Danny Davis tried to talk Jason Lindsey out of signing up for wrestling school. “I know this makes me sound like a bad business man,” he told the New Albany native. “But so many people don’t make it. I hate taking people’s money knowing they won’t make it. By their decision, not mine.”
Jason loved pro wrestling, but the price of admission was out of his range at that time. Danny encouraged him to come and check out some of the live shows, and one night, Jason saw a familiar face. He didn’t walk the halls of New Albany High School at the same time, but he knew Rob Conway, class of 1990, from his legacy as a standout basketball player.
Shortly after Rob’s debut, Danny told Jason he was starting a beginner’s class. This time the price was right, and Jason signed up for a one year commitment.
“Doug Basham actually signed my contract,” says Jason.
OVW started two beginner classes in the fall of 1997. The class sizes dwindled quickly, and only four made it through the full year. OVW went on the air that year, broadcasting their television show for the first time, and by May of 1998, Jason was on television wrestling as “Cry Baby” Chris Alexander.
“I started out as a babyface jobber with no personality,” he admits. “In 1999 I turned into a heel jobber, thanks partly to Danny’s new partner, Jim Cornette.”
In a matter of two years, OVW completely transformed, thanks to Jim Cornette and the WWE. OVW struck a deal to become a developmental territory, and Jason found himself surrounded by WWE personnel as well as future legends like John Cena, Batista, Brock Lesnar, and Randy Orton.
Not that anyone had any idea how big those stars would become. They were all getting their feet wet at the same time. But “Crybaby” Chris Alexander stepped in the ring with all of them more than once, and he made an impact.
Jim Cornette shared a story that can be found in Bluegrass Brawlers about how the Crybaby impacted the superstars of tomorrow. “We were working St. Therese’s Gym, and Chris was about to make his entrance. He came in to ‘Dude Looks Like a Lady,’ and he did the whole flamboyant thing with the long hair prancing to the aisle. I made all the WWE guys go up to the balcony, where we could watch, and I told them,’That’s how you make an entrance!’”
Jason saw a lot of legends born from the ring and ringside, where he often doubled as a cameraman. He was never bitter about not getting a shot with WWE, but he had his moments where he saw himself missing some fun.
“We did a show at Louisville Gardens. I was in the opener, and then I changed clothes and ran camera for the rest of the show. So I was on camera at the very end when the whole heel locker room came running to the ring to attack Damaja, Mick Foley, and Kane. Everyone was getting either Damaja’s finisher, Mr. Socko, or Kane’s choke slam, and I had to watch it happen. I really wanted to be in there. Maybe not for Mr. Socko, but yeah.”
Years after leaving pro wrestling behind, Jason found himself performing in a new venue. Clarksville Little Theater is less than two miles away from the Quadrangle, where Jason first learned to wrestle at OVW. In the fall of 2022 he went to an audition, not because he wanted to be on stage himself, but because he wanted his daughter Madi to feel more comfortable auditioning for her first community theater production.
The day after first night of auditions, several of Madi’s friends received call backs via email while Madi didn’t. Jason went to the theater on night two, not to audition but to inquire about Madi. “I got there early, and the director, Kathy, pulled me on and had me fill out an audition form. I turned it in, but before I sang, I asked her about Madi. She checked her papers and told me Madi was supposed to be there that night. She showed me the list, and it turns out, they had written Katie’s email address wrong. I called Katie, and she brought Madi to the theater.”
Jason sang for the director and was told he needed to stick around as well. Long story short, he scored his first role at CLT, playing Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol.
Jason’s foray into musical theater wasn’t completely out of nowhere. He didn’t do theater in high school, but he was always into music. He played trumpet at New Albany High School, and he played guitar and sang in several bands. “I did some backstage stuff in college, but I had never performed in musical theater in my life.”
Jason’s role in A Christmas Carol led to more opportunities. He was cast in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the summer of 2023, and in the fall, he played grown up Ralphie in the stage version of A Christmas Story.
A Christmas Story was just wrapping up when an influential production Jason saw as a kid came to mind. “There was a one man show called Steven Banks’ Home Entertainment Center that I saw on Showtime. I didn’t realize at the time it was a play, but I loved that show. I taped it. I watched it so many times, by myself and with my friends.”
Steven Banks’ Home Entertainment Center proved to be influential in Jason’s life. Banks played multiple instruments in the show, which inspired Jason to take up multiple instruments as well. Having become accustomed to the theatrical stage himself, Jason decided to do some investigation as to whether or not the show could be licensed.
A few Google searches revealed new information about Steven Banks. He became a successful screenwriter for a number of Nickelodeon cartoons including Jimmy Neutron, The Fairly Odd Parents, and SpongeBob Squarepants. But Banks had no website of his own, and the show could not be found on any of the theatrical publishing websites. Jason found a listing for Steven Banks on LinkedIn, but he was unable to message his hero. Not without upgrading to a paid account on the website.
Jason finally made contact via an unconventional route. After discovering that Banks was a long time friend of comedian-magician Penn Jillette, he went to Penn and Teller’s website and sent a message through their contact page. A few weeks later, he received an email from Steven Banks himself. Penn Jillette’s manager had relayed the message to Steven Banks.
Banks told Jason he had never licensed the show for production to anyone else, but he was willing to do so after hearing of Jason’s love for the show. He sent Jason the original script as well as an updated revision Banks created a few years back. Thanks to a few generous sponsors, Jason is now in rehearsals for an October 18-19 run at Clarksville Little Theater, where he will introduce audiences to the show that inspired his life-long obsession with music.
Steven Banks’ Home Entertainment Center is an extra, not included in CLT’s 2024-2025 season. All proceeds for the show will go to benefit the 75 year old theater, which is soon to undergo some much needed upgrades.
Click here to visit CLT’s website.
Click here to purchase tickets to Steven Banks’ Home Entertainment Center.