When It Was Cool Dark

Our series of 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history continues with the disastrous Station Nightclub fire in 2003 that killed 100 people during a Great White concert. Great White was nationally known band which had a few hits during the hair metal era. In 2003, while playing a concert at the Station Nightclub in West Warwick, RI, pyrotechnics set off during the show caused the club to catch fire and burn down causing a massive loss of life. 

We continue our series discussing 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history by looking at the death of pro wrestling star Eddy Guerrero. Guerrero's death differs from others we have looked at so far. Eddy (yes, that is the correct spelling out of his own mouth) was not murdered, nor did he die in a tragic accident. Eddy died at a young age due to the abuse his body took from the wrestler lifestyle. Eddy was an A+ performer and the pro wrestling business was worse off without him.

In 2015 Paris, France was hit by a coordinated terrorist attack involving multiple gunmen and bombs. The heart of the killings came at a concert at the Bataclan theater where concert goers were taken hostage and 90 people killed inside at an Eagles of Death Metal concert. The band themselves barely escaped. Since then, the band's frontman has ignited controversy with some statements he has made and many seem to continue to struggle with what happened that night as three gunmen with bombs opened fire on a concert.

We continue our 100 darkest moments in pop culture history with a look back at another concert disaster. This one happened before a concert by The Who in Cincinnati, OH in 1979 where 11 fans were crushed to death when the doors to the arena failed to open in time. Like several of the tragedies we've looked at so far, this one is compounded by the young age of the victims.

100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history continues and this week we look at the shooting death of 25 year old rapper Tupac Shakur. To say that 2Pac was controversial would be a huge understatement. He was controversial, talented, and had a giant impact on popular culture. He was also legit to the violent music he made. This was not the first time he was shot and he was caught in a violent battled between two music companies that didn't shy away from gunplay. Who killed 2Pac? You'll find out who and why.

We continue our look at 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history. One of the biggest was certainly the death of the King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley. Now let's be honest, you probably know everything you want to know about the death of Elvis... or do you? On this episode, host Karl Stern talks about the twists and turns of his death including a speeding car slamming into mourners at the funeral (killing one person), and the attempt to steal the body of Elvis days later.

The next installment in our 100 darkest moments in pop culture history goes back to March 1993 when Brandon Lee, actor and son of legendary pop culture icon Bruce Lee, is killed on the set of the dark gothic comic book inspired movie The Crow. Gunned down in a completely avoidable accident, Brandon Lee was about to break through even bigger than where he was... eerily mimicking the death of his father. We discuss the accident and the aftermath of the untimely and unnecessary death of Brandon Lee.

Pantera was a band with a lot of issues. So many, in fact, that it wasn't even a band any longer. An incendiary interview in a magazine and a massive failure on the part of mental health services lead to one of the 100 darkest moments in pop culture history when a disturbed fan entered an Ohio nightclub and shot and killed guitarist Dimebag Darrell and several others before a hero made the save. Unfortunately, that hero has a story too.

What is the Ultimate History of Pro Wrestling at When It Was Cool? The history of professional wrestling from it's earliest inception to the year 2000 is being indexed at WhenItWasCool.com. Learn about people like Col. James H. McLaughlin, William Muldoon, Farmer Burns, Frank Gotch, Tom Jenkins, George Hackenschmidt, Strangler Lewis (both of them), Lou Thesz, Gorgeous George, Buddy Rogers, Bruno Sammartino, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Rock, and more.

As we approach the 14th anniversary of the killing of Nancy and Daniel Benoit by Chris Benoit who then killed himself, we take a look back at this tragedy as one of the 100 darkest moments in pop culture history. This episode, host Karl Stern presents an interview he did with Chris & Nancy: The True Story of the Benoit Murder-Suicide and Pro Wrestling's Cocktail of Death author Irv Muchnick following the killings.