What is something you are into that you never thought you would be?

[MonkDave666 13]

Mine is easy - MMA / UFC. Up until 2016 I thought it was just pantomime garbage like wrestling, but then saw a Bellator card where Cyborg got his head caved in by MVP, and I was like "woah, they're not fucking around!" - I got intrigued, ditched the generic "pacifist punk who hates sport" world view and got to understand there's quite an art behind mixing up something like muay thai and jiu jitsu. Like skateboarding, it's a relentless one man pursuit of being the best you can be at something really fucking difficult.

We have BT Sport and UFC Fight Pass, so for the last three and a half years have basically watched every card going, had a great time in a bar in Brooklyn for my 43rd birthday in 2017 watching Francis Ngannou become a megastar, watched Conor / Khabib live at like 4:30am, and on top of that I've beeing doing muay thai at Dave's Gym in Roath for almost two years, and even got Chris Melhuish to join me! Rae's taken it further, and has been doing jiu jitsu for quite a while (after first doing krav maga), putting herself through competitions and choking me out on the living room floor.

Because, in the past, I obviously knew fucking everything and had such a narrow bullshit world view, this is something I never thought I'd get into - but I have and it's great!

[stillagoth 11]

I never got into UFC - Connors had a watching party one night at his old place by Virgin Megastore in town with (I think Luke, Richey, Pete Staunch and maybe a few other people), and we had a great time watching Immortal videos and talking shit until the early hours, then the actual event started, and this Russian geezer who fought actual bears came out and sparked the other fella with a jab to the jaw in about 40 seconds... kinda put me off from then on to be honest!

 

I did however also get into K1 Muay Thai for a time - an old school friend of mine used to fight at amateur level, and having fuck all else to do one evening, I went to a show and loved it - started training with him the next week! The place was owned by Julie Kitchen, who was the women’s welterweight world champion at the time, and we really got put through our paces - having never really been sporty, I found I really loved it and looked forward to training so much that I ended up going four nights a week, and set myself a goal of having an actual fight within a year, but eventually a got an apprenticeship opportunity and was commuting from St.Ives to Plymouth five days a week, and eventually moved here permanently and never went back - tried a few gyms in the city, but never got the same feeling again, so fucked it off altogether... I’ve been following Ray Cappo for years and have recently gotten into the idea of trying Jiu Jitsu though, so when this is all done I’m gonna give that a go I think.

[Rae 9]

28 minutes ago, stillagoth said:

recently gotten into the idea of trying Jiu Jitsu though, so when this is all done I’m gonna give that a go I think.

BJJ is brilliant, honestly. Best thing I've ever done. I'm bloody terrible at it, but I don't even care. It's great. I really miss it. 

[JayX 48]

Ah yeah that's a shame you weren't into it when we used to have PPVs on all the time, I got burnt out on it all tbh... I preferred UFC before they flooded their roster with everyone from their reality show, most of whom just weren't as skilled as the big names of the time. It looks like it's settled since then, but I never got the urge to jump back in. I'd go see a live fight again for sure, they were always fun.

I was always into hockey growing up, but moving here cemented the love which I wasn't expecting. Used to be a half season ticket holder for my local NHL team and a wardrobe full of jerseys, which is another expensive hobby that I had to get into. Having game worn stuff is really cool though, you can see where it's all patched up after being torn on the ice. 

[Hooked Lung 13]

Graphic novels. I wouldn't even say I'm 'into' them really, but growing up comics to me was the Beano, not 2000AD or Batman or Dredd or whatever. I never really got it or cared. Then at work I asked a couple of guys who were into comics etc to recommend me something that was

a) all in one book cos I knew I wouldn't have the patience for collecting loads of issues
b) bleak and gritty

They obviously said Watchmen. I'd seen it in shops and on Staunch's shelf but never knew or cared what it was. I bought the graphic novel that weekend and read it twice immediately and it took my head off. The film came out a year or so later - it's good but it didn't blindside me like the book.

When I moved to Eastbourne I went into the local indie comic shop Scorch and said 'talk Watchmen to me' and the owner told me all these headfuck facts like how the 'new 52' range of DC Comics and their rebooted timelines all stem from Dr Manhattan interfering with the universe (or something). I now have the Doomsday Clock book, some of the Watchmen character origin stories, and I obviously lapped up the recent TV series. 

Basically I didn't realise comics could be that smart or densely constructed, and now I'm kicking myself over all the good shit I must have missed over the years. 

Pre-ordering this next: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Noir-by-Jeff-Lemire-writer-Dean-Motter-writer-Chris-Offutt-writer-Kano-illustrator-Stefano-Gaudiano-illustrator-Clem-Robins-letterer-Alex-De-Campi-writer-Hugo-Petrus-illustrator-Ryan-Hill-letterer-M-K-Perker-writer-Paul-Grist-writer-Rick-Geary-writer-Ken-Lizzi-writer-Jolle-Jones-illustrator-Gary-Phillips-writer-Eduardo-Barreto-illustrator-Tom-Orzechowski-letterer-Ed-Brubaker-writer-Sean-Phillips-illustrator-Brian-Azzarello-writer-Fbio-Moon-illustrator-Gabriel-B-illustrator/9781506716862?fbclid=IwAR3Km6dC1k38aNHYqZr8UH4briebbk8k6lDFS4acsTMID3717I8t-tBHlXw

 

Edited April 9, 2020 by Hooked Lung

[BlackHowl 22]

37 minutes ago, Hooked Lung said:

Graphic novels. I wouldn't even say I'm 'into' them really, but growing up comics to me was the Beano, not 2000AD or Batman or Dredd or whatever. I never really got it or cared. Then at work I asked a couple of guys who were into comics etc to recommend me something that was

a) all in one book cos I knew I wouldn't have the patience for collecting loads of issues
b) bleak and gritty

They obviously said Watchmen. I'd seen it in shops and on Staunch's shelf but never knew or cared what it was. I bought the graphic novel that weekend and read it twice immediately and it took my head off. The film came out a year or so later - it's good but it didn't blindside me like the book.

When I moved to Eastbourne I went into the local indie comic shop Scorch and said 'talk Watchmen to me' and the owner told me all these headfuck facts like how the 'new 52' range of DC Comics and their rebooted timelines all stem from Dr Manhattan interfering with the universe (or something). I now have the Doomsday Clock book, some of the Watchmen character origin stories, and I obviously lapped up the recent TV series. 

Basically I didn't realise comics could be that smart or densely constructed, and now I'm kicking myself over all the good shit I must have missed over the years. 

Pre-ordering this next: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Noir-by-Jeff-Lemire-writer-Dean-Motter-writer-Chris-Offutt-writer-Kano-illustrator-Stefano-Gaudiano-illustrator-Clem-Robins-letterer-Alex-De-Campi-writer-Hugo-Petrus-illustrator-Ryan-Hill-letterer-M-K-Perker-writer-Paul-Grist-writer-Rick-Geary-writer-Ken-Lizzi-writer-Jolle-Jones-illustrator-Gary-Phillips-writer-Eduardo-Barreto-illustrator-Tom-Orzechowski-letterer-Ed-Brubaker-writer-Sean-Phillips-illustrator-Brian-Azzarello-writer-Fbio-Moon-illustrator-Gabriel-B-illustrator/9781506716862?fbclid=IwAR3Km6dC1k38aNHYqZr8UH4briebbk8k6lDFS4acsTMID3717I8t-tBHlXw

 

I'm same as you Sean. Never really been "into" comics, but like a good GN from time to time. The elite level shit like Watchmen. It's not all contained in one GN (I think it's 9) but have you got round to Preacher yet? That is similarly incredible. 

[Hooked Lung 13]

Preacher is vaguely on my radar now as a few people have said this, so I will get to it soon. I also have the 'Killing Joke' Batman thing because people raved about it. Oh and the Maus thing about the Nazis. I don't want to hoard, I'd be happy to just have a handful of the really ace ones and if that means missing out on itty bitty little storylines elsewhere then so be it. 

The current situation is a great excuse to chill in the garden reading this shit. 

 

 

 

[KaizerQueef 3]

Preacher is genuinely class. I haven't seen the TV show, but the comics are some of the best I've read.

Check out Joe Sacco - Palestine, Footnotes in Gaza and The Fixer are all amazing non-fiction graphic novels and a great example of the format being used to pursue intense non-fiction narratives. The superhero thing was ALWAYS what put me off graphic novels.

And if you enjoy Maus, Art Spiegelman's other book, In The Shadow of No Towers, about 9/11, is also fucking brilliant.

[Thom 3]

Marriage and kids.

 

never wanted either but now love both.

 

best thing I ever did, apart from routine check, obviously.