I live by the Golden Rule the man with the gold rules.
Mr. T. My lifelong hero.
But what do we actually know about this 80s legend besides the gold chains, Mohawk and fool-based catchphrases?
I suppose we could just trawl through the big mans Wikipedia profile.
Has he taken us all for fools?
Youll have to decide for yourselves.
His first taste of sap came when he was training for the National Guard Military Police in Wisconsin.
Long-time residents of a genteel Chicago suburb still remember the Lake Forest Chain Saw Massacre of 1987.
Hes smiling and laughing about all this, said one neighbour.
He thinks its a joke.
Do you remember that famous bit in the opening titles ofThe A-Teamwhere B.A.
Baracus comes smashing through a wooden door?
Must be a fake balsa wood stunt door?
Not necessarily considering his previous form.
At this point, Mr. T notes that it was actually two doors not that this mattered.
Now how do you think Mr. T trained for this?
Protein shake and a cardio workout before hitting the weights?
How about a Rocky-style montage of meat-punching, tyre-dragging and running up some steps?
Hes a big man with a big appetite, so probably best to split the bill.
How else to explain this passage in the book where he describes a close call with a red-hot poker?
I was badly burned on my groin area right near my penis.
Mr. T wins at real-life tough guy Top Trumps!
Which neatly moves us onto the next point…
Yes I know Ive just quoted it twice, but its such an amazing line it deserves repetition.
Thats what youre missing when you read Wikipedia.
The greatest punch-up, however, comes during the Leon Spinks bodyguard years.
What ensues over the course of the next four pages sounds like the greatest A-Team fight sequence never filmed.
As I got up, I was punching everybody.
Some of them I hit on the back of the neck with karate blows, disabling them.
Extraordinary to think that he had to tone things down a bit to play B.A.
I am at peace once again because I did what had to be done.
And I pity the fool who dont protect his mother.
It isnt clear why he has never had his collar felt by the police despite these admissions.
Maybe its something to do with the statute of limitations.
Or it could just be that they havent read the book.
This was by far the second biggest shock.
And even if they did, hed smash that cross to bits in no time at all.
