You’d prefer a swing back to more balanced muscle, where beauty and distinctive elegance are accentuated?
JB: I’d prefer it, but that era has passed into ancient history. Think of the innovators—John Grimek, Larry Scott, Bob Paris, Dave Draper, Frank Zane and Chris Dickerson. They had proportion, respected clean lines and presented themselves as works of art. Today, they’d be laughed off the stage, no lie. RL: Arnold gave bodybuilding mainstream legitimacy, but that was more than 30 years ago. Lately, it’s been inching back toward the cellar. Your opinion? JB: Competitively, bodybuilding’s already in the cellar. There’s no inching about it. RL: The catalyst? JB: Lee Haney’s Olympia streak. Not to knock him, but Lee was an enormous guy! Nobody could beat him. Rich Gaspari, Paris and Lee Labrada tried, and they crashed and burned. That’s what ushered in this sorry era of mass, and Dorian carried it to another insane level. Ronnie and Jay have maintained the status quo. RL: Imagine if Paris had won an Olympia! Whoa! JB: Bob Paris carried the torch for balanced muscle. Bodybuilding would’ve tr
