#Joseph Marciano Armstrong

[gayenerd]

This is another article I found during the internet k-hole I went into while looking for information about Adrienne’s ex-fiance, saved in a document, and now can’t find online anymore. I think it was originally featured in the Mankato Free Press, but the author apparently had a blog detailing her 2009 efforts to get in contact with Adrienne and campaign for Green Day to play in Mankato again. There’s some more interesting tidbits about the Mankato punk scene and an interview with Adrienne there. 

Campaign Green Day: Reflection

By Amanda Dyslin

Free Press Features Editor

June 10, 2009 11:29 pm

— It was dark in the middle of the southern Minnesota countryside, somewhere by St. Peter in the summer of 1992.

On a farm with a barn and not much else, there was one light pole casting a shallow glow on three guys standing atop 6-foot wide, 5-foot tall wire spools — a makeshift stage to gain high ground over 200 or so people watching. Next to them was a big, old, beat-up beast of a car pulled up by the owner so 15 or so people could stand on top and gain a better view. One of them had a video camera.

Ben Gruber, then a sophomore at Loyola High School, was there. In fact, he and a buddy had helped haul equipment for the band, and even gave the drummer, Tre Cool, a ride before the show in Mankato. The music was good, he said. A lot more polished than other punk bands he’d seen in Mankato.

He was aware of the five-year-old band, born in Berkeley, Calif., he said. They’d put out a couple of smaller recordings, including their full-length debut “39/Smooth” on Lookout! Records. But they were two years from their breakthrough record, “Dookie,” which would have pretty much everyone at the show that night in awe of what they had experienced — maybe one of the last stripped down, small-scale punk shows Green Day would ever perform.

Mankato punk

The Libido Boyz are often considered the anchor of the Mankato punk scene in the late 1980s/early 1990s. It was a time when the city was rich with garage and basement punk bands, drummer Chad Sabin said before a reunion show in 2007. PSD and Plain Truth were a couple of other bands that got a lot of attention at the time.

Marti’s All Ages Music, located where the Vietnamese restaurant Tonn is now on Front Street, was an open building with a bathroom and a couple of booths where kids could put on shows. A couple of bands went on to the big time after playing there. The Offspring was one of them.

Many claimed having heard of friends who had seen Green Day play at Marti’s. According to a former talent booker, the closest Green Day ever came to playing the venue was when frontman Billie Joe Armstrong and his girlfriend, Adrienne Nesser, walked in and left right after The Offspring’s set in 1994. Marti’s tried to get Green Day to play the venue numerous times, but it was way too small for even the moderate level of fame they’d already gained pre-“Dookie.” Marti’s had the same trouble with the punk band Fugazi.

“It was pretty much no frills,” Gruber said. “There wasn’t much to do there.”

The bulk of the punk scene was made up of high school and college-age punk-rockers who would play anywhere, Sabin said. Like a lot of kids at the time, the Libido Boyz just wanted to play loud, chaotic music, which also is what people seemed to want to hear. Kids would cram into basements for concerts or listen outside garages.

“On any given week or weekend, there would be a show with anywhere from two to 10 bands playing,” Gruber said. “There was a really good crop of musician-age kids who were into (punk) for a while (before) grunge became very popular.”

During the next few years, the Libido Boyz got big. They played in the Cities and toured the state and eventually started playing shows across the country, including New York and San Francisco. Out West is where they met Green Day, who would become the biggest punk band to come through Mankato.

“They were just dirty punks like us,” Sabin said.

Former Libido Boyz bassist Dave Begalka said they played punk shows with Green Day from time to time while on tour. Mike Dirnt, Green Day bassist, actually did Begalka a big favor once when they played a show in Cleveland together.

Some of Begalka’s bass gear went missing, and a couple of months later he saw Dirnt when they both were playing shows in the California Bay Area. Turns out, the bass gear was mixed up with Dirnt’s equipment that night, and he’d been keeping it safe for him the whole time.

“I thought that was just downright a swell thing to do,” Begalka said. “As I recall, I think we couch surfed at Billy Joe’s that night. ... By the way, I still use the lost guitar strap that went around the U.S. with Green Day.”

The Libido Boyz and Green Day crossed paths in another way as well, through Adrienne, who was a student at Minnesota State University and living in Mankato.

The first lady

Adrienne (Nesser) Armstrong, now 39, was born in Minneapolis and started at MSU in the late 1980s, graduating with the class of 1994 with a degree in sociology.

She met Billie Joe on Green Day’s first tour in 1990. Some report it was a show at First Ave in Minneapolis, and she is quoted at greenday.net as saying only about 10 people were there. She asked Billie Joe where she could get a copy of the band’s CD, and the two hit it off.

While on tour, Billie Joe kept in contact with Adrienne by phone. Their first kiss inspired an early Green Day song, “2,000 Light Years Away.” Their relationship caused Billie Joe to arrange two tours around Minnesota so they could see each other, a relationship which lasted about a year and a half.

Although it’s unclear, witnesses who saw Billie Joe and Adrienne around Mankato during that time say the reason Green Day played shows in the area at all was simply because she was here. The shows weren’t a part of any tour, but rather impromptu ways to pass to the time.

The relationship fizzled after they decided the distance was too much of a strain. Adrienne got engaged to Billy Bisson, the frontman of Libido Boyz, the following year. Reports differ from either side, with some saying the relationship dissolved on its own. Bisson has been quoted as saying Billie Joe stole her away.

While in Mankato, Adrienne worked at various places, including the Piercing Pagoda in the River Hills Mall and Pagliai’s Pizza, and is described by those who knew her as a beautiful punk rock girl who everybody had a crush on.

Cheryl Rueda, manager of Pagliai’s, worked with Adrienne and three of the Libido Boyz at the restaurant when Adrienne was dating Bisson. Adrienne also babysat for Cheryl’s kids.

“She was a beautiful girl,” Rueda said. “I think the world of her. She was just a regular person.”

Thursday nights Adrienne babysat for Cheryl’s two kids, Andre and Marisa, who were about 3 and 6 at the time. She would often have a craft project or activity to do to keep them entertained. She even took them out trick-or-treating during a blizzard one year.

“She was their favorite babysitter,” she said.

Carrie Zempel Heise worked with her at a bar called The Jungle, now Dutler’s Bowl.

“I ran into her after the bar had closed down (she was working at Pier 1 Imports), and she told me she was moving out West soon,” Zempel said. “Months later, word got back that she had married Billie Joe, and then the next thing I saw was an interview with him in Rolling Stone magazine talking about his pregnant wife!”

When Adrienne finished school, Billie Joe convinced her to move to California and marry him. Rueda said it happened so fast it seemed she was gone over night. Before she left, she and friends had a big garage sale, said Amy Lennartson of Eagle Lake. She and Lennartson originally had plans to move to San Francisco together and open a business.

“She headed West that May, and I stayed over the summer to finish up my time at MSU,” Lennartson said. “Then, in true rock star fashion, I returned home from a Fourth of July vacation to a wedding invitation from Adrienne — to a wedding that had already happened.”

The wedding took two weeks to plan and happened in five minutes July 2, 1994, in Billie Joe’s backyard, according to the VH1 “Behind the Music” documentary. “We didn’t think about it, we just did it,” Adrienne said.

Protestant, Catholic and Jewish vows were exchanged because neither had a religion. The honeymoon took place 10 minutes from Billie Joe’s house at the Claremont Hotel. The day after the wedding, Adrienne found out she was pregnant.

The couple has two sons, Joseph Marciano, 14, and Jakob Danger, 10.

Adrienne now co-owns Adeline Records in Oakland, Calif., and Adeline Street clothing line. She works with the Natural Resources Defense Council, and co-owns Atomic Garden, an eco-friendly clothing and home goods store.

There is at least one friend in Mankato Adrienne is reported to keep in contact with. But said friend — whose basement Green Day was reported to have played in and who reportedly visited the Armstrongs in California — wasn’t eager to talk about it.

Rueda kept in contact with Adrienne for a while. Adrienne would send the Rueda kids Green Day T-shirts and things. She also sent a family photo to the Ruedas years ago. When Adrienne’s first son was 1 1/2, she came back to Mankato to visit and Rueda saw them. She was the same person she had always been, Rueda said.

A few years ago, Adrienne asked a friend in Mankato to go to the Ruedas’ house and videotape the kids so she could see how much they had grown up. Otherwise, the Ruedas haven’t heard from her since.

Big time

The night Green Day played St. Peter, the original plan was for them to play at someone’s house behind where Casey’s is now on Lee Boulevard in North Mankato.

Two local bands went on first. But the cops came and broke it up because of the noise. Gruber and his buddy offered to drive equipment and Tre Cool to a house on Fifth Street in Mankato, where somebody had offered up their basement. But the band took one look and said it was way too small.

That’s when a girl whose family lived off Hwy. 99 near St. Peter offered her place.

“This whole caravan of cars ended up driving out to her place,” Gruber said.

It was too hot to play in the barn. Gruber suggested the guys make a mini stage out of the wire spools, which they thought was pretty punk rock, even commenting on that stage and show later on a bootleg recording, he said.

Gruber said he later recognized songs such as “Welcome to Paradise” off of “Dookie” that they played that night — the night most people look to as the epitome of nostalgia when it comes to Green Day’s presence in Mankato. People still go to YouTube to check out the nine or so minutes of footage from that concert, despite being out of focus, jittery and too dark to see much.

“Took me back,” Gruber said of watching the footage. “That guy filming, he was probably standing right next to me and my friends.”

A couple of hundred people have similar memories from that night, having accidentally stumbled upon a concert that would become local legend. None of them could possibly have imagined what Green Day would become.

“Dookie,” released in 1994 — which followed 1992’s “Kerplunk,” having sold 50,000 copies — sold more than 10 million copies in the U.S. That album, along with those of The Offspring and Rancid, is credited for reviving mainstream interest in punk music, and it won Best Alternative Album at the Grammy Awards.

Future albums, “Insomniac” and “Nimrod,” went double platinum, and “Warning” went gold. None of them reached the level of success of “Dookie.”

But 2004’s punk rock opera “American Idiot” changed everything. Debuting at No. 1 and selling five million copies, critics absolutely drooled over it. “American Idiot” won Best Rock Album at the 2005 Grammys and swept the MTV Video Music Awards.

“Boulevard of Broken Dreams” spent 16 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and won the Grammy for Record of the Year. During the band’s 150-date tour in support of the album, they drew crowds of 130,000 people over two days in the United Kingdom.

The band’s new album, “21st Century Breakdown,” was released worldwide May 15 and received rave reviews. Last week the band played “The Tonight Show” with Conan O’Brien.

Their world tour kicks off in July, with the Minneapolis show at the Target Center July 11.

Copyright � 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.

[beforethelobotomy]

Green Day: Timeline of Major Events

1987

October 17 - Green Day performs for the first time at Rod's Hickory Pit in Vallejo, California [Unknown Date] - One Planet One People by The Lookouts is released

1989

May [Unknown Date] - Spy Rock Road by The Lookouts is released May 26 - 1,000 Hours (EP) by Green Day is released

1990

April 13 - 39/Smooth by Green Day is released July 4 -  Billie Joe Armstrong meets future wife Adrienne for the first time Summer [Unknown Date] - Slappy (EP)  by Green Day is released August [Unknown Date] - Sweet Children (EP) by Green Day is released

1991

July 1 - 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours by Green Day is released December 17 - Kerplunk by Green Day is released [Unknown Date] - Tründle and Spring (EP) by Pinhead Gunpowder is released

1992

May 28 - On the Radio by Green Day is released [Unknown Date] - Fahizah (EP) by Pinhead Gunpowder is released

1994

February 1 - Dookie by Green Day is released June 14 - Dookie is certified Gold in the US (500,00 units) July [Unknown Date] - Jump Salty by Pinhead Gunpowder is released July 2 - Billie Joe Armstrong marries Adrienne Nesser  August 14 - Green Day plays at Woodstock ‘94 August 17 - Dookie is certified Platinum in the US (1 million units) September 9 - Green Day performs a free show organized by WFNX and dozens are injured or arrested when it’s shut down early  September 20 - Dookie is certified 2x Multi-Platinum in the US (2 million units) November 16 - Dookie is certified 3x Multi-Platinum in the US (3 million units) December [Unknown Date] - Carry the Banner (EP) by Pinhead Gunpowder is released

1995

January 5 -  Dookie is certified 4x Multi-Platinum in the US (4 million units) January 12 - Tre Cool’s first child, Ramona Isabel Wright, is born  January 20 - Dookie is certified 5x Multi-Platinum in the US (5 million units) February 8 - Dookie is certified 6x Multi-Platinum in the US (6 million units) February 28 - Billie Joe Armstrong’s first child, Joseph Marciano Armstrong, is born March 1 - Green Day wins the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance for Dookie May 31 -  Dookie is certified 8x Multi-Platinum in the US (8 million units) June 28 - 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours is certified Gold in the US (500,00 units);  Kerplunk is certified Gold in the US (500,00 units) October 10 - Insomniac by Green Day is released November 21 - Billie Joe Armstrong is arrested for indecent exposure after a show in Milwaukee  [Unknown Date] - Billie Joe Armstrong comes out as bisexual 

1996

January 8 -  Insomniac is certified Platinum in the US (1 million units) February 27 - Insomniac is certified 2x Multi-Platinum in the US (2 million units) May 3 - Dookie is certified 9x Multi-Platinum in the US (9 million units) July 25 - Bowling Bowling Bowling Parking Parking (EP) by Green Day is released December 20 - Mike Dirnt’s first child, Estelle Desiree, is born

1997

February 25 - Goodbye Ellston Avenue by Pinhead Gunpowder is released April 25 - Foot In Mouth (EP) by Green Day is released October 14 - Nimrod by Green Day is released November 11 - Green Day causes thousands of dollars in damage at Tower Records in New York after spray painting the store walls, spraying beer over CD racks, and destroying equipment  November 16 - Green Day guest star on an episode of King Of The Hill

1998

April 6 - Nimrod is certified Platinum in the US (1 million units) June 20 - Mike Dirnt is hit in the head with a beer bottle, causing a skull fracture, following an onstage altercation with Third Eye Bassist Arion Salazar. It is unknown whether he was hit by Salazar or a fan  September 10 - Green Day wins the MTV VMA for Best Alternative Video for Good Riddance September 12 - Billie Joe Armstrong’s second child, Jakob Danger Armstrong, is born

1999

February 8 -  Dookie is certified Diamond in the US (10 million units) March 30 - Shoot the Moon (EP) by Pinhead Gunpowder is released

2000

March 16 - Nimrod is certified 2x Multi-Platinum in the US (2 million units) May 16 - Dillinger Four / Pinhead Gunpowder (EP) by Pinhead Gunpowder is released June 6 - Pinhead Gunpowder (EP) by Pinhead Gunpowder is released June 27 - 8 Chords, 328 Words (EP) by Pinhead Gunpowder is released October 3 - Warning by Green Day is released December 1 -  Warning is certified Gold in the US (500,00 units)

2001

February 11 - Tre Cool’s second child, Frankito Wright, is born August 28 - Green Day wins the Kerrang! award for Classic Songwriter November 13 - International Superhits! by Green Day  is released

2002

January 8 - International Superhits! is certified Gold in the US (500,000 units)  July 2 - Shenanigans by Green Day is released

2003

August 8 - Kerplunk is certified Platinum in the US (1 million units) September 30 - Money Money 2020 by The Network is released October 21 - Compulsive Disclosure by Pinhead Gunpowder is released

2004

August 25 - Green Day wins the Hall of Fame Kerrang! award  September 21 - American Idiot by Green Day is released November 10 - American Idiot is certified Platinum in the US (1 million units)

2005

January 18 - American Idiot is certified 2x Multi-Platinum in the US (2 million units) February 13 - Green Day wins the Grammy for Best Rock Album for American Idiot and Best Musical Theatre Album for American Idiot Original Broadway Cast Recording February 17 - American Idiot is certified 3x Multi-Platinum in the US (3 million units) April 3 - Green Day wins the Juno award for Best International Album of the Year for American Idiot  August 22 - American Idiot is certified 4x Multi-Platinum in the US (4 million units) August 25 - Green Day wins the Kerrang! awards for Best Band on the Planet and Best Live Band September 8 - International Superhits! is certified Platinum in the US (1 million units) November 15 - Bullet in a Bible by Green Day is released November 22 - Green Day wins the AMAs for Favorite Pop/Rock Album for American Idiot and Favorite Alternative Artist December 7 - Green Day wins the Billboard Music Awards for Rock Song of the Year for Boulevard Of Broken Dreams, Group of the Year, Pop Group of the Year, Hot 100 Group of the Year, Rock Artist of the Year, and Modern Rock Artist of the Year

2006

January 17 - Live Freaky Die Freaky starring Billie Joe Armstrong is released February 8 - Green Day wins the Grammy for Record of the Year for Boulevard of Broken Dreams  February 14 - Green Day wins the BRIT awards for Best International Group and Best International Album for American Idiot July 17 - American Idiot is certified 5x Multi-Platinum in the US (5 million units) October [Unknown Date] - Brandon Flowers of The Killers accuses Green Day of anti-Americanism [Unknown Date] - Noah Gallagher of Oasis accuses Green Day of ripping off Wonderwall 

2007

July 27 - Green Day appears in The Simpsons Movie

2008

April 22 - Stop Drop And Roll!!! by Foxboro Hot Tubs is released August 19 - West Side Highway (EP) by Pinhead Gunpowder is released October 11 - Mike Dirnt’s second child, Brixton Michael, is born

2009

March 14 - Mike Dirnt marries Brittney Cade May 15 - 21st Century Breakdown by Green Day is released June 16 - Kick Over the Traces by Pinhead Gunpowder is released June 25 - 21st Century Breakdown is certified Gold in the US (500,00 units) September 15 - American Idiot (musical) officially opens at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre  November 22 - Green Day wins the AMA for Alternative Rock Artist 

2010

April 20 - American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording is released; the musical premieres on Broadway  June 8 -  Green Day: Rock Band is released for X-Box, Playstation & Wii  September 28 - Billie Joe Armstrong plays St. Jimmy on Broadway for the first of 76 performances November 29 - Mike Dirnt’s third child, Ryan Ruby Mae, is born

2011

February 17 - 21st Century Breakdown is certified Platinum in the US (1 million units) March 21 - Awesome as Fuck by Green Day is released

2012

August 14 - Oh Love (EP) by Green Day is released September 25  - ¡Uno! by Green Day is released November 13 -  ¡Dos! by Green Day is released December 11 - ¡Tré! by Green Day is released

2013

January 24 - American Idiot is certified 6x Multi-Platinum in the US (6 million units) September 24 - ¡Cuatro! is released November 25 - Foreverly by Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones is released

2014

April 19 - Demolicious by Green Day is released September 27 - Like Sunday, Like Rain costarring Billie Joe Armstrong is released October 11 - Tre Cool marries Sara Rose Lipert 

2015

April 18 - Fall Out Boy inducts Green Day into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame October 8 - Heart Like a Hand Grenade, a documentary about the recording of American Idiot, is released

2016

October 7 - Revolution Radio by Green Day is released October 14 - Ordinary World starring Billie Joe Armstrong is released

2017

May 31 - Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk executive produced by Green Day is released November 17 - Greatest Hits: God's Favorite Band by Green Day is released

2018

April 12 - The Longshot EP by The Longshot is released April 20 - Love Is for Losers by The Longshot is released December 27- Tre Cool’s third child, Mickey Otis Wright, is born 

2019

April 13 - Woodstock 1994 by Green Day is released

[coreyrockafeler-iconsofboxing]

undefined

100  DAYS-100 HARDEST PUNCHERS IN BOXING HISTORY; # 38 “SMOKING” JOE FRAZIER Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944 – November 7, 2011), nicknamed "Smoking' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. He was known for his strength, durability, formidable punching power, and relentless pressure fighting style and was the first boxer to beat Muhammad Ali. Frazier reigned as the undisputed heavyweight champion from 1970 to 1973 and as an amateur won a gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics.

Frazier emerged as the top contender in the late 1960s, defeating opponents that included Jerry Quarry, Oscar Bonavena, Buster Mathis, Eddie Machen, Doug Jones, George Chuvalo, and Jimmy Ellis en route to becoming undisputed heavyweight champion in 1970, and he followed up by defeating Ali by unanimous decision in the highly-anticipated Fight of the Century in 1971. Two years later, Frazier lost his title to George Foreman. Frazier fought on and beat Joe Bugner, lost a rematch to Ali, and beat Quarry and Ellis again.

Frazier's last world title challenge came in 1975, but he was beaten by Ali in the brutal rubber match, the Thrilla in Manila. Frazier retired in 1976 after a second loss to Foreman and made a comeback in 1981. He fought just once before retiring for good, finishing his career with a record of 32 wins, 4 losses, and 1 draw. The International Boxing Research Organization rates Frazier among the ten greatest heavyweights of all time

The Ring magazine named him Fighter of the Year in 1967, 1970, and 1971, and the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) named him Fighter of the Year in 1969, 1971 and 1975. In 1999, The Ring ranked him the eighth greatest heavyweight. He is an inductee of both the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame, having been a part of the inaugural induction class of 1990 for the IBHF.

His style was often compared with that of Henry Armstrong and occasionally Rocky Marciano and was dependent on bobbing, weaving, and relentless pressure to wear down his opponents. His best-known punch was a powerful left hook.

[hollywoodsmagazine]

Billie Joe Armstrong Wife, Son, Family, Net worth, band, Guitar, Tours

A singer-songwriter, Billie Joe Armstrong is best regarded as a member of the punk rock group, Green Day, who lies 1.7 m in height. They have published countless hit tracks like Basket Case, Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) and When I Come Around since their beginnings in 1986. A fresh compilation album named, God's Favorite Band, went out just last year. His band is worth billions, and there are millions of his net worth. With Green Day, Weezer and Fall Out Boy, Billie Joe Armstrong teases prospective fresh trip. Billie Joe Armstrong has been married for 25 years with Adrienne Armstrong. They dated from 1991 for four years before they tied knot on Jul 2nd, 1994.

Billie Joe Armstrong's Net worth

The 47-year-old Billie Joe Armstrong is an American singer, actor, musician, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist with a net worth of $55 million in 2017 and $58 million in 2019. Armstrong has also featured in a variety of movies and television programs as well as his music career. His film credits list involves, for example, Bullet in a Bible, The Simpsons Movie, Heart like a Hand Grande, and This is 40. He also appeared on the tiny screen in King of the Hill, Nurse Jackie, and Drunk History displays. He even appeared in the popular competition series for singing, The Voice, in 2012. He has also, in the past, loaned his voice to the American Wasteland and Green Day video games of Tony Hawk: Rock Band.

Earlier life of Billie

Bio Billie was born in Oakland, California, on February 17, 1972. From a very young era he had been involved in music and released his first album at the age of five. When he was fifteen, he began a group with Mike Dirnt and they called it Sweet Children. Sweet Children were eventually renamed Green Day. He encountered with Adrienne Nesser in 1990. On July 2, 1994, he married Adrienne Nesser. They have Joseph Marciano, two children, and Danger, Jacob. Billie and Adrienne are Adeline Records' co-owners.

Billie's Relationship with Wife Adrienne and their children

Billie Joe encountered Adrienne on July 4, 1990 at a Green Day party at 815 6th Street in her home town of Minneapolis with his potential husband, Adrienne Nesser. The subject of the song 2000 Light Years Away, the pair would marry on July 2, 1994, from the Kerplunk album of 1991. Billie Joe would subsequently comment on the topic of this bond and his own fidelity, "I have never slept with a groupie." They have two children, Joseph Marciano and Jakob Danger. Read the full article

[bm2ab]

Arrivals & Departures - 12 January 1944 Celebrate Joseph William Frazier ["Smokin' Joe"] Day!

Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944 – November 7, 2011), nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. He reigned as the undisputed heavyweight champion from 1970 to 1973, and as an amateur won a gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Frazier was known for his sheer strength, durability, formidable punching power, and relentless pressure fighting style.

Frazier emerged as the top contender in the late 1960's, defeating opponents that included Jerry Quarry, Oscar Bonavena, Buster Mathis, Eddie Machen, Doug Jones, George Chuvalo, and Jimmy Ellis en route to becoming undisputed heavyweight champion in 1970, and followed up by defeating Muhammad Ali by unanimous decision in the highly anticipated Fight of the Century in 1971. Two years later, Frazier lost his title when he was defeated by George Foreman. He fought on, beating Joe Bugner, losing a rematch to Ali and beating Quarry and Ellis again.

Frazier's last world title challenge came in 1975, but he was beaten by Ali in their brutal rubber match, the Thrilla in Manila. He retired in 1976 following a second loss to Foreman. He made a comeback in 1981, fighting just once before retiring. The International Boxing Research Organization rates Frazier among the ten greatest heavyweights of all time. The Ring magazine named him Fighter of the Year in 1967, 1970 and 1971, while the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) named him Fighter of the Year in 1969, 1971 and 1975. In 1999, The Ring magazine ranked him the eighth greatest heavyweight. BoxRec ranks him as the 18th greatest heavyweight of all time. He is an inductee of both the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Frazier's style was often compared to that of Henry Armstrong and occasionally Rocky Marciano, dependent on bobbing, weaving and relentless pressure to wear down his opponents. His best known punch was a powerful left hook, which accounted for most of his knockouts. In his career he lost to only two fighters, both former Olympic and world heavyweight champions: twice to Muhammad Ali, and twice to George Foreman.

After retiring, Frazier made cameo appearances in several Hollywood movies, and two episodes of The Simpsons. His son Marvis became a boxer—trained by Frazier himself—but was unable to match his father's success. His daughter Jackie Frazier-Lyde also boxed professionally. Frazier continued to train fighters in his gym in Philadelphia. His attitude towards Ali in later life was largely characterized by bitterness and contempt, interspersed with brief reconciliations.

Frazier was diagnosed with liver cancer in late September 2011 and admitted to hospice care. He died of complications from the disease on November 7, 2011.

[osobypostacieludzie]

Billie Joe Armstrong - amerykański muzyk, kompozytor, wokalista i autor tekstów. Billie Joe Armstrong znany jest przede wszystkim z wieloletnich występów w zespole rockowym Green Day. Występuje ponadto w zespołach Foxboro Hot Tubs i Pinhead Gunpowder. W latach 2003–2005 występował także w grupie The Network. Billie Joe Armstrong urodził się w Oakland jako najmłodszy z sześciorga rodzeństwa. Jego ojciec, Andrew (pochodzenia angielsko-włoskiego), był muzykiem jazzowym i kierowcą samochodów ciężarowych. Matka, Ollie (pochodzenia szkocko-holendersko-irlandzko-hinduskiego), była kelnerką w restauracji Rod’s Hickory Pit, gdzie Billie i jego przyjaciele Mike Dirnt i Brandon O’Lech pracowali będąc nastolatkami. W 1987 roku Billie Joe Armstrong wraz z perkusistą Johnem Kiffmeyerem i basistą Mikiem Dirntem założył grupę Green Day. Do 2012 roku nagrał wraz z grupą jedenaście albumów studyjnych odniósłszy międzynarodowy sukces komercyjny sprzedając 75 mln płyt na całym świecie. W 1991 roku muzyk powołał rockowy zespół Pinhead Gunpowder. Do 2008 roku formacja zarejestrowała jedynie dwa albumy studyjne oraz siedem minialbumów. W 2003 roku Armstrong wraz z członkami Green Day założył zespół The Network. Jedyna płyta tejże formacji pt. Money Money 2020 ukazała się we wrześniu 2003 roku. W 2005 roku projekt został zarzucony. W 2007 roku, ponownie wraz z muzykami zespołu Green Day utworzy formację Foxboro Hot Tubs w której objął funkcję wokalisty. Na jej potrzeby przyjął przydomek Reverend Strychnine Twitch. Debiutancki album formacji zatytułowany Stop Drop and Roll!!! trafił do sprzedaży w 2008 roku. W latach późniejszych nawiązał współpracę z wokalistką jazzową Norah Jones wraz z którą nagrał wydany w 2013 roku album pt. Foreverly. Armstrong poślubił Adrienne Nesser 2 lipca 1994 roku. Mają dwóch synów: Joseph Marciano (ur. 28 lutego 1995) i Jakob Danger (ur. 12 września 1998). Otwarcie mówi o orientacji biseksualnej. Przez wiele lat był wegetarianinem. Poza działalnością artystyczną jest także współwłaścicielem wytwórni muzycznej Adeline Records.

[blackkudos]

Joe Frazier

Joseph William "Joe" Frazier (January 12, 1944 – November 7, 2011), nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. He reigned as the undisputed heavyweight champion from 1970 to 1973, and as an amateur won a gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Frazier was known for his sheer strength, durability, formidable punching power, and all-out relentless attack.

Frazier emerged as the top contender in the late 1960s, defeating opponents that included Jerry Quarry, Oscar Bonavena, Buster Mathis, Eddie Machen, Doug Jones, George Chuvalo and Jimmy Ellis en route to becoming undisputed heavyweight champion in 1970, and followed up by defeating Muhammad Ali by unanimous decision in the highly anticipated "Fight of the Century" in 1971. Two years later Frazier lost his title when he was defeated by George Foreman. He fought on, beating Joe Bugner, losing a rematch to Ali and beating Quarry and Ellis again.

Frazier's last world title challenge came in 1975, but he was beaten by Ali in their brutal rubbermatch. He retired in 1976 following a second loss to Foreman. He made a comeback in 1981, fighting just once, before retiring. The International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO) rates Frazier among the ten greatest heavyweights of all time. In 1999, The Ring magazine ranked him the 8th greatest heavyweight. He is an inductee of both the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Frazier's style was often compared to that of Henry Armstrong and occasionally Rocky Marciano, dependent on bobbing, weaving and relentless pressure to wear down his opponents. His best known punch was a powerful left hook, which accounted for most of his knockouts. In his career he lost to only two fighters, both former Olympic and world heavyweight champions: twice to Muhammad Ali, and twice to George Foreman.

After retiring, Frazier made cameo appearances in several Hollywood movies, and two episodes of The Simpsons. His son Marvis became a boxer—trained by Frazier himself—but was unable to match his father's success. His daughter Jackie Frazier-Lyde also boxed professionally. Frazier continued to train fighters in his gym in Philadelphia. His later years saw periodic insults and bitter feelings towards Ali, interspersed with brief reconciliations.

Frazier was diagnosed with liver cancer in late September 2011 and admitted to hospice care. He died of complications from the disease on November 7, 2011.

Early life

Joe Frazier was the 12th child born to Dolly Alston-Frazier and Rubin in Beaufort, South Carolina. He was raised in a rural community of Beaufort called Laurel Bay. Frazier said he was always close to his father, who carried him when he was a toddler "over the 10 acres of farmland" the Fraziers worked as sharecroppers "to the still where he made his bootleg corn liquor, and into town on Saturdays to buy the necessities that a family of 10 needed." Young Frazier was affectionately called "Billie Boy."

Rubin Frazier had his left hand burned and part of his forearm amputated in a tractor accident the year his son was born. Rubin Frazier and his wife Dolly had been in their car when Arthur Smith, who was drunk, passed by and made a move for Dolly but was rebuffed. Stefan Gallucci, a local barkeep, recounted the experience. When the Fraziers drove away Smith fired at them several times, hitting Dolly in the foot and Rubin several times in his arm. Smith was convicted and sent to prison, but did not stay long. Dolly Frazier said, "If you were a good workman, the white man took you out of jail and kept you busy on the farm."

Frazier's parents worked their farm with two mules, named Buck and Jenny. The farmland was what country people called "white dirt, which is another way of saying it isn't worth a damn." They could not grow peas or corn on it, only cotton and watermelons.

In the early 1950s, Frazier's father bought a black and white television. The family and others nearby came to watch boxing matches on it. Frazier's mother sold drinks for a quarter as they watched boxers like Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky Marciano, Willie Pep and Rocky Graziano. One night Frazier's Uncle Israel noticed his stocky build. "That boy there...that boy is gonna be another Joe Louis" he remarked. The words made an impression on Joe. His classmates at school would give him a sandwich or a quarter to walk with them at final bell so that bullies would not bother them. Frazier said, "Any 'scamboogah' (a disrespectful, low-down and foul person) who got in my face would soon regret it; Billie Boy could kick anybody's ass." The day after his Uncle's comment, Frazier filled old burlap sack with rags, corncobs, a brick, and Spanish moss. He hung the makeshift heavybag from an oak tree in the backyard. "For the next 6, 7 years, damn near every day I'd hit that heavybag for an hour at a time. I'd wrap my hands with a necktie of my Daddy's, or a stocking of my Momma's or sister's, and get to it" Joe remarked.

Not long after Frazier started working, his left arm was seriously injured while he was running from the family's 300 pound hog. One day Frazier poked the hog with a stick and ran away. The gate to the pigpen was open, however; and the hog chased him. Frazier fell and hit his left arm on a brick. His arm was torn badly; but as the family could not afford a doctor, the arm had to heal on its own. Joe was never able to keep it fully straight again.

By the time Frazier was 15 years old, he was working on a farm for a family named Bellamy. They were both white men: Mac, who was the younger of the two and more easy going, and Jim, who was a little rougher and somewhat backward. One day a little black boy of about 12 years old accidently damaged one of the Bellamys' tractors. Jim Bellamy became so enraged he took off his belt and whipped the boy with his belt right there in the field. Joe saw the event and went back to the packing house on the farm and told his black friends what he had seen. It wasn't long before Jim Bellamy saw Joe and asked him why he told what he had witnessed. Joe then told Bellamy he didn't know what he was talking about, but Bellamy didn't believe Joe and told Joe to get off the farm before he took off his belt again. Joe told him he better keep his pants up because he wasn't going to use his belt on him. Jim then analyzed Joe for a bit and eventually said "Go on, get the hell outta here." Joe knew from that moment it was time for him to leave Beaufort; he could only see hard times and low-rent for himself. Even his Momma could see it. She told Joe "Son, if you can't get along with the white folks, then leave home because I don't want anything to happen to you."

The train fare from Beaufort to the cities up North was costly, and the closest bus-stop was in Charleston, 75 miles (121 km) away. Luckily by 1958, the bus (The Dog, as called by locals in Beaufort) had finally made Beaufort a stop on its South Carolina route. Joe had a brother, Tommy, in New York. He was told he could stay with Tommy and his family. Joe had to save up a bit before he could make the bus trip to New York and still have some money in his pocket, and so first he went to work at the local Coca-Cola plant. Joe remarked that the white guy would drive the truck and he would do the real work, stacking and unloading the crates. Joe stayed with Coca-Cola until the government began building houses for the Marines stationed at Parris Island; at which time he was hired on a work crew.

Nine months eventually passed since he got the boot from the Bellamy farm. One day, with no fanfare, no tearful goodbyes, Joe packed quickly and got the first bus heading northward. He finally settled in Philadelphia, "I climbed on the Dog's back and rode through the night" Joe remarked. "It was 1959, I was 15 years old and I was on my own."

Amateur career

During Frazier's amateur career, he won Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championships in 1962, 1963 and 1964. His only loss in three years as an amateur was to Buster Mathis. Mathis would prove to be Joe's biggest obstacle to making the 1964 U.S. Olympic Boxing team. They met in the final of the U.S. Olympic Trial at the New York World's Fair in the summer of 1964. Their fight was scheduled for three rounds and they fought with 10 oz gloves and with headgear, even though the boxers who made it to Tokyo would wear no headgear and would wear 8 oz gloves. Joe was eager to get back at Mathis for his only amateur loss and KO'd two opponents to get to the finals. But once again, when the dust settled, the judges had called it for Mathis, undeservedly Joe thought. "All that fat boy had done was run like a thief- hit me with a peck and backpedal like crazy." Joe would remark.

Mathis had worn his trunks very high, so that when Joe hit Mathis with legitimate body shots the referee took a dim view of them. In the second round, the referee had gone so far as to penalize Joe two points for hitting below the belt. "In a three-round bout a man can't afford a points deduction like that," Joe would say. Joe then returned to Philadelphia feeling as low as he'd ever been and was even thinking of giving up boxing. Duke Dugent and his trainer Yank Durham were able to talk Joe out of his doldrums and even suggested Joe make the trip to Tokyo as an alternate, in case something happened to Mathis. Joe agreed and while there, he was a workhorse, sparring with any of the Olympic boxers who wanted some action. "Middleweight, light heavyweight, it didn't matter to me, I got in there and boxed all comers" Joe would say. In contrast, Mathis was slacking off. In the morning, when the Olympic team would do their roadwork, Mathis would run a mile, then start walking saying "Go ahead, big Joe. I'll catch up." His amateur record was 38–2.

1964 Olympics

In 1964 heavyweight representative Buster Mathis qualified but was injured so Frazier was sent as a replacement. At the Heavyweight boxing event, Frazier knocked out George Oywello of Uganda in the first round, then knocked out Athol McQueen of Australia 40 seconds into the third round. He was then into the semi-final, as the only American boxer left, facing the 6 foot 2, 214 lb. Vadim Yemelyanov of the Soviet Union.

"My left hook was a heat seeking missile, careening off his face and body time and again. Twice in the second round I knocked him to the canvas. But as I pounded away, I felt a jolt of pain shoot through my left arm. Oh damn, the thumb." Joe would say. Joe knew immediately the thumb of his left hand was damaged, though he wasn't sure as to the extent. "In the midst of the fight, with your adrenaline pumping, it's hard to gauge such things. My mind was on more important matters. Like how I was going to deal with Yemelyanov for the rest of the fight." The match ended when the Soviet's handlers threw in the towel at 1:49 in the second round, and the referee raised Joe's injured hand in victory.

Now that Joe was into the final, he didn't mention his broken thumb to anyone. He went back to his room and soaked his thumb in hot water and Epsom salts. "Pain or not, Joe Frazier of Beaufort, South Carolina, was going for gold." Joe proclaimed. Joe would fight a 30-year-old German mechanic named Hans Huber, who failed to make it on the German Olympic wrestling team. By now Joe was used to fighting bigger guys, but he was not used to doing it with a damaged left hand. When the opening bell sounded on fight night, Joe came out and started swinging punches, he threw his right hand more than usual that night. Every so often he'd used his left hook, but nothing landed with the kind of impact he managed in previous bouts. Under Olympic rules, 5 judges judge a bout, and that night three voted for Joe.

Professional career

After Frazier won the USA's only 1964 Olympic boxing gold medal, his trainer Yancey "Yank" Durham helped put together Cloverlay, a group of local businessmen (including a young Larry Merchant) who invested in Frazier's professional career and allowed him to train full-time. Durham was Frazier's chief trainer and manager until Durham's death in August 1973.

Frazier turned professional in 1965, defeating Woody Goss by a technical knockout in the first round. He won three more fights that year, all by knockout, none going past the third round. Later that year, he was in a training accident, where he suffered an injury which left him legally blind in his left eye. During pre-fight physicals, after reading the eye chart with his right eye, when prompted to cover his other eye, Frazier switched hands, but covered his left eye for a second time, and state athletic commission physicians seemed to not notice or act.

Joe's second contest was of interest in that he was decked in round 1 by Mike Bruce. Frazier took an "8" count by referee Bob Polis but rallied for a TKO over Bruce in round 3.

In 1966, as Frazier's career was taking off, Durham contacted Los Angeles trainer Eddie Futch. The two men had never met, but Durham had heard of Futch through the latter's reputation as one of the most respected trainers in boxing. Frazier was sent to Los Angeles to train, before Futch agreed to join Durham as an assistant trainer. With Futch's assistance, Durham arranged three fights in Los Angeles against journeyman Al Jones, veteran contender Eddie Machen and George "Scrap Iron" Johnson. Frazier knocked out Jones and Machen, but surprisingly went 10 rounds with journeyman Johnson to win a unanimous decision. Johnson had apparently bet all his purse that he'd survive to the final bell, noted Ring Magazine, and somehow he achieved it. But Johnson was known in the trade as "impossibly durable".

After the Johnson match, Futch became a full-fledged member of the Frazier camp as an assistant trainer and strategist, who advised Durham on matchmaking. It was Futch who suggested that Frazier boycott the 1967 WBA Heavyweight Elimination Tournament to find a successor to Muhammad Ali after the Heavyweight Champion was stripped of his title for refusing to be inducted into the military, although Frazier was the top-ranked contender at the time.

Futch proved invaluable to Frazier as an assistant trainer, helping modify his style. Under his tutelage, Frazier adopted the bob-and-weave defensive style, making him more difficult for taller opponents to punch, while giving Frazier more power with his own punches. While Futch remained based in Los Angeles, where he worked as a supervisor with the U.S. Postal Service, he was flown to Philadelphia to work with Frazier during the final preparations for all of his fights.

After Durham died of a stroke on August 30, 1973, Futch was asked to succeed him as Frazier's head trainer and manager—at the same time he was training heavyweight contender Ken Norton. Norton lost a rematch against Ali less than two weeks after Durham's death. At that point, Norton's managers, Robert Biron and Aaron Rivkind, demanded that Futch choose between training Frazier and Norton, with Futch choosing Frazier.

Mid to late 1960s

Now in his second year, in September 1966 and somewhat green, Frazier won a close decision over rugged contender Oscar Bonavena, despite Bonavena flooring him twice in the second round. A third knockdown in that round would have ended the fight under the three knockdown rule. Frazier rallied and won a decision after 12 rounds. The Machen win followed this contest.

In 1967 Frazier stormed ahead winning all six of his fights, including a sixth-round knockout of Doug Jones and a brutal fourth round (TKO) of Canadian George Chuvalo. No boxer had ever stopped Chuvalo before, although Frazier, despite the stoppage, was unable to floor Chuvalo, who would never be dropped in his entire career despite him fighting countless top names.

By February 1967 Joe had scored 14 wins and his star was beginning to rise. This culminated with his first appearance on the cover of Ring Magazine. In this month he met Ali, who hadn't yet been stripped of his title. Ali said Joe would never stand a chance of "whipping" him, not even in his wildest dreams. Later that year, Muhammad Ali was stripped of his world heavyweight title due to his refusal to be inducted into the military during the Vietnam War.

To fill the vacancy, the New York State Athletic Commission held a bout between Frazier and Buster Mathis, both undefeated going into the match, with the winner to be recognized as "World Champion" by the state of New York. Although the fight was not recognized as a World Championship bout by some, Frazier won by a knockout in the 11th round and staked a claim to the Heavyweight Championship. He then defended his claim by beating hard hitting prospect Manuel Ramos of Mexico in two rounds.

He closed 1968 by again beating Oscar Bonavena via a 15-round decision in a hard-fought rematch. Bonavena fought somewhat defensively, allowing himself to be often bulled to the ropes, which let Frazier build a wide points margin. Ring Magazine showed Bonavena afterwards with a gruesomely bruised face. It had been a punishing match.

1969 saw Frazier defend his NYSAC title in Texas, beating Dave Zyglewicz, who'd only lost once in 29 fights, by a first-round knockout. Then he beat Jerry Quarry in a 7th round stoppage. The competitive, exciting match with Quarry was named 1969 Ring Magazinefight of the year. Frazier showed he could do a lot more than just slug. He'd used his newly honed defensive skills to slip, bob and weave a barrage of Quarry punches despite Quarry's reputation as an excellent counter punching heavyweight.

Wins World Championship – Ellis

On February 16, 1970, Frazier faced WBA Champion Jimmy Ellis at Madison Square Garden. Ellis had outpointed Jerry Quarry in the final bout of the WBA elimination tournament for Ali's vacated belt. Frazier had himself declined to participate with the WBA tournament to protest their decision to strip Ali. Ellis held an impressive win over Oscar Bonavena among others. Beforehand, Ali had announced his retirement and relinquished the Heavyweight title, allowing Ellis and Frazier to fight for the undisputed title. Frazier won by a TKO when Ellis's trainer Angelo Dundee would not let him come out for the 5th round following two 4th round knockdowns (the first knockdowns of Ellis's career). Frazier's decisive win over Ellis was a frightening display of power and tenacity.

In his first title defense, Frazier traveled to Detroit to fight World Light Heavyweight Champion Bob Foster, who would go on to set a record for the number of title defenses in the light-heavyweight division. Frazier (26–0) retained his title by twice flooring the hard punching Foster in the second round. The second knock down came on a devastating left hook and Foster could not beat the count. Then came what was hyped as the "Fight Of The Century," his first fight with Muhammad Ali, who had launched a comeback in 1970 after a three-year suspension from boxing. This would be the first meeting of two undefeated heavyweight champions (and last until Mike Tyson faced Michael Spinks in 1988), since Ali (31–0) had not lost his title in the ring, but rather been stripped because of his refusal to be conscripted into the Armed Forces, some considered him to be the true champion. This fight was to crown the one, true heavyweight champion.

Fight of the Century – first fight versus Ali

On March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden, Frazier and Ali met in the first of their three bouts which was called the "Fight of the Century" in pre-bout publicity and by the press. With an international television audience and an in-house audience that included luminaries Frank Sinatra (as a photographer for Life magazine to get a ringside seat), comedian Woody Allen, singer Diana Ross and actors Dustin Hoffman and Burt Lancaster (who served as "color commentator" with fight announcer Don Dunphy), the two undefeated heavyweights met in a media-frenzied atmosphere reminiscent of Joe Louis' youth.

Several factors came together for Frazier in this fight. He was 27 years old and at his boxing peak physically and mentally, Ali, 29, was coming back from a three-year absence but had kept active. He had had two good wins, including a bruising battle with Oscar Bonavena, whom Ali had defeated by a TKO in 15 rounds. Frazier worked on strategy with coach Eddie Futch. They noted Ali's tendency to throw a right-hand uppercut from a straight standing position after dropping the hand in preparation to throw it with force. Futch instructed Frazier to watch Ali's right hand and, at the moment Ali dropped it, to throw a left hook at the spot where they knew Ali's face would be a second later. Frazier staggered Ali in the 11th round and knocked down Ali in the 15th in this way.

In a brutal and competitive contest, Frazier lost the first two rounds but was able to withstand Ali's combinations. Frazier was known to improve in middle rounds, and this was the case with Ali. Frazier came on strong after round three, landing hard shots to the body and powerful left hooks to the head.

Ultimately, Frazier won a 15-round, unanimous decision (9–6, 11–4, and 9–6). Ali was taken to hospital immediately after the fight to check that his severely swollen right side jaw (which was apparent in post-fight interviews) wasn't actually broken. Frazier also spent time in hospital during the ensuing month, the exertions of the fight having been exacerbated by hypertension and a kidney infection.

Later in the year he fought a 3-round exhibition against hard hitting veteran contender Cleveland Williams.

In 1972, Frazier successfully defended the title twice, beating Terry Daniels and Ron Stander, both by knockout, in the fourth and fifth rounds respectively. Daniels had earlier drawn with Jerry Quarry and Stander had knocked out Earnie Shavers.

Loses title to George Foreman

Frazier lost his undefeated record of 29–0 and his world championship, at the hands of the unbeaten George Foreman on January 22, 1973, in Kingston, Jamaica. Despite Frazier being the overall favorite, Foreman towered 10 cm (4 inches) over the more compact champion and dominated from the start. Two minutes into the first round, Foreman knocked Frazier down for the first time. After he was knocked down a sixth time in the second round referee Arthur Mercante, Sr. stopped the contest.

Frazier won his next fight, a 12-round decision over Joe Bugner, in London to begin his quest to regain the title.

Mid 1970s – second fight against Ali

Frazier's second fight against Ali took place on January 28, 1974, in New York City. In contrast to their previous meeting, the bout was a non-title fight, with Ali winning a 12-round unanimous decision (4–7, 5–7, and 5–6). The fight was notable for the amount of clinching.

Five months later, Frazier again battled Jerry Quarry in Madison Square Garden, with a strong left hook to the ribs by Frazier ending the fight in the fifth round.

In March 1975, Frazier fought a rematch with Jimmy Ellis in Melbourne, Australia, knocking him out in nine rounds. The win again established Frazier as the number one heavyweight challenger for the title, which Ali had won from George Foreman in the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" five months earlier.

Thrilla In Manila – third Ali fight

Ali and Frazier met for the third and final time in Quezon City (a district within the metropolitan area of Manila), the Philippines, on October 1, 1975: the "Thrilla in Manila". Prior to the fight, Ali took opportunities to mock Frazier by calling him a '"gorilla", and generally trying to irritate him.

The fight was a punishing display on both sides under oppressively hot conditions. During the fight, Ali said to Frazier, "They said you were through, Joe." Frazier said, "They lied." After 14 grueling rounds, Futch stopped the fight with Frazier having a closed left eye, an almost-closed right eye and a cut. Ali later said that it was the "closest thing to dying that I know of.". In 1977, Ali told interviewer Reg Gutteridge that he felt this third Frazier fight was his best performance. When Gutteridge suggested his win over Cleveland Williams, Ali said, "No, Frazier's much tougher and rougher than Cleveland Williams".

Foreman again

In 1976, Frazier (32–3) fought George Foreman for a second time. With a shaved head for a new image Frazier fought well enough, somewhat more restrained than usual, avoiding walking onto the big shots which he had done in their first match. However, Foreman awaited his moment and then lobbed in a tremendous left hook that lifted Frazier off his feet. After a second knock down it was stopped in the fifth. Shortly after the fight, Frazier announced his retirement.

Frazier made a cameo appearance in the movie Rocky later in 1976 and dedicated himself to training local boxers in Philadelphia, where he grew up, including some of his own children. He also helped train Duane Bobick.

Music career

During the late 1970s, Frazier created a soul-funk group called "Joe Frazier and the Knockouts," being mentioned in Billboard and recording a number of singles. Joe toured widely all over the USA and Europe including Ireland where among other places he performed in Donegal, Ireland and Athy Co Kildare, Ireland with his band. Joe Frazier and the Knockouts were featured singing in a 1978 Miller beer commercial.

1980s comeback and career as trainer

In 1981, Frazier attempted a comeback. He drew over 10 rounds with hulking Floyd "Jumbo" Cummings in Chicago, Illinois. It was a bruising battle with mixed reviews. He then retired for good.

After that, Frazier involved himself in various endeavors. Among his sons who turned to boxing as a career, he helped train Marvis Frazier, a challenger for Larry Holmes's world heavyweight title and trained his daughter, Jackie Frazier-Lyde, whose most notable fight to date was a close points loss against Laila Ali, the daughter of his rival.

Frazier's overall record was 32 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw, with 27 wins by knockout. He won 73 percent of his fights by knockout, compared to 60 percent for Ali and 84 percent for Foreman. He was a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame.

In 1984, Frazier was the special referee for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship match between Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes at Starrcade '84, awarding the match to Flair due to Rhodes' excessive bleeding.

In 1986, Frazier appeared as the "corner man" for Mr. T against Roddy Piper at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum as part of WrestleMania 2. In 1989, Frazier joined Ali, Foreman, Norton and Holmes for the tribute special Champions Forever.

Media appearances

Frazier appeared as himself in an episode of The Simpsons ("Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?") in 1992, in which he was supposed to have been beaten up by Barney Gumble in Moe's Tavern. Frazier's son objected and Frazier was instead shown beating up Gumble and putting him in a trash can. Frazier appeared in another episode of The Simpsons ("Homer's Paternity Coot") in 2006. He appeared on-screen in the 8th series of The Celebrity Apprentice (USA) television show as a guest-attendee at the Silent Auction event held for the season finale (won by Joan Rivers). Frazier appeared as himself in the Academy Award-winning 1976 movie, Rocky. Since the debut of the Fight Night series of games, Frazier appeared in Fight Night 2004, Fight Night Round 2, Fight Night Round 3, Fight Night Round 4 and Fight Night Champion, games made by EA Sports.

Books

Frazier released his autobiography in March 1996, entitled Smokin' Joe: The Autobiography of a Heavyweight Champion of the World, Smokin' Joe Frazier. Frazier promoted the book with a memorable appearance on The Howard Stern Show on April 19, 1996.

He also wrote Box like the Pros, "a complete introduction to the sport, including the game's history, rules of the ring, how fights are scored, how to spar, the basics of defence and offence, the fighter's workout, a directory of boxing gyms, and much more. Box Like the Pros is an instruction manual, a historical reference tool and an insider's guide to the world's most controversial sport."

Financial issues and legal battles

According to an article from The New York Times, "over the years, Frazier has lost a fortune through a combination of his own generosity and naïveté, his carousing, and failed business opportunities. The other headliners from his fighting days—Ali, George Foreman, and Larry Holmes—are millionaires." Asked about his situation, Frazier became playfully defensive, but would not reveal his financial status. "Are you asking me how much money I have?" he said. "I got plenty of money. I got a stack of $100 bills rolled up over there in the back of the room." Frazier blamed himself, partly, for not effectively promoting his own image. In a 2006 HBO documentary on the fight in Manila, Frazier was interviewed living in a one-room apartment on the second floor of his gym.

His daughter Jackie Frazier-Lyde is a lawyer and worked on her father's behalf in pursuit of money they claimed he was owed in a Pennsylvania land deal. In 1973, Frazier purchased 140 acres in Bucks County, Pennsylvania for $843,000. Five years later, a developer agreed to buy the farmland for $1.8 million. Frazier received annual payments from a trust that bought the land with money he had earned in the ring. However, when the trust went bankrupt, the payments ceased.

Frazier sued his business partners, insisting his signature had been forged on documents and he had no knowledge of the sale. In the ensuing years, the 140 acres was subdivided and turned into a residential community. The land is now worth an estimated $100 million.

Relationship with Muhammad Ali

Frazier and Ali were friends. During Ali's enforced three-year lay-off from boxing for refusing to be drafted into the US Army, Frazier lent him money, testified before Congress and petitioned U.S. President Richard Nixon to have Ali's right to box reinstated. Frazier supported Ali's right not to serve in the army, saying "If Baptists weren't allowed to fight, I wouldn't fight either."

However, in the build-up to their first fight, The Fight of the Century, Ali turned it into a "cultural and political referendum", painting himself as a revolutionary and civil rights champion and Frazier as the white man's hope, an "Uncle Tom" and a pawn of the white establishment. Ali successfully turned many black Americans against Frazier. Bryant Gumbel joined the pro-Ali, anti-Frazier bandwagon by writing a major magazine article that asked "Is Joe Frazier a white champion with black skin?" Frazier thought this was "a cynical attempt by Clay to make me feel isolated from my own people. He thought that would weaken me when it came time to face him in that ring. Well, he was wrong. It didn't weaken me, it awakened me to what a cheap-shot son of a bitch he was." He noted the hypocrisy of Ali calling him an Uncle Tom when his [Ali's] trainer (Angelo Dundee) was white.

As a result of Ali's campaign, Frazier's children were bullied at school and his family were given police protection after receiving death threats. Ali declared that if Frazier won he would crawl across the ring and admit that Frazier was the greatest. After Frazier won by a unanimous decision, he called upon Ali to fulfill his promise and crawl across the ring, but he didn't. Ali called it a "white man's decision" and insisted that he won.

During a televised joint interview prior to their second bout in 1974, Ali continued to insult Frazier, who took exception to Ali calling him "ignorant" and challenged him to a fight, which resulted in the two of them brawling on the studio floor. Ali went on to win the 12 round non-title affair by a decision. Ali took things further in the build-up to their last fight, The Thrilla in Manila, and called Frazier "the other type of negro" and "ugly", "dumb" and a "gorilla" At one point he sparred with a man in a gorilla suit and pounded on a rubber gorilla doll, saying "This is Joe Frazier's conscience... I keep it everywhere I go. This is the way he looks when you hit him." According to the fight's promoter Don King, this enraged Frazier, who took it as a "character assassination" and "personal invective". One night before the fight, Ali waved around a toy pistol outside Frazier's hotel room. When Frazier came to the balcony, he pointed the gun at Frazier and yelled "I am going to shoot you." After the fight, Ali summoned Frazier's son Marvis into his dressing room, and told him that he had not meant what he had said about his father. When informed of this by Marvis, Frazier responded: "you ain't me, son. Why isn't he apologizing to me?"

For years afterwards, Frazier retained his bitterness towards Ali and suggested that Ali's battle with Parkinson's syndrome was a form of divine retribution for his earlier behavior. In 2001, Ali apologized to Frazier via a New York Times article, saying "In a way, Joe's right. I said a lot of things in the heat of the moment that I shouldn't have said. Called him names I shouldn't have called him. I apologize for that. I'm sorry. It was all meant to promote the fight". Frazier reportedly "embraced it", though he later retorted that Ali only apologized to a newspaper, not to him. He said: "I'm still waiting [for him] to say it to me." To this Ali responded: "If you see Frazier, you tell him he's still a gorilla."

Frazier told Sports Illustrated in May 2009 that he no longer held hard feelings for Ali. After Frazier's death in November 2011, Ali was among those who attended the private funeral services for Frazier in Philadelphia. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who spoke during the service, asked those in attendance to stand and "show your love" and reportedly Ali stood with the audience and clapped "vigorously".

Later years

Frazier lived in Philadelphia where he owned and managed a boxing gym. Frazier put the gym up for sale in mid-2009. He was diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure. He and his nemesis, Muhammad Ali, alternated over the years between public apologies and public insults. In 1996, when Ali lit the Olympic flame in Atlanta, Frazier told a reporter that he would like to throw Ali into the fire. Frazier made millions of dollars in the 1970s, but the article cited mismanagement of real-estate holdings as a partial explanation for his economic woes. Frazier stated repeatedly that he no longer had any bitter feelings towards Ali. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named the Joe Frazier's Gym in its 25th list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2012. In 2013, the gym was named to the National Register of Historic Places.

Frazier continued to train young fighters, although he needed multiple operations for back injuries sustained in a car accident. He and Ali reportedly attempted a reconciliation in his final years, but in October 2006 Frazier still claimed to have won all three bouts between the two. He declared to a Times reporter, when questioned about his bitterness toward Ali, "I am what I am."

Frazier attempted to revive his music interests in late 2009/2010. Notably popular for singing 'Mustang Sally,' both Frazier and manager Leslie R. Wolff teamed up with Welsh Rock Solo artist Jayce Lewis to release his repertoire in the U.K., later visiting the Welshman in U.K. to a host a string of after dinner speeches and music developments. It would notably be Frazier's last U.K. appearance.

Death

Frazier was diagnosed with liver cancer in late September 2011. By November 2011, he was under hospice care, where he died on November 7. Upon hearing of Frazier's death, Muhammad Ali said, "The world has lost a great champion. I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration." Frazier's private funeral took place on November 14 at the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia and in addition to friends and family was attended by Muhammad Ali, Don King, Larry Holmes, Magic Johnson, Dennis Rodman, among others. He was later buried at the Ivy Hill Cemetery, a short drive from the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church.

In popular media

He was played by boxer James Toney in the 2001 film, Ali.

He played in "The Fight of the Century" against Ali.

Some of the most memorable moments in the 1976 boxing-themed feature film, Rocky—such as Rocky's carcass-punching scenes and Rocky running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as part of his training regimen—are taken from Frazier's real-life exploits. In the film, Frazier makes a cameo appearance, promoting the fight between Rocky and Apollo.

In March 2007, a Joe Frazier action figure was released as part of a range of toys based on the Rocky film franchise, developed by the American toy manufacturer, Jakks Pacific.

Electric bassist Jeff Berlin wrote a musical tribute simply called "Joe Frazier," originally recorded on the Bill Bruford album Gradually Going Tornado, available on the compilation album Master Strokes.

Mr. Sandman, a video game character in the Punch-Out!! video game series known for being one of the toughest opponents, was based in part on Frazier.

His granddaughter, Latrice Frazier, appeared on an episode of Maury.

Wikipedia

[arianayells-blog]

We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel

Hello internet and welcome to another installment of Ariana Yells. On this post we will be analyzing and explaining “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel. Background: Billy Joel started and worked on this song when he turned 40 in 1989. The initial idea for song happened when he had a conversation with a friend of Sean Lennon who had just turned 21 and had said it’s a terrible time to be 21. Joel responded by saying how he also thought it was a terrible time when he was 21 with the Vietnam war and drug and civil rights problems going on. The friend then replied by saying it was different for Joel, that nothing happened in the fifties. Joel retorted by asking how he didn’t hear of the Korean War or the Suez Canal Crisis. This conversation inspired Joel to think about the major events that have happened since he was born which was in 1949. His chronological lists of events eventually became the song. For the most part the song was well received and hit no.1 on Billboard, however some and even Joel himself don’t think that the song was very good. The General Idea: “We Didn’t Start the Fire” is honestly like a time capsule or reminder of all the crazy events that have happened over the years and how no matter how crazy things are today it will always continue as long as life continues. These specific events are Joel’s way to enlighten the listeners or at least inform them of the political and cultural events that have shaped his life.

Lyrics : https://genius.com/Billy-joel-we-didnt-start-the-fire-lyricshttp://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/billyjoel/wedidntstartthefire.html Chorus:

We didn't start the fire It was always burning Since the world's been turning We didn't start the fire No we didn't light it But we tried to fight it

This chorus can be viewed as a general statement and a more personal statement. In general this statement is directly about the generation that is current and refers to how many issues are often thought to be cause because of such generations like millennials and baby boomers, while the reality of the situation is that they didn’t. They didn’t start the fire and neither did the generation before them. It literally has been going on since the world’s been turning. A more personal view of this is that the “We” that Joel is referring to is his generation the Baby Boomers, a demographic group born between 1946 and 1964. The second part continues on with saying that even though we didn’t start the craziness, they’ve tried to maintain peace and prevent and maintain the fire that has happened for so long. Verses:

Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie RaySouth Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio,Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, TelevisionNorth Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe,These events are Rosenbergs, H-Bomb, Sugar Ray, PanmunjomBrando, The King And I, and The Catcher In The RyeEisenhower, Vaccine, England's got a new queen, Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye

These major events occurred between 1949 when Joel was born to 1952. Some notable events include: 1949 Harry Truman becomes president, China becomes communist, Joe DiMaggio returns to baseball, 1950 Richard Nixon is elected to the U.S. Senate, Ownership of TVs boom, the Korean War begins, Marilyn Monroe becomes a successful Hollywood star, 1951 the first hydrogen bomb was being developed, The King and I opens on broadway, Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger was written, 1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected president, the second vaccine for polio was developed, Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne, and Liberace had his own TV show in the 1950s. Many of these people and events are still notable or at least known today.

Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev,Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist BlocRoy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, DacronDien Bien Phu Falls, Rock Around the ClockEinstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning teamDavy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland,Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, KhrushchevPrincess Grace, Peyton Place, Trouble in the Suez

In these verses Joel lists important figures and headlines from 1953-1956. In 1953 Joseph Stalin died and Roy CAmpanella wins his second MVP award. In 1954 Dacron also known as polyester was developed by DuPont, and the song “Rock Around the Clock,” by Bill Haley and His Comets was recorded. Albert Einstein was born in 1955 and James Dean dies. During that same year Davey Crockett aired, Elvis Presley signs a recording contract with RCA Victor, and Disneyland opened. In 1956, the Montgomery Bus Boycott happened in Alabama which was sparked from Rosa Park’s arrest , the Peyton Place by Grace Metalious was published, and the President of Egypt Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal.   

Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac,Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, Bridge On The River Kwai,Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California baseball,Starkweather, Homicide, Children of Thalidomide,Buddy Holly, Ben-Hur, Space Monkey, MafiaHula Hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-goU-2, Syngman Rhee, payola and Kennedy,Chubby Checker, Psycho, Belgians in the Congo

This third set of lyrics lists headlines from 1957 to 1960. In 1957, Mickey Mantle wins his second MVP award, the USSR launches Sputnik 1 which is the first artificial Earth satellite, and a British-American World War II film called The Bridge on the River Kwai was made. During 1958 President Dwight Eisenhower authorize a military strategy to stop riots and ease tensions in Lebanon, the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants move to California, and a drug used to treat morning sickness during pregnancy called Thalidomide became over the counter in Germany eventually cause infants to be born with malformation of the limbs. In 1959 Buddy Holly died in a plane crash, monkeys return from space, the mafia is exposed, hula hoops were invented, and Fidel Castro became Prime Minister of Cuba. Finally, in 1960 John F. Kennedy becomes president, Alfred Hitchcock’s novel Psycho became a movie, and The Republic of Congo gained independence from Belgium.

Hemingway, Eichmann, Stranger in a Strange Land, Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion,Lawrence of Arabia, British Beatlemania,Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats PattersonPope Paul, Malcolm X, British Politician Sex,J.F.K. blown away, what else do I have to say?

This section of events include major headlines from the year 1961-1963. A handful of these events include : 1961 Bob Dylan is signed to Columbia Records,  the Berlin Wall was built separating West and East Berlin, U.S. trained Cuban exiles attempt to invade cuba and overthrow Fidel Castro an event that was called the Bay of Pigs Invasion and failed miserably which was the largest embarrassment of the JFK presidency, 1962 The Beatles gain media attention in England after they join EMI’s Parlophone label, John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth, 1963 Cardinal Giovanni Montini is elected papacy and takes the name of Paul VI, and President John F. Kennedy is assassinated. The line follows with “what else do I have to say?” because JFK’s assassination had a huge historical significance at the time.

Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back againMoonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock, Begin, Reagan, Palestine, Terror on the airline, Ayatollah's in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan, Wheel of Fortune, Sally Ride, heavy metal, suicideForeign debts, homeless Vets, AIDS, Crack, Bernie GoetzHypodermics on the shores, China's under martial lawRock and Roller Cola wars, I can't take it anymore!

These new headlines occurred between 1966 to 1989, the year Billy Joel turned 40. In 1965 birth control was more accepted, 1968 Richard Nixon ran for president again, 1969 Neil Armstrong sets foot on the Moon, 1972 the Watergate scandal occurred, the result of the break-in of the Watergate office complex in Washington D.C. and the Nixon administration attempted to cover-up their involvement. In 1974-1975 punk rock begins to form with the creation of The Ramones and the Sex Pistols. In 1976 Ronald Reagan attempted his first run for president but failed. In 1983 the American TV game show Wheel of Fortune was created and Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. In the 1980s many Vietnam War veterans were homeless after the war due to unemployment after the war and the public scorn of the war. In 1983 HIV was identified as the cause of AIDS, and in 1984 crack appears in major inner-city neighborhoods. The Syringe Tide happened in 1988 and was a crucial turning point of the opinion on environmentalism. In 1989 China decreed martial law after students take Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The final event listed also happened in 1989 was when Pepsi and Coca-Cola tried to one-up each other.

In general most of these lyrics are just a list of events and have no real metaphorical meaning behind them, but the song as a whole honestly shows and gives a perspective of how many good and bad things have occurred within a 40 year time span and if we add events from more recent years the view just gets larger. In the end, this song was written to give listeners perspective of the situation at the time and of the past, that crazy things happen and we will live on. This song’s meaning is honestly a idea to bring back as we kind of are in a panic with Donald Trump being elected president and just various immigration wars happening in the east. I didn’t cover all the events listed, but I hope you learned a few and I highly suggest looking into some of these events more in depth to know about what was going on during these times.

[greendaythethingstheysay]

The worst thing he could possibly do is turn around and become a Republican fucking accountant or something you know? Or else a hippie.

Billie Joe Armstrong on son Joseph Armstrong (Much Music interview 1995)

[f33ling-this]

Can we just take a minute to appreciate how perfect Billy Joe Armstrong's son Joseph is. 🙌

[greendaybitch]

Argh! Feelings!! 😘😘😘😘😍😍😍

[imagine-my-chem-togheter]

I WANT THIS DAD TOO

[toddneilanderperry]

The Boo(:

[marjomcr]

[angelcakeblues]

Omfg dying

[moons-shadow]