I knew both brothers reasonably well.
Mike was certainly odd but more good than bad. He was always cool and cordial with me. I liked him.
Same here, mate.
Apart from one supremely bizarre talk we had (and that was before he even knew my name; by the time we spoke on a semi-regular basis, he'd apparently forgotten my voice from that first exchange

), he was fun to talk to. I never heard him denigrate black people, but he did call Mattarazzo (SP?) a "typical, hot-headed dumb wop." And his opinions about the Soviets and hard-core Islamists were definitely aligned with Getbigger ideals, LOL.
"Arthur Jones once said the Middle East should be reduced to a glass desert. I say the whole thing should be reduced to a giant crater."
Ray was a certifiable douche bag and ass wipe. Completely full of himself even when he was a fat mess and 275 pounds of goo. Only spoke negatively about any other bodybuilder- even bodybuilders that were winning IFBB shows in the 1990’s.
I was bummed when Mike died. Can’t say the same about the other guy.
Yeah.
I never spoke with Ray, but from all accounts, he was a douche, first class. We've all read the stories about his long-winded lecturing and bullshitting about his strength.
To step back for a second, it's only fair to say that he was incredibly strong; Bill Pearl testified to that. However, we can't help but to consider his insane claim of a double with 900 in the back squat.
Heh, no.
It'd be cool if Vince Basile could share some Ray stories.