Iron History

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04/24/2010 Entry: "4/24/2010: Letter from Charles A. Smith to Joe Roark August 19, 1988"

Letter from Charles A. Smith to Joe Roark August 19, 1988

Dear Joe,
Thanks for yours post dated August 20th, it arriving some time while I was away at my daughter's home, staying with the two boys. Thanks also for the Davis cutting. Sad indeed, sad sad. What a waste of a human life. It so happened that a 'friend' was visiting me- a very religious bloke indeed. He saw the cutting and remarked "God needed him for another purpose so he TOOK HIM." This pissed me off so that it almost meant the end of a friendship. What utter tommy rot to make a remark like that.

Speaking of friendship, one doesn't reckon this by the length of the letter one receives from a friend, but the fat that that friend cared enough about you to reply. Nuff said, nu?

I spoke to the Reverend and asked him about Kaz's forearm. He told me that he had personally been present when Willoughby taped it --STEELTAPE-- and watched Dave's eyes bug out like bulldogs' balls when the tape scored a flat 17. I can assure you that an arm- forearm- that big looks enormous. I can recall Goerner's forearm and it taping over 16 and that looked gigantic. So any schmuck who talks of 18 plus forearms is giving his ignorance away. It would, at that size, seem grotesque.

Not much to report. As I may have mentioned, I wrote to Joe Assirati and asked him to send me anything he had on Inch. I believe he knew Mr. Inch (as we ALL called him) well and may have a few tales to tell. And I am still digging around for the Aussie POWER DIGEST. Christ knows what I have done with them but they must be around somewhere. As promised, when and if I find them, they will come your way pronto.

[regarding drug testing] Frankly I think he [Weider] cannot afford to start testing now for the Mr. Olympia. It will cost him the IFBB and most of his business. For years now, he has paid lip service to the dangers of steroid use while cashing in on its 'benefits' if that they can be called. He has done little or nothing about them, filling the pages of his mags with shots of steroid monsters, allowing the young and the gullible to think they are the products of the Weider System, so that if it cracks down now on those who use steroids, he will risk their departure and forming their own association as a powerlifting bloke did when the PLA started to test for drug use.

These two articles by the Reverend and the other alleged to have been penned by Joe, might make an interesting topic in another of your news letters. 'CAN WEIDER AFFORD TO TEST.'

TTFN, best to you and yours,
Chas.