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Wednesday, August 4, 2004
Another strong blond Hogan steps into the entertainment ring
Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||||||
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Also on this page: BROOKE HOGAN/KIMBERLEY LOCKE | |||||||||
Brooke Hogan was 12 years old, she was angry, and she was going to do something about it. The youngster had been begging her parents to help her get into the music business for years. Fed up, she finally stormed up to her mother one day, slammed a phone book down on the table, and said, "Let's call some agents." In most households, this would get little Brooke a grounding. But over-the-top dramatics and brute force paid the bills in the Hogan household. Brooke's dad is Hulk Hogan, the blond-and-bronze bruiser whose biceps and colorful quips helped propel pro wrestling into mainstream American living rooms nearly 20 years ago. So after beating that phone book into submission, Brooke Hogan got her way. Now, at 16, she is in the middle of her first concert tour. On Saturday she'll be the opening act for "American Idol" runner-up Kimberley Locke at the Funtown Splashtown U.S.A. amusement park in Saco. Hogan won't be alone in her corner. She'll have a tag team partner when she enters the ring - uh, steps on stage. The Hulk, one of the very few Americans to ever have a mania named for him, will bring his 300-pound frame along for support. "He comes with me basically to say, 'She really is my daughter,' " Brooke said during a phone interview Monday. "He comes out and gets the crowd riled up. It's really a family thing." As is Brooke's love of music and her budding career. Growing up in Tampa, Fla., she loved all of the '70s and '80s music played by her mom, Linda. Everything from disco to Stevie Wonder to Earth, Wind & Fire. As a small child, she watched "Hulkamania" spread across the land. She saw her father entertain millions of people on national TV, and get standing ovations from arena crowds. She saw how people cheered his good guy All-American persona. She saw the adrenaline rush he got from hearing the cheers, and she wanted that for herself. She also saw him get beaten up a few times. "I got freaked out when I saw my dad getting beat up, but I also saw how much fans loved him," she said. "Everywhere we go, everybody knows who he is." Hogan admits it was not always easy to be the daughter of a worldwide celebrity known for striking cartoonish poses, shouting into camera lenses and saying things like, "You coward, step outta the shadows and I'll chop ya down with the edge of my hand, brother." Other parents are teachers, or salesmen or carpenters. "I didn't really fit in in school," she says. Hogan's career got under way not because of her father's muscle, but because of his networking skills. Hulk (his real name is Terry) was friendly with music manager Lou Pearlman, so one day he brought Brooke to sing for him. She didn't exactly knock Pearlman out. "He turned me down twice. So the second time I said, 'What do I have to do? Please tell me,' " said Hogan. "He told me to work with a choreographer and vocal coaches, then come back." She did come back, and this time Pearlman was impressed enough to form a record label with the Hogan family - called Transcontinental/ I-4 records. Hogan's first album is due out this fall. Her music is piano-driven pop and R&B, danceable, up-tempo stuff. She wrote three of the songs on the album and plays piano at her shows. Wherever she goes, people ask her about the Hulk, who is now 50 and pretty much retired from TV wrestling in America. He's done some wrestling in Japan, underwent hip surgery recently, and is spending a lot of time traveling with his daughter. On Saturday, he'll emcee the Funtown show, organized by Portland radio station WJBQ (97.9 FM). "My dad is a great travel buddy. He's great with fans and he knows shortcuts to every place," said Hogan. "But (the Hogan name) is a double-edged sword. People say I got this huge push, now let's see what you can do. So that's pressure. "He (Hulk) can open doors for me but I have to walk through them," Brooke said.
Staff Writer Ray Routhier can be contacted at 791-6454 or at:
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