Do any of you out there have a kindle? Perhaps another of those "ereaders"? Man, do I hate those!
I'm old school. I still like the feeling of going to the book store and buying a brand new book. The smell of unopened pages and the anxiety you feel before opening an anticipated release is something that no machine can replicate.
In what should come as a surprise to no one, I love reading wrestling books. The intimate look into wrestler's lives is something that not even a DVD can match. If a book is written purely by the performer (not a ghost writer who ads journalistic merit and takes liberties when writing a "biography"), it offers insight that can't be found anywhere else. Over the years, I have really enjoyed the most honest of wrestling biographies, from Bret Hart, to Chris Jericho, Mick Foley, and others. Just recently, I added one more to the list.
It had been a while since a good wrestling biography had come out (I believe the last was Bret Hart's last year, but I haven't read Rey Mysterio's yet), but there was one that, despite its limited publicity, really peaked my interest. Veteran performer and resident bizarre one Goldust (aka Dustin Rhodes) penned his autobiography, Cross Rhodes: Goldust, Out of the Darkness, and it was released this December. Having grown up watching his father, his brother, and him, I figured this would be an interesting read about someone who grew up in the business.
The truth is, this book was quite different than any other I have read. What I have become accustomed to reading about are stories of wrestling school, the road to the big time, and some backstage stories and antecdotes that largely go untold otherwise. This book lacks the stories told by others, but that wasn't the purpose of the book.
What I found is that, at the core, this is a cautionary tale. Though Dustin Rhodes dreamed of following in his father's footsteps, he ran into roadblocks along the way. Of course, the main one is drug abuse and addiction. Over approximately 250 pages, Rhodes essentially builds his narrative around his rise and fall from grace, and his rebirth after a stint in rehab. It is a tale of a man who, though he did not dabble in the steroid lifestyle that many wresters do, found solace in painkillers and alcohol until they almost cost him his life. In a sense, the book reads like a movie with a happy ending.
It is nice to hear that the man has reformed himself and is finally free from his demons, but outside of the feel good story, I'm not sure that this book gave a whole lot more. You will learn certain things about Dustin's childhood, and hear a few stories about his time in wrestling, but in a thin book to begin with, the focus is on his problems, not his stories. It's pretty evident as well that Rhodes isn't the master of the English language that someone like Chris Jericho is, nor does he have detailed accounts of his many years in the business like Bret Hart.
Overall, this is an easy read that will take you a few hours to complete. At the end of that time, you will understand a man's struggle, his trip to the bottom, and how he regained control of his life. It's a nice story, but if you are buying this book in hopes of getting the whole storybackstage, this isn't the book for you. It is largely a feel good story of saving one's life and battling addiction, not a "struggle to get to the top" piece. Largely the opposite, Rhodes' famous father allowed for the man who became Goldust to be granted opportunities that perhaps others weren't. Still, having some advantages does not shield a man from demons, and in fact, Rhodes' famous father may have played a role in his demise.
Again I say, this is a fun, easy little read and one you could pick up in paperback from under 20 dollars. The 16 dollar pricetag might be a little steep given the lack of girth in the book, but it's 10 dollars on those kindles you kids love so much. Either way, I wouldn't run out the doors to get the book, but if you grew up watching Goldust or know anything about the famous Rhodes family, I'd give this book a read at some point. Given the fact that Rhodes actually penned it himself, it's the least you can do for him.
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