The world of bodybuilding misses the late, great Ric Drasin. For many fans he was the bridge between the current sport and its golden era. Unlike many commentators and biographers who attempt to retell the stories of old – Ric lived it. He trained with Arnold when Gold’s was the house across the street. That’s right, he was so old school he predated the Gold’s Gym 99.9% of the world believes to be the mecca of bodybuilding. He spoke about the diets, the work the guys used to do, and the training. He talked about going to the Germans, a small diner frequented by the legends of yesteryear, and spoke about the amazing value that was enjoyed back then. Whereas Venice Beach today is arguably a tourist trap back in the old days it was a beach like any other. The bodybuilders made it famous. It was the bodybuilders, the powerlifters, and the pro wrestlers who made that strip of coastline an internationally-known enclave of all things strength and endurance. Ric was all about showing that era for all that it was. He often said those were some of the best times of his life and that that scene would never be duplicated.
When Ric launched Ric’s Corner the fans just couldn’t get enough. People wanted to hear stories about the Arnold that Ric knew. Not the guy who got mobbed wherever he went, but the Austrian transplant who laid bricks with Franco, who’d get up early to train, and would party with the guys at the marina. This was before he was a movie star, before he was tapped by Presidents to work in D.C., and long before he became governor of California. At the time, he was the king of the hill, but he could still walk around in peace, lay out and get sun, and chow down at local greasy spoons. The fact is Arnold was Ric’s training partner so the amount of knowledge Drasin had on The Oak was almost unparalleled.
After many conversations, I was able to convince Ric to start doing Skype interviews. He usually had guests join him in-studio; however, I turned him onto the possibilities of interviewing guests nationally and internationally. I’m proud to have been his first online interview and from there he was off to the races. Ric had a very conversational type interviewing style. It’s something we shared when it came to speaking to guests. Interviews that sound like question and answer over and over again, get redundant and fast. Not only are they boring, but they’re so repetitive they might even make viewers dizzy.
Ric knew how to do interviews and he really loved what he was doing. Beyond that he had a deep understanding of bodybuilding, acting, pro wrestling and another dozen or so topics which were often covered and discussed at length on Ric’s Corner. This was a show people loved to watch, whether he had Jerry Brainum on, Rich Piana, or any number of rising stars cutting their teeth with The Equalizer!! He gave a lot of athletes their big break and he loved being part of their journey!
Ric Drasin is missed by the bodybuilding world. He was a great man, a living legend! Be sure to join the Ric’s Corner Fanpage on Facebook and if you haven’t subscribed to his channel on YouTube, then be sure that’s on the top of your todo list! You’ll definitely thank me for it!
