The Showdown:Tompkins, Robin Black

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Joining me in studio for tonight's broadcast of 'The Showdown' will be Canadian rocker turned MMA hopeful Robin Black.

Black and I will talk about his migration from being a rock star to his dream of landing an MMA contract. What was the reasoning behind his decision to put his music on hold and turning to MMA? How did the whole documentary piece unfold and much, much more.

Black will also field your calls after our first segment. (Note: Black's documentary entitled 'Robin Black: Cage Fighter' will be airing on MuchMusic December 28th at 8pm.)

Speaking of our first segment, Canadian MMA Coach Shawn Tompkins will be our special guest interview during this timeslot.

Tompkins will talk about Mark Hominick, Vanderlai Silva, Chris Horodecki, Sam Stout, Kendal Grove, John Alessio and more.

Join us tonight, at 10pm, on Toronto's Sports Radio The Fan 590. Remember, you can also tune in online by visiting www.fan590.com.

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More on Robin Black....

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ROBIN BLACK: CAGE FIGHTER

 – New MuchOriginal Special Airs December 28th at 8pm ET (30min.) –

Toronto, ON (December 10, 2007)  Ready to watch Canada's most outrageous glam rocker go from guyliner to deadly gogo-plata submission holds?  MuchMusic reveals all December 28 at 8pm ET in its gritty new reality special Robin Black: Cage Fighter.

It's no joke. Black's hellbent on landing a pro mixed martial arts contract and he stops at nothing to make it happen.  Much cameras capture the action as he ditches his beer-swillin' ways in favour of an unbelievably grueling training regime.  Over 18 months Black packs on 20 pounds of muscle, learns a full spectrum of fighting styles from Brazilian jiu-jitsu to traditional boxing and endures a world of hurt that rivals Wile E. Coyote's injury-prone pursuit of Road Runner.

The holiday special features Black competing in open trials, rushing frantically to the hospital and training with an elite cadre of cage fighters – Georges St. Pierre, Mark Hominick and Sam Stout – who coach him through the pain.  Canadian Idol's Jake Gold is Black's manager and he makes a special appearance to reel Black back from this apparent wayward life path.

Black comes clean about his crash course with self punishment: "I love the idea of testing human potential. There's just no better way of doing that than getting in a cage with someone who wants to punch the eyeliner off you!"

Once again muchmusic.com is the choice online destination for exclusive content. Extended fight scenes, bone-crushing bonus footage, exciting photos and viewer blogs pump up fans beginning Dec. 27.

-MUCH-

ROBIN BLACK: CAGE FIGHTER
December 28 @ 8pm ET (30min.)

Ready to kick butt in this new MuchOriginal holiday special is the flamboyant, in-your-face glam rocker Robin Black - an indelible mainstay in the Canadian music scene.  A Manitoba native, he moved to Toronto in 1998 with nothing but bravado and determination, and soon formed The Intergalactic Rock Stars, with himself as outrageous front man.  Their spectacular live shows - which feature pyrotechnics, loud guitars, ferocious attitude and smutty language - helped them build a dedicated local fan base.  They recorded 2002's full-length debut, Planet: Fame, with top producers GGGarth Richardson (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against The Machine) and Moe Berg (The Pursuit Of Happiness).

Having shortened the band name to Robin Black and securing a new five-member line-up, the group created their 2004 album Instant Classic with world-renowned producer Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, KISS) and Richardson.  Black and his band have toured Canada and Europe dozens of times, they have sold 20,000 albums independently and their video for the single So Sick of You even garnered a 2003 MMVAs nomination.  In 2006 he was even a judge on the reality hit MuchMusic VJ Search: The Series.  A larger-than-life personality, Black is at times charismatic and charming, at others arrogant and offensive, but he is always memorable. 

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Good stuff!


Don't take it easy on him Joe! 

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TTT

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Question is which Robin will show up.  The cool personable one, or the prick entertainer.  Dunno if he's supposed to stay in character for this or not.  You've come a long way Robin, your hard work is paying off.  Congrats sir.



cheers

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WTF?

Robin Black?

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LOL

The One, The Only

Tune in to see which one shows up

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ttt

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Robin did an interview with Mauro today for the Fightnetwork Sirius Radio

http://hardcoresportsradio.com

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I used to take guitar lessons as a kid with his former guitarist Stacey Straye (Kevin Manship)

We used to play hockey together too and he was a helluva good goalie.

Stangely enough I now live in Cobourg were many years ago Robin was attacked at the via station by a couple of redneck dickwads, Robin ended up breaking the guys arm... lol

:)

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Good show.  Very well spoken guy.

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haven't caught the interview but i've never been able to stomach the guy's music or persona. I'm curious as to if he's legit on the mat or if it's smoke and mirrors for the show. Someone on here must have trained with him?

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Robins Determination, Enthusiasm, and effort in this sport are 2nd to none.  He works very hard, and he's done well so far in the grappling tourney's he's been in.  He's only been on the mats less than 2 years, and continuing to improve.

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Orbit - Robin the person is nothing like Robin Black the entertainer.  It's a gimmick that is part of his job, plain & simple.

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I can attest he knows his stuff and is not only a huge fan, but a student of both the techniques and the sport as well.

Our conversations off air consisted of MMA techniques for the small fighter vs the big fighter, the will to fight, the importance of training and diet, the business behind the scenes and so much more.

We brought some of it on the show, but off air, that's when I realized how serious Robin is, and how much he realizes that he is on a long journey to reach his goal; he understands it won't happen overnight.

Here's a link to the show:

http://www.showdown.ca/media/TheShowdown20Dec07.mp3

 

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well that's good to hear. Best of luck to him if he's taking it seriously and not being a douche about it.

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lol @ douche