Advice from the Originals

 

My voyage from New Jersey to California was in July of '63. Kevin, the guys you mentioned are 10 to 20 years older than me, post steam engine era.

Eifferman picked me up at LAX and took me straight to Muscle Beach, "The Muscle House" in Santa Monica, where the lesser known muscle characters resided. I must say I preferred electricity and private snoring to these digs and bailed out pronto.

George was more of a soft rock in which I found honest friendship and observed the first of southern California's qualities - calmness, graciousness, simplicity, idealism.

Zabo taught me the priceless art of sun worship and driftwood discovery. Rest and recuperation and meditation are vital to muscle growth, Zabe declared regularly. I believed him then and have no reason to doubt him now. He is, after all, known as The Chief, a name appropriately attached to him by Joe Gold over a half century ago. Time flies.

Joe Gold, the third of the four originals you mentioned is the creator, builder, engineer of the first true bodybuilding gym (circa '65) that stepped from the casual, sandy scene to the motivated, serious, hardcore environment that launched us into space thru the 70's and 80's. Vince Gironda's gym & Zuver's should be mentioned here, honorably, as well.

Now, today at warp speed we all seem to have lost our compass. I observed Joe build and operate his Gold's Gym in Venice. I watched him design and build some of the best pulley machines, proto-types of today's popular equipment absolutely everywhere. Joe set in my mind clearly the need for order and government in the gym because, it seems, that's what we need, like and count on. Disorder = chaos = trouble = bye, bye gym. Thanks, Joe, World Gym top gun who at this writing is personally putting on the finishing touches of his brand new headquarters in Venice - grand opening momentarily.

Bill Pearl, the incomparable strong man, showman and pile of perfectly proportioned large muscles, taught me a lot. Let's take a breather for now and I'll tell 'ya more when we have time.

Dave

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