No ring wrestling hits Capitol Hill

I like to plan my weeks out by what I'm doing on the weekends because sometimes they can be tough. And joining me now is West Smith. West is a local photographer. West has created some of the coolest zines imaginable. West has covered some of the coolest things imaginable. Let me see if I can make sure Kelly's name doesn't pop up underneath West. West, hey man, you got a big one coming up this, not this weekend, but next weekend. Because what was funny, off-air, Kelly, who we just spoke to with Short Run, saw West, and we were talking. So they know each other. You guys are going to get to know Wes. Tell me what you got planned for next weekend. Man, November 14th, Saturday, next weekend, I'm at the Quality Flea Center with my magazines doing a live event. Don't know how we got into this one, but it is a magazine coming off the pages, coming alive. So we're building walls inside an abandoned grocery store that you'll walk through. It's kind of like a maze. Wow, living artwork, life-size. And you check that out. But then you notice there's like a runway going through all of it. And it's also a no-ring wrestling show and a drag show. So. So got a kind of crazy event coming up. Yeah, booked so much awesome Seattle talent. And I can't believe. Who we got to do this. I can't believe this is a real thing that's happening. No, it's so cool. And we love the folks, too, at the Punk Rock Flea Market. Thank you. We covered them, the last one. Alan, you see that one on the bottom left there? No, on the bottom left. That's the actual Heelface Live. So maybe we can pull that up while we talk. Let me make sure everything's okay to be. Yeah, that looks good. Yeah, we get a little spicy. Yeah, a little bit, a little bit. But the event is all ages. So, Wes, we have. The flyer pulled up, so we're looking at it now. There's so much stuff going on. You were saying it's kind of booked to the brim. Let's talk about what Heelface is and what Heelface Live would be. Gotcha. So Heelface is my counterculture magazine. I worked in wrestling as a photographer for about 10 years and I wanted to branch out and do something different. I wanted to give more context to my photography and my work. So I started Heelface, which heel and face are both wrestling terms for like good guys and bad guys. And it's a physical magazine that I show off all my counterculture work kind of through the lens of wrestling. So there's always a wrestling story, but we're kind of bringing in different art forms. And drag is a big one because drag and wrestling are so similar. So putting them together in a live event like this is something I kind of always wanted to do. And the city of Seattle actually gave me an arts grant to put this on. It's my smart first. venture into the grant world. Congratulations. That's amazing. So, um, you're telling yourself a little bit about your background. I'm going to, I'm going to dig into that a little bit more. So Wes is a photographer. And as you heard him mention, um, He's doing photography for wrestling with some of the organizations within the community here, but he's done so much more. If you've ever seen any, and it's not necessarily specific to this, I think counterculture is maybe like a silly umbrella term. I would say cool stuff. Have you ever seen any cool stuff around Seattle? Skateboard events, comic events. Wes is always there. He's got these amazing pictures that he puts up. On a different end, you've done some really cool profile pieces where you get kind of into the lives of some of these people I've seen, you know, where you've been in the homes of some of the people that you're talking to. And I'm trying to find the right words. They're unique. They're unique folks who you're highlighting. I love passionate people. Like, it doesn't really matter, like, what you're super into. I just love, like, because I think I run into you at Comic-Con and PAX, and those people that are, like, all in on comic books, that's so awesome. You know, like I just. When I feel that kind of energy and passion coming out of like a comic book fan or a skateboarding fan or a wrestling fan or a drag fan, it just gets me so excited to kind of dive into that world with them. And doing this for as long as I have, I've become like a super fan of all these niche cultures as well. Yeah. And so you hear Wes talking about kind of his background. For you at home watching, here's the Instagram. So whether you're watching online. Wes puts all of his pictures out there. His Instagram handle is 1800WesSmith. And here's the actual Heelface Live. So this is the event happening next weekend. It's at the location for the Punk Rock Flea Market up in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. And let's just talk about this. When does it start, Wes? Doors are at 7 p.m. So come on up a little early. Check out the art and show at 8. So that's when we start kicking off. With this hot tag match, no ring, no rules. Heartbreakers Club versus C4, Belltown at 8. And I see we have the flyer up, so there's a QR code. It's a ticketed event. Do you know how much tickets are offhand? $15, but we're not turning anyone away for a lack of funds. So I get that cash is hard nowadays. And if you genuinely can't drop the $15, we'll let you in for $5. We'll let you in for $3. We'll just let you in. Obviously, we would love the support, But I would rather have you. Come see some art, then, you know, be hard on money for another week. Yeah. So, like, real kind of DIY, that punk rock flea market energy, as that is the space you're going to. And so you mentioned in the art, it is a wrestling event. You were showing me. Let me see if I can pull you back up full screen, because you got some. Here I am. What do you got behind you? You were saying I was trying to show. Oh, my God. This is only part of it. These are all the. I bought so many frames. So many frames. This is spilling out from the other room. I never frame my art. I never print my art, except for the magazine. So I kind of went overboard with getting so excited to hang my stuff in frames and put it on walls. And it is a gallery show on top of a no-ring wrestling show slash drag show. So this really is... What the inside of my brain looks like. I'm starting to speak. And so people will be able to get some of your prints that you're putting out there. I see Ethan HD on the top of this flyer. If folks don't know, Ethan, a local wrestler, also used to own one of the coolest comic book stores down in Tacoma. Big fan of Ethan. And so he is taking part. And then there's also music, too. I think that you have a DJ performing, correct? Yeah, Goose for Gold is bringing records from Al's Music and Games and Hi-Fi Lo-Fi. She's curating a playlist. She's spinning. She's mixing. She's doing all of it. I'm really excited to have her involved, too. I feel like this is kind of a family reunion, Wes, because Al will actually be talking to us in a little bit with her video game expertise, too, as Zelda just dropped yesterday. So we'll be hearing from the DJ. I was going to try to get Ethan on, too. Thank you, too. That'd be sick. Yeah, just getting the chance to kind of have everyone connected together. And then one of the coolest things is you take these beautiful photos of these really unique situations, and a lot of them here are in the city of Seattle, but you have also kind of linked up with an artist who I believe is not even from the country that kind of is, it's you and this artist that make up Heelface Magazine. Yeah, Ryo Papanza, he is a Japanese artist in Tokyo. He was born in the Philippines and now resides in Tokyo. And yeah, we're just like spiritually connected with the magazine. He wasn't taking originally the first issue was just me. And he just kept sending art was like, please let me be involved. And I was like, all right, man, this guy can get involved. And he has changed my life for the better. He has become such an integral part of like my artistic identity. He's brought so much energy and sweet like. God, what's the word? He just oozes personality in his art. It's nothing like I've ever seen, and I'm just so honored to have him be a part of it. So I just went to Tokyo for almost a month and was working with him on the new issue together. Because, you know, the time... We're doing 16 hours difference time zone, so going over there and working with him together on the new issue was so special. Unfortunately, he's not able to make it to the live event due to visa issues, but... We'll bug him into coming next time. Yeah. So this is the first time you're planning to hopefully maybe keep this going, an event every year or? No way. I mean, we're like five grand over budget right now. It would be awesome. But, you know, I keep telling people like people are like, oh, I'll try and come to the next one. I was like, I would not sleep on this. I just come to this one. I can't guarantee there will be. Teal Face Live 2. Thank you. Thank you. So, you know, what's so interesting is you kind of cover these events. You're usually the one who gets to go and take the pictures. But as you are putting on one yourself, you know, what's that been like? And as someone who knows what events are like, you know, you are usually taking pictures at similar events. What makes this one, you know, for you stand out? What have you done for your own event? Um, reaching out to celebrities is really funny to me. Um, I really want a celebrity guest. Um, just emailed Macklemore this morning. So everyone cross your fingers. Uh, I reached out to the mayor. She's not coming, but she is sending an officiate. officiant. She's sending an assistant. She's sending someone. So it's just been interesting trying to get coverage for my own event when normally I'm the one doing the coverage. I've been giving out photo passes. If you'd like to photograph the event or try your hand at photography, shoot me a DM, get you a media pass. That's the unique experience. I know. How wild is that? The tables have turned. Yeah, I got three very different photographers so far from different parts of my life, which I'm excited about. Like, I got a music photographer and a burlesque photographer and, of course, a wrestling photographer. For so long. Oh, too cool. Booking this has been insane, too. I do, too, you know. We're doing no ring wrestling. I don't know what that is, Wes. What is no ring wrestling? I mean, it seems self-explanatory. It's wrestling without the ring. So we're kind of just going to be fighting around the flea market. So you'll see at the top, Ethan versus Randy is a tables match. Normally in wrestling, you have to get the other guy on his back and pin him for three seconds. But that just didn't feel very heel-faced to us. So this match is whoever gets smashed through a table first loses. It's pretty easy to follow for people who haven't been to a wrestling show. No, I've never seen Ethan wrestle. So that would be, I've only ever seen him in kind of in the button up and tie world. As he is also, you know, he's a business owner, a small business owner in Tacoma for the longest time. Alan, did you want to, you wanted me to ask? Because here you are. I got Alan pulled up now. He's got a question for you. Yeah. You said you're looking for photographers. I emphasize in real estate. So will that work for you? Yeah, you want to come? It's a very unique venue. Have you been to the flea market? No, I have not. No, that sounds like fun. It is the old QFC grocery store on Capitol Hill that is just totally graffitied out and it's a punk venue now. Very unique place in Seattle. I think it's like one of the places that really makes... Seattle special, you know, we're taking these corporate buildings and turning them into DIY art spaces. I love it. I love it. Love to have you, man. Yeah. You'll get, you'll get my DM. You'll get my DM for sure. No, it is cool. Come through. Let's mention in the fact that this location is just an old grocery store that kind of sat vacant and these guys have made it their own with the graffiti and the tags and Wes, what's the deal is, is the bar operating this for this event Yes, we are opening because it is an art gallery opening. We will be having beer and wine for those who are over 21. Yeah. So that's cool, too, because it's an event space. So, you know, they have sometimes they have the drinks and for Wes's event, they will have that. And here it is again. Thank you again. It is next weekend. It is eight o'clock is when the show starts. The doors are at seven. The QR code for tickets is right there. For more information, you can go to Wes' Instagram or Heelface Magazine. Thank And so here is the actual Instagram. This is the Heelface Magazine one. And it's going to be, you know, the thing to do Saturday night. It looks like... Uh-oh, out of retirement. Tell me what that means. One of my favorite drag queens. Okay. This is one of my favorite drag queens who hasn't been performing in a few years. you. And I just had the idea. I was like, I wonder if we could get them. They're so unique and would just bring such a good flavor into the mix of this show. Yeah. And they were very excited to do it. Uh-huh. Very excited to have them in the mix. No, I think this is like Seattle West is a place that has pretty unique events. But I think even as far as Seattle is concerned, this is going to be one of the more unique events that I have heard of in my time in this city. I kind of want to give you last words. Let everybody know why they should come out next weekend and anything else you'd want them to know. Oh, please come out. Support physical media. Support artist spaces. This is... I mean, yeah, like you said, one of the wildest shows Seattle's going to see. And most likely the only time we're going to be able to pull something like this off. So I'd love to see you. No one's turned away for a lack of funds. If you'd like to shoot the event, send me a DM and let's have fun. Let's get weird with it. I think that's such a good point because so often I do see the events you shoot and they're more, I wouldn't say secretive, but you got to know. They're kind of, if you know, you know. And I'm like, oh my gosh, I didn't know. I wish that I was there for that. That seems so fun. So here's your opportunity to be in one of Wes's pictures instead of looking at it. Not to put any stress on you, but when is the next zine coming out? Looks like December. We were trying to get it done while I was in Japan, but it takes a month to print them once they're done. It's not a realistic goal. We have pages that will be on display, and we're revealing the new cover at the event as well. That's cool. And just so everyone knows, Wes does put out a physical magazine. You heard him mention that, the kind of push for physical. He's put out several at this point. How many have you put out? There will be a wall of them. 30. That's a ton. I know that you can go to some shops in town and pick them up. Are there any still available? Like if people want to kind of see what you're doing or we'll have all of them at the show as well as some new merch stuff. If you're on the app, Hi-Fi Lo-Fi has a couple, but we've been holding on to them to try and make sure we have enough stock for this show. That makes perfect sense. Wes Smith just did. Busy, busy guy. Big event coming up next week, and I appreciate you taking some time. I'm sure you are. Thanks so much for having me. This was crazy. No, it's fun, man. Yeah. Well, good luck, and it'll be a wild event. That is Wes Smith.