Vol II Endorsements
Bodybuilding Revelation – Ken Sprague
Randy Roach has written a bodybuilding revelation; a well-documented odyssey through the good, bad, ugly, sex, cheating, conniving, contest rigging, back-stabbing, vote-rigging and characters at the core of modern bodybuilding. A remarkable work and bodybuilding masterpiece fit for the general marketplace. We’re lucky he chose bodybuilding for his literary efforts. I’m certain the book will play out on Ironage for years—there’s sensational stuff in the book that’s never been written before. Consider this the textbook for the ironage—in that light, it’s under-priced. I have never met a professor who has put more effort into a venture; every comment is sourced and researched to pick the wheat from the chaff. It represents a truly remarkable effort, a finely written work. And to beat all, it’s a super-interesting “page turner.”
- Ken Sprague,
Gold’s Gym owner, on ironage.us.
Bob Gajda’s reaction to Volume II
Terry Strand sent me theseshots of Bob Gajda reading the latest Volume:
“Bob Gajda is a huge fan of a huge book: Muscle, Smoke, and Mirrors Volume 2, coming in at 701 pages of fine print by author Randy Roach….here he is reading it today at his physiotherapy clinic, Gajda Health Plus, in Palatine, Illinois. A ‘masterpiece of bodybuilding history’ is his comment.
Merry Christmas,
Terry”
Amazed, Impressed, Dumbfounded – Shawn Perine
Randy, I am amazed, impressed and altogether dumfounded by your talent, skill, passion and tenacity. Your contributions to the history of bodybuilding can never be overstated.
-Shawn Perine,
Muscle & Fitness
Better Than Volume I – Joe Roark
Randy Roach’s newest book, ‘Muscle, Smoke and Mirrors’ vol 2, is, in my view, even better than vol 1 which was in itself exquisite!
There are authors who can write contest reports, others who handle facts well, others who write good fiction (even though they think they are writing facts). But there is not another Randy Roach. Fielding statements from literally dozens of major and minor sources, he appraises them by what must have been a temendous task of study and comparison, places them in logical order and importance, then weaves all that into an interesting, well-written, readable storyline. The grunt work of reverse-blending all that information is horrendous in its difficulty, but Roach makes it appear as though he is chatting with a single source, who had done all this before- but NO ONE had!
Several key players in iron history, each standing with a cog-wheel of information are orderly interlocked so that the whole seems to become more than the sum of its parts, as though there is bonus knowledge when the tale is so well formatted and revealed. An avalanche of information awaits the careful reader of this sparkling and splenid masterpiece of ironhistory. Anyone not reading this book must consider himself minus some very
skeleton-key ingredients in the overall scenario in the topics it covers from Arnold to Arthur Jones and the machinations of the exercise machine wars.
- Joe Roark
Former IFBB Historian
www.ironhistory.com
Remarkable Writing Skills – Norm Komich
CONGRATULATIONS RANDY!!! I am already almost one third of the way through it!!!!!! Once again you have displayed remarkable writing skills !! I just cannot imagine the time that you put into first acquiring all the information and then consolidating it into the intensely meaningful narrative that you have!!! It is another MASTERPIECE!!!! The World of Bodybuilding owes you a great deal of THANKS for recording so much of the “behind the scenes” perspective of what so many of us lived through with only a cursory understanding of what actually went on. GOOD FOR YOU!!!!
-Norm Komich
Read MoreKnocked It Out Of The Park – Terry Strand
Randy, your book is a killer! You knocked it out of the park, and I’m not saying this merely to puff you up. I’m on page one hundred fifty, reading it slowly because I don’t want it to end. There are other experts in the Iron Game, but nobody has ever come anywhere close to laying out the entire history of bodybuilding from Alpha to the Omega, as you are doing. The volumes are the litmus test to determine if one is a true iron head: in other words those who are able to put down the tomes are not only non-lifters, but they also may be clinically dead as well! You should be inducted into the AOBS Hall of Fame without a question, in my humble opinion.
- Terry Strand,
ChicagoLand
Extremely Well Researched And Represented – Dr. Ken Leistner
This is an extremely well researched and well presented piece of history, complete and enjoyable to read.
-Dr. Ken Leistner
Read MoreA New Standard On Physical Culture Books – Ron Koeberer
Over the course of the last year, I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Randy Roach as a contributor to Volume II of Muscle, Smoke & Mirrors. And I am proud to have been one of the few people that have seen this volume as both a work in progress and as a finished product. What Randy has done here is simply stunning. His attention to detail, accuracy, and his ability to uncover new and relevant information that has never before been known, talked about, or seen in print, makes his new book totally absorbing while at the same time setting a benchmark, a new standard to which all other books on physical culture will no doubt be judged. Yes, it is that good.
-Ron Koeberer,
motion picture photographer,
www.koberfoto.com
You Are Its Boswell – Charles Gaines
I’m a hundred pages or so into Vol.2 & enjoying it enormously. You really have done a great job with that fascinating, complicated, politically-charged, big ego time. Your handling of the story is calm, fair,
big-hearted even, and the writing is very good indeed. Many, many congratulations to you on a fine, fine job. I simply cant imagine that anyone will ever do this particular story better or more comprehensively than you have. You are its Boswell.
- Charles Gaines,
Author of Pumping Iron
The “REAL” Book Of Bodybuilding- Boyer Coe
For many years I have always said that someone should write the “REAL” book of bodybuilding, the “REAL” stories. At the time I believed that only two people were capable of doing that, one was Artie Zeller, the other person was Wayne DeMilia. Artie, passed away a few years ago, Wayne has no interest in such a project. Recently, a third individual has emerged and has proven even more capable in educating people about the true evolution of bodybuilding. That person is Randy Roach. I promise you this, you will not be able to put the book down.
-Boyer Coe,
1969 Mr. America, Mr. Universe
Surpasses All Expectations – Sifu Patricia Fievoli
Muscle, Smoke & Mirrors, Volume II, The Pumping Iron Years…Nautilus Emerges, SURPRISING, EYE-OPENING, SURPASSES ALL EXPECTATIONS! As a martial artist, I have an interest in health and strength development. Having no prior knowledge of the “Iron Game”, I found Volume I thoroughly enjoyable, and anxiously awaited the release of Volume II.
Volume II is outstanding! Equally rich in history, content and wisdom, Randy delves into the lives and drama of its characters, against the backdrop of world events of the 1970s. The sports, politics, music and history of that era are seamlessly interwoven into the narrative. Randy’s turn of a phrase will have readers laughing out loud at times.
Reading through the night, I was lost in the drama and stories of these men. The hardships, politics, and pitfalls that they struggled through are eye-opening; not only for the competitors themselves, but for the people behind the scenes, who turned out to be as or even more influential. Randy takes us into the world of steroids, diets, nutrition, routines, stereotypes, and cultural barriers – not to mention the lawsuits and legal battles that raged. I was shocked to learn about the incidents of rigged drug tests, underhanded business strategies, and the numerous other techniques used, all in an attempt to rise to the top of the “Iron Game”.
While some felt steroid use was simply part of the game, others were adamantly opposed. Who used them? Who did not? What nutrition and strength routines worked? What did not? What equipment was best? Who played the game well? Who lost? All is revealed.
Thoroughly informative and entertaining, Muscle, Smoke, and Mirrors, Volume II is ideal for everyone…whether well-versed in the history of sports and health, or simply wanting to be entertained with a riveting story. It surpasses all expectations!!!!
- Sifu Patricia Fievoli
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