taken from another forum:
"O.K. here's my worthless Mentzer story. I had to wait to post this because I had to get some of the story right from the horse's mouth. So some of this is first hand, and some second.
I'm not going to repeat some the info I got as this thread would go nuclear. So here goes.
One of my good friends use to own a gym in Matteson Illinois, which is about 45 minutes south of Chicago. This had no association with Mekulys Gym in Chicago Heights which is where I workded out.
He use to attend the Olympia and Universe contests back in the later seventies and early eighties. He also use to go out to Santa Barbara California now and then.
He was in California in 84/85 I believe he said when he ran into Mike Mentzer working out on the beach. He waited until he was done working out and went over and started B.S.ing with him. He said him and his brother Ray were really nice guys and would talk about anything.
So he asks Mentzer if he would be interested in doing a Seminar for his gym. He arranged it at the Holiday Inn on Halsted St in Harvey, Illinois. Mentzer said o.k. Give me a call.
So my buddy calls him up, sets the date and pays for his hotel, flights, the whole thing. Everything was a go, and he sells a ton of tickets. Mentzer comes into town. My buddy went and picked him up at the airport and had quite a conversation with him before the seminar. Mentzer spoke for about an hour and a half at the seminar. He was not in contest shape, so was not interested in posing.
It was no secret that Mentzer could not stand Arnold. He made it clear that he thought Arnold was a big Weider kiss azz, which he was. Mentzer was the type of guy who kissed nobody's azz. Probabaly the reason he never really got the recognition he deserved.
Just look at the 1980 Olympia where Arnold made his comeback and won. Sorry, he was still big, but just look at the pics. No way he should have won that title. Zane smashed his trophy on the floor, and him and Coe were livid.
Anyway, Mentzer pulled no punches at this seminar. He openly discussed steroids, how he cycled on them and what he took. Wish there was a video cameras back then, he said some crazy azz sheet about some other bodybuilders. Maybe is was B.S., but he didn't seem like a story teller.
There were also rumours circulating around at the time of his death. He was allegedly starting to make a comeback with his brother Ray. I remember hearing stories ( and maybe they were ) that he had taken the wrong combination of stuff and it killed him. That's probably B.S. There were also rumours that he had severe depression and he commited suicide...LIke I say, these were just rumours that went around, and not my opinon at all. "
