Iron History

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05/13/2010 Entry: "5/14/2010: Another Letter from Charles A. Smith to Joe Roark"

Dear Joe,
Thanks for yours of the 19th reaching me on the 22nd. Nice to hear from you.

Yes, I already had heard of the MD sale-- got it about three days or so after the deal had been consummated. I also understand that York is to have five years free advertising in the mag. I was also told that the new owners-- a vitamin and food supplement company plan to distribute the mag in their many stores. Don't know if there is a scintilla of truth to this.

And there does appear to be some reason to believe that the business and foundry will be sold. I am given to understand that, settle Grimek's suit or no, this will be done, since the 'Heirs' seem to be unable to obtain a meeting of the minds. The son of Dietz is now President of the company. When it came to a vote among the people who owned the voting stock, Alda Ketterman, so I am told--and again don't know if this is true or not-- voted with Dietz Junior and against Terpak. May be just rumor.

Personally, I don't think Grimek stands a prayer. He has nothing to go on. I will say I think he was treated most poorly and I can think of no one in the York organization who contributed what he did. By his merely being there, he WAS YORK.

I am enclosing the Belt Squat deal. The article was written in 1952 and appeared in the October edition of MUSCLE POWER in that year. The British mag, STRENGTH ATHLETE published my article under the name of Graham Brown in their December 1986, January 1987 issue. As you can see it is word for word.

The key to the whole deal is my mention of the fact that I was over 40 years of age when I wrote it. Thos obviously led Brown to believe that I was long gone and thus he could steal safely. I chanced on his theft by accident when I was leafing through some mags in the COLLECTION. I also drew the Reverend's attention to it and he bristled as did I.

I wrote to Brown and flat out accused him of stealing my article. He wrote back to say that it had been published 'by accident' since he had given the mag to a 'friend' who had sent the article in under his name as a 'joke'. I wrote back and told him not to insult my intelligence and demanded satisfaction else I would sue him. He answered and told me he had indeed stolen my article and would I please have mercy on him. My reply was a fast 'fuck you'. Plus pay up or else. He PAID UP. But the mag was quite horsey about it, saying they had published the article in 'Good Faith'. That Mr. Brown was not paid for the article and I should address my complaints to him. I knew of course that an international lawsuit would be prohibitive in cost. So I wrote back and told them to send me the address of their attorney since I intended to pursue the matter further. They did indeed get their attorneys to contact me. When they did I just sat back and paid no heed to the letters they sent me every month for six months. My reasoning was that if I couldn't get any money out of them for what they did, then at least it would cost them something. In all I got six letters from their attorneys asking me to reply to them and supply them with proof I authored the article. I just ignored them, knowing that for each letter written to me, a substantial fee would be collected. So it cost the mag far more than their giving me a nominal amount and publishing an apology. It seems this mag is in the habit of taking other peoples' articles and publishing them without a with your leave or a by your leave. They did it with Darden, Todd, Tanny and Hatfield.

Thus you have the story. Anyway, copy the material and return. Thx.

The Olympics have been conspicuous by the absence-- apart from token shots -- of lifting. They did show Sulimanov cracking five world records. He made a new snatch record with 330, then busted that with a 336 odd, then hit a new world record c & j with 415, then made another directly after with 418-3/4 and a new world record total. He was sixty pounds ahead of anyone. But the lifting was marred by two Bulgarians being shot out of the gold medal, after they had won their classes, because of failing the drug tests. Mostly, what I have watched has been a plethora of basketball- ad nauseum-- volleyball, diving and gymnastics. Wrestling, my particular pride and joy, hasn't been shown at all. Now, of course, track and field is all you see. Very little boxing has been shown and the only prolonged interlude of fisticuffs was that disgraceful affair of the Koreans jumping into the ring and punching the ref out for a decision he didn't make. The five judges did.

Getting back to the Shoulder Belt. I opened a copy of the Wunderkind's MUSCLE AND FITNESS and in a back page, saw to my intense rage, an ad for the SHOULDER BELT with a 'patent pending' in the ad. I called the number given and found it was an accommodation number. I told the bloke, without mentioning why I was calling to get the advertiser to phone me pronto. He did. I chewed his arse out and said I was gonna sue. He said nothing in reply, didn't even defend himself. Shortly after this he stopped advertising. But I understand that from time to time the ad does reappear again. I wrote to the Wanking Wunder and chewed his ass out. He phoned and disclaimed any knowledge of the ad. I said 'tell that to some other poor mug' and he then said he'd 'look into it'. Frankly I am of the opinion he didn't do a damn thing but check his bank balance.

When someone tells you that info is 'READILY AVAILABLE', the right question to ask is 'WHERE?'.

You say Mike Lambert is a 'very fine fellow'. May be. Maybe. But that hasn't been my experience. I have sent him several items, hoping to grease the way to my contributing articles to the mag. NO REPLY. I also wrote him asking if I could contribute and what he paid. Outlined my career and what I had done and who I was, without bragging or dressing things up. NO REPLY. This pisses me off tremendously. It is damn rude. It is bloody discourteous. Common decency would dictate that a reply be made if it only tells you to go to hell in a wheelbarrow. NO REPLY. The old excuse is always trotted out. Too busy with the mag. BULLSHIT. I had my fingers in 14 mag pies and never was too busy to improve public relations and answer every letter that came across my desk.

Re the smoked salmon merchant. He is a prick. He thinks he is exercising mental adroitness whereas he is only being sly and cunning. Beware of him. He usually begins his letters with a load of laudatory remarks, then hits you up for info, which will then appear UNDER HIS NAME in one of his books. Beforehand he promises you something-- as with me and the smoked salmon.

My relationship with him came about when he asked me for advice. He then sent me some of his articles. I was so appalled with his syntax that I sent him a book, 'THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE' by a cat named Strunk.

I don't know if you have seen his book co-authored with Kennedy, but it is a load of hogwash and deceptive in that it promises something it never delivers--NEW, SECRET BODYBUILDING METHODS. I found it filled with stuff culled from other mags and articles, including a 'Principle' he called The 'Subtle' Method. This consists of adding one ounce washers to the bar instead of the customary two and a half pound plates. I called him on this one, saying it had first been published in Henry Atkin's British Mag VIGOUR (new defunct) and he admitted that he had got it out of IM. I again wrote back and pointed out Atkin had written about it in the early fifties, but TWENTY years before that, it was being used in the UK by lifters who didn't even bother to tell others about it. They having tried it and found no merit contained therein.

I am sure he thinks that by continually promising me smoked salmon, he will have a 'nevercease' flowing fount of information. However I wrote him in reply to his last missive and told him, stop shooting the shit and send the salmon. I doubt if I will ever hear from him again.

He wanted me to write a chapter for his new book on training after4 forty. I said gladly, but not for just the credit he said he'd give me. I said, 'Since I am a professional lifting writer, my fee will be 750 bucks with all rights retained by me'. No answer.

I know Slim and his stunt. This is ho hum stuff to me since it has been done so many times before and by so many people and in so many ways that you must forgive my blah attitude. Aston used it in his Anti Barbell stuff and Jowett copied him and Schmidt copied him and I don't doubt the people copied it before Aston and will go on copying it long after you and I have gone.

Re Inch. I have a couple of bird dogs in England raking up, or trying to, rake up stuff on Inch. What I get I'll send to you. Don't know when it will arrive if ever, but you'll get it if and when. Same as with the Aussie mag. I know I haven't ditched them. They are around somewhere, but Christ knows where they are. I guess when I ain't looking for them, I'll find them.

Best to you and yours,
Chas