New Book about Bruce Lee. Some interesting facts but this was already known and revealed in other biographies about him.
One, when he died he was in bed with his mistress. Another women.
The other. He was frequent user of marijuana, though he was very particular and a purest when it came to his diet and health.
As a martial artist I find Bruce Lee interesting, but never consider him a true martial artist in the sense, but more of film maker with some martial arts skills. He had quite a ego, and also a real anger problem. It was well known he was very aggressive, and prone to fits of rage.
Yeah most past "legendary" figures, weather they be historical, old movie hero's, people of great influence, ect. Usually have dark or just strange thing's in their private lives. Nature of humanity i guess, lol. Just gotta choose how you want to remember them. I look at Bruce Lee as a talented guy, and an innovator of his own "style" that really had a major role in bringing the martial arts to the mainstream in the united states.
I actually had no idea he was a mj smoker. I'd always picture him in my head living this super disciplined life, always training to get better, lmao. Like one of his movies or something. Of course reality is a different thing, lol. But if that's all he was really doing drug wise while being a big movie star in the 70's I'd say he was doing ok.. lol.
Did they ever say what is actual cause of death was? I'v never actually researched it, always heard it as kind of a mystery.
[This message has been edited by Jonesy (edited 07-09-2018).]
For a long time the accepted reason for his sudden death was brain swell. This could have been a reaction to a aspirin, a hypersensitivity to the aspirin.
The new theory is that he overheated. I never knew he had his sweat glands removed from under his armpits and in this new biography she speculates that this probably contributed to him overheating. Only a few weeks prior to this he was at the hospital and experienced a similar health crisis.
Chuck Norris speaks to Bruce Lee's obsession with fitness and his competitive nature. He is polite.
The darker side of Bruce Lee is that he was obsessed with being famous. Chuck Norris backs away from when asked how good Bruce Lee was, after all he never competed or fought at all, except in the movies. Chuck Norris was a very experienced fighter. It takes a lot of courage to step in the ring, and not win, but lose. I don't think Bruce's huge ego would allow for him losing. Bruce really cared little for his family, or his children, and was only focused on being a movie star.
As far was developing his own martial art, it was very common in the sixties and seventies to "do your own thing". That was part of the hippie movement, and Bruce adopted this to martial arts, and explored and "did his own thing". To say JKD is a real martial art is a big leap. Karate kicks with Chinese Kung Fu is nothing new. Others were already doing it. His followers appear to be more caught up in the lore and mystique of BL, than the what they are actually studying.
I can never watch Bruce Lee do karate without seeing all the mistakes he makes. Hands flailing in the air, off balance, and not really kicking, but throwing stretch kicks. So maybe for his time he was good, but not by todays standards.
Not to slam BL, but he was movie star first, celebrity to be, and martial artist last. He is no more to be revered than JCVD, or Steven Segall.
Yeah i have no doubt watching movies of a lot of these "martial artist's" an experienced martial artist would see all the flaws in what they are doing on screen. Would probably drive a expert mad! lol.
Didn't JCVD start out as a ballet dancer? I thought i heard that somewhere. Even a non student of the martial arts could watch his movies and see what he was doing was not real fighting, lol. But those split spin kicks sure looked cool at the time, lol. It's weird, iv been seeing Van Dam in all these Tosito's commercials recently lol.
I'v heard mixed things from people in the martial arts competitive world about Segall. Some say he was pretty legit, some say he was just another hollywood guy. But everyone seemed to agree he was a prick in real life, lmao.
[This message has been edited by Jonesy (edited 07-10-2018).]
JCVD was a Shotokan practioner and had some skill, but again like Bruce Lee he was more a movie star and body builder, more than a martial artist.
Segall was an akido expert, actually quite skilled, but akido just never evolved as a martial art. The art itself, and its relevance is questionable. Akido is a Japanese martial art that was taught to Kendo warriors (swordsman) who in the heat of combat would lose their sword and had to disarm another sword or knifes-man. So it is a lot of joint lock, throws, and disarms.
I remember liking Bruce Lee when I was younger. Later when I found out more I didn't like him as much. Sometimes what we like is just a character, and not actually "character".
