Iron History

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07/17/2008 Entry: "7/18/2008: Conclusion of letter from Charles A. Smith to Joe Roark, July 30, 1987"

As for my writing down my memoirs, I am too busy trying to figure out who I am and who the hell I can blame for it.

I haven�t heard from Balik in some time�But I do have finished and all ready to be typed THE HISTORY AND USE OF THE CHEAT PRINCIPLE.

I maybe could do an article on Hepburn, but it would require so much research re the poundages he handled and the method of training that this would entail spending hours at the Collection which I am unwilling to do. I could kick myself that I never but never kept a single copy of the many, many hundreds of articles I wrote. The last time I was up at the Collection I went through a year�s issue of � I think- MUSCLE POWER and found that I had, under my own name or the names of others, written 54 articles in that one mag for that one year. So Christ knows how many I wrote in that same year for all his other mags. Rabbits couldn�t have done more reproduction.

It is quite possible you will find me in the Wunderful Wanker�s early mags. I think- but can�t remember for sure- that I started writing for him as early as 1948 or 1949. I can however recall how I came to write for him. I had opened one of his mags one day and lo and behold, as Hans Christian Anderson says- there was one of my articles snatched from IRON MAN. I naturally hollered and along came a check for ten bucks- in Canadian Funds be it said which were at the time much cheaper than paying in US Dollars- Oh that Joe- so anyway a few scant days later along comes a letter from the Wunderful Wanker asking me to write on a regular basis.

At the same time, arrives a letter from YORK saying they had heard I was about to start writing for the Wanking Wunder and I should watch out since he tried to avoid payment. How in the name of the Sultan of Hades they ever found out- unless the Peerless and Honest Man from Nebraska tipped them off, I don�t know.

That ceramic jug of Hepburn�s which he gave me after winning the world champs was a Swiss WINE JUG and originally had red and white silk ribbons around it. They have long gone, Vera, when a little girl- around 2 years, taking them off-no-she must have been at least 5- since she was born in 1949.

I had a letter from Joe Assirati- or did I tell you already- that he is getting together a synopsis of what Charlie Assirati did and who he modeled for- sounds like a who�s who of the world�s famous artists.

Re that artifact that the Reverend has- it�s a full size- four by 5 ft 5 painting of Albert Atilla done by someone or the other. Don�t know who the artist is but I�m sure the Reverend will clue you in. He also bought all his medals which are displayed on a large board and framed, much like that lying sod Hoffman once used in his ads- purporting to show all the awards and decorations he had won until the Federal Trade Commission made him cease and desist.

Now should you be so lucky as to have your newsletter take off to the point where it will be difficult to produce. I am sure that if you ever reach that state of production- and I fervently hope you do- you will find loads of High School kids willing and able to help you for a few shekels per session and no sweat.

If you do land an ad in the Wanking Wunder�s mags- and I say IF advisedly � it may be possible that your newsletter may experience a modest upsurge, but because of its content and slant, I think that mainly those who are better educated in the History of the sport. I don�t think too many muscle heads will get into it unless it is tangentially � since they are more concerned with thickening the various parts of their anatomies, exposed as well as private, to be concerned with thickening their knowledge of who did what and when with whom and where.

Your best bet is a broad appeal- telling what�s current and what�s of interest historically. You can�t be all thing to all men but you can sure as hell have a stab at it.

Yes, share your annoyance at writing to people who will not reply. This especially hurts when you have been close to someone and have done much to help them reach the level on which they once stood- Marvin The Silent Eder for example. He NEVER ANSWERS and if you call him up his missue (sic) will answer the phone and find one excuse as to why he isn�t available. I would think much more of a man to whom I wrote, and who replied, �Go take a flying fuck at yourself�. At least he is being honest and making his feelings known.

Tell Meg I hope she likes advanced education and say I wish her well.

My best to you and yours, Chas.