THE PRODIGAL SON

By Peter Vuono

   One of the most magical times of my youth was certainly the 80's. It was a happy time where we were all bombarded with various types of creativity from the media. American households were flooded with with MTV, Nickelodeon, Madonna, Max Headroom and the B52's. We were given new heroes such as Mr. T, Hulk Hogan , Arnold, Stallone and the Karate Kid. Part of this culture was the hit TV show The American Gladiators. Larger than life regulars such as Nitro, Zap, Malibu and Gemini became household names.Dan Clark- a.k.a. Nitro tells of an amazing life in his book Gladiator, which is rife with money, fame and women .In addition, it is  compounded  with addiction and the inability to face the truth about himself.
   Clark was born in Japan to a Japanese mom and an American dad. After spending only a few years in the states his parents divorced and Dan, along with his older brother and"protector' Randy, were taken to Viet Nam where their dad attempted to open a business.
   Life did not go well there. To paraphrase  Clark's story, by the time he was ten, he witnessed his father beating his brother, his father bludgeoning another man,  his father  writhing on the floor in the throes of a heart attack and his dad entertaining two prostitutes in the same bed where young Dan slept! This was exacerbated by Dan witnessing his beloved brother perish from an accidental electrocution. His father then sent him back to the USA alone. Upon arriving he sought a venue where he could excell and promote his self worth.He found it in football.
   Dan played football in high school at Santa Ana High. From there, he became an  lineman for Santa Ana Junior College . It was here that he sustained a hamstring tear. He was determined to come back and took a drug that he knew nothing about to accelerate his healing- anabolic steroids. He received a scholarship to San Jose State and then a pro contract with an Italian team.
  Upon leaving Italy, he had a brief stint as a LosAngeles Ram. When his career was over, he stayed on steroids and auditioned for various movie parts. At 6'2'' with strikingly good looks, the handsome Clark secured several bit parts and finally won the part of the popular American Gladiator series playing approx. 95 episodes and coming back later as a commentator.
   During Dan's tenure as a Gladiator, he had the kind of life that was so salacious, violent and gut wrenching that it couldn't possibly be made up by Hollywood's best script writers. At 6'2" his weight had risen to a solid 260lbs. of solid muscle. He had many a female companion and had brawls with people ranging from night club patrons to, strangers and best friends. He could bench press 500lbs for a double and was at the top of his world. Yet, he stated that he was never happy and could never figure out   why. There was certainly a good man inside of the armor. He never refused a photo, autograph or conversation with a fan. And when a child of 5 was dying from cancer he asked that his hero"Nitro" come to visit him. Clark was at his side just days before he succumbed.
   When the Gladiators ended, he could not get off steroids. He had bouts of depression and crying when he swore as a child never to cry. After he filled out a survey which suggested he was an addict  he went to counseling.
    Dan's councilor was a brilliant woman that told Dan that the root of his sadness was that he could not confront the mystery of himself. Dan realized that he tormented himself about why he survived when his 12 year old brother was killed.. He had to constanly prove his worth because he was living for two.
    Once Dan made this realization, he had the courage to forgive his dad, rid himself of guilt and go off steroids. He continued to act, write screenplays and tour as a motivational speaker. Although he no longer was a user, the hunger never completely went away.
    Dan's book- GLADIATOR- A True Story of 'Roids, Rage and Redemption is a book that should be read by all. It's not just a story of addiction, athletics or a Hollywood dream. Much more importantly, it's a story about the horror that we all must experience when we are faced with the mystery of ourselves.
    It was reported in Dec. of 2013 that Dan Clark incurred a heart attack while working out. He blamed the years of steroid use in his football and Gladiator days. His artery was cleared and a new stent was put in.

     He convalesced beautifully and went on to write about this experience in his self help book "F---Dying", which is highly recommended. He travels the nation lecturing and helping those who need answers. to quote Dan, "Big boys don't cry; but men do!".

" Son thou art always with me and all that is mine is thine.; but we were bound to make merry and rejoice for this thy brother was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found". Luke15: 31-32