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Legends of the Cue
Legends of the Cue
Author: Allison Fisher, Mark Wilson & Mike Gonzalez
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© 2025 Legends of the Cue
Description
"Legends of the Cue" is a pool history podcast featuring interviews with Pool Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around pocket billiards. We also plan to highlight memorable pool brands, events and venues. Focusing on the positive aspects of the sport, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher, Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, our podcast focuses on telling the life stories of pool's greatest, in their voices. Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”
39 Episodes
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In this fourth installment of our six-part deep dive into the extraordinary life of pool legend Billy Incardona, we step inside the smoky rooms, backroom barns, and broadcast booths that shaped one of the game’s sharpest minds and most colorful storytellers. Joined by hosts Mike Gonzalez, Mark Wilson, and Allison Fisher, Billy brings to life the unforgettable characters and moments that defined his years as both player and commentator. He recalls the brilliance and blunt honesty of fellow leg...
In this third installment of our six-part conversation with pool legend and all-time hustler Billy Incardona, we dive deep into the wild, unfiltered golden age of American pool — a time when the cues cracked, the cash flowed, and the characters were larger than life. Billy takes us straight into the heart of Johnson City, Illinois, home of the famed Jansco Brothers’ “Hustlers Jamboree.” With his trademark mix of humor and candor, he recalls the smoky taverns, all-night action, and the unforge...
In this captivating second installment of Legends of the Cue: The Billy Incardona Story, co-hosts Mike Gonzalez, Allison Fisher and Mark Wilson continue their deep dive into the colorful, gritty, and often hilarious world of one of pool’s true storytellers and road warriors. "Nine-Ball Billy" pulls no punches as he recalls his early influences, his larger-than-life mentor “Champagne Eddie” Kelly, and the unforgettable characters who shaped the golden age of American pool. From the smoky...
In this first installment of our six-part conversation with the great Billy Incardona — known to pool fans everywhere as “Nine-Ball Billy” and later the unmistakable voice of Accu-Stats — the Legends of the Cue team dives into the early years of one of pool’s most colorful and enduring figures. Hosted by Mike Gonzalez, Mark Wilson, and Allison Fisher, this episode traces Billy’s roots in Pittsburgh, where a curious nine-year-old first discovered the magic of the game on a makeshift checkerboa...
In this powerful conclusion to our four-part Legends of the Cue series with Mark Kendall, guitarist and founding member of the platinum-selling rock band Great White, we dive deep into the stories that shaped his life both on stage and at the pool table. From the adrenaline rush of performing for hundreds of thousands of fans to the quiet intensity of a one-on-one pool match, Kendall reflects on the parallels between music and cue sports — focus, rhythm, and that elusive flow state where ever...
In this third installment of Legends of the Cue’s four-part conversation with Mark Kendall, the legendary guitarist and founding member of Great White, we explore the deep parallels between two of his lifelong passions — music and pool. Joined by hosts Mike Gonzalez, Mark Wilson, and Allison Fisher, Kendall opens up about the rhythm of discovery that links his guitar playing to his cue stroke, and how both crafts demand timing, creativity, and relentless discipline. From his early days poundi...
In this second installment of Legends of the Cue with Mark Kendall — famed guitarist, songwriter, and founder of the multiplatinum rock band Great White — we journey deeper into the fire and rhythm of a life shaped by equal parts grit, melody, and cue chalk. From his early days strumming in garages and dreaming beyond backyard gigs, to the electric moment when fate and a record label executive collided in a smoky L.A. club, Mark shares the unlikely path that led him from factory shifts and co...
In this first installment of a captivating four-part series, Legends of the Cue welcomes Mark Kendall — the soulful guitarist and founding member of the multi-platinum rock band Great White, and one of the most accomplished celebrity pool players in the world. Known for his passionate guitar riffs and humble nature, Kendall opens up to hosts Mark Wilson, Mike Gonzalez and Allison Fisher about the fascinating intersections of music, family, and the game of pool that shaped his life. Born into ...
In the riveting conclusion of our four-part Legends of the Cue series with Keith “El Diablo” McCready, the legendary shot-maker and showman opens up about the artistry, heart, and hard lessons behind his unforgettable career. From his early days hustling in rough-and-tumble pool halls to his fearless showdowns with icons like Efren Reyes, Keith reflects on the fearless attitude and creative flair that made him both a crowd favorite and a feared opponent. Joined by co-hosts Mike Gonzalez, Mark...
In this third installment of our four-part Legends of the Cue conversation with the legendary Keith McCready, we dive into one of the most fascinating chapters of his extraordinary life — his unforgettable role as Grady Seasons in Martin Scorsese’s 1986 classic, The Color of Money. Keith takes us behind the scenes of how a real pool hustler from the road found himself sharing the screen — and trading lines — with Paul Newman and a young Tom Cruise. From a serendipitous encounter at the 1985 U...
In this second installment of Legends of the Cue featuring the incomparable Keith “Earthquake” McCready, the stories get wilder, the stakes higher, and the characters larger than life. With his trademark wit and fearless honesty, Keith takes us deep into the gritty underworld of American pool during its most colorful era — where the lights never dimmed, the games never stopped, and the money was always on the line. From marathon gambling sessions at California’s legendary Billiard Palace to e...
In this first installment of our Legends of the Cue four-part series, hosts Mike Gonzalez, Allison Fisher, and Mark Wilson sit down with one of pool’s most electrifying personalities—Keith McCready—to trace the raw, unfiltered beginnings of a life that could only be described as cinematic. Born in Elmhurst, Illinois, and raised under the California sun, Keith’s early years were anything but ordinary. By age ten, while most kids were trading baseball cards, he was already gambling, running poo...
In this concluding episode of our four-part series with the incomparable Mike Massey, we journey through a defining chapter of his extraordinary life in pool. Already recognized as the game’s premier trick shot artist, Mike reflects on the mid-2000s when his career transitioned from peak competition to enduring legacy. We begin with his collaboration with noted author Phil Capelle on Mike Massey’s World of Trick Shots, a groundbreaking instructional book blending precision diagrams, insider t...
In this third installment of our four-part conversation with Mike Massey—BCA Hall of Fame inductee, Artistic Pool Hall of Fame member, and the greatest trick shot artist of all time—we continue charting the incredible journey of one of the game’s most colorful and accomplished legends. Mike takes us inside one of his proudest achievements: a grueling 24-hour marathon in Austria where he recorded an astonishing 330 break-and-runs in nine-ball, a feat witnessed live on national television that ...
In this second installment of our four-part conversation with legendary cue artist Mike Massey, we continue to trace the winding road of one of the most fascinating figures in billiards history. From the highs of tournament victories to the depths of personal struggles, Mike shares his remarkable story with unflinching honesty, warmth, and humor. We pick up in the mid-1980s, a time when Massey was rebuilding his life after personal turmoil, finding new love with his wife Francine, and embarki...
In this opening installment of Legends of the Cue, we sit down with one of the most colorful and compelling figures the game of pool has ever known—Mike “Tennessee Tarzan” Massey. Widely celebrated as the greatest trick shot artist of all time, Massey is also a fierce competitor, a winner of major nine-ball titles, and a Hall of Fame member whose story reaches far beyond the table. Mike Gonzalez, Allison Fisher, and Mark Wilson guide the conversation as Massey begins to recount a remarkable l...
After three episodes of stories, lessons, and unfiltered honesty, Legends of the Cue brings you the powerful conclusion to our four-part conversation with one of the most fascinating figures in cue sports: John Schmidt — the man who broke Willie Mosconi’s 65-year-old straight pool high run record. Known to fans as “Mr. 600,” John opens up about the physical and mental toll of chasing greatness, from pounding thousands of balls a day until his body ached, to embracing fitness, nutrition, and e...
In this third installment of our four-part conversation with pool great John Schmidt—affectionately known as Mr. 600—we journey through the emotional highs and crushing lows that shaped one of the most fascinating careers in cue sports. From flicking cockroaches out of his cereal on the morning of a U.S. Open to hoisting oversized winner’s checks in front of skeptical neighbors, Schmidt’s path to greatness was anything but ordinary. He opens up about the financial struggles and personal setba...
In part two of our four-part deep dive with “Mr. 600” John Schmidt—the man who broke Willie Mosconi’s legendary 65-year-old straight pool record—we follow his remarkable transition from ambitious newcomer to rising professional. Schmidt pulls no punches as he recalls the leap of faith that sent him on the road with little more than $1,200, a cue, and an old Honda Accord. Along the way, he gained priceless lessons on tough equipment, in hostile rooms, and against opponents of every caliber. He...
In this episode of Legends of the Cue, Allison Fisher, Mark Wilson, and Mike Gonzalez sit down with one of pool’s modern legends—John Schmidt, affectionately known as “Mr. 600.” Schmidt etched his name in billiards history by surpassing Willie Mosconi’s fabled 526-ball straight pool record, a mark that stood unchallenged for 65 years. But as listeners quickly learn, his story is far richer than a single number. From his humble beginnings in Keokuk, Iowa—born on a bridge, no less—to a childhoo...























