Talkin' Off The Top Rope Episode #4: Pro Wrestling Writer & Historian Evan Ginzburg

On Episode #4 of Talkin’ Off The Top Rope, host “The Grizzled Vet” Michael McCurdy welcomes longtime wrestling historian, writer, radio host, filmmaker, teacher, and storyteller Evan Ginzburg. Best known to many fans as the producer of 350 Days, associate producer of The Wrestler, creator of Wrestling Then and Now, and author of books including Wrestling Rings, Blackboards and Movie Sets and Grindhouse, Arthouse and Wrestling Flicks, Evan brings a lifetime of wrestling, film, teaching, and New York memories to the show.This conversation is built around the mission of the show: making sure the stories never die. Evan talks about falling in love with wrestling as a kid in the 1970s, watching WWWF on the UHF dial, seeing Chief Jay Strongbow fight back, attending Madison Square Garden with his father, and experiencing Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales, Killer Kowalski, Nikolai Volkoff, Fred Blassie, the Valiant Brothers, and so many others when they felt larger than life.A major theme of this episode is memory. Evan does not just talk about wrestling as a list of matches, dates, and statistics. He talks about what it felt like to be there. He remembers sitting with his father, watching Bruno Sammartino become more than just a wrestler, and understanding that those nights mattered because of who you shared them with. That idea lines up perfectly with what Talkin’ Off The Top Rope is built to do.The wrestling history in this conversation is tremendous, but the film discussion is just as strong. Evan explains how his love of cinema runs from grindhouse theaters and kung fu double features to classic musicals, horror, art films, and independent projects. He talks about why the theater experience still matters and why some films stay with us because of where we were, who we were with, and what they meant in that moment.The stories about The Wrestler are another highlight. Evan walks us through how his wrestling connections eventually led him into the film’s orbit, working with Darren Aronofsky’s team, helping with wrestling related details, and seeing how the worlds of pro wrestling and independent film could come together.The closing message is simple but powerful: help people and create art. Evan’s life has crossed wrestling rings, classrooms, radio studios, movie sets, newsletters, books, and documentaries, but the thread through all of it is passing something meaningful along to someone else.For fans of old school WWWF, wrestling newsletters, movie history, The Wrestler, 350 Days, grindhouse cinema, and heartfelt storytelling, this episode is a deep and rewarding conversation with one of wrestling’s greatest historians.Follow The Grizzled Vet on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581684591623 ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★