Is this irony? EAS and Play Clean

“Poignantly contrary to what was expected or implied”? Yeah, I’d say so.

Many eons ago, when old Mistress K was young, there was a magical playground for foulmouthed muscle heads called misc.fitness.weights. In this fantastical land, the iron-lovers with enough technical skill to use this new series of interconnected computers (the “Inter-Net”) could speak to one another, usually in profanities and allusions about various people’s mothers.

It was a special place where we could talk about things like how much Jesus would squat, how to make a tuna shake, and most importantly, drugs. Lots of drugs.

You see, boys and girls, pro and even amateur bodybuilding makes your local pharmacy looks like a breatharian crystals-and-berries woo-woo-opathy shop. People pretty much injected themselves with turkey basters instead of syringes.

No judging; it was what it was. I’m not promoting the moral hysteria profiled in Bigger, Faster, Stronger. Personally, I’m all for better living through intelligent application of chemistry — just admit it instead of pretending your physique is the result of some special rainforest plant, unless that rainforest plant is called testosterone.

No, I tell you this only to remind you that bodybuilding hasn’t been “natural” since about the 1940s. (Those of you ascairt of becoming a she-beast, remember this fact. Those of you who want to become she-beasts, high fives — carry on as you were.)

One of the key publications folks followed to get their juice info was EAS’ publication Musclemedia 2000. EAS and its writers/publishers were well known drug advocates. Like everyone else in the mid-1990s, they were dedicated to the chemistry freak show. So, it’s with great glee that I read the news release about EAS’ partnership with I Play Clean. Also noted is the irony that the sports most devoted to producing million-dollar circuses are the ones most earnestly wringing their hands. Funny how life is.