I've read comics all my life. I can't afford to buy them anymore, so I just read them online through a monthly subscription app. Stream them, I guess. Then again, when I started buying comics they were 10p each. Nowadays they're over three quid a pop - I don't know how modern collectors do it.
Two things got me into reading comics. One was the 70s Spider-Man cartoon, the one with the immortal theme tune. But as much as Spidey became my number one hero, he wasn't the star of the first comic I owned. That was Hulk Comic, which my mum bought me because I loved the old TV show starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno.
Ferrigno was a body builder who initially became famous when he featured in the 1975 documentary Pumping Iron alongside a young Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Scharzenegger was considered for the role of the Hulk, but lost out in the end because he was three inches shorter than Ferrigno.)
Having lost almost 80% of his hearing as a child, young Lou retreated into a fantasy world of super-hero comics and body-building to avoid the bullies. Excellent preparation for his time as the Incredible Hulk... and for being Michael Jackson's personal trainer for over 20 years.
You can pretty much guarantee that anyone who's known for being a tough guy will be name-checked in about 300 rap songs, and that's certainly true for Lou. You'll easily find him associating with everyone from Ice Cube to Eminem to Busta Rhymes, plus a bunch of other guys even hardcore rap fans probably never heard of.
Lou Ferrigno's name features in more song titles than anyone else I've so far investigated for this feature... although none of them are by anyone you've ever heard of. Don't believe me? Try these (or don't, I won't be offended)...
But wait! They're not all obscure rap songs!
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. There's plenty more out there if you like scraping barrels.
By this point in my search I was starting to get desperate. What were the chances of finding any Lou Ferrigno songs in my own record collection? Well, as it turned out... zilch. The closest I got was an unreleased Weezer b-side featuring Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello on guitar...
Who needs another Lou Ferrigno?
Splitting his shirt when things slip out of his control
Wise men do say that honey gets more bees than vinegar
I'm not sure, so I guess I'll try and let a tantrum out
And an obscurity from They Might Be Giants, a band I have a lot of time for, although this isn't one of their finest moments...
With no place in the processional
And no seats in the convention hall
I sold my mind to the Kremlin
On the 4th of July.
I was wearing a Yoda mask
You were talking like Lou Ferrigno
A hat made of paper
A vest made of ugly
An intercom with just one button
Despite these many lyrical references, I feel a genuine tribute to Lou Ferrigno has yet to be written. Maybe Ed Sheeran can give it a go...
In the meantime, here's a huge comic book fan with his own tribute to The Incredible Hulk... although Lou sadly doesn't get a mention.
What about the Incredible Hulk's other half? Well, it turns out I had slightly more luck with Bill Bixby... as you'll see next time.
Now you mention it, Ed Sheerigno does have a ring to it.
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