Zabka Is Czech For Bully
March 19, 2009 – 11:06 am by Jimmy Shapiro
You say Zabka, and everyone of my generation immediately knows what you’re talking about. Was there ever a better bully than Johnny Lawrence? I think not! His role in “The Karate Kid” is legendary and it was followed up with more bully roles in the movies “Just one of the Guys” and the Rodney Dangerfield classic “Back to School”.
Billy Zabka hasn’t been in a relevant movie for over 20 years, but he still has a cult following and totally gets and revels his role in pop culture history. His music video “Sweep the Leg” in 2007 (see video after the jump) is evidence of this.
Zabka recently joined Isaac and Big Suke on KFXX in Portland. Hilarity, analysis on the psyche of Johnny Lawrence, and a great interview ensues.
On why his character still carries on today:
“I think the thing is about Johnny Lawrence is after you seen the movie a bunch of times, you kinda realize he really wasn’t all bad. If he was just like the two-dimensional bad guy, but at the very end I turn around and have a moment of redemption saying good match and all that stuff. He was just a normal kid, a nice kid, that was misled. Cool marches on. I don’t know. Eighties are back. I don’t know why it’s still sticking.”
On if he watches “The Karate Kid” a lot:
“I watch it every day. I just saw it. It was great, I love it. I wake up in the morning and it’s at the skeleton fight scene and I play that over and over again. I fast forward to the montage and I cut it off right before the ending.”
More Billy Zabka quotes, the full interview, and the “Sweep the Leg” video are after the jump.
On how he got everyone back for the “Sweep the Leg” video:
“It was easy man. I have them all on speed dial. I just hit the speed dial and got them in a conference call and said Cobra Kai’s are back.”
Listen to Billy Zabka on KFXX in Portland
Tags: Billy Zabka, Cobra Kai, Johnny Lawrence, Sweep the Leg, The Karate Kid
