MEDIA
Theater Videos Film & TV Articles
It's been over three years since the song "Roller Derby Saved My Soul" first hit the Internet, but, like a good derby girl, it shows no sign of getting tired. What follows is our ongoing attempt to document the strange course of the song —and now, the clothes that come with it—as they find their way through the weird, wild world of roller derby and beyond. |
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"Ms Hell", Tornado Alley Rollergirls |
Got a "Roller Derby Saved My Soul" sighting? Let us know!
"Roller Derby Saved My Soul"—The Stage Play?
And now, from the "we couldn't make this up if we tried" department... Playwright and actor Nancy Kenny starred in her own one-woman show, titled (you guessed it) "Roller Derby Saved My Soul". The live theatrical performance, which apparently involves roller derby and vampires, made its world premiere at the Ottawa Fringe Festival on June 17, 2011. And we're relieved to report that it won several awards there, and got great reviews.
Check out Nancy (and her kickass tank top) on "Ottawa Tonite":
Rumor has it that Nancy plans to continue with the show, and may even bring it here to New York City. Until then, you can read much more about Nancy, her show, and her very visceral reaction to our "Baby Got Back" video in this nice little interview.
To read a sampling of Nancy's good reviews, click here.
VIDEOS
Acoustic Cover - Somewhere in the United Kingdom
"A Vixens Practice" - Red Bank Roller Vixens - Red Bank, New Jersey
Middlesbrough Milk Rollers - Middlesbrough, England
A great tribute video by "Drewkelele" of Sarasota, FL
Season 1 Highlights - Stateline Roller Derby Divas - Rockford, IL
"Roller Derby Explained" - Gem City Rollergirls - Dayton, OH
"QCRG's Saved My Soul" - Queen City Rollergirls - Buffalo, NY
League Photo Montage - Santa Cruz Rollergirls - Santa Cruz, CA
And the video that started it all...
"Best of 2006" - Gotham Girls Roller Derby - New York, NY
FILM AND TELEVISION
Getting A Bout: A Roller Derby Documentary - Nottingham, England
A documentary follows Nottingham's Hellfire Harlots as they prepare for the town's first-ever roller derby bout. Directed and Edited by Bobby McCarthy of the Confetti Institute of Creative Technology. Featuring our songs "Rollin' with a Rollergirl" and "Roller Derby Saved My Soul".
Here's Part One:
This is Roller Derby - Victoria, Australia
This new feature film by award-winning documentarian Daniel Hayward follows the progress of Australia's newly formed Ballarat Roller Derby League over the first twelve months of their existence, juxtaposed with other Australian leagues and the legendary Texas Rollergirls and TXRD Lonestar Rollegirls. And oh yeah, it's got "Roller Derby Saved My Soul" in it too.
Midlands Today, BBC News - Birmingham, England - March 7, 2007
Nightly BBC News show "Midlands Today" did a feature story on their local roller derby sensation, the Birmingham Blitz Derby Dames, and used "Roller Derby Saved My Soul" as its soundtrack. Sadly, the video has since been removed from their site.
Roller Derby Dolls - Queensland, Australia
This documentary, produced by Film Australia, features "Roller Derby Saved My Soul" on its soundtrack. The film made its television debut on ABC1 Australia on Sept. 9, 2008. (The song's not on this clip, but you should watch it anyway. And then buy the DVD.)
PRINT AND ONLINE ARTICLES
Click on the title to read the story.
"Sneaking a Peek—Roller Derby Saved My Soul"
Interview with playwright Nancy Kenny. (See above.)
Adorkable Thespian Blog, June 3, 2011
"Yup, I stole borrowed homaged my play title from Uncle Leon and the Alibis.”
"Uncle Leon and the Alibis Play First Ever Show in Bloomington, IN"
Bloomington Roller Derby Examiner, Bloomington, Indiana - June 14, 2010
"To be honest, it was just a little joke – like a southern preacher type thing. But then the roller girls started grabbing onto it and began to take it seriously.”
"Inter Derby Interviews the Famous Uncle Leon"
Inter Derby, London, England - September 18, 2008
"There’s a woman named Ms. Hell, of the Tornado Alley Rollergirls in Oklahoma City. She’s got 'Roller Derby Saved My Soul' tattooed in huge letters across her back."
"Roller Derby Saved My Soul"- The Uncle Leon Interview
Derby Luv, Montreal, Canada - June 1, 2007
"Thanks to the rollergirls, the party's already organized and hopping—all we have to do is show up and play."
"Roller Derby Not for the Faint of Heart"
Lower Hudson Online - Waterbury, CT - December 17, 2006
"It wasn't playing anymore, but you could almost hear the chorus echo: 'Roller derby saved my soul.'"
"A Roller Derby Gift Guide"
Cincinnati Enquirer online - Cincinnati, OH - December 6, 2006
"So there's this dude named Uncle Leon who penned a little ditty called 'Roller Derby Saved My Soul' that now seems to be playing on three out of four roller derby-related MySpace pages."
Got a "Roller Derby Saved My Soul" sighting? Let us know!