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SO LONG DAN......DANIEL DUCHAINE 1952-2000 by Will Brink
Jan 14th 2000. I sit looking out the window of my office watching the snow fall and write this article with a heavy heart. Dan "the guru" Duchaine passed away in his apartment in Southern California January 12th, 2000. He was 47 years old.
The very word enigma was designed with Dan Duchaine in mind. Even his closest friends were never sure what side of Dan they would see. The outside world only saw one side, that of the mad scientist steroid guru looking for a way to shock the world with a new idea or discovery. Dan's contribution to the sports and bodybuilding industry stretches much farther than most people realize and few are willing to give credit for his genius. I don't use the term genius lightly.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Love him or hate him, Dan Duchaine was one of the smartest people I have ever known. Without so much as a high school biology course under his belt, he understood concepts and theorized on aspects of human nutrition, biology, and chemistry that would leave many scientists speechless. He was not always correct in his theories, but his ability to open up new avenues of thought on a topic was unrivaled and unequaled. His creativity and curiosity in approaching a topic was his greatest strength, and he knew it. For better or for worse, Dan has probably had more effect on the sports supplement industry than any single person.
Dan's public life regarding his legal problems, jail sentences, and out spoken views on steroids and other performance enhancing drugs are well known, so I won't beleaguer his memory with those facets of his life here. What most people don't know about Dan is that he had many sides to him no one would have ever expected. Dan had very few people in the world he considered close friends, and I was honored enough to be considered one of them. He was one of the most generous people I have ever met and was a very kind person in fact. He would lend money to friends in need never really expecting to be paid back. He paid all the bills for his only living relative, an aunt who resides in Maine.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan had a sense of humor that could only be described as wicked and brilliant. Readers could get a glimpse of that humor in the many articles he wrote over the years in countless publications. Dan was more like a devious ten year old boy than an adult man at times. The world seemed to bore Dan, and like many ten year old boys, he would often entertain himself by making trouble. Most people thought he did it to be mean spirited, but I knew he did it out of some devious need for excitement. He would often tell others some bit of information which a friend had asked him to keep as a secret. When confronted with this he would often say "Well, yes I did it, but I just had so much fun doing it I could not resist!" and break into laughter. It was hard to stay mad at him. There was the time he stood up in a seminar of over 200 people and informed them that Mike Mentzer had just died. The room was aghast by the sudden news. When people found out it was not true, they were angry at Dan. Dan maintained a "good source" had told him about Mentzer's demise just before leaving for the seminar. I knew better and accused him of just making it up to entertain himself and cause more trouble. He gave me a devilish grin and refused to speak about it. To me, Dan was a mixture of Andy Kaufman and Albert Einstein, with some Bart Simpson thrown in.
Dan tried to give off the persona of that of an uncaring loner, but nothing could be further from the truth. Dan loved children and it was one of his greatest wishes to be a father some day. I recall him telling me how much he wanted to be a father as we drove down the highway one sunny afternoon in LA. "What?" I said "the Steroid Guru want's to be a father?" "Yes Will," he replied, "more than anything in the world." Sad to say, that wish never came true.
Dan had many plans for the future and many talents most people were unaware of. He had recently started a small bike building company and had plans to build a new type of hybrid bicycle he had designed himself.
The truth be known, Dan was sick to death of the bodybuilding industry and confided in me that if the bike business took off he would be happy to never write another article as long as he lived. Dan and I had also been working on producing a TV show together and he had made good contacts for pursuing that. The show was going to be sort of a crazy hybrid fitness show and 50's style variety show with plenty of hot fitness babes thrown in for good measure (and ratings!). Dan had many hobbies and talents people never knew about and that was fine with Dan. He was a very private person, though not because he didn't like people but because he didn't know who liked him. He always felt like the odd person out. In an industry of unique individuals, Dan was the most unique of individuals.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for what happened to Dan, Dan died in his sleep at his apartment from what appears to be natural causes. He was found Thursday, Jan. 13th by his close friend Shelley Hominuk. As most people know, Dan had always had various health problems throughout his life. He was born with polycystic kidney disease, a genetic defect that often leads to kidney failure. While in prison years ago, Dan suffered a small stroke which he recovered from. Last year, he had gallbladder problems which turned out to be gallstones and a possible ulcer. Most recently, Dan had been suffering with the flu which had plagued him for weeks. His health declined and his bodyweight dropped drastically. Typical of stubborn Dan, he refused to go to the hospital. When he didn't answer his phone, Shelley became concerned and went looking to see if he was all right.
Of course the rumor mill will try and place Dan's death on some more mysterious cause, but by all accounts, including both the police and coroner's report, Dan died of natural causes. Dan is, and will always be, my friend. Wherever you are Dan, I know you are making trouble and laughing at all of us.
The world will not be the same without The Guru, Dan Duchaine..
=====================================
Daniel Duchaine was the author of many, many articles. He had been published and quoted in practically EVERY bodybuilding magazine and newsletter that has been circulated. The Underground Steroid Handbook, the sequel; USH II, The Underground BodyOpus the Dirty Dieting newsletter, and his Danarchy articles are excellent collections of some of his more delectable writing inspirations.
"The Writer" Daniel Duchaine had personally coached many athletes, bodybuilders and movie stars
1981 "Underground Steroid Handbook"
1983 "Ultimate Dieting Handbook"
1988 "The Steroid Guru"
1988 "Underground Steroid Handbook II"
1996 "Muscle Media 2000"
1996 "Bodyopus"
1997 "Dirty Dieting"
Daniel Duchaine had also made several guest appearances at many athletic/bodybuilding events, seminars, talk and radio shows including The Nasty Man, 60 Minutes, 20/20, Geraldo, Now It Can Be Told, and The Ronald Reagan Show.
"The Chemist" Daniel Duchaine knew the research. He did the experiments. He had fathered the foundations of many of the "grey- market" supplements as we know them today.
1983 Ultimate Orange / Next Nutrition.
1990 Ion-exchange whey protein and vanadyl sulfate.
1993 Designer Protein / Next Nutrition
1994 CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid)
1995 Promoted the moderate-fat diet in bodybuilding
1996 ISO3 / Next Nutrition
1997 Androstenedione / OSMO Therapy
1998 Yo-Be-Lean /Essentials, Inc
1998 Andro-forte 100™ / Essentials, Inc.
"The Infamous" Daniel Duchaine had no scruples. He told no lies. He was "no holds barred"
1984 Initiated the John Siegler Fan Club - the 1st mail-order steroid business.
1985 Co-founded Laboratories Milano, in Tijuana, Mexico - the largest black-market steroid manufacturing plant.
1987 Indicted by the US government on conspiracy and mislabeling charges.
1988 Coached major Olympic athletes in passing drug testing.
1988 Introduced clenbuterol to American bodybuilders.
1989 18-month sentence in federal prison.
1990 Assisted top Mr. Olympia competitors to pass steroid testing with blocking agents.
1991 Indicted by the US government for selling GHB and Clenbuterol to longevity clubs.
1992 30-month sentence in federal prison.
1998 Off probation - Back to the world of bodybuilding where he continued to advise until his demise on January 12th, 2000.
2000 Daniel passed away at the age of 47. RIP.
Jan 14th 2000. I sit looking out the window of my office watching the snow fall and write this article with a heavy heart. Dan "the guru" Duchaine passed away in his apartment in Southern California January 12th, 2000. He was 47 years old.
The very word enigma was designed with Dan Duchaine in mind. Even his closest friends were never sure what side of Dan they would see. The outside world only saw one side, that of the mad scientist steroid guru looking for a way to shock the world with a new idea or discovery. Dan's contribution to the sports and bodybuilding industry stretches much farther than most people realize and few are willing to give credit for his genius. I don't use the term genius lightly.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Love him or hate him, Dan Duchaine was one of the smartest people I have ever known. Without so much as a high school biology course under his belt, he understood concepts and theorized on aspects of human nutrition, biology, and chemistry that would leave many scientists speechless. He was not always correct in his theories, but his ability to open up new avenues of thought on a topic was unrivaled and unequaled. His creativity and curiosity in approaching a topic was his greatest strength, and he knew it. For better or for worse, Dan has probably had more effect on the sports supplement industry than any single person.
Dan's public life regarding his legal problems, jail sentences, and out spoken views on steroids and other performance enhancing drugs are well known, so I won't beleaguer his memory with those facets of his life here. What most people don't know about Dan is that he had many sides to him no one would have ever expected. Dan had very few people in the world he considered close friends, and I was honored enough to be considered one of them. He was one of the most generous people I have ever met and was a very kind person in fact. He would lend money to friends in need never really expecting to be paid back. He paid all the bills for his only living relative, an aunt who resides in Maine.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan had a sense of humor that could only be described as wicked and brilliant. Readers could get a glimpse of that humor in the many articles he wrote over the years in countless publications. Dan was more like a devious ten year old boy than an adult man at times. The world seemed to bore Dan, and like many ten year old boys, he would often entertain himself by making trouble. Most people thought he did it to be mean spirited, but I knew he did it out of some devious need for excitement. He would often tell others some bit of information which a friend had asked him to keep as a secret. When confronted with this he would often say "Well, yes I did it, but I just had so much fun doing it I could not resist!" and break into laughter. It was hard to stay mad at him. There was the time he stood up in a seminar of over 200 people and informed them that Mike Mentzer had just died. The room was aghast by the sudden news. When people found out it was not true, they were angry at Dan. Dan maintained a "good source" had told him about Mentzer's demise just before leaving for the seminar. I knew better and accused him of just making it up to entertain himself and cause more trouble. He gave me a devilish grin and refused to speak about it. To me, Dan was a mixture of Andy Kaufman and Albert Einstein, with some Bart Simpson thrown in.
Dan tried to give off the persona of that of an uncaring loner, but nothing could be further from the truth. Dan loved children and it was one of his greatest wishes to be a father some day. I recall him telling me how much he wanted to be a father as we drove down the highway one sunny afternoon in LA. "What?" I said "the Steroid Guru want's to be a father?" "Yes Will," he replied, "more than anything in the world." Sad to say, that wish never came true.
Dan had many plans for the future and many talents most people were unaware of. He had recently started a small bike building company and had plans to build a new type of hybrid bicycle he had designed himself.
The truth be known, Dan was sick to death of the bodybuilding industry and confided in me that if the bike business took off he would be happy to never write another article as long as he lived. Dan and I had also been working on producing a TV show together and he had made good contacts for pursuing that. The show was going to be sort of a crazy hybrid fitness show and 50's style variety show with plenty of hot fitness babes thrown in for good measure (and ratings!). Dan had many hobbies and talents people never knew about and that was fine with Dan. He was a very private person, though not because he didn't like people but because he didn't know who liked him. He always felt like the odd person out. In an industry of unique individuals, Dan was the most unique of individuals.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for what happened to Dan, Dan died in his sleep at his apartment from what appears to be natural causes. He was found Thursday, Jan. 13th by his close friend Shelley Hominuk. As most people know, Dan had always had various health problems throughout his life. He was born with polycystic kidney disease, a genetic defect that often leads to kidney failure. While in prison years ago, Dan suffered a small stroke which he recovered from. Last year, he had gallbladder problems which turned out to be gallstones and a possible ulcer. Most recently, Dan had been suffering with the flu which had plagued him for weeks. His health declined and his bodyweight dropped drastically. Typical of stubborn Dan, he refused to go to the hospital. When he didn't answer his phone, Shelley became concerned and went looking to see if he was all right.
Of course the rumor mill will try and place Dan's death on some more mysterious cause, but by all accounts, including both the police and coroner's report, Dan died of natural causes. Dan is, and will always be, my friend. Wherever you are Dan, I know you are making trouble and laughing at all of us.
The world will not be the same without The Guru, Dan Duchaine..
=====================================
Daniel Duchaine was the author of many, many articles. He had been published and quoted in practically EVERY bodybuilding magazine and newsletter that has been circulated. The Underground Steroid Handbook, the sequel; USH II, The Underground BodyOpus the Dirty Dieting newsletter, and his Danarchy articles are excellent collections of some of his more delectable writing inspirations.
"The Writer" Daniel Duchaine had personally coached many athletes, bodybuilders and movie stars
1981 "Underground Steroid Handbook"
1983 "Ultimate Dieting Handbook"
1988 "The Steroid Guru"
1988 "Underground Steroid Handbook II"
1996 "Muscle Media 2000"
1996 "Bodyopus"
1997 "Dirty Dieting"
Daniel Duchaine had also made several guest appearances at many athletic/bodybuilding events, seminars, talk and radio shows including The Nasty Man, 60 Minutes, 20/20, Geraldo, Now It Can Be Told, and The Ronald Reagan Show.
"The Chemist" Daniel Duchaine knew the research. He did the experiments. He had fathered the foundations of many of the "grey- market" supplements as we know them today.
1983 Ultimate Orange / Next Nutrition.
1990 Ion-exchange whey protein and vanadyl sulfate.
1993 Designer Protein / Next Nutrition
1994 CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid)
1995 Promoted the moderate-fat diet in bodybuilding
1996 ISO3 / Next Nutrition
1997 Androstenedione / OSMO Therapy
1998 Yo-Be-Lean /Essentials, Inc
1998 Andro-forte 100™ / Essentials, Inc.
"The Infamous" Daniel Duchaine had no scruples. He told no lies. He was "no holds barred"
1984 Initiated the John Siegler Fan Club - the 1st mail-order steroid business.
1985 Co-founded Laboratories Milano, in Tijuana, Mexico - the largest black-market steroid manufacturing plant.
1987 Indicted by the US government on conspiracy and mislabeling charges.
1988 Coached major Olympic athletes in passing drug testing.
1988 Introduced clenbuterol to American bodybuilders.
1989 18-month sentence in federal prison.
1990 Assisted top Mr. Olympia competitors to pass steroid testing with blocking agents.
1991 Indicted by the US government for selling GHB and Clenbuterol to longevity clubs.
1992 30-month sentence in federal prison.
1998 Off probation - Back to the world of bodybuilding where he continued to advise until his demise on January 12th, 2000.
2000 Daniel passed away at the age of 47. RIP.
