by Gregg Valentino
“SPECIAL IML RAMBLIN FREAK – ARNOLD & LEON BROWN – PART 2”,,,THIS IS A SPECIAL EDITION OF IRONMAG LABS ‘RAMBLIN FREAK’…A MONTH AGO I GAVE YOU IML READERS PART 1 OF MY LEON BROWN INTERVIEW ABOUT HIS DAYS WITH ARNOLD IN HIS EARLY YEARS & IN HIS PRIME!!!…KEEP IN MIND,,,EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE I LIKE TO STEP OUT OF THE USUAL NUTTY STUFF AND GIVE YOU ALL A TREAT!!!…KEEP IN MIND, I BEEN TRAINING SINCE 1972 AND I WAS EVEN IN THE GYM WHILE ARNOLD WAS TRAINING IN HIS PRIME!!!….YES I’VE BEEN THROUGH AN ERA THAT MOLDED THE SPORT OF BODYBUILDING INTO WHAT IT IS TODAY!!!!….SO AS PROMISED LAST MONTH HERE IS THE SECOND PART OF MY INTERVIEW DINNER WITH LEON BROWN ,,,,READ & ENJOY!!!!…GV
THE LEGENDARY LEON BROWN PART 2…AS I TOLD YOU IN PART 1 – THIS PAST CHRISTMAS 2017 I JUST SAT DOWN AND HAD DINNER WITH MY LONG TIME OLD-PAL AND BODYBUILDING LEGEND LEON BROWN AND HIS WIFE DANIELLE, 2 OF THE NICEST COOLEST PEOPLE YOU WILL EVER MEET…I FIRST MET LEON IN THE EARLY 1980’s AND WE BECAME FRIENDS AND OVER THE YEARS I’VE SAT WITH HIIM AND HEARD HIM TELL A TON OF AWESOME ARNOLD STORIES!!!...
The first time I met Arnold was on the boardwalk on Santa Monica beach. He was playing chess with Artie Zeller. My friend said, ‘Who’s that guy with the big arms?’ and I said, ‘that’s Arnold’….”Arnold heard me say his name, and he called me over, and that’s how I met him.”…LEON BROWN….THAT WAS JUST THE BEGINNING OF A LIFE LONG FRIENDSHIP…..THE FUNNY THING IS THE NEXT MORNING AT 8am LEON HEARD A KNOCK ON HIS DOOR AND IT WAS A VERY ENERGETIC YOUNG ARNOLD TELLING LEON TO HURRY UP AND GET DRESSED SO THEY COULD GO TO “THE GERMANS” RESTAURANT AND EAT BREAKFAST TOGETHER AND THEN TRAIN AFTERWARDS!!!…THIS WENT ON ALMOST EVERY DAY FOR MANY YEARS…ARNOLD WAS AN EARLY RISER AND WOULD WAKE UP LEON ALMOST EVERY MORNING!!!…LEON LAUGHS WHEN HE REMEMBERS THAT THERE WERE TIMES WERE ARNOLD WALKED RIGHT INTO LEONS APARTMENT AND ACTUALLY PULLED LEON OUT OF HIS BED!!!…. BUT LEON LOVED ARNOLD AND NEVER GOT UPSET, TO THIS DAY LEON MISSES THE FUN TIMES HE ARNOLD ,,,, FRANCO AND THE REST OF THE OLD GOLDS GYM CREW HAD TOGETHER!!!…HE SAID TO THIS DAY WHENEVER HE GETS TOGETHER WITH ARNOLD OR TALKS TO HIM ON THE PHONE,,, ARNOLD JUST LOVES RE-LIVING THE OLD DAYS AND RE-LIVING STORIES OF THEIR “DAYS OF GLORY” TOGETHER…YES THE TUFF CALIFORNIA EX-GOVERNOR GETS ALL GIDDY LIKE A “YOUNG BODYBUILDER” ALL OVER AGAIN WHEN HE & LEON TALK TO EACH OTHER!!!!…..OH YES AND BY THE WAY,,, GETTING BACK TO ARNOLD DRAGGING LEON OUT OF BED TO EAT BREAKFAST TOGETHER,,,, IN CASE YOU’RE WONDERING ARNOLD WOULD EAT AN 8 EGG OMLETTE AND A BREAKFAST STEAK COSTING HIM ONLY 2 DOLLARS BACK THEN!!!!…WOW,,, 2 BUCKS FOR STEAK & 8 EGGS IMAGINE THAT SHIT NOW???…JUST TO LET YOU KNOW,,, LEON IS NOT A BIG EATER, SO HE ONLY ATE HALF THAT FOR BREAKFAST,,,,,BUT GLUTTONIST ARNOLD WAS A VERY BIG EATER SAYS LEON!!!…AND IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING,,, ON TOP OF ALL THAT BOTH ARNOLD & LEON CONSUMED A FEW PROTEIN SHAKES IN BETWEEN MEALS TOO!!!…REO-H BLAR PROTEIN POWDER TO BE EXACT!!!!!..THAT WAS BY FAR THE MOST POPULAR PROTEIN POWDER BACK IN THAT ERA ..HEY I FOUND THIS NEXT TID-BIT FASCINATNG >> BACK IN THE DAY BEFORE LEON WENT OUT TO CALIFORNIA, LEON WAS POOR AS A TEENAGER AND HE DRANK A POOR MANS PROTEIN SHAKE >> “CARNATION POWDERED MILK ,,, RAW EGGS ,,, HONEY IN WATER ,,,BLENDED UP” – OH YEAH BABE,,, YA GOTTA LOVE IT!!!…YO ‘ AND IF YOU THINK THATS CRAZY, GET THIS > LEONS FIRST SHOW HE PLACED SECOND AND YET HE ONLY TRAINED WITH A FEW HOMEMADE WEIGHTS ,,,, LAYING ON MILK CRATES ,,,,, WOODEN BOARDS AND TYING THE WEIGHTS ON ROPES AND LIFTING THEM THAT WAY!!!!!……NO BARS,,, NO DUMBELLS,,,, NO MACHINES!!!!…MANHOLE COVERS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY STREETS AND COFFEE CANS FILLED WITH SAND!!!!.…THAT’S FUCKING AMAZING!!!!…. AND TO TOP SHIT OFF,, LEON IN HIS FIRST SHOW WON > BEST BACK,,,, BEST ABS AND MOST MUSCULAR!!!… LATER ON WHEN LEON FIRST GOT TO GOLDS GYM IN VENICE,,,, HE WAS CHECKING OUT THE GYM AND ALL OF A SUDDEN A WHACKY CALIFORNIA BODYBUILDER NAMED ART PEACOCK CAME OVER TO LEON AND DIDN’T SAY A WORD BUT INSTEAD HE JUST DROPPED HIS PANTS AND FLEXED HIS LEGS!!!…..LEON WAS GAGGING AND THINKING TO HIMSELF, “WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH THIS NUT JOB”…WHEN ART PEACOCK FINALLY FINISHED FLEXING AND WALKED AWAY JOE GOLD CAME OVER TO LEON AND ASKED IF LEON WANTED A FREE MEMBERSHIP TO GOLDS GYM,,, AND OF COURSE LEON SAID YES!!!!….JOE GOLD THEN SAID “IN 3 WEEKS THE MR VENICE BEACH CONTEST IS BEING HELD AND IF YOU BEAT THAT ASSHOLE ART PEACOCK I WILL GIVE YOU A FREE MEMBERSHIP!!!”…THE REST IS HISTROY ,,, JUST 3 WEEKS LATER, LEON BEAT ART PEACOCK’S COCKY – ASS AND WON THE WHOLE SHOW BEATING A CLASS OF 25 GUYS THAT INCLUDED JIM MORRIS,,, DALE ADRIAN,,,, DAVE JOHNS,,,, CLINT BEARL,,, AND A BUNCH OF OTHER FUTURE MR. AMERICA’S!!!!…OH AND THE JUDGES THAT DAY WERE, BILL PEARL,,, LARRY SCOTT,,, DAVE DRAPER,,, DON PETERS,,, VINCE GIRONDA ,,, DON HAWORTH AND BILLY ARLEN!!!….WOW, THAT’S SOME LINE UP!!!….
LEON THEN WENT INTO A PASSIONATE RANT > .”We were nothing like the guys of today, we all got along , we all hung out together, trained together, ate together, we were all friends and we all helped each other get ready for show”…”Arnold was like our crew leader and he helped all the young guys in the gym as with all of us “ …SAYS LEON…“Bodybuilding should be good for you, physically and psychologically. But too many bodybuilders today have attitudes and too many of them are vindictive. When I first started, we were all buddies and encouraged each other. No matter who won a show, we were all still together, but today there’s too much throat-cutting”…“I can’t believe these guys today…. I see nice guys come into the gym, and a year or two later they’re completely different ,,, they become cocky stuck up assholes with inflated egos!!”.…
OK NOW , FACT > LEON TRAINED 12 YEARS WITHOUT TAKING STEROIDS AND SAYS WHEN HE AND THE OTHER GUYS WENT ON STUFF IT WAS A FEW D-BALLS A DAY WITH MAYBE A SHOT OF SOMETHING ONCE A WEEK…..YO’, GIRLS TAKE MORE THAN THAT TODAY!!!!!…LEON LAUGHS WHEN HE TELLS HOW LARRY SCOTT ONCE ASKED LEON IF HE THOUGHT TAKING 2 D-BALL A DAY WAS TOO RISKY!!!!…KEEP IN MIND THESE WERE 5mg D-BALLS FROM CIBA labs AND THEY GOT THEM FROM A DOCTOR…IMAGINE JUST 2 D-BALL A DAY!!!!…YO, THIS IS WHY YOU NEVER SAW BITCH TITS,,, BAD ACNE OR OTHER JUICE RELATED BULLSHIT BACK THEN!!!….BACK IN THE DAY GUYS WOULD GO ON “THE SHIT” (STEROIDS) FOR ONLY 8 TO 12 WEEKS BEFORE A SHOW THATS WHY ARNOLD WAS SMALL SOMETIMES IN THE OFF SEASON, BECAUSE HE DIDN’T DO STUFF ALL YEAR ROUND..”NONE OF US DID”- SAID LEON!!!! …LEON ALSO SAY’S HE DOESN’T CARE WHAT SOME BOOKS SAY ABOUT ARNOLDS DRUG USE > LEON HUNG AROUND AND PRACTICALLY LIVED WITH ARNOLD,,, AND ARNOLD DID NOT DO MUCH AND WAS ON ONLY 3 MONTHS BEFORE A SHOW THAT WAS IT!! …AS A MATTER OF FACT, BEFORE A CONTEST LEON,,, FRANCO ,,, AND ARNOLD USED TO GO TO A DOCTORS OFFICE EVERY WEDNESDAY TO GET THEIR “GO GO JUICE” (OH SHUT UP, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN ) ,,, THEY GOT THE HOOK UP BECAUSE THEY KNEW ALL THE NURSES WHO LOVED & CREAMED OVER ARNOLD AND SO BECAUSE OF THAT,,, EVERYONE GOT A NICE LITTLE MID-WEEK – ‘GOODIE PACKAGE’ BACK THEN!!!…OH YEAH BABE,,ITS TRUE,,, ACCORDING TO LEON > HIS BOY ARNOLD WAS A HUGE “LADIES MAN” BACK THEN ALL THE NURSES DROOLED OVER ARNOLD AND GAVE HIM (ARNOLD) LEON & FRANCO WHATEVER THEY WANTED!!!!….AND ONE TIME THEY WERE ALL LEAVING THE DOCTORS OFFICE WHEN THEY SAW A COP GIVING ARNOLD’s LITTLE WHITE VOLKSWAGON BUG A PARKING TICKET!!…ARNOLD YELLED TO FRANCO & LEON > “HURRY UP AND JUMP INTO THE CAR” AS ARNOLD JUMPED IN DRIVERS SEAT AND QUICKLY DROVE OFF BEFORE THE COP COULD PUT THE TICKET ON HIS CAR!!!…LEON SAD THAT ARNOLD DROVE HIS CAR LIKE A MADMAN AND THAT IT SCARED THE SHIT OUTTA HIM (LEON) BEING IN ARNOLD’S BACK SEAT!!!!……BOTH ARNOLD & FRANCO WOULD LAUGH AS THEY SAW THE SHIT SCARED LOOK ON LEON’S FACE IN THE BACK SEAT…LEON SAYS THAT ARNOLD ALWAYS DROVE VERY FAST NO MATTER WHERE THEY WERE GOING AND THAT HE ( LEON ) ESPECIALLY HATED WHEN THEY DROVE TO THE MOUNTAINS BECAUSE IT WAS FULL OF DANGEROUS TURNS AND ARNOLD DROVE EVEN FASTER!!!… YO’ ARNOLD DROVE HIS LITTLE WHITE VW BUG LIKE IT WAS A RACE CAR SPEEDING AROUND THE WINDING MOUNTAIN ROAD TILL THEY REACHED MUSCLE ROCK …BUT NO ONE EVER COULD GET MAD AT ARNOLD BECAUSE HE WAS A VERY FUN GUY TO BE AROUND AND EVERYONE LOVED HIM!!!….AS A MATTER OF FACT, WHEN ARNOLD WALKED INTO THE GYM HE ( ARNOLD ) WOULD SCREAM > “YOOOO” AND EVERYONE WOULD STOP AND LOOK UP ,,, IT’S ARNOLD,,, IT’S ARNOLD!!!…. AND ARNOLD MADE SURE HE CAME OVER AND GREETED EVERYBODY!! ….WHERE AS ON THE OTHER HAND, FRANCO LOOKED AT EVERYONE OUT OF THE CORNER OF HIS EYE AND ALWAYS LIGHTENED UP WHEN ARNOLD ARRIVED!!!…LEON TRULY LOVES ARNOLD AND TO THIS DAY ARNOLD HAS NOT FORGOTTEN HIS FRIENDS,,,, ESPECIALLY LEON WHO GOT YET ANOTHER JACKET FROM ARNOLD AT THIS PAST ARNOLD CLASSIC!!!….THAT MAKES CLOSE TO 25 JACKETS THAT ARNOLD HAS GIVEN LEON ..YO, I REPECT ARNOLD FOR REMEMBERING HIS OLD PAL LEON BROWN ,,, 50 YEARS LATER THEY ARE STILL FRIENDS AND LEON IS ONE OF THE ONLY PEOPLE TO HAVE ARNOLD’S PERSONAL CELL PHONE NUMBER!!!…THEY TALK ON HOLIDAYS AND FOR FATHERS DAY!!!……OK ,OK, OK,,,, I GOT SIDE TRACKED,,,,SORRY BOUT THAT I JUST LOVE THIS STORY!!!!…ANYWAY LET ME GET BACK TO WHAT I WAS SAYING ABOUT ARNOLD COMING INTO THE GYM….SO EVEN THOUGH ARNOLD CHATTED IN THE GYM WITH EVERYONE,,, WHEN IT WAS TIME TO TRAIN ARNOLD WAS ALL BUSINESS AND DIDN’T FOOL AROUND!!!…ARNOLD ONLY TALKED & JOKED AROUND BEFORE HE TRAINED AND THEN ALWAYS RIGHT AFTER!!!…YA SEE ACCORDING TO LEON > ARNOLD “LOVED HIS FRIENDS” AND HE WAS VERY MUCH LOVED BY ALL GUYS AT THE GOLDS GYM!!! ….AFTER A WORKOUT AND SOME STEAK & EGGS,,, THEY WOULD ALL LAY ON THE BEACH AND SOMETIMES DO SOME DIPS OR PULL UPS RIGHT THERE ON THE BEACH TO KEEP THEIR PUMP!!!…IN CASE YOU NEVER BEEN TO VENICE BEACH, THEY GOT PULL UP BARS AND DIPPING BARS RIGHT THERE ON THE BEACH!!!…..YES, ARNOLD & HIS CREW (LEON,,, FRANCO AND THE OTHERS) WERE TRUE MUSCLE HEADS!!!…OH YEAH BABE, I LOVE IT!!!!…THEN, AT NIGHT THEY WOULD ALL GO TO ARNOLD’S APARTMENT OR ARNOLD WOULD GO TO LEONS APARTMENT AND THE GOLDS GYM CREW WOULD PARTY & DRINK A FEW BEERS TOGETHER!!…OK HOLD UP,,,, SIMMER DOWN,,,ARNOLD WAS NOT A BIG PARTIER!!!!… LEON SAID ARNOLD ALWAYS WENT HOME EARLY TO BED AND THOUGH HE WOULD HAVE A BEER WITH THE BOYZ , HE (ARNOLD) NEVER DRANK MORE THAN ONE BEER AND NEVER–EVER GOT DRUNK!!!…ARNOLD WAS A VERY RESPONSIBLE – A VERY VERY DISCIPLINED MAN AS WELL AS AN EARLY RISER!!!….ITS OBVIOUS BY THE WAY LEON TALKS ABOUT HIS FRIEND ARNOLD,THAT LEON LOOKED UP TO ARNOLD LIKE A BIG BROTHER!!!…LEON SAID THAT ALTHOUGH ARNOLD WAS THE LEADER OF THE GOLDS GYM CREW,,, HE (ARNOLD) WAS VERY EASY GOING AND FUN LOVING GOOD FRIEND TO ALL HIS FRIENDS…LEON SAYS THAT ARNOLD NEVER ACTED COCKY LIKE HE WAS BETTER THAN ANY OF HIS FRIENDS,,, HE WAS NEVER UPTIGHT & NEVER ACTED LIKE A TUFF GUY,,, ON THE CONTRARY,,,, “ARNOLD WAS LIKE A LOVING BIG BROTHER TO US ALL!!!” – SAID LEON….THE REAL TUFF GUYS OF THE GYM WERE KEN WALLER (AN EX-SCHOOL TEACHER),,,, ROGER CALLARD AND CHET YORTEN!!!…THOSE 3 GUYS WERE REAL BAD-ASSES AND THEY WOULD FIGHT ANYONE AND WIN!!!!…..LEON SAID THAT KEN WALLER WAS AN EX-TEACHER WHO ONCE HAD A STUDENT TRY AND HIT HIM BUT KEN (IN SELF DEFENSE) THREW THE KID THROUGH A PLATE GLASS WINDOW!!! ….WHERE AS FRANK ZANE (ALSO A SCHOOL TEACHER) WAS ONCE SLAPPED IN THE FACE BY ONE OF HIS STUDENTS AND HE DIDN’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!!!…. BUT THE MOST RUGGED BAD ASS OF THEM ALL WAS CHET YORTEN, WHO HATED EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY GAY GUYS!!!……OK I’M GONNA LEAVE YOU HANGING RIGHT THERE BECAUSE NOW THE GOOD CRAZY SHIT STARTS!!!…BUT YOU’RE GONNA HAVE TO WAIT A MONTH!!!…OH TRUST ME,,, THERE IS SOME INSANITY COMING AND YOU WONT WANT TO MISS THIS!!!!.
NEXT MONTH IN THE FINAL PART 3 I WILL TELL YOU ALL SOME OFF THE HOOK REAL JUICY STUFF,,, TRUST ME YOU’RE GONNA LOVE IT!!!!….BUT HEY LIKE I SAID YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT ONE MORE MONTH!!!…OH YEAH BABE,,THE SHIT GETS DEEPER WITH ARNOLD AND EVEN SERGIO OILIVA WAS INVOLVED!!!!……TILL THEN > YOU’RE A BUNCH OF MOMOs. BUT I LOVE YOU ALL,,,STOP FUCKING AROUND!!!…GV
