John Romano just ran a "my side of the story" interview with Lou (in the August MD) that is unlikely to turn the tide of public opinion against Lou. Lou defends his $20 a shot for pix by saying that he gives a lot of his pix away. Where? Not at BB expos. Yes, he's there to make a buck & deserves to, if he signs a pic he brought himself. But someone snapping his pic is not picking his pocket. He defends his lawsuit against his brother by saying his brother's lying & he can't go into it any further than that because of the lawsuit. Again, not good enough. If he doesn't have anything to hide, why hide it? & if he can't give any details, why do the interview?
As for Romano's assertion that Lou's past is G-rated, excuse me? My recollection is that PUMPING IRON was rated R. Lou's attack on his father's character is enough to get out of the G range. He basically claimed that his father emotionally abused him, as I recall. Not Disney material. He also made an ass of himself after the first Masters Olympia in 1994 by literally saying "I wuz robbed" to an ESPN interviewer. That was an insult to Robbie Robinson, the judges, & the other competitors.
Another assertion that Romano makes is that only Lou deserves the right to profit from the Ferrigno name. & his brother deserves to go bankrupt? Very odd to read.
The one thing I'm with Romano on is that Gregg Valentino says a lot of stupid stuff. Quite correct. But as editor of MD, why doesn't Romano read Valentino's column before it goes to press? Strange.
