Farewell Sir Roger Moore

IF you grew up in the 80s or 90s like yours truly, my guess is whenever you hear of the name Bond… James Bond the face that comes to your mind is that of Roger Moore….pardon me, I mean Sir Roger Moore.

I learnt about the death of Sir Roger Moore in the early hours of Thursday May 25, 2017 after reading through a WhatsApp message my good friend Musengu had sent to me the previous night. He wondered whether I had heard about Sir Roger Moore’s death and it came as a shock especially that the Bond legend passed on two days earlier in Switzerland aged 89 after a battle with cancer.

Now, I’m not so much of a die-hard Bond fan, though I will readily admit that I have always been to the cinema every time a Bond movie under Daniel Craig comes out. It is quite common among die-hard Bond fans to declare that Sean Connery was the best Bond ever. Others say it is Daniel Craig. I feel Daniel Craig is really doing a great job as James Bond, but for me, Sir Roger Moore is James Bond, end of story.

This man was not just a movie star. He was more than just Bond. Yes, his films made him a star, but his charity work and kindness made him a legend and a gentleman. His words on the hunting of innocent animals for fun are the strongest and most eloquent I've ever heard. His work in supporting animal welfare was amazing.

The world has lost a lovely man who had a wicked sense of humour. I send my condolences to his wife and family. Rest in peace, Sir Roger Moore or should I say... Mr. Bond.

Wednesday May 10, 1995: The Day I Became An Arsenal Fan

I STARTED following football, particularly English football in 1991. I was only 11 at the time and the first team that really captured by attention was Leeds United. I thought their striker Lee Chapman was amazing and I would stay every Friday night waiting for the sports show they called “English Soccer” on ZNBC.
When the show was taken off air, I don’t remember following any team in particular. But I remember following players like Roberto Baggio who was at Juventus at the time. I also found the Brazilian Bebeto quite skilled on the pitch. He used to play for Deportivo La Coruna. The other players I followed closely were the Dutch twins Frank & Ronald De Boer who were at Ajax. I also enjoyed watching Luis Enrique when he was at Real Madrid. And though I never liked Manchester United from the get go, that never stopped me from following Ryan Giggs.
With Roberto Baggio being my favourite player of all the players I used to follow back then (and still is), I was rooting for Italy during the 1994 World Cup and watching him miss the final penalty pierced my heart. That was the first time I remember feeling heartbroken over a soccer match.
The next time I ever went through emotions over a football match was the day I became an Arsenal fan. I was home watching the 1995 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Final between the holders Arsenal of England and Real Zaragoza of Spain. I found myself rooting for Arsenal. Those of you who are older enough will remember how dramatic that game ended. With seconds left before the final whistle in extra time and both teams tied at 1-all a player named Nahim, a former Tottenham midfielder scored  a spectacular 40-yard volley that sent Arsenal’s goalkeeper David Seaman crushing in the net.
The referee blew the final whistle before Real Zaragoza’s players ended their celebration. I remember watching Ian Wright cry his eyes out and I thought to myself, I want to support a team with players like that.
That match was played on Wednesday May 10, 1995.

Backstreet Boys Vs One Direction

THIS past weekend I attended a school function at an all-girls school where I overheard a couple of teenage girls talk about One Direction and how they are the greatest boy band of all time.

It reminded me of my teenage years and took me to a time when Backstreet Boys sat atop a musical dynasty as far as teen pop was concerned.

Now I have heard of One Direction here and there but I have never paid attention to them so I decided to check them out earlier today and find out why they are so popular among teenagers.

What I did was to first go back in time to remind myself of how 90s teen pop used to be. So I went on YouTube and watched Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way”.

Do you know the first thing that became quite evident to me? I noticed girls where holding signs and pictures taken from magazines instead of their phones.  Men rocked mullets and wore checkered shirts, leather jackets and baggy pants.

After watching the Backstreet Boys video I picked a random 1 Direction video…“Best Song Ever”.

The first thing I noticed in the video?.. a transgender woman. Then I saw gay men acting like clowns… straight men in skinny jeans dancing with a transgender woman. And yeah, fans were holding phones.

I am not going to waste my time discussing who I think is better between Backstreet Boys and 1 Direction. But I will tell you this. Thank God my teenage years came and went within the 90s’ decade. 

The Undertaker's Last Ride

I HAVE not written about wrestling since April 7, 2014 when The Undertaker's 21–0 undefeated streak at WrestleMania came to an end with a loss to Brock Lesnar .

However, I have mentioned a couple of times that my days as a wrestling fan will officially be over when The Undertaker retires. Last night The Undertaker recorded his second loss at the grandest stage of them all to Roman Reigns in a No Holds Barred Match and placed his ring gear in the middle of the ring which can only be interpreted he had had his final match.

If The Undertaker has really retired then this is it for me. I have been a diehard wrestling fan since 1989 and The Phenom in my opinion is the last remaining wrestler from the days I religiously watched the product.

The Dead Man is arguably the greatest gimmick in the history of wrestling. No man has done a better job at turning what essentially is a ridiculous gimmick into a freaking legend. I don’t think there is any wrestler whose gimmick captivated fans for close to three decades. But what is even more amazing is the respect he commanded in and outside the ring. The Undertaker is not only respected by fans but by the entire locker room. I have never heard any wrestler be it new or old who has said anything bad about The Undertaker. And that is almost impossible in this business.

I am not going to lie. My heart hurts at The Undertaker’s retirement. And what hurts even more is that he had to be retired by Roman Reigns of all people. I have nothing against Reigns, but The Undertaker deserved to be retired by someone worthy.

Anyway, having been a fan of this man since I was barely a teen and having been there for from November 22, 1990 when he debuted in then WWF at Survivor Series to April 2, 2017, nothing has ever had that "End of an Era" feel for me like The Undertaker retiring.

For me, without The Undertaker, there is definitely no reason to continue watching this sport any more. The product has become quite stale in the last few years and I found myself struggling to watch some of the recent PPVs.

Most wrestling legends get a grand send-off when they retire, with speeches and lots of applause. I hope this won’t be the case with The Undertaker. He came as an enigma. He should leave like an enigma.

People say it all the time but this time it's true, there is no one like The Undertaker, and there never will be. Men like him come once in a lifetime.

Rest In Peace!

#ThankYouTaker