Muscle Talk

By: Jaime Filer

For those of you who don’t know John Romano, I’d like to devote the next 30 seconds of this article to getting you out from under your rock. Having worked with Mr. Romano professionally (and having followed his career prior to working with him), I can tell you definitively that the fitness industry wouldn’t be where it is today without him. I could dedicate this whole Q&A to what he’s done for the sport of bodybuilding, but I’ll just give you a small glimpse into his accolades and accomplishments—a short CV, if you will—to set the stage for “the good stuff”:

• Senior editor of Muscular Development magazine and author of the Muscle Meals cookbook 
• Co-Founder of RxMuscle (also: Heavy Muscle radio, Muscle Girls Inc.)
• Consulted asa steroid expert on HBO, ESPN, and ABC’s 20/20, as well as the movie Bigger, Stronger, Faster
• Director of Internet media at VPX (and host of Shotgun Radio)
• Contributing author for countless blogs, magazines, and articles

The reason I wanted to do a feature Q&A with him is because recently, John, his son, Max, and his wife, Valerie, have decided to move to Guadalajara, Mexico, to run a Gold’s Gym. The problem is that when you’re as famous as John is, people (read: haters) can’t let the story rest. They assume there has to be more to it; more intrigue, moregossip, more steroids—more whatever! So I decided to give John a platform to let the rumors rest and set the record straight.

Q. Tell us about your move to Mexico. Was it sudden or something you’ve been planning for a while?

A. I have owned property in Mexico since 1982. In 1999, I moved down here for what I thought was eternity. Unfortunately, my now ex-wife had other ideas and eventually kidnapped my son and left. I battled with her in two countries and eventually, after six years, gave in and left Mexico for Florida so I could be near my son. It has always been my intention to return.

Q. What will you be doing down there? What was so enticing that you were more than willing to relocate from Florida?

A. What was so enticing was an offer from a longtime friend to buy one of his Gold’s Gyms in Guadalajara (pictured above). It is a property I’ve always told him I would jump at the chance to buy if he ever thought of selling it. Well, one day he decided to sell it, and I was buying. It’s as simple as that. Opportunities are only opportunities if you take advantage of them in their lifetime. This was the opportunity I was waiting for. My wife and son were all for it, so it really didn’t take too long to pack and get down here.

Q. Obviously rumors abound regarding your departure from the US—everything from escaping the IRS to being a drug lord to just being done with the fitness industry as a whole. How do you respond to this type of slander? Do you bother reading the boards anymore?

A. I really don’t ever read the boards. I couldn’t care less what they say. It’s like asking me if it bothers me what people in Afghanistan are saying about me. They just don’t factor into my life, so I just don’t care. On the odd occasion when someone suggests I do read them, I’m usually oddly amused that so many retards can actually use a computer. But, if they can send a monkey into space, I suppose anything is possible. If I were running from anything, I wouldn’t be posting my location and photos of exactly where I am on Facebook. Chief Inspector Clouseau could find me. If that doesn’t point to how idiotic those morons are, then the idea of me being a drug lord should really convince you. The Mexican drug cartels are some of the strongest in the world. They don’t need me. And as far as being unemployed in the States goes, again I laugh. I’ve been gainfully employed probably longer than all those idiots put together. That’s why they know who I am! I can live and work wherever I choose. I love Mexico, so I choose to live and work here. End of story.

Q. One rumor on the boards that struck me as particularly vicious was that your wife left you and your son was in foster care. Why do you think people would take your announcement to move so personally that they’d attack your loved ones?

A. Like I said, I don’t care what they say. I’ve learned one thing for sure about the message boards: Idiots live there and idiots will do what idiots do best—be an idiot. They have said I’m in jail, diseased, abandoned by my wife, cheating on my wife, broke, fired, homeless, destitute, even dead. Clearly, the smaller the brain, the easier they are to entertain. So, let them have their fun. My wife and son are with me, and we are enjoying a life they couldn’t even dream of, and if they did, they would have to wake up and apologize.

Q. After you left MD and RX Muscle, we learned you were no stranger to hearing stuff like this about yourself. What drives these people to say the things they do? What’s the mentality behind it?

A. They act like morons and delight in their baseless verbal assaults that go nowhere but bounce around in their teeny, tiny, boring, pathetic world. The truth is, they are this way because they are jealous. They want to be me, have the job I have, the voice I have, the skill set I have, the connections I have, the woman I have, the life I have, etc. Since they can’t even come close, they hate. It’s the simple humannature of some very simpleminded humans (a term I use lightly).

Q. What’s next for John Romano?

A. I’m done. I’m 52, I’ve been working for over 30 years in this industry, and I’ve pretty much had enough. I’m basically retired. I just wish I wasn’t so busy! I love doing my radio shows with Jeff the Producer. That guy is such an amazing talent; I just want to do anything I can to help him get the exposure he’s been denied. We are planning even more programing and are enlisting some interesting means to digitally market ourselves. As far as the gym goes, my wife and I have a ton of plans to drive sales and make it more successful than it already is, not to mention just enjoy training there. It is one of the best equipped gyms around. It rivals any gym in the US (actually, all the equipment has come from various US gyms. We even have pieces from the Gold’s in Las Vegas that recently closed down). I’m also developing a program with a couple of doctors I know to bring people down to Mexico, put them up in a nice hotel suite near our gym, and put them through four-, six-, and eight-week diet, training, supplement, and drug programs—that are not legal in the US—for anti-aging, bodybuilding, or just overall aesthetics. And, of course, I have my writing. We just moved into a huge three-story penthouse that has a great roof deck and office on the third floor that has a killer view of the entire city. I’ll be spending quite a few nights up there pecking away into the wee hours. Basically, I’ll be doing all the things that will give the morons more reasons to hate me!