Deadlier Than Beauty by Edmund Raoul

Author:Edmund, Raoul
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Richport Press
Published: 2022-09-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 30

It was a typical Saturday morning, and in keeping with tradition, a sizeable chunk of the city’s population decided to brave the crowded freeways and head for the water. One of the destinations of choice on the coast was a few miles of famous beachfront that started in Santa Monica and ribboned south to Venice, California.

Winding through this stretch of sand was a special path that connected the Santa Monica amusement pier with Venice Beach. It was always packed with skaters, cyclists, and joggers. This area of California was where the So Cal mystique had been forged, a setting that inspired the Beach Boys to chronicle its charms in hit songs. Here was a world of permanent summer, endless surfing, and sexual promise, where there were “two girls for every guy.” The whole nation bought into it.

Venice started out as a hippie enclave that attained notoriety for its “clothing optional” beach. Here, nudists and free-thinkers attracted throngs of wide-eyed tourists who copped a visual feel as they walked along “the strand.” The strand, the West Coast version of an East Coast beachside boardwalk, was populated by street performers, hucksters, and vendors. It was lined with pop-up businesses that sold arts and crafts, sunglasses and souvenirs. Venice was a melting pot that attracted tourists, hippies, and the homeless.

Over decades, the times had changed, but not the basic vibe. Even now, after Venice had become gentrified, with real estate prices poking the ionosphere, the vagabond heritage of Venice hung around like a stain that couldn’t be washed out. In keeping with the chill mindset that was the legacy of the flower children and the dopers, everybody accepted it and adjusted. Urban swells learned how to rub shoulders with street vermin, and life went on.

One of the landmarks of Venice that became famous was Muscle Beach. This outdoor gym-on-the-sand drew athletes who came to catch rays and show off their physiques. Southern California was the mecca of bodybuilders, and some of the biggest names in the sport started hanging out there. Soon, what started out as a crude little patio with a few barbells evolved into the premiere place to pump iron.

Muscle Beach was a mandatory hangout for muscle heads, along with gawking tourists, hot girls in bikinis, and all the nuts who claw at the fringes of spectacle. Nobody was quite sure who first came up with the name “Muscle Beach.” It might’ve been a gym rat, a real estate developer, or a city councilman. Whoever claimed authorship, it didn’t matter. The tag stuck—and the small oasis became an iconic symbol of the lifestyle in Southern California.

Nothing much had changed even now, despite the fact that Muscle Beach was already a septuagenarian in the world of SoCal legend. As the sun arced in the sky, the crowds would build and surround the small fenced area where sweat and sinew reigned supreme. Pro bodybuilders and aspiring hopefuls grabbed iron and grunted side-by-side. The spectators got an eyeful.

Brad “Biceps” Chandler was one of the faithful.

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