Jeff Kinney

Feature Story
Jesse “The Body” Ventura became
a World Wrestling Federation
superstar. He still looks back fondly
on the early days when he drove to
each match in his 1975 Mercury
Cougar, including one grueling
stretch of 63 consecutive nights in
the ring. “It was a real grassroots
effort back then,” he says.
After leaving the WWF in 1990,
Ventura ran for mayor of Brooklyn
Park, Minnesota as a Reform
Party candidate. His success
set the stage for his election as
the Reform Party candidate for
Minnesota Governor in 1998. “I’m
dangerous because I’ve beaten
the Democrats and Republicans,
not once but twice,” Ventura says.
“When I was governor, I was the
most powerful man in America.
I had a Democratic Senate and a
Republican House. My last year
in office, they teamed up against
me. I forced the Democrats and
Republicans to get together. Who
else could do that?”
In 2004, Ventura taught a popular
class at Harvard University that
touched on the parallels between
pro-wrestlers and politicians. “The
role you play as a pro-wrestler may
be nothing like who you really are,”
he says. “Most of our politicians
are the same way. I was Jesse “The
Body” Ventura in the ring and he’s
part of me, but he doesn’t define
who I am. I was performing. Many
politicians are performing.”
Similarly, Ventura says the
mainstream news has lost the
public’s trust and deteriorated
into entertainment. “It’s not about
informing people anymore,” he
says. “It’s all about ratings, and
they’ll package it any way they
can to get them.” In response,
Ventura hosts “Off the Grid,” an
online political talk show he films
in Mexico. He says he loves the
“The role you play as a pro-wrestler may be nothing
like who you really are. Most of our politicians are the
same way. I was Jesse “The Body” Ventura in the ring
and he’s part of me, but he doesn’t define who I am.
I was performing. Many politicians are performing.”
freedom he has with the program,
free of FCC regulations and
government intervention. “I’m in
total control of the show,” he says.
Ventura delves deeper into
some of the topics he tackles
on his talk show in American
Conspiracies, an updated version
of his 2010 book. “The great thing
about the government is that it’s
always giving me material for new
chapters,” says Ventura. “You can
count on the fact that it’s going to
do something bad and try to cover
it up.” The latest edition includes
new revelations about 9/11, the
Gulf oil spill, and Monsanto. “It’s
great reading,” says Ventura. “It’s
as mysterious as any Tom Clancy
novel. The difference is that I’m
writing about real people. This
book should be in the horror
section. It’s non-fiction horror.”
What’s behind Ventura’s dogged
determination to disseminate
this information to the public?
First and foremost, he says, is an
unquenchable desire for the truth.
“I despise being lied to and I feel
like I have a government that lies
to me constantly,” Ventura says.
Secondly, Ventura wants people
to pay more attention to their
government. “The government
takes half of the fruits of your
labor,” he says. “Shouldn’t you
pay attention to the people
who take half of your pay from
you?” Finally, Ventura feels a
responsibility to keep tabs on the
government because no one else is
doing it, at least not as loudly and
unflinchingly as he is.
Ventura recalls an encounter he
had as Governor of Minnesota
during the 2000 presidential
election between then-Governor
George W. Bush and then-Vice
President Al Gore. Ventura was
visiting New York City and his car
passed a construction site. “One
of the construction guys stopped
working, pointed at me, and in
this big, baritone voice says, ‘The
wrong governor is running for
president.’” That moment left an
indelible impact on Ventura. “That
showed me that for all the trouble
I get into, it’s all worth it. When
everyday people beg me to keep
doing what I’m doing, that just
tells me that I’m right and what I’m
doing is honorable. I’m just going
to keep doing this. I have to. If not
me, then who?” •
StoryMonstersInk.com | NOVEMBER 2015 | Story Monsters Ink 9