Action Man

"I read an article about Man-O-War that really sparked my imagination. The whole horse racing world was saying that this horse was the guy, from the beginning of the sport until then. Kind of the same thing as Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan. This was the one. To me that was very intriguing, especially since there are so many horses and it’s an animal."

-John Bell (73 Minutes with John Bell http://bit.ly/1zXcb3B)

"We’ve done [what we did with Action Man] before where we played instrumentals live for a few months before putting any words to them. Then, when we get into the studio, J.B. brings in some lyrics and we try and match them up with what we have already. It’s a pretty natural process for us. I think we came up with “Rebirtha” that way, so it’s not something new. It’s just another way we write songs. “Fishwater” came along like that too. Little Lilly started out as just a riff played onstage one night. All of the songs have different beginnings."

-Michael Houser (Michael Houser: Remembrances and An Archival Band Interview http://bit.ly/1zXcdIw)

Editor
Notes: The appropriately named Upset, ridden by Willie Knapp, defeated Man o' War to win the Sanford Memorial in Saratoga, N.Y. It was the only defeat in 21 races for Man o' War, who quickly became a legend and was known as the greatest race horse of his time. He was retired to stud in 1920 and foaled 64 stakes winners, including the 1937 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral. Bred at Belmont Stock Farm near Lexington, KY by dam Muhubah and sire Fair Play.

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