Iron History

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08/28/2008 Entry: "8/29/2008: Pages One and Two of a Letter from Charles A. Smith to Joe dated October 27, 1987"

Letter from Charles A. Smith to Joe Roark Oct 27, 1987

Thanks for yours post dated October 23rd which arrived yesterday 26th. The foul up in that reported 600 clean and jerk was the fault of the Los Angeles Times which not only reported the 600 but had it as a SNATCH. Just shows to go you (sic) what the general public- including the moulders (sic) of its opinion think of lifting. The exact poundages that were new world records, as reported by fan Glossbrenner were as follows.

Taranenko, Russian super heavy made a new world record clean and jerk of 585. Krastev, the Big Bulgarian Bloke, made a new world snatch record of 473 while Kurlovich, who won top spot, made a new world record total of 1041. The guy with the new C&J record placed 2nd. Krastev third and the new total holder won. Such lifting. As I may have remarked, I can recall the time when anyone dead lifting 476 went around bragging about it. And here I am yelling at the L.A. Times when it wasn�t Glossbrenner who reported the lifts to me but Dennis (sic) Reno. Shame shame.

Reno, who published a lifting news letter, had a front page shot of Taranenko making his new worlds C&J. It is very obvious what is happening here. It is no more a TRUE clean and jerk than my cock is a kippered herring. What is now happening is that they are doing the old continental and jerk but instead of taking it off a belt, they take it off the top of the thighs with a barely visible pause.

By the way, and this isn�t a facetious question, how many times do you have to change your typewriter ribbon? Mine seems to last no time and I don�t bash the keys that often- merely once a day with no more than four pages a clip.

I am feared for my mental processes which seem to be getting dimmer as the days go. Whoever said � Browning I think- �Grow old along with me. The best is yet to be� was a shit arse and didn�t know his tits from his testicles. The other day I suddenly lost my glasses and looked for them for two hours, unable to find them. I cursed as only I can with my sound apprenticeship in the Navy. I couldn�t find them and went on cursing. Sitting in a wheelchair in a fine huff, I raised my hands to sooth my troubled brow, brushed my hand against the pocket of my pajamas top and they they were. Wo, OH, woe.

[Roark: Charles then relates again the story of Weider�s Shape editor being killed, then]
Or as the greatest writer in the English language, Shakespeare wrote of life in MacBeth, �It is a take told by an idiot, full of sound and fury and signifying nothing.�

Re Balik I am getting more and more disillusioned with him. I now think he is like all the rest- out for the buck at everyone�s expense. I am mystified at his non payment of you and the Reverend. I have always got my money, albeit after writing him and saying I must be paid pronto when the article is accepted by him. Indeed I find it hard to believe he hasn�t paid the Reverend Todd since the Reverend is mighty fast when it comes to getting what is owed him- as indeed he should be.

Fred Howell is having loads of grief over getting his �Dozens of articles� � says Fred- back. For this I blame that honest, upright, Christian, church going, bible thumping man from Nebraska who had no bloody right passing along property that didn�t belong to him and that had been entrusted to his care. They call if THEFT BY BAILEE. Balik refuses to answer ANY LETTER. I get complaints from all over including bitter diatribes from Dave XXX who says in that cynical gentle way British citizens have, �Fuck him. He doesn�t answer my letters, I won�t buy his fucking mag.� You can see Dave has a wide, expressive vocabulary.

I will hunt and grope and dig around for Hoffies� will. Christ knows what I have done with it. I know I haven�t sent it to anyone else, since Hinbern heard I had it and keeps asking for it. I have told him I have shoved it somewhere and will get it to him.

XXX. There seems to be something phoney about this bloke. The only time he writes is when he wants some info. His letters, when I get them, are never packed with any chit chat about this and that unconnected with lifting, but are all gimme gimme� Various people have told me he is a brain picker.

Now I don�t mind this at all, but when the end product is a book that purports to push over the author as an �authority� when the book is info weasled from the brains of others, I take it badly, And when my letter is filled with carrots on the ends of sticks, said carrots being mentions of shiploads of smoked salmon coming my way the very moment he gets around to jogging the elbow of the pal who is a famed smoked salmon broker in far parts, my suspicion is a little aroused.

[to be continued next week.]