Bakotopia Magazine - July 9, 2009

JULY 9, 2009 - JULY 22, 2009

MICHAEL JACKSON1958-2009

GRANT LANGSTONHILLBILLY NOUVEAU

MICHAEL JACKSON1958-2009

GRANT LANGSTONHILLBILLY NOUVEAUw w w . b a k o t o p i a . c o m

F R E EF R E E

BAKOTOPIA 2

BAKOBIT from Bakotopia.com July 9, 2009

BBRRIIAANN CCOOBBBBPPHHOOTTOOSS BBYY TTAANNYYAA LLEEOONNZZOO

BAKOTOPIA 3

900 Truxtun Ave. Suite 310Bakersfield, CA 93301(661) 322-8892

Do you have legal questions?Email us at [email protected]

W E F I G H T F O R Y O U !

Trustworthy representation

Family Law & Criminal Law

www.greenelawoffice.net

Rodrigo H., Bakersfield, California

Q: I got pulled over and the police found a joint in my car. They gave me a ticket. What should I do?

A: Possession of less than an ounce of marijuana is a misdemeanor punishable as an infraction. You can only get a fine and not jail time. You could just take the fine and get it over with. The court or D.A. might also offer you a counseling program, which, if you complete it, would result in the dismissal of the charges. Or you could consult with a Public Defender or private attorney to see if your rights were violated during the stop, which could result in the evidence being suppressed and the case dismissed.

BBAAKKOOTTOOPPIIAA..CCOOMM Contribute your own articles/stories/events. Upload photos.

E D I TO R ’S N OT E

Matt Muñoz,Bakotopia Editor

BAKOTOPIAOlivia Garcia Publisher

[email protected] 395-7487

Matt Muñoz Editor/Product [email protected] 395-7660

Gene Garaygordobil Managing [email protected]

Teresa Adamo Associate Editor [email protected]

EDITORIAL

STAFF

Kent Kuehl Designer [email protected]

Jaime De Los Santos Sales Manager [email protected] 716-8632

David Alanis Sales Executive

Katie Blair Sales Executive

Gustavo Carrillo Sales Executive

Angela Espinoza Sales Executive

Samantha Vilchis Sales Executive

Mark Wells Sales Executive

Marisol Sorto Office Administrator [email protected] 716-8640

P.O. Box 2344Bakersfield, CA 93303

ART

ADVERTISING

OFFICE

BAKOTOPIA

I've been a boxing fan since I was a kid during the glory days of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson.But since their demise, professional boxing has been going downhill. Long gone are the larger than lifefigures of the ring you became a fan of.

Thank God for the UFC, where the world’s toughest meet each other in the "Octa-gon", to prove their skills mano a mano.

Back in '07 I was introduced to Bako MMA fighter Brian Cobb, via contributingcolumnist Jackie Gibson and photographer Roger Hornback. Together they ravedabout a local fighter making some serious moves in the MMA fighting world. Soon,Brian was featured on the 9-7-07 issue of Bako mag in a fun comic-book hero

style layout. We're very proud to be one of the first publications to feature thislocal talent!

Since then, I've been fortunate to work with Cobb on a number ofoccasions, as he's become a familiar face outside of the ring, run-ning BRyder's bar in SW Bakersfield. Bako readers have also beenfollowing his amazing fighting career through PFC fight reports we'vepublished.

It was only a matter of time until Cobb would be called up to the bigtime. For MMA enthusiasts, the UFC is no easy reach. Only the best

and most skilled fighters are allowed, and Brian Cobb is one such tal-ent. Check out his story, and add this collector's edition to your prizedsports memorabilia collection.

Brian Cobb's UFC star is rising fast - let's cheer him on, Bako!Rest easy, Michael Jackson...

Peace,

BAKOTOPIA 4


By Kim Grant, Bakotopia.com contributor

W hen you’re born and raised in a smalltown in Alabama, chances are you’re fedon a strict diet of deep fried turkey and

country music. So what do you do? Embrace it and strap your

bulging belly into a tight pair of Wranglers, or do youget the hell out of dodge to discover your innervegan and rock n’ roll?

Well Grant Langston may not have discoveredthe joys of tofu and soy, but he knew he loved agood power chord when he heard one, and headedout West to Los Angeles to make his name. Onlyonce there, the darnedest thing happened: herediscovered his musical roots, this time on histerms. Appearing live at Fishlips, 1517 18th St.,on Saturday, July 18, at 9 p.m., Langston sharedsome insight into musical beginnings.

“Growing up where I did I was force-fed a steadydiet of very slick Nashville stuff,” says thesinger/songwriter. “As a result, I hated countrymusic, or at least I thought I hated it until I heardthe real deal.”

The ‘real deal’ was Johnny Cash and Willie Nel-son and Dwight Yoakum and Merle Haggard - coun-try artists who were busy upsetting the Nashvilleelite while Langston was still in diapers. The musicresonated with Grant, and he set about fusing itwith his love of contemporary rock music.

“I didn’t want to make music that was formula-ic,” he says. “I wanted to step outside that andhave lyrics that are sassy and written from a mod-

ern perspective. I wanted to be free to throw in aLed Zep riff if I wanted to, to poke some fun at thegenre, but at the same time pay homage to thatstyle.”

One live and four studio albums later, he’s foundthe perfect balance - capturing the rawness of thecountry records he grew to love and the drive of therock records he’d become enamored of.

“I wanted to make good interesting songs in agenre that I feel is real and I can represent in anhonest way,” he says. “With this new album, StandUp Man, I’ve got the closest to that yet.”

He’d tried to make raw studio albums before,him and his long-standing band, The Supermodels,implementing various tricks to capture the energyof their live performances. The band - MI grad gui-tarist Larry Marciano, former Buckcherry bass play-er Josh Fleeger and drummer Tony Horkins, who’dplayed on hit records in his native UK - were not tra-ditional country players, deliberately so.

“I didn’t want a bunch of guys who are just run-ning through the country lick they’ve been playingfor 25 years,” he says. “They try and do somethingfresh and I let them run free, reigning them inwhere it needs to be reigned in.”

Inevitably, this four-piece unit got closest to the

raw sound they were after on the live album theyreleased last summer, Live In Bakersfield, wherethe local following they’d built there over the yearscame out in droves to be part of the recording: onenight, one show, all live.

The success of the live album was a lessonlearned: with Stand Up Man, he enforced a two-take rule on The Supermodels and the various LAfriends and musicians that contributed to therecord. Some songs he wrote one day, rehearsedwith his band the next and recorded the day after.The result is the first time he’s been able to fullyrealize his alt-country/Americana dreams.

“I told my co-producer, Rich McCulley, that wehad to check ourselves at every step of way,” hesays. “There will be times when we want to fixsomething, but we have to leave it be.”

Soon they’ll be taking the album out on the road,where Langston believes it belongs. It’s the stuff ofroadhouses — music to dance to and drink to.They’re already a leading light in the burgeoning LAalt-country scene, a loose collective of like-mindedmusicians and venues, and when not on home turf,they’ve been packing them in in England andFrance and across the United States.

“It’s hard to believe we’re getting ready to pro-mote our fifth album,” he reflects. “I get closer andcloser to what I’m trying to do with each one - tomake an album steeped in its country roots butwith a sound and lyrical content that’s equal partsirreverence and homage. This time, I think wenailed it.” www.grantlangston.com

Alabama native andregular Bako visitor wantsto get better acquainted -

live at Fishlips, July 18.

GGrraanntt LLaannggssttoonn& The Supermodels

CO

UR

TES

Y P

HO

TO

BAKOTOPIA 5


CO

UR

TES

Y P

HO

TO

BAKOTOPIA 6


By Greg Goodsell, Bakotopia.com contributor

In the waning days of the 20th century, a popularsinger would shatter, redefine and transcend allconcepts of sexuality, gender, race and class. The world would embrace him, shower him with

untold riches, indulge his whims, then turn onhim, persecute, ostracize and then ignore him.David Bowie notwithstanding, singer MichaelJackson was the true Man Who Fell to Earth.Obscenely wealthy, with only a passing resem-blance to humanity, Jackson flitted between beingan angelic ambassador of goodwill to a horrificmonster that preyed upon the innocent, some-times simultaneously. The true tragedy was justprior to his sudden death due to cardiac arrest onJune 25, Jackson's albums languished on musicstore shelves, a casualty of the ever fickle public.

The youngest son of the musical family theJacksons, Michael would delight prepubescentgirls with his elfin appeal as the lead singer of theJackson Five. Jackson's childhood, according tosome reports was a very dark one. Under thewhip of a demanding father, Jackson would learnabout the facts of life from the groupies his elderbrothers would pass around after concert dates.His 1972 breakthrough hit “Ben,” a love themecrooned to a rat, allegedly drew upon his ownlonely hours with only the household vermin tospeak to.

Bigger things lay in store. His album, Off theWall, rocketed off the charts, and his stratospher-ic follow-up, Thriller, galvanized the music indus-try. His popularity also shattered the then-apartheid American music market. Rock musicradio stations tacitly didn't play “black” artists,but Jackson's overwhelming popularity simplycould not be ignored. Jackson's videos for “BeatIt,” “Thriller” and “Billie Jean” also pushedthrough the concept of the music video as artform, miniature movies with drive and narrativecomparable to full-length motion pictures.

Perhaps the crown jewel in the Prince of Pop'scrown was in corralling diverse musician and per-sonalities together for the hit single “We Are theWorld.” Taking a cue from the British hit “Feed theWorld,” Jackson gathered singers of every stripeand genre to sing out for African famine relief. Ashining example of pop music giving back to theglobal community, countless other music-relatedefforts have since concentrated on helping theless fortunate.

In spite of this, there was definitely something

drastically wrong with Michael Jackson. Whereasother singers traded on raw sexuality, Jacksonembraced an androgynous innocence. In spite ofarranged dates with Brooke Shields and Madon-na, there were whispers that the Moonwalker wasperhaps gay, or possibly still a virgin. Further-more, Jackson refused to grow up. Seizing J. M.Barrie's storybook hero Peter Pan as a rolemodel, Jackson christened his sprawling ranch“Neverland,” a perverse personal playgroundopen to all children of the world - in particularyoung boys with poor families anxious to turn aquick buck.

Mutilating his features with countless plasticsurgeries and bleaching his skin white, Jacksonwould mutate into a disturbing approximation ofLon Chaney's Phantom of the Opera. Enormousnostrils, unnaturally large eyes and smooth com-plexion framed by black hair cascading down inringlets. Bound and determined to stay in interna-tional headlines, in spite of dwindling recordsales, Jackson would stage stunts to stay in thepublic's hearts and minds. Appearing in publicwearing a surgical mask, offering large sums ofmoney for the skeleton of John “Elephant Man”Merrick, posing in a hyperbaric chamber, Jacksonmade sure he titillated tabloids throughout theEighties and Nineties.

Jackson's attempts at notoriety would back-fire. Accused of child molestation in 1994, Jack-son settled with his accusers out of court. Theparade of kiddies continued unabated throughJackson's countless hotel rooms, up until 2003when new allegations surfaced. In and out ofcourt, Jackson would appear in newspapers asan unshaven space alien. Acquitted of all countsin 2005, Jackson would return to his own chil-dren, reportedly sired through artificial insemina-tion with anonymous mothers. Further fuelingpaparazzi, Jackson would dangle his new bornbaby son “Blanket” from a fourth floor balcony inBerlin. Any other father caught doing this wouldbe given a one-way ticket to the Stony Lonesome,but not Jackson.

Leading up to his death, Jackson was prepar-ing for a series of concert dates in England,prophetically dubbed the “final curtain call.” Col-lapsing after a series of rehearsals, Jackson waspronounced dead due to heart failure at the muchtoo young age of 50.

No one sold as many records as Jackson did.No one crossed as many lines defining race orgender than Jackson did. The scariest, mostsatanic goth rocker could never hope to be a frac-tion as horrifying as Jackson was.

Michael Jackson was the entertainer the worlddeserved. His public demanded an unhappy end-ing, and he gave them one. A true stat.

Reflecting on the passingof pop icon MichaelJackson (1958-2009)

The gloved oneis gone

BAKOTOPIA 7


By Matt Munoz, Bakotopia Editor & Bakotopians

Controversy and personal life aside, there’sno denying MJ’s worldwide impact in theareas of music, dance, fashion, and comedy.

Yes, comedy...Michael Jackson was The Beatles and Elvis of

my generation - all wrapped up into one skinny“Bad”-ass.

My earliest memory of Michael Jackson wasmost likely watching Soul Train or American Band-stand. My sisters owned all the Jackson hits onvinyl - from the early Jackson 5 stuff to the ‘70sdisco R&B sounds of the “Destiny” LP and beyond.

As a kid, I was mostly an observer and not reallyallowed to go near the stereo, but when I wasallowed, it was usually to put on Michael Jacksonmusic. For my 10th birthday, my brother Art tookme to the record store (yes, kids that’s what theycalled them.) My first vinyl LP ever was “Off TheWall.” Damn, that record is DOPE! To this day, itrocks...

True story ... My sister Monica named mynephew, the infamous DJ Mikey, after Michael Jack-son.

I had two very close friends in particular whowere "Thee Michael Jackson Fans", in high school -Rick and Norma. Rick was as skinny as MJ, sameskin color (he was a dark Mexican okay?) Everyonestarted calling him “Michael.” My friend Norma wasone of those lovable, crazed fans who owned any-thing and everything with MJ’s name or likeness.

When the Jackson’s reunion came, everyonerejoiced! I couldn’t afford a ticket to the tour, But Idid win a call-in contest on KKXX to be entered towin tix. My entry prize was a copy of the “Victory”

record, and a twelve pack of Pepsi with fake Jack-son family autographs. My friend Norma got to seeMJ live that tour at Dodger Stadium,accompanyinga group of local cancer patients. That was nice...

We all know what the rest of Michael Jackson'sbizarre life was like, since the net spares no priva-cy.

Besides texting DJ Mikey, the first person Ispoke to after the official announcement of hisdeath was my friend, Norma. She was crying whenshe picked up the phone after 2 rings. Poor Norm-sie ... It felt like high school all over again.

We asked fans to share their Michael Jacksonmemories. Here a few of the numerous responseswe received at our website: www.bakotopia.com

“Strangely I don’t think of MTV, or Neverlandwhen I think of Michael Jackson. I think of beingholed up in a hospital in the ‘80s in Truckee, Cali-fornia and having a Walkman and listening to“Thriller.” It got me through some really roughtimes.” - thenovelist

“I was extremely jealous of Michael. When I wasbreak dancing at a young age I always wanted tomoonwalk. I understood how he could do it, but did-n’t understand how he did it. He almost looked likethere was an invisible string pulling him along as heflowed across the floor.” - siestakid

“I won the first set of tickets from KKXX to seethe Jackson’s “Victory Tour” at Dodger stadium. Igave the tickets to my friend Kelly ‘cause I went toCheerleader Camp instead ... and I could kickmyself because it turned out to be the completeantithesis of who I became in H.S. and as a per-son.” - Holly Carlyle

“I convinced my parents to dress my then 3-yearold baby brother in Michael Jackson gear and got

him imitating the King of Pop. My baby bro becamethe biggest MJ fan ever.” - Chingpea

“I remember watching the Thriller video with mysister when we were young as I wore my ‘Beat It’shirt. That was my favorite shirt I wore that thing torags. I owe my love of music to MJ.” - MsJosey

“Thank You Mike, for all the songs that toucheda generation. You are The King Of Pop!” - Phil

“Growing up I believed I was going to marry MJone day! Michael’s name was a regular in myhousehold, since my mom’s cousin was a touringdancer with Michael for many years, so it wasalways “Where’s Michael and Bruno tonight?” -Belvy

“I remember having a crush on a guy in eighthgrade because he dressed like Michael Jackson.He had the jacket with the zippers, white socks,and the white glove. I dreamt that someday he andI would have little Michael Jackson lookingbabies!” - Twinkie

“DJ Mikey played an awesome mega-mix of Jack-son’s greatest at BRyder’s on 6/27. I have neverseen so many people pack a dance floor like theydid this night! It was unbelievable! You saw every-one trying to imitate his most famous moves, peo-ple singing the lyrics as loud as they could. I askeda friend, do you think this many people would’vebeen on the dance floor if it was just a regular Sat-urday night with an MJ song playing in a club? Itwas obvious that all these people were out theredancing until there was sweat rolling down theirfaces to pay tribute to a great, talented, and leg-endary man.” - Palooka5

R.I.P...MJ...

From childhood toadulthood, every-one has a MichaelJackson story to

share.

Memories of

MJ

BAKOTOPIA 8


By Matt Munoz, Bakotopia.com editor

What elements make up a true war-rior?Strength, intelligence, skill, and

patience are undoubtedly at the top of thelist.

For CSUB wrestling alumni and profes-sional Bakersfield MMA (mixed martial arts,)fighter Brian Cobb (18-5,) those warrior-likequalities are omnipresent.

It's been almost two years since Bako-topia last sat down with Cobb as he wasmaking waves in the MMA world, fresh froma TKO win over Japan's Kenichiro Togashi inIrvine. That win helped his personal fightingrecord grow through ‘08 and into ‘09 as aCentral Valley PFC (Palace Fighting Champi-onship) title holder.

Upbeat and polite during our original '07Bakotopia cover photoshoot and interview,Cobb's humble demeanor hasn't been putinto submission for the sake of his new rankas an official UFC (Ultimate Fighting Champi-onship), fighter. Fighting as a lightweight, heunderstands opportunities like this aren'tjust handed out to anyone.

“When you add up every thing that's hap-pened, it's kind of mind-blowing,” said Cobb,28, during a Saturday afternoon inside TheBarbell Club gym in Bakersfield, where hesplits regular training sessions along withanother local facility, Bakersfield BrazilianJiu-Jitsu. Recalling being notified about anoffer to fight in UFC 95, on February 21,2009 in London, England, a life-changingdecision had to be made in order to undergothe processes for UFC participation as alight-weight contender.

“My agent called me about 36 hoursbefore the flight to England,” he remem-bered. “He told me one of their fighters(Justin Buchholz) scheduled for UFC 95 con-tracted a staph infection in his elbow andcouldn’t fight. The UFC knew who I was andmy record, and was looking for a replace-ment, and was I interested? The next 24hours was a whirlwind of me getting paper-work, running to LA for a physical, a brainscan, cutting weight, talking to my coaches,and packing - I fought seven days later.”

Making calls to trainers, family andfriends, Cobb didn’t have his usual trainingtime of weeks or months to study his Liver-pool opponent, Terry Etim, who already hadmade four previous UFC appearances.

“I called my MMA coach, JoshAllen, then Matt Baker my Jiu-Jitsu coach toask them what I should do over the course ofthis day and how to prepare for this fight,” hesaid. “I worked out about three times, andwas on the phone taking care of legal issues

and paperwork …Then I called my folks.”Still coming to terms with their son’s line

of sport, Cobb’s parents are both proud oftheir son, and equally concerned for his safe-ty. After all, this isn’t high school wrestlingwith his brother at Bellarmine College Prep inSan Jose - Cobb’s old high school.

A whirlwind of memories begin to flowfrom high school, to London, and back as ourconversation continues …

“My dad is pretty proud now, but my momwouldn’t watch us wrestle in high school,” hesaid laughing mildly. “During the first matchshe ever went to, my older brother got pickedup, dropped on his shoulder, broke his collarbone and was screaming. She found out Ihad become an MMA fighter after she‘Googled’ my name. She saw my UFC bout,but it was difficult for her.”

Back in London and ready to enter the big-time ranks of potential MMA mega-stardom,nothing could prepare a fighter even atCobb’s level for the hype leading up to theFebruary bout.

If you recall the early days of UFC, it was adifferent scene altogether.

The original U.S. UFC televised brandstarted out as a Pay-Per-View freak-show ofsorts in ‘93, pitting completely differentweight classes and disciplines against eachother - often ending in bloody injury. Colorfulpersonalities like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighterRoyce Gracie, Greco Roman wrestler DanSevern, Ken Shamrock, and Pit-Fighter, TankAbbott - who boasted of learning his tech-nique in bar brawls, made their names in thefighting “Octagon” cage. The Octagon isUFC's version of the boxing ring.

After years of pressure from U.S. politi-cians like John McCain, rules were set inplace to help protect fighters, along withproper weight classes. These changeshelped turn the original grassroots begin-nings of UFC into a worldwide sports fran-chise, complete with new legends like, TitoOrtiz (another CSUB wrestling alumnus,) andChuck Liddell, among others.

A fan of the UFC, Cobb remembers his

first MMA match after college wrestling in2004.

“The first time you get hit and the stinghits you, you automatically question “Is thiswhat I really wanna be doing?” And then youpunch them back and you see that in theireyes. It’s either for you, or it isn’t. It was forme and I enjoyed it.”

A media blitz, with a televised weigh-inbefore his UFC debut is something he neverexpected to happen so quickly, but like hisfirst punch, he knew this was where he wassupposed to be.

“I was pretty relaxed about the wholething, and I knew the weigh-in would be a bigproduction,” he said. “I enjoyed it and triedto take it all in. I didn’t want to waste energybeing anxious. By the time I stepped in thecage, I was so relaxed and so confident thethought of me losing never crossed mymind.”

Back at home on the night of the fight,Bakersfield fans cheered at the announce-ment of his name, and the signal that it wastime to go.

As he’d done numerous fights before,Cobb was used to a couple of minutes oflast minute mental prep time during pre-fightannouncements. This time, it didn’t happen.

“The last three years, I was the mainevent on every card I was on - they call you tothe middle, go over the rules, that sort of pro-duction for the fans to let you know this is atitle fight,” he explained. “I was there waitingto go in front of the ref, and the next thingyou know, he’s like, ‘Ready? Fight!’ I wasthrown off guard for a second, and now Igotta get into my game. I didn’t have mycoaches there with me - I had the coachesthat were supposed to be there with Justin”.

Things started out promising for Cobb,who stands at 5' 11,” in the first round as hedirectly engaged the taller (6' 1”) Etim, care-fully striking with a few opening shots. Etim,who rapidly struck Cobb with some visuallystinging low kicks to the leg, made the crowd

gasp each time they connected.“The game plan was to check the leg kick,

block it and then counter strike,” he remem-bered. “I ate about two of them, and I real-ized I wasn’t going to take anymore. At thatpoint the damage was done. I tried to checkhim, but my leg was too slow, my strike was-n’t happening, because of the reach - it wasthe first time I had ever fought someonetaller than me. So, I resorted back to what Ido best, so you see me crouch and get inthat wrestling stance, and I’m waiting foropportunities to take him down.”

And he does in the middle of the firstround. Left leg visually welting from the swiftleg kicks of Etim, Cobb does his best to com-bat anymore damage. The first round endsgiving Cobb a chance to re-think hisapproach.

The second round started much like thefirst, with more kicks, including one to thehead of Cobb that knocked him down. Etimtook advantage of the situation by attempt-ing to land more punches. Cobb effectivelydeflected a few - but just as soon as itlooked like Cobb would be making a come-back, the fight was stopped by the referee,much to the dismay of Cobb and many fans.Etim was proclaimed the winner by TKO.

“I was really relaxed,” he said lookingback at his first time in the UFC. I probablywasted more energy after the fight was over,being really frustrated with not fighting welland losing than I did before being anxious.”

Upon returning home, Cobb was alreadylooking forward to his next three UFC bouts,as part of his four bout deal with the organi-zation. In true warrior form, he still keeps itcool as ever.

“I feel like I’ve gotten better in the last sixmonths since that fight,” he said. “It’s reallybeen a motivating factor. I’m mad that I lost,but sometimes the best thing for you is aloss. It re-focuses the group and the training.I’m happy with the progress that’s beenmade since then.”

The next UFC event (UFC 100,) is sched-uled for July 11, in Las Vegas, Nev. Cobbintends on watching a re-broadcast upon hisreturn from a family camping trip, and looksforward to his return to the Octagon.

“I’m hoping to make it to UFC 104 in LosAngeles this October,” said Cobb confidently.

Thanking his loving wife Denise, family,and fans for continued support, Cobb wantsto remind Bakersfield of his drive to bring aUFC championship back home.

“I take this very seriously, and really wantpeople from Bakersfield to know that they’rerepresented well,” he said.

*Bakotopia will continue to follow thecareer of Brian Cobb and the ever-growingBakersfield MMA scene in future issues, sostay tuned!

For more on Brian Cobb, visit: www.sherdog.com

Bakersfield MMA fighter Brian Cobb looks back at his first UFC

fight with hopes for future Octagon redemption and glory.

A Warrior’sJourney

Top left: Brian Cobb and UK fighterTerry Etim in the heat of battle duringUFC 95 in London, England on Feb. 21.AP photo.

Left: Showing off some of his workouttechniques, Cobb’s driving forces areGod, family, friends, and fans.

ABOVE: BRIAN COBB / PHOTO BY TANYA LEONZO

BAKOTOPIA 9

July 9, 2009

opia.com editor

make up a true war-

lligence, skill, anddly at the top of the

alumni and profes-A (mixed martial arts,)5,) those warrior-likeent. o years since Bako-h Cobb as he wasMA world, fresh from

s Kenichiro Togashi in his personal fighting8 and into ‘09 as aace Fighting Champi-

uring our original '07shoot and interview,nor hasn't been put

e sake of his new rankmate Fighting Champi-g as a lightweight, heities like this aren'tone.very thing that's hap-

d-blowing,” said Cobb,afternoon inside Thekersfield, where heessions along withakersfield Brazilianng notified about an, on February 21,nd, a life-changingde in order to undergoparticipation as a

e about 36 hoursland,” he remem-e of their fightersduled for UFC 95 con-on in his elbow and knew who I was andking for a replace-sted? The next 24of me getting paper-a physical, a brainlking to my coaches,even days later.”

ners, family andve his usual traininghs to study his Liver-im, who already hadC appearances.MMA coach, Joshmy Jiu-Jitsu coach tod do over the course ofepare for this fight,” heout three times, andng care of legal issues

and paperwork …Then I called my folks.”Still coming to terms with their son’s line

of sport, Cobb’s parents are both proud oftheir son, and equally concerned for his safe-ty. After all, this isn’t high school wrestlingwith his brother at Bellarmine College Prep inSan Jose - Cobb’s old high school.

A whirlwind of memories begin to flowfrom high school, to London, and back as ourconversation continues …

“My dad is pretty proud now, but my momwouldn’t watch us wrestle in high school,” hesaid laughing mildly. “During the first matchshe ever went to, my older brother got pickedup, dropped on his shoulder, broke his collarbone and was screaming. She found out Ihad become an MMA fighter after she‘Googled’ my name. She saw my UFC bout,but it was difficult for her.”

Back in London and ready to enter the big-time ranks of potential MMA mega-stardom,nothing could prepare a fighter even atCobb’s level for the hype leading up to theFebruary bout.

If you recall the early days of UFC, it was adifferent scene altogether.

The original U.S. UFC televised brandstarted out as a Pay-Per-View freak-show ofsorts in ‘93, pitting completely differentweight classes and disciplines against eachother - often ending in bloody injury. Colorfulpersonalities like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighterRoyce Gracie, Greco Roman wrestler DanSevern, Ken Shamrock, and Pit-Fighter, TankAbbott - who boasted of learning his tech-nique in bar brawls, made their names in thefighting “Octagon” cage. The Octagon isUFC's version of the boxing ring.

After years of pressure from U.S. politi-cians like John McCain, rules were set inplace to help protect fighters, along withproper weight classes. These changeshelped turn the original grassroots begin-nings of UFC into a worldwide sports fran-chise, complete with new legends like, TitoOrtiz (another CSUB wrestling alumnus,) andChuck Liddell, among others.

A fan of the UFC, Cobb remembers his

first MMA match after college wrestling in2004.

“The first time you get hit and the stinghits you, you automatically question “Is thiswhat I really wanna be doing?” And then youpunch them back and you see that in theireyes. It’s either for you, or it isn’t. It was forme and I enjoyed it.”

A media blitz, with a televised weigh-inbefore his UFC debut is something he neverexpected to happen so quickly, but like hisfirst punch, he knew this was where he wassupposed to be.

“I was pretty relaxed about the wholething, and I knew the weigh-in would be a bigproduction,” he said. “I enjoyed it and triedto take it all in. I didn’t want to waste energybeing anxious. By the time I stepped in thecage, I was so relaxed and so confident thethought of me losing never crossed mymind.”

Back at home on the night of the fight,Bakersfield fans cheered at the announce-ment of his name, and the signal that it wastime to go.

As he’d done numerous fights before,Cobb was used to a couple of minutes oflast minute mental prep time during pre-fightannouncements. This time, it didn’t happen.

“The last three years, I was the mainevent on every card I was on - they call you tothe middle, go over the rules, that sort of pro-duction for the fans to let you know this is atitle fight,” he explained. “I was there waitingto go in front of the ref, and the next thingyou know, he’s like, ‘Ready? Fight!’ I wasthrown off guard for a second, and now Igotta get into my game. I didn’t have mycoaches there with me - I had the coachesthat were supposed to be there with Justin”.

Things started out promising for Cobb,who stands at 5' 11,” in the first round as hedirectly engaged the taller (6' 1”) Etim, care-fully striking with a few opening shots. Etim,who rapidly struck Cobb with some visuallystinging low kicks to the leg, made the crowd

gasp each time they connected.“The game plan was to check the leg kick,

block it and then counter strike,” he remem-bered. “I ate about two of them, and I real-ized I wasn’t going to take anymore. At thatpoint the damage was done. I tried to checkhim, but my leg was too slow, my strike was-n’t happening, because of the reach - it wasthe first time I had ever fought someonetaller than me. So, I resorted back to what Ido best, so you see me crouch and get inthat wrestling stance, and I’m waiting foropportunities to take him down.”

And he does in the middle of the firstround. Left leg visually welting from the swiftleg kicks of Etim, Cobb does his best to com-bat anymore damage. The first round endsgiving Cobb a chance to re-think hisapproach.

The second round started much like thefirst, with more kicks, including one to thehead of Cobb that knocked him down. Etimtook advantage of the situation by attempt-ing to land more punches. Cobb effectivelydeflected a few - but just as soon as itlooked like Cobb would be making a come-back, the fight was stopped by the referee,much to the dismay of Cobb and many fans.Etim was proclaimed the winner by TKO.

“I was really relaxed,” he said lookingback at his first time in the UFC. I probablywasted more energy after the fight was over,being really frustrated with not fighting welland losing than I did before being anxious.”

Upon returning home, Cobb was alreadylooking forward to his next three UFC bouts,as part of his four bout deal with the organi-zation. In true warrior form, he still keeps itcool as ever.

“I feel like I’ve gotten better in the last sixmonths since that fight,” he said. “It’s reallybeen a motivating factor. I’m mad that I lost,but sometimes the best thing for you is aloss. It re-focuses the group and the training.I’m happy with the progress that’s beenmade since then.”

The next UFC event (UFC 100,) is sched-uled for July 11, in Las Vegas, Nev. Cobbintends on watching a re-broadcast upon hisreturn from a family camping trip, and looksforward to his return to the Octagon.

“I’m hoping to make it to UFC 104 in LosAngeles this October,” said Cobb confidently.

Thanking his loving wife Denise, family,and fans for continued support, Cobb wantsto remind Bakersfield of his drive to bring aUFC championship back home.

“I take this very seriously, and really wantpeople from Bakersfield to know that they’rerepresented well,” he said.

*Bakotopia will continue to follow thecareer of Brian Cobb and the ever-growingBakersfield MMA scene in future issues, sostay tuned!

For more on Brian Cobb, visit: www.sherdog.com

COURTESY PHOTO

Above: Brian Cobb has come a longway since his days at Bellermine Prep.

b and UK fighterat of battle during

England on Feb. 21.

ome of his workout driving forces are

s, and fans.

Brian Cobb on…Royce Gracie: “Crafty”Dan Severn: “Powerful”Tank Abbott: “Insane”Ken Shamrock: “Old”Chuck Liddell: “Creative”Tito Ortiz: “Tough”Joe Rogan (announcer): “Intelligent”Brian Cobb: “Aggressive”

Cobb Quick Cuts:Hometown: San Jose, CAHigh School: Bellarmine College PrepCollege: CSUBFighting styles: Wrestling / Jiu-JitsuNickname: The BanditTraining Music: '80s rock & countryFavorite Food: Port O' Subs #10Favorite Movies: Vision Quest & Rocky

BAKOTOPIA 10


JULY 9Sick Puppies & moreJerry's Pizza1817 Chester Ave6 p.m. / All Ages / 633-1000

“Cash'd Out”Johnny Cash TributeFishlips1517 18th St.8 p.m. / $10 / 322-5200

Karaoke (Every Thurs. & Sun.)The Belvedere3090 Brundage Ln.9 p.m. / 21+ / 325-2139

Der Peoples Banda (alsoSun.)Sandrini's, 1918 Eye St.9 p.m. / 21+ / Free

“Reggae Nite”w/ Dub Seeds Camino Real 3500 Truxtun Ave.8 p.m. / Free / 852-0493

"My Big Fat OildaleFundraiser"Gaslight Melodrama12748 Jomani Dr.7 p.m. / $50 - $25 / 587-3377

JULY 10Bob Wayne & OutlawCarnies, & The Iron OutlawsNarducci's Café622 E. 21st St.9 p.m. / 21+ / 324-1369

BAKOTOPIA.COM/SEEN

Michele Maule Art OpeningThe Surface Gallery1703 20th St.7 p.m. / 323-4090

ONYX (hip-hop)w/ Dirty Politicians & moreThe Dome2201 V St.6 p.m. / $15 Adv.- $17 Door327-0190

Beat Surrender (DJ Nite!)Sandrini's1918 Eye St.10 p.m. / 21+ / Free

Destroy The Throne, Citi,What We Have Become,Nyceria,& The HauntingThe Gate2010 "O" street 7 p.m. / $7 / All Ages

JULY 11Mento Buru - LIVE!“FunkyReggaeCumbia”McMurphy's Irish Bar14 Monterey St.9 p.m. / $5 / 21+869-1451

XBOX360“UFC Undisputed '09 Tourn.Gamestor East Hills Mall12 p.m. / All Ages / 871-7900*Call for registration info

The Magic of Rod SaylorGaslight Melodrama12748 Jomani Dr.1 p.m. / $6 / 587-3377

The Tallest Of Men, SevenAte Nine,il Sogno & TheGrizzlySix & Out Of Frame The Gate2010 "O" St.7 p.m. / $7 / All Ages

Modern Jazz TrioMama Hillybeans426 E. Tehachapi Blvd.Tehachapi, Ca.7 p.m. / $10 / 822-Bean

“France & Rage bandreunions”Maria Bonita Restaurant10701 Hwy. 1789 p.m. / 21+ / 366-3261

Major League ImprovEmpty Space Theatre706 Oak Street6 p.m. / All Ages / Donationswelcome327-PLAY

“Which One's Pink?”Pink Floyd TributeFishlips1517 18th St.9 p.m. / 21+ / $18www.vallitix.com322-5200

JULY 13Alisa's Karaoke Nation(Every Mon.)Riley's Tavern1523 19th St.9 p.m. / 21+ / 324-3268

JULY 14Mac Attack's Karaoke (Every Tues. & Wed.)The Junction2620 Buck Owens Blvd.8 p.m. / 21+ / 327-9651

TWITTER.COM/BAKOTOPIA

MYSPACE.COM/BAKOTOPIA

AGENDAWHAT’S ON IT

B = Highly recommended

B

B

B

BAKOTOPIA 11


with guestsKemaya(All-Star Salsa)

Tickets available @Marcela’s Home Store

(559) 622-0987

@ Fox Theatre(300 W. Main St., Visalia)

$20 all-ages general admissionJuly 25th / Doors open 7pm / Showtime 8pm

JULY 16Der Peoples Banda (alsoSun.)Sandrini's1918 Eye St.9 p.m. / 21+ / Free

“Reggae Nite”w/ Dub Seeds Camino Real 3500 Truxtun Ave.8 p.m. / Free / 852-0493

JULY 17“Once Upon a Wolf”BCT Playhouse 2400 S. Chester Ave.7 p.m. / $10: adults

$8: students & seniors831-8114

Graphite Slam DunkTrading Company & Modern Jazz trioThe Basement1532 19th St.9 p.m. / $6 / All Ages

A Static Lullaby, AskingAlexandria,Motionless In White,Tides Of Man, VannaJerry's Pizza1817 Chester Ave6 p.m. / All Ages / $15633-1000

Shane Michael CD ReleaseShowThe Gate2010 "O" street 7 p.m. / $7 / All Ages

Really Big Midgetz (Also Sat.)The Belvedere3090 Brundage Ln.9 p.m. / 21+ / 325-2139

Sandrini Concepts EventsExpoKC Museum3801 Chester Ave.5-10 p.m. / $10 adults / $5kids - Info: 322-7074

A Pretty MessSandrini's1918 Eye St.10 p.m. / 21+

JULY 18

Mento Buru &Dj Mikey - LIVE!BRyder’s7401 White Ln.9 p.m / 21+ / 397-7304

Diver Down - LIVE!Chuy's (Rosedale)7 p.m. / Free / All Ages587-5750

Grant Langston & The Super-modelsFishlips 1517 18th St.9 p.m. / $5 / 21+324-2557

“Once Upon a Wolf”BCT Playhouse 2400 S. Chester Ave.7 p.m. / $10: adults $8: students & seniors831-8114

DON’T DRINK & DRIVE!

POST YOUR EVENTS AT -WWW.BAKOTOPIA.COM, BELISTED HERE IN BAKOTOPIAMAGAZINE! FREE!

Silence O' Israel, See TheLight, Beyond Falling Skies,Upon The Fallen, Out OfFrame The Gate2010 "O" street 7 p.m. / $7 / All Ages

Major League ImprovEmpty Space Theatre706 Oak Street6 p.m. / All Ages / Donationswelcome327-PLAY

Disco 2000Sandrini's1918 Eye St.10 p.m. / 21+

JULY 19“Once Upon a Wolf”BCT Playhouse 2400 S. Chester Ave.2 p.m. / $10: adults $8: students & seniors831-8114

SATURDAY, JULY 18Vogue In The Movement - LIVE!Jerry's Pizza1817 Chester Ave6 p.m. / All Ages / $10633-1000*COMING TO BAKOTOPIA MAG JULY 23RD!

SPOTLIGHT

BB

BAKOTOPIA 12


Meet theRRidge Route Romeos

SSEEEENNONTHE SSCCEENNEE

Se

e m

ore

ph

oto

s at

:

Bak

oto

pia

.co

m/s

ee

n

Ernie (lying on step), Julian ( in flight), and Dario Montez (seated), Bakersfield, CA.

PHOTOS BY PAPERTHIN.SILENCE

BAKOTOPIA 13


R. STAN LE Y SECURITY SERVICE , INC .

GUARDS • P ATROL SPECIAL EVE NTS

634-9 2 83

LIC#:PP012134

661.327.9784 2935 F Street • Bakersfield, CA 93301

In as little as 6 months become experienced and licensed using specialized Microdermabrasion, Galvanic & High Frequency equipment. Secure your future doing the latest

professional facials, eye lashes, make-up and skin care. Specializing in the use of Jane Iredale Mineral Make-up

and Pevonia Botanica Spa products. We are nationallyaccredited and offer financial aid to those who qualify.

All work done by supervised students.

By The Ridge Route RomeosBakotopia.com contributors

The Ridge Route Romeos approach to musicis pretty simple: Fill the tank with straight-ahead American rock ‘n’ roll, add a liberal

dose of twang and put the hammer down!Originally formed in 2007, the band is the result

of a chance meeting in a Bakersfield record storeyears earlier.

One day in 2003 or 2004, Steve Austin andBrian Paxton were hanging out in Bakersfield’slocal music institution, World Records, talking withthe owner, Pat. Inevitably, the topic of conversationwas music, and a mutual affinity for such roots -rock bands such as the Blasters, Beat Farmers,Old 97s, and Los Lobos - was revealed.

At the time, Steve was living in the Santa Claritaarea, playing banjo and acoustic guitar with an old-timey string band, the Hooverville Rounders (withwhom he still performs). Brian was playing guitar

with Bakersfield roots-rock favorites, the Dusk Dev-ils (with whom he parted ways in 2007).

After relocating to Tehachapi a few years later,Steve placed an ad on Bakotopia.com looking forlocal musicians to play with. As fate would have it,one of the few people to respond was Brian Paxton.

Recalling the meeting at World Records a fewyears earlier, the two decided to get together andjam.

With both musicians playing lead and slide gui-tar, blues harp and sharing lead vocals, it wasquickly apparent that these guys were on to some-thing … now all they needed was a rhythm section.

Enter bassist John Guy of Tehachapi (by way ofMojave) and drummer Steve-O of Bakersfield(recently transplanted from Utah), both newcomersto the local music scene with impressive musicalresumes to their credit.

As an added bonus, Steve-O has been singingharmony since his childhood, in church and withassorted bands around the country.

John’s background in rock and heavy metal,combined with Steve-O’s rock-solid meter, made fora rhythm section with all the subtlety of a Mojavemeth lab explosion. After the first rehearsal, it wasobvious to everyone involved that the pieces werein place and this band was ready to rock!

The band decided on the name, “The RidgeRoute Romeos,” as a reference to the old RidgeRoute, the highway connecting Bakersfield and LosAngeles.

“Romeos” is a tongue-in-cheek reference to theband’s composition of middle-aged guys who,according to Austin, “aren’t exactly the physicalspecimens we were in our younger days. It’s ourway of saying we don’t take ourselves too serious-ly.”

One thing they do take seriously, however, is themusic, and that’s something you gotta hear! Bakotopia.com/users/TheRidgerouteRomeos

Meet theRRiiddggee RRoouuttee RRoommeeooss

BAKOTOPIA 14


DO IT LEGALLY UNDER CALIFORNIA STATE LAW,

PROP 215 (HS 11362.5)

West Coast Evaluations

2421 Haley St., Suite #420 Bakersfield, CA 93305

NOW NOW OPEN! OPEN!

Confidential Evaluations by CA-Licensed Doctors

(888) MED-KUSH (888-633-5874)

Every Wednesday from 2 to 6 pm

$10 OFF with this ad

By AtomicTeaspoon, Bakotopia.com contributor

Personal perspective has given me the oppor-tunity to really question what people meanwhen they say "I'm a kid at heart."

During my early college days, living with my par-ents, I was relatively carefree. The biggest prob-lems at that point were finals and essays. After col-lege, I landed a job that was far from ideal, butpractical. I was out on my own, then married. Then Iwas divorced. The brevity of the preceding state-ments may imply their unfavorable nature.

You may ask yourselves “How relevant is it that Iknow your life story?" For one thing, it’s relativelybrief. For another thing, it still spans the entire peri-

od of my adult life. As life inevitably happened, Ihad a little less conviction each time I heard thenotion that someone was a kid at heart. I agreedwith the statement before and I still do, at somelevel. When your friends suggest you go see amovie and you think to yourself, “It’s late, moviescost $10, I’m tired, or any other petty excuse, thenbeing a kid at heart isn’t very genuine.”

I currently have a job that is full time, good bene-fits, all the overtime I want, but the job itself is intel-lectually vacuous, as most customer service tendsto be. Recently, I’ve been offered an opportunity towork at a local recreational facility as an activitycoordinator. Working with kids just happens to bemy preferred field. Over the last few years, I’ve

been a responsible person, nearly at the risk ofsmothering my inner child. This job opportunityfeels to me like some turn at a crossroads, writtenin rather large crayon with some letters backwards.My current job resembles a cleanly written, butsterile sign pointing to some greyer horizon.

You don’t lose your inner child as you get older.You simply ignore it until it gets as old as you are.Responsibility is still paramount to adulthood. Butthere has to be something that makes you smile insome childish way under the bills, laundry, carrepairs, and shopping. My life may be harder, butI’m going to take the more fun fork in the road. I’llbe damned if I let my inner child grow a beard.

An ongoing reminder to stay positiveduring these harsh economic times.

BBeeiinngg aa KKiiddaatt HHeeaarrtt ......

FILE PHOTO

BAKOTOPIA 15

Carrie UnderwoodWednesday, July 22, 2009

Journey & HeartThursday, July 23, 2009

Kelly ClarksonFriday, July 24, 2009

Styx & REO SpeedwagonSaturday, July 25, 2009

Tim McGrawSunday, July 26, 2009

KISSTuesday, July 28, 2009

Judas Priest and Whitesnake

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Black Eyed PeasThursday, July 30, 2009

Dave Koz & Brian Culbertson

w/special guest Peabo Bryson

Friday, July 31, 2009

Country Rodeo Finals with Little Texas

Saturday, August 1, 2009

ProfessionalBull Riders

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Bakotopia Magazine - July 9, 2009

Documents

Transcript of Bakotopia Magazine - July 9, 2009