

with JIMMY “BOOGIE WOOGIE MAN” VALIANT

PART 3


(CONT FROM PART 2)

Chappell: So, where did you all meet? I guess I was assuming you all met at the matches!

 

Angel: It’s really funny where we met. I was looking for a house. I had a job at a hospital in Blacksburg, Virginia as a physical therapist, but needed to move closer to the area. When we were looking for a house, I stopped at a Wal-Mart in Pulaski, Virginia with my two children. And Jimmy happened to be there signing autographs.

 

I wasn’t really that interested in going up and talking to him! But my daughter Angie talked me into having her picture taken with the Boogie Woogie Man! So being a good mother, I told her to go up to him and do her thing, and I would stay in the background and wait for her.

 

Chappell: Not trying to meddle in your daughter’s moment.

 

Angel: Right. So she went up there, and I saw her talking to him. Then he motioned for me to come over. I thought maybe he wanted my permission to have the picture taken with him. So we all three ended up in the picture…it was a great picture.

 

Then he asked me if I was married, and I said no, and he asked me if I wanted to get married!

 

Chappell: (laughing) Being the shy and retiring type that Boogie is!

 

Angel: You know, how do you answer a question like that?!

 

(laughing) You know, ‘Thanks for the offer, but I’m kinda busy right now!’

 

Chappell: (laughing)

 

Angel: But he told me later that he needed to do something to get my attention…

 

Chappell: It worked!

 

Angel: He said he knew if I walked out that door, chances are that we would have never met again. And we probably wouldn’t have.

 

So, he got my attention all right!

 

Chappell: No doubt!

 

Angel: So that’s how we met. The second thing…I would have never given a strange man my phone number. But something told me to take a chance on this guy….he seemed pretty cool. So we talked all week and went out the next weekend…and we’ve been together ever since!

 

It’s just one of those things that you have to be smart enough that when it comes along, to not let it slip by. Take a chance! God brought us together, and we’ve just been so happy. We bought a little two acre farm out here in Shawsville, Virginia, and we built Boogie’s Wrestling Camp on the property…and it’s just been wonderful!

 

Chappell: Well, you and Jimmy clearly work as a team; a great tag team combination!

 

Angel: Definitely! As a team, I feel like we can do anything together.

 

Chappell: Please tell us about YOUR book!

 

Angel: It’s my first children’s book, and it’s called Piggy In A Blanket.

 

Chappell: How did your book come about?

 

Angel: Well, I love to write. And after we wrote Woo Mercy Daddy, one night I woke up during the night and lost almost all of my cover and was cold, so I was wrapped up real tight in the one blanket I had on me. And Jimmy woke up and was laughing and said, ‘You look like a pig in a blanket!’

 

Chappell: (laughing)

 

Angel: And I said no, not a pig in a blanket but a piggy in a blanket! And I said to him that would make a great title for a children’s book. 

 

And Boogie said, ‘Then write it!’ And I said, ‘I will!’

 

Chappell: (laughs)

 

Angel: (laughing) And I did!

 

It’s a great little story about a family of pigs, the piggy family, and a mouse. I won’t tell you the whole story, but a mouse was involved and the blanket gets stolen…it’s a great moral story for kids.

 

Chappell: There are some wonderful drawings in your book.

 

Angel: Thank you…I did all of the illustrations myself. I wrote the story. Actually, I wrote the story in about a day…that was the easy part! The hard part was coming up with pictures that go with the story. You have nothing to go by…just your imagination. It took me probably two months to put the illustrations with the story. It’s just so much fun.

 

Chappell: Have you written other books?

 

Angel: I’ve actually already written four more! I almost have my second one completed. I love writing for children, because for one thing, you have to get down to the children’s level. You have to make it simple enough for them to understand it, but at the same time you have to make it interesting and colorful so they want to read it.

 

So, I’m real anxious to see how children will respond to this.

 

Chappell: How can folks go about getting Piggy In A Blanket?

 

Angel: The exact same ways Boogie talked about getting Woo Mercy Daddy. (Visit www.jmmyvaliant.com)

 

Chappell: Describe for the fans what they will be seeing when they come to Boogie’s Wrestling Camp/Hall of Fame Museum.

 

Angel: Of course, you will see the training of our students. When you come up our driveway, and come into the Camp, you’ll see the Auto Museum.

 

 

Chappell: And that’s really something…the many modes of transportation over the years for Handsome Jimmy Valiant!

 

Angel: Yes! For instance, you have the limousine that was the Valiant Brother’s limousine back in the 70s.

 

And you’ve got Boogie’s 4 wheel trike, and another motorcycle. There’s a dune buggy that’s the coolest thing…there are names all over it from the hippie era like ‘groovy’ and ‘far out’ and ‘flower power.’

 

Chappell: Great stuff!

 

Angel: And then you come up to the Camp and we have a beautiful rock garden that has a five foot statute of an angel. And we have a tin man…

 

Chappell: And that’s quite a sight!

 

Angel: He’s about six feet…it’s like a suit of armor type thing.

 

And then when you come further up into the Camp, you have the Hall of Fame building!

 

Chappell: An amazing amount of wrestling memorabilia in the Hall of Fame building!  

 

 

Angel: Lots of pictures, articles and all sorts of memorabilia that have been donated by wrestlers…

 

Chappell: Clothing as well…

 

Angel: Yes…trunks, tights, masks---whatever! That’s pretty neat.

 

Chappell: And BWC is located in a very picturesque location…it’s really beautiful.

 

Angel: The view from here, Montgomery County here in Virginia, is a beautiful, beautiful area. The mountains are gorgeous, and it’s very peaceful here.

 

 

Chappell: Absolutely.

 

Angel: And as you come further up into the Camp, you have the dressing rooms that have pictures throughout…

 

Chappell: Lots and lots of pictures…even in the bathroom!

 

And the main building where your ring is in, and where the matches are held, is wall to wall, including the ceiling, wrestling memorabilia!

 

Angel: Yes, the main Camp building is where the ring is set up and where we actually do the training. On Sunday’s, it’s really jamming! It’s very busy!

 

Chappell: I have no doubt!

 

Angel: Last Sunday, I’m guessing we had at least 50 people in the main Camp building here, and that’s including not only the boys training, but people that just dropped by saying, “I just heard about you out here, and wanted to check it out.”

 

I love it when people first walk in the door…their eyes are big and their mouths drop open!

 

Chappell: (laughing) Pretty much like me when I walked in today!

 

Angel: Our guests really don’t know what to say…there’s so much to see!

 

And the public is welcome to go into any building, and as Boogie said everything is free of charge. We just want the people to enjoy, and to give back to the business that was so good to Boogie and I all these years.

 

Chappell: And Angel, at first blush BWC seems to be out in the middle of nowhere, but it’s only several miles off of I-81, and what, maybe 15 minutes from Virginia Tech?

 

Angel: It’s really easy to get to. Like you say, we’re only about 15 miles from Virginia Tech…in Blacksburg. It’s well worth the trip.

 

Chappell: Come to a Tech game on a Saturday, and stay over for an adventure at BWC on Sunday!

 

Angel: We have people that come here on their vacations. Matter of fact, a couple came from Florida last weekend. They were on vacation, and the boy wanted to come here and check things out…and he actually did a day of training. They were on their way to Gatlinburg in the Smoky Mountains, but this was their main stop!

 

Chappell: Where was all this memorabilia before you all put it on display?

 

Angel: (laughing) Somehow Boogie ended up with boxes and boxes of pictures. People donated a lot of things. Boogie’s put up every article and every picture that’s in here…himself!

 

Chappell: Unbelievable!

 

Angel: Of course, I don’t know where he wants everything!

 

Chappell: Everything is very well organized.

 

Angel: But there’s something always going on. Wrestling stars will show up here unannounced. It’s wonderful! The Barbarian, Ricky Morton, George South…you never know who is coming!

 

Chappell: Surprise, surprise!

 

Angel: Some of the old-timers, too, like Bob Roop show up. It’s a wonderful surprise for everybody when that happens.  

 

We’ve also had several couples meet here, and get married eventually! In fact, my daughter Angela met her husband Mike here!

 

Chappell: Wow!

 

Angel: It’s really neat. If it wasn’t for her, Boogie and I wouldn’t have met…and I remind her that if it wasn’t for me, her and Mike wouldn’t have met!

 

Chappell: Boogie and Angel, thank you both for inviting me to BWC. I’ve had a wonderful time, and I hope folks that visit our site and haven’t been here, will want to come to BWC and spend a Sunday afternoon with you all.

 

And Boogie, thank you for all the great memories that you’ve given all of us wrestling fans over the years!

 

Boogie: Yes…those were great days brother! I was very fortunate, Dave, to be able to wrestle in all the big organizations. Mid-Atlantic with Crockett. The WWWF three times, all in the 70s, and I stayed over a year there each time. I was in Minneapolis with the AWA twice, with Verne Gagne. And of course I was with the WWA with Dick the Bruiser in Indianapolis…I was there probably five different times. That’s where I started, and Dick the Bruiser was my mentor. And of course Memphis.

 

I was real fortunate to work all the big territories.

 

Chappell: And you can see Jimmy Valiant and all of the stars of those big territories at Boogies’s Wrestling Camp and Hall of Fame Museum! And maybe some wrestling stars of the future as well.

 

As I said earlier, to me, it’s a must see for any professional wrestling fan!

 

Boogie: Thank you brother…you come back any time!

 

 - - THE END - -

 

BACK TO PART 1 OR BACK TO PART TWO


Jimmy recently received a WWE Hall of Fame Ring from Vince McMahan and the WWE. He is wearing it in this photo.

Congratulations Boogie!

 


BUY BOOGIE'S BOOK  |  MID-ATLANTIC GATEWAY

© 2008 Mid-Atlantic Gateway