As an aside, I became pretty good friends with Mr. Barlow as he was an English teacher and I was a voracious reader. We'd talk about books and literature and crap like that. Sometimes I'd go to his house to get some old books that he was going to throw out. He was also pretty good friends with Walzak and they would see each other socially. Walzak would sometimes come by the gym and he and Barlow would just walk across the street to this Chinese restaurant. I use to go there with Barlow myself. I figured they would be talking about bodybuilding as Mr. Barlow was getting into judging and promoting his own show (I just remember one). I was shocked when I was hanging out at Redondo Beach taking in the sun with some of my gym buddies when one them made reference to Barlow being gay. Apparently it was pretty common knowledge but I was very naive at the time being only 19 and this whole gay thing wasn't even on my radar. They told me that Walzak was also gay. Then one of the guys tells me, "Dude, if a guy looks like he's never lifted weights a day in his life but is really, really interested in bodybuilding and especially if he really wants to be judge, you can bet your ass that he's gay or bi."
I remember thinking, "Shit. I've been going to the guy's house. Many times. Alone."
I guess this was my first introduction to schmoes.
Mr. Barlow would later die of AIDS.
