Looking Back - Blasts from the past

[Cableguy]

Lol nice story.  People that have met benfatto all say he is a nice guy thst tskes his time to talk to the fans...thst pic of him is unreal. Thats how they should look

I met and talked with Benfatto in the mid 90's at World Gym in Venice. Very humble and truly a nice guy. Definitely an inspiration.

[Dopey]

Looks like someone punked Kevin Levrone on Wikipedia.
Nice filmography listed ha ha

[old-school-lifter]

This photograph is from March 1994, interviewing the great Flex Wheeler at the IFBB Southern States show. The reason this is significant to me is that it was this night that I announced that Doherty’s Gym was going to open in Brunswick 2 weeks later on April 8th. Which means that it is 20 years ago today that it all really started for me.

I knew that this was my last shot at it, as I had nothing and owed about $200,000 which was loaded against my parents home. They had backed me from day one and I had let them and everyone close to me down. I had pissed it away and partied like a rockstar, thinking I was shit hot. Thinking I was bulletproof, a success in my own mind. Truth is, I was delusional, dazed and way, way ahead of myself.

I opened the doors on April 8th without a single member, no staff, no money in my pocket, nothing in the bank. I had no idea how I would get through the first week, let alone the first year. I just waited for someone to come in and train and after a few hours, a young couple came in and joined up. That first day I had about 10 people come in but no one else joined. This went on for a while and I just kept at it. Kept showing up, day after day, week after week.

The first year I sold everything to keep the doors open, house, cars, furniture, you name it, I lost it. The phone or power got cut every month, at least. I had no where to live and no car, all I had was a vertical grill and a rice cooker. I slept on the couch at the gym for that first 12 months, I would get up in the morning and walk up to the main road to get a paper and a coffee. This way it looked like I had actually come from somewhere. Then I would walk to the gym to open up at 6AM. I would work through to 9 or 10PM, most days on my own until everyone had left, once again I would lock up and pretend to head home until everyone had gone, then sneak back and let myself back in.

I developed a saying that I still use to this day. “Don’t worry about what you can’t do, worry about what you can do.” So with that in mind, when I couldn’t afford to buy new equipment, I would buy a can of paint. When no one came in, I would move everything in the gym. I would dust, clean, re-arrange everything. After a while, people would come in and say, “Hey you are always doing something.”  That inspired me more, I thought if people come in and I’m sitting around or complaining, they will pick up on that crap energy. If they come in and I’m busy, they will know I care.

Slowly I started to straighten myself out, killed the ego, got back into heavy training, lost the ponytail and kicked myself until I got up and about. I realise now, how far I had fallen and how close I came to falling through the cracks. I knew that from then on, I would give life everything I had. By that I mean, I made a deal with myself that I would never have regret, or die wondering. No  more excuses, no blaming others, no turning back.

I’m writing this for anyone doubting themselves. Anyone thinking about giving up, or thinking they don’t deserve success. For the ones out there that have made stupid mistakes and bad choices. For everyone that has been told they are no good, everyone that has been written off and laughed at. You must never quit, never give in, never let the doubters wear you down. You gotta be tough, you have to stop worrying about what others think. You have to find it within yourself. You have to hold your head up high and stay humble, no matter what, you have to grind. You have to get up every day and attack it like it is your last day, your last chance. When you put you head down at night, you have to know you did everything today, that you could to move forward. Sometimes it will seem fruitless, useless and slow. That is when you dig in harder, you must trust the process, trust yourself and most of all believe in yourself, I mean deep down inside where no one else dwells, that’s where you have to believe in yourself.

Grind hard - Don’t quit!

great stuff TD
keep up the great work, you deserve all your success

you should bring back the pony tail ! 

[kyomu]

Kick ass thread.  Appreciation tits.

Luckiest movile phone on the planet.

[Tony Doherty]

I have been on the road the last 2 weeks, MC at Arnold Classic in Rio then up to Pittsburgh to interview everyone for www.npcnewsonline. Off to Birmingham this week for BodyPower Expo and then I will get this thread back on track.

[Slik]

He got 5 years. Got released when he was very ill and died within days. It was very sad. He kept complaining about this lump under his arm and shoulder to prison authorities. They just kept saying it was an old injury to get over it. By the time he was diagnosed properly, November 29th it was an advanced cancer that had got into his lungs. He died on Jan 25th, just 7 weeks later. I was visiting him in the prison hospital the day he got his diagnosis and he knew he was fucked. When they tipped him out with just days to live, they didn't even give him proper pain relief. We had to go to a mission to get morphine to comfort him as he died.

Saddest fucking time I can remember. He has been gone for 10 years.

used to see him train at Venice. Big guy w great shape. I remember him n Flex sitting on one of those tables that have the metal legs that fold down. U see them now made out plastic. Anyway we all know those tables aren't the sturdiest. They were both sitting on the table under a tent at the Redondo beach performing arts center at the maybe 91? Iron man pro. I thot for sure the table was gonna snap. This was back in the day wen Shawn was bitching that the iffb xray Flex' calves for implants. Shawn must notta know about synthol back then I guess. Anyway they were both in spandex looking like things from another planet.

But guess who the hit of the whole show was?  Some huge unknown mf'er strolling around in a pink izod shirt. His name was Paul Dillet.

Btw, first time I ever saw Paul I was driving to the Mecca n was coming down the road where the brick house or wutever the f its called is. Almost to intersection by Mecca n this giant with shoulders n arms like I've never seen is walking down the road. I almost wreck my car. This was back wen Venice was crawling w the best n he stood out. That's wen he first started working out there.

Months later my gf kept said she hated that guy cuz he kept hitting on her.

Good ol days for sure.

[wild willie]

keep the stories coming......please!


very good material here!!


looking forward to more blasts from the past!

[kepler2008]

+1

Thanks (merci) 

[Tony Doherty]

I got much more, just been busy. Who do you want to hear about?

[Kim Jong Bob]

I got much more, just been busy. Who do you want to hear about?

random funny storys you witnessrd or heard involving famous bodybuilders

[njflex]

I got much more, just been busy. Who do you want to hear about?

BENFATTO/LABRADA

[wild willie]

BENFATTO/LABRADA

x2

[phil mcgroin]

Great thread Tony, keep those pics coming! I trained at the first Golds Gym in Florida for years, Golds Gym in Sunrise Florida! The owner Ken Beley was good friends with Grymko! He told me all kinds of stories about him how he loved to party, said he was a great guy! Never got to meet him though! Saw Grymko in the 1980 Pro Florida Show! He got 4th place he was the biggest guy onstage!

Trained there a few times in the late 80s

[Maus]

On tour with Nasser late 90s.

Nasser was a great guest and very funny even if it was at the expense of everyone else. He hung shit on just about every other pro and although it could seem he was full of hate, a lot of it was tongue in cheek. He would would tell the most incredible and unbelievable stories of the other pros. Sometimes I think he would just see how far he could go before you knew he was bullshitting.

He also had a kind side that he didn't like anyone to see. We went to this restaurant on Sydney Road one night, it was Nepalese from memory and a family was working very hard to keep the doors open. They had the Dad cooking, the Mum serving and a few little kids out the back on broken furniture and on the floor watching a tiny little TV. You could see they were doing it hard and basically had nothing. When we were leaving Nasser said he had forgotten something and went back inside. I watched through the window as he handed over a couple of hundred bucks to the Mum. He came outside and never said a word about it. I thought that showed a lot of class.

Another time in a different restaurant, much more upmarket, we got really bad service. One of us complained when the food came out cold or undercooked or something. Nasser quickly paid the bill and said we are leaving, convinced that chefs spit in your food if ever you complain. With a dead pan, straight face, he warned me to always leave a restaurant in this situation, no exceptions.

On one tour, we had had quite a few bottles of beer on the last night, we had an early start and I dropped him off at the hotel late in the night. After a few hours I returned to get him to the airport. I was exhausted, hungover and just made it out of bed. There he was as fresh as could be, no hangover, all packed up and waiting at the front. When we got to the airport he handed me a big envelope full of 8 X 10 pictures that he had been selling on the tour. He had stayed up and signed every one of them, maybe 50-60. Some he even had left a message like, "Train Hard ............. Your friend, Nasser" leaving blank spaces for their names. When I asked him what they were for, he said "please give them out to the fans that coould not afford to come to the show"

He could be cutting with his opinions and stories but then had this kindness that I have seldom seen.

RIP Nasser.

[Maus]

thanks for these great pics and stories about Nasser Tony

i have heard of many similar stories of nasser's kindness and generosity from other fans

great thread TD and keep it going!

Nasser was kind, humorous, so intelligent...a man so misunderstood.  He will always be the uncrowned champion.  His legacy will live on forever. 

[Tony Doherty]

BENFATTO/LABRADA

I cant tell you too much about Labrada, except that when he competed in the Olympia in Finland, he blew my mind. See I had always thought of him as a little guy. In fact I didn't rate him at all. When he walked out and matched it with Dorian and Kevin I was shocked. Dude was wide, thick and skinless. After that I really rated him as one of the best. Always pleasant to talk to at shows and expos.

[Tony Doherty]

Benfatto was a really nice guy but absolutely bat crazy at contest time. When he came into Australia he had enough prescription sleeping tabs for about 3 years. He got caught at customs and his defense was that they were available over the counter at home in South Africa and it made good financial sense to buy in bulk.

At the 2006 Australian Grand Prix a mate of mine came home from the casino as drunk as hell at about 2:30 in the morning. Staggering back to the contest hotel, he could see a disheveled figure doing laps of the perimeter of the hotel in the distance. We he got closer he could see the guy had on slippers and a dressing gown and was walking with great purpose and fury.

Yep, Francis, getting in some last minute cardio the night before the big show.

Whatever he did, he had better condition at 48 than most people have in their life. A great guest and a funny, humble man.

[Donny]

Tony did you ever meet Bob Paris? what was he like? always loved his Modern Steve Reeves like shape..

[njflex]

THANKS FOR LABRADA/BENFATTO..

[wild willie]

GREAT STUFF TONY.....MUCH APPRECIATED!!!


EXCITED TO HEAR ABOUT BOB PARIS!

[wes]

Awesome shot....you don`t see builds like these anymore. 

[gracie bjj]

great stories, best bodybuilding decades of my life where 80,s n 90,s, great times

[Tony Doherty]

Tony did you ever meet Bob Paris? what was he like? always loved his Modern Steve Reeves like shape..

I had Bob Paris in Melbourne back in 1989 when we had an Australian Pro. He placed 3rd behind Strydom and Robbie Robinson. Was very quiet and easy to work with but did not really get to know him. No stories sorry.

[galain]

How about Mike Quinn, Tony? Ever had any dealings with him back in the day?

[Tony Doherty]

How about Mike Quinn, Tony? Ever had any dealings with him back in the day?

That is the one pro I do not know and have had nothing to do with.