Iron History

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11/13/2008 Entry: "11/7/2008: Part Two of March 1, 1988 letter from Charles A. Smith to Joe Roark."

Part two of March 1, 1988 letter from Charles A. Smith to Joe Roark.

Again, I remind you that these are the words Smith used to describe the following situations, so you will be interpreting his side without the benefit of the other parties involved.

Now I have been hearing some nasty tales regarding Bollocks, pardon, Balik. Fred Howell has written and phones repeatedly to get his articles back that the Honest Christian Man from Nebraska ILLEGALLY handed over to Balik when Balik bought IM. Each time Fred has called he has got some nonsense that we have them all boxed up but can�t place our hands on them.

Then I get a letter from Denis Weiss, the Alaskan cutie. He too pours out a tale of woe. Says that the Honest Christian etc etc from Nebraska also handed over to Balik all the �Books� Weiss had written without saying anything to him and suddenly Weiss�s royalties suddenly, as suddenly stop. So he writes. No answer. And he writes. Again no response and he continues that until he is smitten with drizzling defections. Then he phones and gets hold of Balik who says �So sorry. Forgot. Yes, you AE due some royalties and they�ll be coming your way SOON�. No royalties arrive.

Then Weiss decided to order Debbie Poston�s book on benching and how she did such and such, price $7.50. It arrives and turns out to be a pamphlet of 16 pages- count�em- 16 on the nose. Weiss of course is irked. But he is irkeder more when to his astonishment, three quarters of the book turns out to be VERBATIM from one of his �Books�. When I read this I snicker soto voce since Weiss is in the habit of combing other peoples� brains nd then coming up with a book in which he bares new bodybuilding secrets.

So he calls Poston and gets Rick. Rick says �Sure, we copied your book, but it didn�t go over well. We ONLY sold a FEW THOUSAND copies. Weiss is having the drizzles again and asks me what to do. I say sue the illegitimates and their glutes, off.

Getting back to Balik. I can only ask what one of the plotters against Caesar Julius that is �ON what food hath Caesar fed that he has grown so great. Do we have another Wunderkind on our hands.

Meanwhile, during the Sunday Eve talk with Balik, he tells me he is making so much headway with IM, subs and news stand sales, now up to 95 thousand, that he is getting letters from the Wunderkind�s attorneys threatening with legal; battery etc etc. I say to myself �You are full of that stuff food turns into when eaten and digested�. But he assures me it is so, saying it was all because of the acid remarks he made about not being allowed backstage at a Weider show. He also says they are mad at him since he pointedly remarked that every one of the judges was a Weider distributor. Wat should he do, he asks me. I thought of doing a Sergio Oliva on him and saying 500 up front. Instead I say, tell them to go take a flying copulation at themselves. Any affair they run is a PUBLIC AFFAIR by virtue of the fact that they sell tickets to all and sundry. Therefore you are perfectly entitled BY LAW to be there as a member of the working press.
Then Bob Kennedy is having troubles. He calls me up and says that his brand new editor Greg Zulak � who he?- is having difficulties. Seems Greg went to NYC to do an interview with some bloke who had been twice busted for peddling steroids. First time they slpped his weist- bloody fools- but the second time they give him five years in the joint, confiscate his bank account of 250 thou, plus his condo, plus his �yacht�. The dealer tells of two blokes name Tony and Clive in Toronto who are dealing. Steroids.

So Zulak- who he?- writes about them in the article, saying Tony and Clive but without saying their last names. Kennedy gets a call and a hoarse voice tells him they are gonna come over and break his kneecaps for him. They say they will do it anyway. What should he do he asks me? I ought to charge the rotten sods for advice. Anyway I ask him �Did you tape the chat?� He says he did. I say fine. Take the tape first to your attorney for safe keeping, then take a copy of it to the local cop shop and swear out a complaint of threatening to do grievous bodily harm, a felong there as here. I say but don�t give in. Now they tell you what to put in the mag, next it will be who goes on the front cover and after that, maybe you�ll find you have new partners wanting to deal themselves into the action. He thanks me and hangs up. I�m waiting for at least a complimentary sub to float my way.

[at this point Charles repeats what he had previously written about Sri Chinmoy about SC�s followers must remain celibate while only SC �can enjoy the bliss of the connubial
couch, that whn he dies all his followers must commit suicide. Meanwhile there are other moonbeams from this larger lunacy.]

Conclusion of this letter next week.