Bruce Lee: A Life Author Matt Polly | The Kung Fu Genius Podcast #3
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- Опубликовано: 3 фев 2021
- In this third episode of the Kung Fu Genius Podcast, the KFG (aka Alex Richter) along with his partner DJ Dre, talk to Matt Polly, author of the definitive Little Dragon biography Bruce Lee: A Life. Some of the topics discussed include how long Bruce Lee actually learned Wing Chun as well as the neverending conspiracies surrounding his death. Lot's of gems, lot's of stories, lot’s of Bruce Lee.
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What questions should I have asked Matt Polly? Let me know in the comments.
@@cuzz63 you should watch my John Little interview, this was addressed.
Get tom bleecker on lindas ex husband he said bruce was on antibiotic steroids . Either matthew polly needs interview him or you
@@yonrelgreat4029
Anabolic not antibiotic.
Jim Kelly says he knows a lot of big names that Bruce Lee sparred with, but they kept quiet because he was untouchable.
ruclips.net/video/ncMIQS0ZLSY/видео.html
Who were these guys and how exactly did those sparring sessions go?
I mean, did he ever spar with Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis, etc?
@@blajing I read that Bruce sparred full contact with Joe Lewis: Joe had been sparring with Bruce’s student Ted Wong and upset Bruce when he clapped Ted’s ears real hard. Bruce was so angry he geared up and sparred with Joe. In Ted’s words Bruce was too good- Joe couldn’t touch him.
Bruce's physicality and the research in different martial arts, completely eclipses the notion of him being an actor first and martial artist second. He may have acted first, but martial arts was most definitely his first passion, by his dedication and training..
There is NO one else on youtube who has so much info constantly talked about them--even after 50 years.
Thank you
It was great to hear an interview with Matt from someone who knows about Bruce Lee. Felt like a real conversation.
The best part of his book has been the bibliography to help me with my own research on Bruce Lee. Great book & great interview!
Thank you!
I think he would have been one of the world's greatest action directors, no question.
Definitely
Absolutely! I agree 100% and have been saying this for years!
It would have been interesting to see Bruce Lee's reaction and also creative reaction to Jackie Chan. And they probably would have collaborated....dammit life!!!
Loved this episode. Brought back memories of living and teaching in Hong Kong. Always loved going to the Bruce Lee exhibit at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. One of the things in the exhibit that was highlighted which Matt said here was Bruce’s career as a child star. Never realized he made all those films as a kid. Also, wanted to shout out Matt’s book American Shaolin. Not just a martial arts book, but also a great cultural analysis. Finally, hear that Matt is working on a new book about George Carlin. Hope to read that one day too.
Thanks!
Big props to MP and the KFG team. Love all of the books and such a great, down to earth read on all our shared passions. Thx Sifu and look forward to a CWTAA meal with Matt one day. Insightful. Legends!
Hopefully we can have some Bruce Lee event with Matt on some anniversary of something Bruce Lee related :)
Something I got from re-reading Matthew Polly's book was in the very beginning, when he described Bruce's 2nd funeral and subsequent burial in Seattle. I'd forgotten that the late Jesse Glover, Bruce's friend, first American student and himself a certified badass... stayed behind to shovel the dirt into the grave. Jesse and Bruce had a falling out, but from what I understand, Bruce still respected Jesse's skill and Jesse still respected Bruce's abilities.
Jesse still loved his teacher and friend. Thank you, Matt, for your book, and thank you Alex, for this interview.
Sorry Sir, but here i have to say something.
As much i respect Matt´s work and the book, finally someone with guts to go against the estate!
But he portrayed this so called "fallout" with Jesse and James DeMile imo a little bit onesided, i explain you why:
Look as example how Matt describes Bruces fallout with Joe Lewis here (about 37 minutes in the vid). He says Lewis´s wife didnt like some friends of Joe, so she made up stories up that Joe would leave his friends. And even if it was not true, Bruce never forgave Joe for confronting him about going after his wife.
Well, first of all Lewis was not married during that time. He married some brunette actress named Barbara Leigh (married 1976, divorced 1977), but the scenario with Bruce was already around ´69 or so.
So this woman was not Joe´s wife, only his girlfriend.
Matt described the scene in his own words, but i heard versions which are different. In fact it looks like Bruce DID made the girlfriend some advances, because when Joe showed up at Bruce´s house to confront him, Bruce called Linda and said: "Hey Joe, please tell Linda the same as you just told me", so Linda would hear about this.
Joe didnt and walked away.
But of course i dont know which version is true, maybe some parts of both?
So it makes not much sense why he would never forgive Joe for a false acusation, but would forgive Jesse and still respect him.
This was just a side story, now about Jesse and Jim DeMile:
Jim himself stated multiple times why he, Jesse and other guys from Seattle like Ed Hart, Skipp Ellsworth, LeRoy Garcia, Pat Hooks, Howard Hall etc. didnt join the Jun Fan Gung Fu institute. They felt what Bruce was teaching there was less practical what he had teached them.
You can ask Jim even to this day, or go here on RUclips for interviews from him. He never changed his story.
Today (February 5, 2021) he is 82 years old, born in June 1938.
It was like this:
Around late 1963, Jim met a student of Bruce´s JFGF Institute. The guy asked him why he stopped to train with Bruce. Jim told him he and the other guys felt what Bruce was teaching now was not as practical.
A couple days later, Bruce confronted Jim about this statement. He was very angry and said: "Jim, you can not say my students i hold stuff back".
Jim realized maybe Bruce would attack him, and he had the finger on the trigger of his pistol in his pocket, Bruce didnt saw the pistol. Jim said he was literally on the way to shot and kill Bruce, and added Bruce Lee could have died already in 1963 instead of 1973.
Jim appologized and walked away, they never spoke to each other.
PS: Jim stated over the years again and again when he personally asked Bruce before this incident with the revolver why he removed stuff like the close bijong and the center line etc. in Jun Fan Gung Fu. Because they are the base/roots to make trapping reall work. Bruce replied: "Why should i teach someone to beat me!?"
And this was enough for Jim.
He realized Bruce fooled his new students and wanted to make sure they could never really figure out how he himself would fought in an actual fight. Wich makes sense! A 23 years old guy doesnt care much about others, only about himself and his own develepment.
From what in know, Jesse infact did ask Bruce for permisson to open a school and teach. Bruce told him it was ok, as long as he dont name his style "Jun Fan Gung Fu", so Jesse named his style "Non Classical Gung Fu".
So there was no major fallout between them.
They still were in touch and Jesse even stated in later years Bruce was practising more high kicks and stuff like that, he didnt do that at the age of 18-23.
But Bruce definately had a fallout with Jim, thats true. They never spoke to each other again, and Jim said they never considered each other as friends, only training partners. He said Jesse, Ed Hart, Taky Kimura and Skipp Ellsworth were real friends of Bruce, but he was not.
Dont get me wrong, i just say it in the famous line: "Dont matter how thin you make the pancake, there are always two sides".
PS:
Sorry for writing and grammar errors, English is not my first language.
This is always the problem - write a 600 page biography on someone and there will be a story or two that does not go into as much detail as others and someone will get upset about that. As someone who originally learned from the "Jim DeMile" line in Seattle, his knowledge and skill are incredible, but I always felt his contributions were largely exaggerated by ... himself. The whole of Bruce Lee's career (and dare I say, the Polly book) are much greater than how things ended up with James DeMile.
@@TheKungFuGenius Sure thats clear. :)
I am absolute postive Matt coud even bring more things up...but if he would have done it, you can be sure the Estate would have sue him, i think he did his best but could not let ALL out. I wouldnt do either. :D
I am not a writer, but if i would be and write about Lee, i would be VERY carefull since i know how Shannon in her "my dad was like in the "Dragon" movie, only my mom knew him, all the guys lie" world reacts.
Thats why i wanted to go more into detail about this subject. I know MP couldnt go into detail about anything, it would be impossible.
I just wanted to sepereate Glover from DeMile, since in my humble opinion Lee had a major fallout with DeMile, they never spoke to each other and DeMile probably wanted to shot him (and kill him).
But Glover had not this kind of fallout with Lee, and anyone without any backstory through reading Matt´s book could come to the conclusion he disliked both in his later years, and i dont think he disliked Glover, but DeMile for sure.
@User Name About Lewis:
Like i wrote above i dont know which version is true. But the one i described was also mentioned very often in different forum´s and plattform´s about Lee.
I wasnt there and i can say what actually did happen. But i know 100% certain Matt is wrong when he said it was Lewis´s wife. He was married once from 1976-1977 with brunette actress Barbara Leigh.
And as far as i know Lewis was not yet in a relationship with Leigh in the late 60s when all of this did happen.
About DeMile:
Lets put it this way: Ive read and watched almost all interviews from him which came to the surface in the last 30-40 years, and in one he made his standpoint towards Lee clear:
He said as a street fighter he considered him the best he had ever seen, but as a human being he doesnt want to let other people know what he thinks about him.
But he mentioned over and over again about Bruce´s character, he said the two were never real friends, only training partners, and he himself seems like Fred Weintraub a sceptical about the private man.
My speculaion (and i repeat SPECULATION!!!) is like this:
He thanks Bruce for anything he did for him, about understanding the martial arts better, about becoming a better human being, but this only counts for the professional man Bruce Lee, not for the private man.
I guess his opinion about the private man is not so high. He had always a very good contact with Amy Sanbo, and when you see how Lee treated Sanbo, i mean how selfish he was, DeMile felt the two would have made a good match but Lee´s arrogant and egoistic character made it fail.
Buttom line: DeMile respects Lee for making himself better, he thanks him for that, but his opinion about the private man and character of him is negative.
Thats what i guess.
@@NDoraku I studied Jun Fan Gung Fu under Sigung Taky Kimura and the center line theory and bai jong stance are fundamental. Thats one of the first things we learned and the warm up kicking drill is done in the bai jong stance. From my understanding, Sigung Taky didnt really add anything because he just wanted to do for others what Bruce did for him. We were also taught "JKD" but the bai jong stance was always part of the warm up. My first 2 weeks I had to practice moving forward and backwards in the bai jong stance before I could even officially join the school (it was still a "closed door" school when I joined).
I've really enjoyed these podcasts - thanks so much! This one with Matt Polly and the one you did with John Little are all you really need to listen to, to get the gist of who Bruce Lee was as a fighter/martial artist and man, and what drove him.
Glad you like them! I plan to do more with John Little in the future.
@@TheKungFuGenius Fantastic! I'm now listening to the "Bruce Lee Phone Conversation, Pt. 1". I don't know what your background is, but your spot-on Cantonese pronunciations surprised me, lol!
I heard about this book from you and just finished it. I was anxiously waiting to watch this episode. It was a great book! And, I was floored by his theory regarding Bruce's death. It really made sense to me, the way he laid it out, totally made sense, certainly more than all the other wacky theories and even the aspirin thing. Thanks for talking to Matt, he's such a great insight into Bruce's life. Hope you talk to him again soon!
Thank you
Absolutely brilliant interview, best one thus far, full marks Alex 👏 I tip my hat to ya.
57:04 Is when they talk about Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and that “portrayal” of Bruce
I Believe that Polly's hypothesis is very plausable but not the only factor. It was probably the determining factor to shut Bruce's body down, through the brain swelling. The Fact is,Bruce was burning the candle at both ends!!! He didn't sleep anymore because he was constanly pushing Himself in filming the movies, and all the worries and strife that It involved. Helping with the editing, even playing along with the music score playing the bongos or something !!! The movie deals the money worries!!! Constanly being creative, and thinking about Future projects.Making everything come together!!!!He didn't have an off switch. Bruce was always hyper kinetic and the ball was now rolling towards succes and Bruce wanted the momentum to increase. His last Year was just one hectic chaos of pushing Himself way beyond the boundaries. And this combined with his insane training sessions. He Wouldn't ease up.That combined with a heatstroke and there you have it!!!
Masterful interview. That is why Sifu Alex is the most shagadelic in all of the Tri State area
Hahah 😎
Thank you, great video !!!
Glad you liked it!
really great pod cast continue to enlighten us
Thanks!
Another great episode Alex! I love Matt’s book, you learn so much about Bruce! Matt’s heat stroke theory is the most convincing explanation for Bruce’s death ever put forward.
I wonder what Bruce’s family think about the book. I think Matt was allowed access to Bruce’s writings for his research so I guess they were supportive before publication. But Shanon is very protective of her father’s image and the book includes some negative sides of Bruce. 🤔
The book was an honest portrayal - all humans are complex creatures. Shannon has tried to whitewash him to the point of being an unrelatable philosophical saint. The Lee Estate did not back this book because Matthew talked to Betty (gasp) and included stuff about drug use and affairs. But the irony is that his book proposes a theory of Bruce Lee's death that is perhaps the least controversial from all competing theories.
@@TheKungFuGenius You know what i more and more believe:
Shannon did not tried to watewash him, she truly believes he was like that! I have more and more a gut feeling she simply believes any word her mother told her. She questions nothing, and you can be sure there were many things her mother never told her, but she simply cant see it. She is caught up in her own world and arguably believes "Dragon - The Bruce Lee Story" is the most real thing like her dad was.
I mean she was 4 when he died, what can she remember?
Try to remember what did happen when you were 0-4 years old? I cant remember much about that time.
I just have a discussion here on YT with a William Cheung student about when Bruce began with Wing Chun.
Even if i told him about Matt´s conclusion which are backed up by Hawkings Cheung, he stays with his grandmasters opinion William and said he met Bruce for the first time on Nov 27, 1949, when Bruce celebrated his 9th birtday.
Matt believes they met after Bruce came to the new school on Sept 10, 1956, when he was 15.
About his death:
Yes, i think Matt´s theory could indeed be right! I like the numbers and caculations he provides, i mean the temperatures etc., this matches for May 10 and July 20.
But so or so the theory of Dr. Hunter is very possible too. Read this (i did copy it from an other place):
"The fact of the matter is, the inquest was greatly influenced by the government's strategy to conceal the true about exposing one of his outstanding citizens cannabis use (at the time people who consumed it would’ve been imprisoned) and the urgency to win the life insurance claim brought by the family. In January 1973, Bruce Lee had taken out a policy for $500,000. If American International Assurance could prove that he had lied when he stated on the application that he had never used illegal drugs or if it could prove that he had died as a result of using illegal drugs, the widow and her children would be deprived of their insurance benefits.
The government of Hong Kong never saw Bruce Lee as a real Chinese back then, and it was clear that by the time of his death they wanted to avoid another scandal during the inquest after it was initially reported that he passed away at Linda's house. No wonder why Hong Kong has no Bruce Lee museum, no Bruce Lee Boulevard, not even a proper Bruce Lee memorial. The city’s Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong’s version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, features a lone statue of the star, but its erection was the result of a global fan initiative, not the local government’s largesse.
Thanks to the latest advances in forensic technology it has now been revealed that Bruce Lee's health deteriorated due to his over use of the steroid cortisone. Bruce had an innate obsession from early age to prove himself as a man due to his cryptorchidism condition (undescended testicle). His constant and relentless physical regimen led him to slipped one of his back discs while working out in 1970, and because of the severe pain suffered he started taking cortisone to get some relieve. By the time of his death he had have a three year period of cortisone intake, he developed all the symptoms, bad temper, extreme body heat, poor appetite, heart condition, loss of breath, loss of memory, nervousness( who he sporadically controlled with the cannabis he consumed) redness in his face and loss of weight and stress. For a Man as extreme as trained, altogether took it's tall, causing his untimely and unfortunate death."
The Kung Fu Genius is an incredible interviewer. Respect!
Much appreciated!
Matt Pollys book is the best book on Bruce Lee, the heat stroke idea seems highly possible, but as you have said many times, the reason Bruce died will not change the fact - Bruce Lee died. I remember reading that very early in 1973, James Bond producer Harry Saltzman offered Bruce a role in The Man With The Golden Gun (released in 1974). I believe this was reported in the Hong Kong press. Another great podcast. I am gradually going through all of them.
Perfect angling with the jabs deflecting in . Plus the use of long tools like your teep kick and roundhouse.. jab and hook ..sick man
Awesome. Bruce Lee talk is 🔥
Fantastic Episode Sifu Richter. I have both books. The Polly and the Linda Lee 1975 book. Both are Great, what I like about the Linda Lee book was her mind was fresh from her experience. She mentioned that she told Bruce Lee that if he was having an affair with another woman she would leave him in a heartbeat. She said Bruce was shocked when she told him that. She said he wasn't mechanical inclined to fix things. It showed the human side to Bruce Lee. Keep up the good work buddy. Stay Safe.
I just found a copy of the 75' Linda Lee book. Can't wait to read it - might do an episode on it!
@@TheKungFuGenius sounds Awesome, Keep up the great work my friend.
Matt Polly loved it😮
Great interview I found it really interesting.Ive recently read Bruce lee A life.
Thanks for listening
I believe heat stroke also. If you look at Bruce's body during way of the ETD he was really ripped. Bodybuilders reduce their fluid intake prior to competition to bring out the definition of the muscle. It's a fine science getting it right and some bodybuilders have died in this process. Bruce was well up on his bodybuilding knowledge, and would of wanted to look his best for his Hollywood starring debut. Humid weather in Hong Kong. Bruce being involved in other areas of the film like stunt work, soundwork etc. Then there's the sweat gland procedure. If anyone needed a sweat gland it would be Bruce lee.
Yeah, and bodybuilders cut that water for the show and then rehydrate. Bruce was like that for months! Can’t be healthy
I loved his book. Superbly written
Absolutely
Just had the chance to watch/listen at work. I read the book and was very pleased! This interview was fantastic and explained a lot to us gwailo who are Bruce Lee fans.
I'll admit I was one of those people who thought he was killed by Triads when I was a kid.
I thought they had a strong hold on Betty Ting Pei and forced her to slip a Mickey in Bruce's tea, lol!
Didn't know he had his sweat glands removed until reading it in the book. This Theory makes total logical sense.
God forbid they ever made a movie about his life that it was at least 75% true.
I'm sure Sean would have loved this podcast!
We all believed gobs of nonsense at one point lol
Wow, I never even heard of this book, 'til now! I've been a big Bruce Lee fan since the fall of '73 - just very shortly after his death, and read the Alex Ben Block book, and I did also buy and read Linda Lee's book as soon as it came out. {The only 'negative' - but not really negative - thing that I recall in that book, was that he would wake her up in the middle of the night to prepare him a bowl of shredded wheat. "He literally could not boil water," she wrote. hahaha} I've always found out about new books by seeing them in a bookstore, but I haven't been in a bookstore in quite a while now, and had no idea this book existed! I'll have it soon, though! GREAT interview! I'm also brand new on your channel - great channel!
You are correct! There is nothing “negative” in that book relatively speaking, but the latest incarnation of the Lee Estate would have you believe he didn’t sleep at all - he floated in the air while meditating instead of sleeping.
Ric Meyers was the assistant professor for an East Asian cinema class I took in college. Love that guy
Ric Meyers is a gem of a human being.
@@TheKungFuGenius Absolutely. Wish I had stayed in contact . I abandoned Facebook and most social media before I moved to China years ago. Now that I’m back in the US I still don’t really have any of that stuff (except WeChat and RUclips.)
Loved it. Do you think Matthew will ever do a revised edition, I mean there’s a few little extra things we now know ….
I’m not so sure they will
I love Bruce, I followed his teachings since I first started sparring in Karate in hope of gaining insight into how not to get my ass kicked... I learned JKD basics, concepts strikes and kicks... After a couple of years I joined a Wing Chun School and trained in that for the next 5 years... What's my lineage? :)
Great fight Polly! I just saw it!
Great interview! Lots of fun and very informative. I loved his book. The heat stroke idea is, by far, the best hypothesis I’ve heard and I’ve heard a bunch. It really does check all of the boxes. And I agree with the Tarantino conclusion. Horrible portrayal. You really have to ask Tarantino what the hell he was thinking (or not thinking as the case may be).
Btw: I read the book when it came out and YOU, Mr. Kung Fu Genius, were the reason I even knew about it thanks to the episode of TDOKF you devoted to it.
I'm so happy to hear that! Thank you for your nice comments.
Great show Alex!
Thanks for your question too!
I was in Barns and Noble and came across Matt Poly’s biography of Bruce Lee. I was highly skeptical because I had read so much about Lee that I thought nothing more could be written. This was around August 2018.
I put my skepticism aside and purchased the book. I found it to be the best biography of Bruce Lee ever written and bought several copies as gifts for friends. There’s also a great book entitled “Striking Distance, Bruce Lee and The Dawn of Martial Arts In America “ by Charles Russo which I consider a companion book to Matt Poly’s book. If one reads no others, these are the best books ever written about Bruce Lee. That is just my opinion, I could be wrong 😑
Great comment
You mentioned Matthew lamented that the spiritual side of kung-fu wasn't there when he visited the shaolin temple in the early 90's. I am not surprised since the communist government (CCP) even to this day does not encourage free-thinking and individualism in its people. The kind of thing the communist government feared most because it could be anti-establishment. Why do you think the practice of Fa Lun Gong was banned and it's leader and members were rounded up, persecuted and thrown in jail. The FLG movement got so big and at one point millions of chinese people practiced them everyday. The present day shaolin is just an empty shell of it's tumultuous past. The communist government consider the temple a harmless relic of a bygone era.
the book was really interesting, I always imagined Lee to be very different than he was. As Polly stated, a remarkable, flawed man. The thing that surprised me the most about Lee was his materialism, I mean, obsessing over a Porsche doesn't really tally with the idea of a taoist monk or a philosopher. However I believe that Lee over time would have realized that, as Epictetus said, training the mind always takes precedence to training the body. Lee was an intelligent and bright man who had quite a number of inner demons to fight against. But, who doesn't? Anyone who says they do not, must be phony, liars, crazy, or dumb.
The Lee estate’s continued attempts to whitewash him as a saint and ignore his flaws also makes him less human for the rest of us. He was tremendous for his time and his flaws just make him human. Turning him into a saint without flaws, makes his achievements unattainable, when they are in fact, products of hard work.
Lol I’m such a noob - it never occurred to me that there are styles where you need to learn the whole system to use it in a fight. Or rather that other styles do not feature a few foundational movements that are pretty effective on their own.
I'm convinced that traditionally many arts did teach at least a "foundational" ability to fight (relatively) quickly without the need for knowing the whole system. The problem is that when many Chinese martial arts became a hobby (often, though not exclusively, for wealthy people's kids) rather than a necessity for survival, many Sifu put an extreme focus on only teaching horse stance and strength fundamentals. This made practitioners very strong, focused, and certainly patient (attributes wealthy Chinese fathers wanted for their spoiled sons) but did little to give a solid framework for "this is how you stop someone trying to hurt you". Those practical considerations got taught later, thus contributing to the bit of the mess that Chinese martial arts is in.
Chairman Mao’s 10-year cultural revolution didn’t help - many real martial artists were killed, driven underground or overseas during that time. It was much later that the Chinese government realised their folly and attempted to recreate their martial arts heritage, albeit with much lower quality instructors who couldn’t really fight.
@@bertt1055 that’s wild
@@bertt1055 I completely agree with this, although it’s funny that when I talk about Chinese martial arts I almost reflexively discount anything from mainland China. The traditional arts all went to Hong Kong and Taiwan, and I don’t generally consider anything from mainland China as being part of the conversation after Mao’s cultural revolution. Of course that’s a little bit different now, they have great MMA fighters and kickboxer’s coming out of China, but before the 90s it was kind of a bunch of nonsense.
Hey Alex, I enjoyed this interview with Matt Polly. I really lean to the theory of the heat stroke with Bruce’s death. I’m really developing a desire to study Wing Chun, I’m now 64, in decent shape still. Could you possibly recommend and one in the Philadelphia area who would be good to train with! Thank you PEACE
Thank you so much for your kind comments. 64 is a great age to start learning! Unfortunately I don’t really know anyone in the Philadelphia area. There are definitely some schools out there but I don’t know them personally, but you can definitely check them out and see if you like it!
Enjoyed this interview! I thought Bruce Thomas’ Fighting Spirit was the most objective book on Bruce Lee. Mathew Polly’s Bruce Lee: A Life is the martial arts equivalent in terms of detail, objectivity and writing skill as the bio Steven Job by Walter Isaacson.
It's really an incredible work.
About the objectivity and detail i would agree with you to 80-90%, but there are also 10-20% i dont agree.
Here are some things:
1) Even if the Grandfather of his mother Grace was jewish (i dont doubt he was, Matt´s research here was very good!), it doesnt make Bruce himself jewish.
Why? Because the mother has to jewish. The mother of Lee´s mother was a 100% english woman and she was not jewish, so Grace and Bruce both can not be jewish too.
I had a long discussion with a jewish man here on YT in the comment section of one of Matt´s clips, and this in Boston living jew named David Heaven stated he was very disappointed because he thought Bruce was jewish for a moment, but after reading Matt´s book he realized its not the case.
Heaven himself is a jew and should be known what is necesarry to be a jew.
If you want more info, go here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_is_a_Jew%3F
It is mentioned there over and over again for be a real jew your mother has to be jewish, not your father.
And the mother of Bruce´s mother Grace had nothing to do with the Bosman family.
You can say Bruce was "from the blood line jewish", but not a real jew since the mother of his mother was definately not jewish, at least not as i know. She was from England, so most likely Chrstian like most ppl in the UK back then, going back to the legendary King Richard "Lionheart".
2) That so called romance/affair/one-night-stand with the gossip woman S. Farrell. She wrote a book in 2013 "The Hollywood Princess from Sioux City", claiming basically she had affairs with any ViP man from the 60s to the 80s, from Che Guevara over Bruce Lee to Mel Gibson..and MANY others.
I do respect Matt´s opinion that he believed her, but i feel free to say to me its a 50-50 thing if Bruce had something with her or not. Matt never wrote a book about gossip, only about martial arts before, so his skills to determine if a gossip girl tells him the truth or not should be limited. And he himself stated she could not give him any detail which could only someone have who was really in bed with Lee, something like he had a birthmark on a certain spot or things like that.
You need years of experience it that field to be become very good at it.
And Farrell sufferred a cardiac arrest in 1970 during the birth of her son when she was 29 years old. He heart stopped to beat for a couple of minutes and she had to get resurrected. She suffered a heavy brain damage including memory loss, and the memory loss included the years before, and which she claimed to had affairs/flings/one-night-stands with many men, including Lee.
Here you can read a review of a reader from her Bio (from Amazon):
"Farrell, not surprisingly spent time in a mental hospital, which especially makes sense when you recall reading that, "Mental illness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." I don't remember ever reading an autobiography where I realized that I was actually literally and frequently shaking my head in disbelief. When you consider the volume of drugs and alcohol this woman consumed coupled with her mental issues, you start to wonder if some of the more outrageous claims made in the book were just figments of her own wacked out imagination(the Che Guervera story and her apparent belief that she was - and still is - one of the most desirable women on the face of the planet in particular). Whether some or all of her claims and accounts are true, mostly true, sort of true, or complete fabrications, this is a grueling, depressing read both content-wise and from a literary standpoint. Pathetic."
Besides: Bruce´s sister in law, Eunice Lam, once gave a very good description which women Bruce liked and which women he didnt like.
As a teen he admired a very beautiful actress, but when he found out she is a bitch and sleeps with anyone, he lost quickly his interest in her.
According to Eunice, Bruce said to her: "I am not intersted in women who are like human toilets, that can be used by everybody."
A "toilet that can be used by anybody", thats a description which fits to Farrell very much.
Matt could unfortunately never speak to Eunice as far as i know, she died in 2015 if i am right, or maybe it was 2016 or 2017.
I dont doubt the story of Thordis Brandt since she was not like Farrell, she was a nurse by profession and did acting only from 1965-1970, and she never had any gossip stories and seems to be not the type "i sleep with everybody".
I do not doubt Mr. Lee was a ladies man and the 3 women he mentionen (Thordis Brandt, Farrell, Betty Ting) were most probably not the only women* in his life, but especially the story of Farrell can not convince me.
Since some of those other women* are either deceased or very old today, i dont mention their names, but one name i do mention since she is still alive and already spoke about it:
Malisa Longo from "Way of the Dragon". She claimed in an italian Interview she had a one night stand with Lee in Rome during filming, and described very detailed how he teached her to eat with chopsticks, about learning how good chinese food is, and how Nora Miao was not happy about all of that.
I dont know if her story is true either...maybe yes, maybe no.
3) This is to me a more important point. I am neither a religion or gossip expert, so i dont care too much about point 1 and 2, but this one is important:
As much Matt always says when he states "Bruce was an actor first and martial artist second" that he means it at least chronological, but usually he only points this out when ppl ask him about it.
It is true that he was in his first movie as a baby, and then again at the age of 6, thats all true.
But it is also true he came first in contact with martial arts when he was 7-8, when is father tried to teach him Tai Chi, but Bruce felt it was a stlye for old bags, not for young kids.
He also took up some Hung Gar from a friend of his father, and according to his sister Phoebe, he also learned some small fundamentals of Choy Li Fut from the father of a classmate.
Between the age of 7-8 and 18, he did both things similar (acting + street fighting) thats true, but when you talk about STUDY, which means being 100% focused on it, it looks like this:
He began to STUDY martial arts at the age of 15/16 under Yip Man and Wong Shun Leung.
He began to STUDY acting at the age of 25 to prepare himself for the Kato role in "The Green Hornet", since the producers felt his acting skills were not good enough.
What i mean by this is the man definately was chornological an actor first (aged 6) and a martial artist second (aged 7-8), but he was a martial artist primary and an actor secondary.
When he was an adault man (aged 18-32), he was main professionaly a martial arts teacher most of the time, 1960 to 1971, and did acting only as a second job from 1966* to 1971.
* since "The Green Hornet" was filmed from June66 to Feb67, i make a case and say for these 9 months he did acting primary. But all other parts from Ironside to Longstreet were second jobs, nothing else.
At the age of 18 to 32, he only played 2 times a non martial artist in his movies and TV series, and this was "The Orphan" at the age of 18 and "Here Come the Brides" at the age of 28. This character was the only dramatic English language non-martial arts role in his acting career.
When you see how much time he spend lets say from age 10 to 32 with seriously training acting and seriously training martial arts, there is no question what his primary passion was and what his secondary.
A full time actor as an adault he was only in his last 2 years at the age of 30-32 (summer 1971 to summer 1973), and even there he still teached martial arts as a second job with Ted Wong and others.
He also said to Shek Kin on the Set of ETD: "I consider acting only as a second job".
But dont matter what someone says, the actions are more imporant. And the actions of him show you this guy breathed martial arts almost 24/7, not acting.
When someone reads Matts book without any knowledge about him, he easy can come to the conclusion Bruce considered acting and martial arts as equal passions, both on the same level.
But only in my humble opinion, his actions shows more they were not on the same level for him.
+ dont forget the man had an other passion besides martial arts and acting:
Philosophy. And this field is much closer to martial arts then acting.
Finally it seems to be like Matt wanted to look a little bit more into the acting stuff. A good example is he did infact a very well research about the Wong Jack Man fight, but other things he did not really mention:
- Eunice Lam: She stated Bruce took out 4 ruffians/hooligans in HK summer vacation in 1963. Matt changed it to 2 hooligans
- Vic Moore, the "Speed contest": Matt was asked on an other Podcast about this subject since there is so much talk about it. But he said he didnt look into it.
Those 3 points just came to my mind. But in all other things, besides some which are not so important to me, his book is absolute amazing! I like it as much as "The Lone Samurai" by William Scott Wilson, the only REAL biography about the legendary Samurai Miyamoto Musashi, because like Bruce there are so much myths about Musashi in the world. Wilson seperated realitiy from fiction, same as Matt did.
@@NDoraku I am perfectly fine with people disagreeing with me.
@@TheKungFuGenius Hi, i was quoting Mr Jewell, not you. But thanks for your reply. :-D
No problem, i wasnt disagreeing, i only brought up 3 points which crosses my mind reading Mr. Jewell´s comment.
Matt, Topeka was not that small compared to cities in Kansas! We were cosmopolitan for the plains. I grew up next to Mathew as a kid. We honed our karate movies in his backyard.
Cool stuff! I've never had the pleasure of driving through Kansas...
I loved this book and learned so much more about Bruce Lee.
I especially enjoyed finding out how human and imperfect he was.
As for the heat stroke theory, it sounds very plausible. However, the only thing that I have a problem with is the sweat gland removal being a contributing factor. He had several from each armpit removed. The body has MILLIONS of sweat glands. Removing several glands from the armpits isn't going to cause the ones in your scalp, face, back , chest and other areas of the body to stop sweating to cool off the body.
I lean more towards the adrenal crisis theory due to cortisone abuse. In the 70's, there was no knowledge of the effects of long term cortisone use.
If you look at the symptoms of adrenal crisis, Bruce Lee checks off almost every one of them:
Headache
Profound weakness
Fatigue
Slow, sluggish movement
Nausea
Vomiting
Low blood pressure
Dehydration
High fever
Shaking chills
Confusion or coma
Darkening of the skin
Rapid heart rate
Joint pain
Abdominal pain
Unintentional weight loss
Rapid respiratory rate (see tachypnea)
Unusual and excessive sweating on face and/or palms
Skin rash or lesions may be present
Flank pain
Loss of appetite
It's really fantastic!
You have to do another with MATT!!
I mean another video with Mathew Polly ,MANY MORE QUESTIONS!! I enjoyed this video!!!!@
Great podcast! I’m curious-have others died of the same thing (heatstroke) due to the same type of surgery?
I would be curious about that too! I think the heat stroke/sweat gland issue has traction for another reason - the potential adrenal issues Bruce was having due to cortisol (re: Unsettled Matters). Need to get a doctor in on this!
Just gave this a revisit. Will you have Polly on again?
I love the part where Matt imagined what Bruce could've done if Bruce Lee did not die so young. I think Bruce would've forced Chuck Norris and Joe Lewis to admit that he is their teacher and he's a better fighter than them on camera and upload that video to all of his social media accounts. Bruce Lee would've gone on Joe Rogan's podcast and talk about martial arts, MMA fights, and philosophy. Joe Rogan would've asked Bruce Lee if he has done DMT and ask Jamie to pull up some old Bruce Lee clips.
This sounds 100% plausible haha.
Chuck sent an apology letter to Bruce admitting he learnt from him. Chuck must have forgotten that letter. It’s on the BL Foundation Facebook page.
@@bertt1055 I posted a screenshot of this letter in my more recent John Little interview.
@@TheKungFuGenius Nice! Thanks for sharing and the awesome channel
@Sentinel CB then why did he write Bruce a letter saying it's a privilege learning from him? and why did Bruce Lee say Chuck was one of his students? why does Bruce Lee's diary say that he taught Chuck Norris Chi Sao?
One of my favorite Kung fu actors was Phillip kwok try to get an interview with him
That would be amazing, although English is a problem for the Venom-mob in general!
@@TheKungFuGenius ur right bro, love ur channel love what u do, love venom mob too
Congrats on this one!! A big fan of Mr Polly and his work.
Hope you like it!
@@TheKungFuGenius I absolutely loved it!
Added bonus, I really enjoyed seeing Matt's books behind him. PAPER that you can touch and feel! AHHHHH I love that.
Good questions good answers and a good book huhh the best book
Thank you!
The way we had Nu-Chuchs coming up in Newark, NJ , we take a 12 to 13 link front door chain , put a nail at the last link of both ends of the chain , hammer the nail at the top of 2 foot long broom sticks, looped the nail with the hammer 🔨 til it connects each stick & instant Nunchucks R weapons 👌 Nail looping wasn't easy back them
That's what's up
i think it must to do a biopic about bruce based on matthew polly's book. Staring Ross Butler as Bruce lee and margot robbie as linda cadwel
Mason Lee as Bruce Lee 🤮
@@TheKungFuGenius if u don't like it, lets tries to andrew koji from warrior tv series
Hello, Si-Gung. Regarding the heat stroke- it seems highly plausible particularly when Mr. Polly describes what happens in May 1973 as opposed to what didn't happen in July of 1973; plus he checks the temperature of the days in question; plus, he refers to the medical thought of heat stroke causing swelling of the brain- The most we got in Basic Training on Fort Jackson's Tank Hill was that one would die of heat stroke, so, we better know how to render first aid. One of my HS Buddies warned me I'd be pissed on how Mr. Tarantino portrayed Bruce Lee, so, I've never seen it.
I think the heat stroke hypothesis is something that people should consider over "poisoning by triads" or "an aspirin killed him". As for the Quentin hit-job, it was completely unnecessary.
@@TheKungFuGenius Sir, Yes, Sir. I aqree. Mr. Polly is very correct in his assessment that Mr. Tarantino should have REALLY thought that out. I'm feeling funky (Or, as you would say, "Salty") about how he did this joint because of the feeling I had watching my last theatrical event on the Deuce with the 4th Yip Man movie- The racial crap was so thick in that theater, it was sickening and embarrassing and heart rending because, in a that theater, there was only five, FIVE, non Chinese in that theater and I hated the racial hatred portrayed in that film.
@@jihadbattle2003 completely agree... there is a right way to write racism but they went for a cartoonish parody.
I forgot I to add. If Bruce Lee had lived. I think there would of been many positives to his career, naturally. Many actors and actresses from around the world would of wanted to work with him.The negatives: From what we hear about his drug habits. He would of had to get on top of that. Hollywood is not the best place to be with a drug habit, from what I hear. Then there would be the challenges. As much as some would love to believe he was untouchable there are many that would relish the chance to test him He would of had challenges coming in from all sides. Not just from street punks, but from those that really know how to fight.
Great assessment
Wow!! I have the American shoalin book ,I did not know that it was Matthew!! Polly!! Who was a student of the shaolin temple!!
I wish you guys would've brought up the Sung Sing Theater incident. That was very interesting.
We need material for future episodes!
@@TheKungFuGenius NOICE!
1). Dispelling the ridiculous myths (catching grains of rice with chopsticks, his punching bag was filled with metal, he trained 12 hrs a day 7 days a week for 10 years, he could perform 1500 one arm push ups & 2000 two arm push ups, he split a heavy bag with a side kick).
2). After Bruce completed ETD and before he died, he and Wong Shun Leung had an intense sparring session.
3). The movie he was going to do with Shaw Brothers called Dragon of Jade
4). Did he really train his muscles with electric current?
Make it happen, mang!!
Does anyone know exactly what day Bruce’s last photo was taken? July 10th maybe? (The day he freaked out on director Lo Wei and did the evening Hong Kong TV show interview). I’m referring to the photo that he’s trying to flex his lats in the back yard.
I would guess between the 10th -19th of July... but that's just stabbing in the dark.
Another great video. Would like to know what Matthew Polly and John Little think of the newly discovered drug abuse. Also is there any way you could interview George Tan? Quite a character I know but he does have cool info.
I have exchanged some private conversations and texts with both of these men. I’m not sure either one of them really want to discuss this, but they are always more than welcome to on my show. I have been chasing that George Tan ghost for years. If someone can hook this up I would be most appreciative
@@TheKungFuGenius lol the latest rumours I heard about Tan was that he was making Porn in Thailand lol.
Nice
Just finished reading the book before watching this video. The most disappointing thing about the book is the end where there is an almost unwavering & uncritical acceptance of Betty Ting Pei & Raymond Chow's version of events on Bruce's last day. The two should have been subject to more scrutiny & analysis. There should have been another chapter at least on what the two got up to in the few years after Bruce's death, especially as they collectively exploited Bruce's image for commercial gains.
#BettyKnows
Can you elaborate as what the two did? Would love to know more.
Is the book any good ?
Great episode Alex,love the out takes,your cool guys and funny,love the Podcast
What kills me, knowing what was the cause from the first incident, he chose not to go the hospital and make sure it doesn't happen again🤔👍✌
What’s worse is that he knew the cause of the first incident and didn’t change his behavior before it caught up to him the second time
Bob Wall did invite himself to go with Chuck Norris to Roma. At that time Bob and Chuck were business partners. Bob did the business part and Chuck did the teaching. Back then Bob said he was known for being able to take hard hits so Bruce used him to help sell the fight scenes. Bob and Joe Lewis didn't like Bruce Lee. I'm guessing this is because they were well known martial artists that went to train with Bruce, whom at the time (back then when point fighting was thought to be the closest thing to a real fight) didn't like point system fighting. Which Bruce was vocal about and I don't think these point system competitors like what he was saying. I'm sure they all tested Bruce's abilities....and we all know who came out on top. I agree with Matt that Bruce knew Bob didn't like him. In interview Scott Akins did with Richard Norton, Richard describes a story he was told by Bob Wall. How Bruce wasn't happy with some of the footage they captured that day and that they needed to be shot again. Bob complained that there wasn't time to do these re-shoots, that they can't do them. Apparently Bruce didn't like Bob's remarks and decided to grabbed Bob by his throat, making it clear to him that they are going to do these re-shoots. Which they did. ruclips.net/video/fODw921IOHc/видео.html
I also came across another video where Bob Wall and Joe Lewis are going over some old photos of Enter the Dragon where Bruce and Bob were practicing. Its bad audio. This is my take on the video. ruclips.net/video/9D_MBoTU_Kc/видео.html I can hear Lewis asks Bob whats he laughing about? The audio goes out but Bob starts pointing at Bruce's leg position in the photo. Audio goes out for a few more seconds, then you can hear Bob complaining about where Bruce's hands are at in the photo. As you continue to watch you'll see Bob point to Bruce's hand placement then to his foot position in the photo. You'll hear Bob complaining about where Bruce's foot is at as he kicks. A few seconds later you hear Joe Lewis talking about how Bruce's posture is bad.
ruclips.net/video/9D_MBoTU_Kc/видео.html This one got my attention. Joe makes a comment about how he knows Bob was thinking to himself that he in his heart, he could kill a legend here but we're not famous yet....and so he's half committed." (Doing his strike) Seconds later Joe ask Bob whats so funny and its silence. I'm guessing at this point Bob reminds Joe that they're being recorded. This isn't them just making jokes.
Thanks for this thorough comment!
Paul Heller probably gives the most accurate description of Bob Wall
After so many years, this man now knows exactly what it was like?...he suspects this, he suspects that
this guys playing around with stories … ? If you want to know anything about Bruce Lee , ask Dan Inosanto
No idea what you are talking about.
Heat stroke: a very thoughtful and logical theory. Not so sure if removal of some armpit sweat glands would hinder thermoregulation overall. The human body has 2-4 million sweat glands. But hey .... we don't have Bruce Lee sweat glands!
I agree, I discussed this briefly in episode 27.
Get Tom Bleecker on your show if you really want to find out other things about Bruce not covered in Polly's book. Bruce was injecting his own cortisone on a monthly basis. This for sure would have shut down Lee's kidneys and caused brain swelling.
I have had in-depth discussions with Mr. Bleeker via email. Unfortunately, he has conflated corticosteroids with anabolic steroids. While there is a lot of information to be gleaned from his book, even he didn’t know about the cocaine. He also has an axe to grind with the Lee estate which means he is not always the most Unbiased narrator. The fact that Bruce Lee use Cortizone injections to help out his hurt back has very little to do with his actual death if you’ve actually looked at his autopsy.
@@TheKungFuGenius You are correct about having an axe to grind against Linda Lee. He wanted her to get rid of her friends for him. He is very argumentative at times but does have a lot of knowledge of the whole California martial arts era that took place in the sixties and seventies. It's sad to find out Bruce was such a drug user. Can you imagine if he lived a clean life, and what his skill level would have been?
Dr. Michael Hunter is a pathologist and host of the television show Autopsy. His theory about the cause of Bruce Lee's death pointed to Lee's abuse of Cortisone which resulted in adrenal failure and swelling of the brain. This show was aired about 15 years prior to Thomas Bleecker's book (e.g., Unsettled Matters) about the Little Dragon. Bleecker was Linda Lee's 2nd husband, Bleecker knew Bruce, and Linda provided him with all of her husband's medical records. According to Bleecker, the records demonstrated that Lee's back injury was of the nagging variety and not nearly as severe as portrayed in books and movies. Lee's obsessive/addictive personality took over and he convinced his physician to give him multiple Cortisone shots on a weekly basis. Bleecker's conclusion about Lee's death mirrored the presentation of Dr. Hunter, and in my amateur opinion, that theory is just as plausible as Polly's heatstroke theory.
The Bleecker stuff is old news... after extensive conversations with John Little (a bodybuilding expert on top of his Bruce Lee expertise)... I'm not so sure. Look for my second John Little interview coming out next week. Thanks for commenting.
@@TheKungFuGenius You've encouraged your watchers/listeners to provide with you new information and Dr. Michael Hunter's conclusions on Autopsy resuscitated Bleecker's theory. The Cortisone Abuse Theory is no longer "old news" and it is fair to point out that neither Polly nor Little is a pathologist. The dispute is not whether Bruce abused Cortisone, it is whether his abuse of Cortisone was the main culprit or reason for his untimely death. It's also important to note that this theory along with several other claims in Bleecker's book led to Linda Lee's attempts to stop the book from being published. Linda knew the threats were hollow chatter for she provided her 2nd husband with her 1st husband's medical and financial records. She failed to move the legal needle, Bleecker's book was published, and a new discussion about the life of Bruce Lee was initiated. Bleecker was subsequently trounced in the court of public opinion, but the power of television (e.g., Autopsy/Dr. Hunter) gave new life to the Cortisone Abuse Theory.
I don’t know if you’ve seen this ruclips.net/video/myP9DrKgZ_I/видео.html but death theories need to be reevaluated
I get tired of people constantly saying we’re only human,nobody’s perfect. Maybe we are perfect but we can’t understand what perfection is.
Food for thought.
There's a story of Bruce & Raymond Chow having a film 🎥 production company called Concord Productions. Game of Death ( Bruce's only unfinished film ) was in production before Robert Clouse & company came a calling. If Chow gained anything from Lee's death was the immersing of Concord. Golden Harvest ( Chow's Company) was the company that produced the " cheesy"version of Game of Death made millions of that movie 🎥 & a few others like Jackie Chan's films. Later on in Iife, if Bruce lived , Concord might be a major threat to companies like Golden Harvest
But still, killing Bruce Lee for Concord is a bunch of hot nonsense.
@@TheKungFuGenius I feel U Sifu, I trust since U yourself is martial arts teacher , I presumed U have an understanding of body language an instant that comes from practice , sparing & when you're real fighting . Taking sweat glands from a dehydrated human body is about as Quack Whack ( malpractice of ignorant doctors ) as George Washington's doctors taking blood from his body trying to save him from pneumatics symptoms slowly killing him instead. Or James Garfield's physician's bad hygiene & refused to let other doctors examine the dieing president (who probably would've saved his life)
Bit disappointed you didn't ask Polly what his next project might be...
I asked him before the interview if he had any upcoming projects and he said "no", so that's why I didn't ask.
Mathew has crazy heart going into a MMA fight!! Especially, he was a shaolin student and humble!!!
sir kindly ask him if Bruce Lee fought Trovador Ramos?
That's a fake story, everyone knows that.
The heat stroke theory sounds the most realistic....
At least its the least controversial. It's very plausible at least.
Are you kidding?? Do you not think that BL as smart a he was and the Dr's in Hong Kong were not able to discern this? BL died of renal failure due to an overuse of corticosteroids and anabolic steroids. Amen.
@@truthserum9456 thank you Mr. Bleecker.
Do you compete, and if so, with whom have you fought, and
how many victories do you hold?
Thanx.
Are you asking for THEM?
@@TheKungFuGenius I'm just...Asking.
Thank you.
I have not done martial arts competitions since I was about 18 years old in karate, TKD, and Sport Jujitsu. I fought mostly children as a child, so I’m terribly sorry I cannot provide their names.
@@TheKungFuGenius No need to be defensive. I was simply
wondering what Trophies you might have.
Stay healthy,
And GOD bless.
Wasn’t defensive, I was playing off your other comment… but I guess I didn’t communicate it well.
Can you have a discussion on Wing Chun Kung-Fu by J. Yimm Lee....there is a inference that Bruce Lee wrote the book. But gave it Yimm Lee...any truth?
Bruce wrote the book but gave James the credit purportedly so James could earn the money and pay for his cancer treatment.
It's pretty widely known that there are some freaky similarities between Brandon Lee's death and Game of Death. But I just found out that only months after Fist of Fury came out, Bruce Lee's Si Fu Ip Man passed away. The movie starts out with Bruce's character feeling devastated by his Si Fu's death.. Just another coincidence?
You can draw coincidences from nearly any occurance you want to. Someone wanted to murder Brandon and then do it in a similar way to Game of Death because... they wanted to get caught? Or make it a warning to.... who? This is superstitious drivel.
@@TheKungFuGenius No that's not what I was suggesting. I don't believe anyone actually wanted to murder Brandon or Bruce. I'm saying these are interesting synchronicities that caught my attention. I don't have anything definitive to say about these coincidences, nor do I have my own conspiracy theories about them. I just think these coincidences are interesting. If you think it's superstition and they're not worth paying attention to that's fine.
@@bruhmoment3731 had Brandon not been shot and instead died of some health emergency at a young age, then people would draw the parallels to his father‘s health related medical emergency. If he had died in a motorcycle accident at a young age people would draw the parallel to his father dying at a young age. There is in fact no way Brandon could’ve died that people would’ve have created “synchronicity‘s“ as part of a narrative. This is human nature, we often make type one errors and think we are correct.
@@TheKungFuGenius yeah you're right but I still find the fact that he died in almost the same way Bruce's character "died" in Game of Death intriguing. The likelihood of that happening is much much lower than dying of other unfortunate causes like a car accident or some health related issues which are much more common. It's a coincidence. Interpret it however you want. But it's undeniable that it's an extraordinary coincidence. Rare coincidences happen in life and when they do happen, it's normal for them to get our attention and it's normal for people to wanna talk about them. I'm sure if you won the jackpot 3 times in a row you wouldn't think it's totally normal and not be amazed.
@@bruhmoment3731 What you say is correct, but the fallacy is in attributing meaning to coincidence.
I believe that’s what it was. He overheated.
Well it’s settled then.
I think it’s highly likely that Bruce died from Hyponatremia, which is a lack of sodium that in fatal cases kills by cerebral edema. He would definitely have been aware of bodybuilders abstaining from salt before shows to limit water retention, and I think he took it too far. Also considering the humid climate he was in which means constant water in and out, flushing sodium from the body. Then when you add the appetite suppression from cocaine and constant exercise, he’s a prime candidate for severe Hyponatremia.
This theory is definitely more probable than most
sir you forgot to ask about the fight with Wong Jak Man?
It is not possible to talk about every single Bruce Lee topic in one hour Watch my John Little interview for WJM stuff.
yeah i've watch it is like a dream come for a Bruce Lee like us to include John Little you are indeed a Kung Fu genius I wish that you are my Sifu in Wing Chun & Jeet Kune Do
Is it possible to find an original version of Linda’s biography that hasn’t been white washed?
I got one on eBay.
In view of Lee's death, I'm not sure why Tom Bleeker's 'Unsettled Matters' wasn't mentioned, as although he was quite the love rat, he had access to Lee's medical records and it showed Lee had been self-administering Cortisone. Cortisone explains the cerebral edema, and also explains the previous episode in May, his symptoms matched the results of self-administering cortisone (badly).
Just my personal opinion, but you can't talk about Lee's death without taking notice of Bleeckers information no matter how it was obtained. From all the biographies I've read on Lee (including the first Linda Lee one) It's the most revealing in view of possible cause of death, bar none.
Enjoyed this interview though!
The verifiable parts in Bleecker‘s book are peppered in Polly‘s book and other notable biographies. Cortizone does not explain the cerebral edema according to most medical experts I’ve spoken to, however two years of pretty heavy cocaine abuse might
Glad you enjoyed the interview though!
Hmm, up until the early 90's the 'only' biography that actually directly mentioned Cortizone and made Lee's private medical records in view of Cortizone public from the Lee estate, was Bleecker's - read all the others, to the best of my knowledge. There was always a general 'he took steroids' thing flying about before that, but no actual hard evidence. As far as I remember (it's been some years since I read it) there was a connection between the equagesic and the Cortizone.
The other issue - and perhaps the biggest one - are the missing hours from when Chow actually arrived at Betty's apartment to when he called the ambulance. Couple that with the fact Chow directed the ambulance to take Lee all the way across town in HK traffic for an hour, instead of sending the ambulance 10 minutes away to the same hospital Lee had previously been to in May, where they'd have known exactly what to do with him.
There is almost no question that sending him to the first hospital would have saved him. He was still alive in the ambulance, but DOA when they arrived at the hospital. 10 minutes to a hospital that Chow knew could save him Vs. 1 hour to a hospital that had no knowledge of his previous condition. It's not logical, not at all... couple that with the missing hours and something is really off about the whole thing.
I always used to accept the basic hyper-sensitivity story, but not anymore, and regardless of what caused the seizure in the first place, the events that followed are exceptionally suspect.
@@TheKungFuGenius Enjoying all of the podcasts, watched about 10 in a row when I was supposed to doing other things. Really great content compared to some very low level 'Kung-fu' content I usually have to endure. Will for sure end up watching every one of them.
Thank you!
It would have been interesting if they had talked about how good was Bruce really in martial arts and why, people who talk about his cortisol injections have a valid point as well, but wouldn't that have shown up in his autopsy?
I talk about Bruce Lee’s fights on the first John Little episode and about the cortisone in the second John Little episode. Spoiler alert: Tom Bleecker made a lot of stuff up.
Great Interview!!
I like Matthew Polly's work and prefer it to John Little's work on Bruce Lee - Little comes off as too much of a fan-boy.
Wouldnt say that. Littles job was never to wrote a bio. But when it comes to Lees trainings methods, martial arts and street fights no one did a deeper research in these fields like John did. He even spoke with Joe Orbillo, the only elite Pro Boxer who knew Lee and sparred with him. So when you are primary interested in the professional life of Lee, especially his training etc., Little is clearly the better source. But of course i agree Little is a member of the Saint Lee image, but like i said his job was never to wrote a biography, only books on Lees professional athletical work.
also, his infidelity surprised me a lot, a person like Linda really doesn't deserve that. He got obsessed with McQueen. I found that quite disappointing, as the truth often is. But again, it's all too easy to point at the weaknesses of others, and much harder to see them in ourselves.
You clearly haven’t heard the kind of stuff Linda Lee has done to his former students. I’d slow your roll on painting her as innocent.
Lee injected his back with cortisone causing his adrenals to shut down -resulting in dehydration & death. This is almost certainly the cause of death.
Except his adrenals weren’t shut down according to the autopsy…
I've just recently learned that Tarantino slammed Linda Lee hard for "lying" about "Kung Fu" and how Bruce came up with the idea first. He even claims he spoke to Matthew about it... Any credence to this? Seems like a controversial statement to make after all these years (but then Q gives no fs so...) ?
I've asked Matthew about this on twitter. Stand by lol
Then I won’t spoil the answer for you.
👍👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏👏👌👌👌👌
City Wing Chun? THAT IS U 😄! You're little laid back in this show than your instructor show. Sifu? I tried to come to visit you one day without sucess ( came on a Thursday instead of Monday) Can I come visit you at sometime? In a Monday in April?
This is so funny, I can’t tell if you’re serious or trolling me LOL. Are you really trying to make an appointment through RUclips comments?
@@TheKungFuGenius They say comedy is the melody to know the best of us all ( actually I said that...& just Now ) a quote about comedy 🤣 & people I read about the 2 obviously forgot 🙄! But seriously sir, April or May? Please
Joe Lewis was the first choice in The Way of the Dragon sir
Nope, Bruce Lee and Joe Lewis were not friends anymore by that point.
How do we know that there wasnt anyone else in his room when he died, a tablet wasnt what killed him, something deeper going on there, his body was covered up in his coffin why?
Speculation of unknowns is not proof of said unknowns. How do you know a ninja assassin who was possessed by the spirit of the monkey king didn’t kill him with a poison dart? I mean, you didn’t see that there wasn’t a ninja assassin possessed by the monkey king killing him with a dart, right? According to the autopsy report, which I have read an original copy of, there were no bruises, lesions or cuts on his body. His body was covered up to his neck because the autopsy had to go into his brain for testing. This created a bulge around his neck which is why they need to cover it with the shroud. The toxicology report did not test for illicit drugs, only for “poisons“ and the so-called drugs which they knew were in his system. The unknowns are not so much about people, but more about stuff in his system.
I think if Bruce lived, he wouldve gone back.Remember what happened to Jackie and Jet, they both went back to HK after their frustrations in Hollywood.
But you’re missing the second half of Jackie Chan’s story post Rumble in the Bronx
Rush Hour 4?Oh yeah thats right...
you skipped over twenty years
Yeah I definitely believed Bruce was in a fixed situation under Raymond Clow. Think about it🤔, Did Bruce really make a lot in Hollywood? He gave private lessons to the stars including James Coburn who advised Bruce to go to Hung Kong & promote himself . He met Raymond Clow because he originally supposed to be a stand-in for The Big Boss film 🎥
He didn't make much...
maybe it is Lo Wei?
Yeah, a broke ass director is gonna pay to kill Bruce Lee and somehow magically get away with it. Makes sense.
@@TheKungFuGenius Jesus Christ. Are you incapable of disagreeing with your viewers without being snarky and sarcastic? Do you talk to your own students and family like this when they say things that you disagree with? Chill tf out dude.
Think Matthew needs to re write an up to date chapter on Bruces death since the cocaine revelations.
Sure, now just convince Simon and Schuster.
I think you are quite wrong about Raymond Chow. I am big fan of Bruce Lee, too. When he died I was 9. However, I immigrated to UK when I was 16. So, I have been hearing thousands of talks, interviews from the east to the west about Bruce Lee. I have also met some co-actor who was a stunt man for Bruce Lee. People had heard openly a lot of arguments between Bruce Lee and Raymond Chow. Because, Bruce had already decided to go back to America and had chosen a number of stunt men to go with him. So, Raymond would lose him anyway. When Bruce Lee died in the Actress flat. They wasted 3 hours instead of taking immediately to the hospital, and they called a private doctor. Bruce could had been saved. I am not saying Raymond Chow was the man behind it. Also, Linda Lee didn’t inherit any money from Bruce’s fame. Where did the money from the last two movies go to. It’s a lot of money talk. So, he is definitely suspicious. I am sorry even though you had interviewed Raymond Chow. Of course, he had to act as though he was innocent.
You’re assessment is basic - EVERYONE knows about the money squabbles and public arguments between Bruce and Raymond. That does not raise to the level of murder buddy.
If that doesn’t what does?
Murder? Raymond Chow is going to have his ONLY star murdered so that he can… only have Jimmy Wang Yu left? Push Tony Liu or James Tien as stars to replace Bruce Lee? Come on. I bet you think the earth is flat too.
Bruce was dead before Raymond got there, nothing he could have done would have saved him. But Jesus Christ murdering your ONLY star… brilliant business.
I think Bruce died from cocaine people in Scotland take seizures from coke and sum have died young aswell Bruce never slept much always active so he took coke to stay awake that's my take on bruce
How many times did Bruce workout when it was hot. He was always busy so his body naturally was use to it. One must understand the kind of world we live in. It’s controlled by criminals period. So if he died naturally then they must have been celebrating.
Thanks for commenting!
About "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood " for Bruce Lee ❤ of the world 🌎 we live in! Shannon Lee ( Bruce's daughter ) was 🔥😡HOT 🤬🔥 at Tarantino . Bruce's family 👨👩👧👦 lived in the area of the Manson`s killings & he coached SharonTate in martial arts 4 a role in Wrecking Crew. This is like a What If of sorts ( comic geeks like myself gets it ) THIS Bruce Lee had a cocky matter & was slammed in a 🚗!! (Which was a fictional! 👀 at that shot , no wititnesses around to back up the rumor ) Also, The Manson killers went to a house where the occupants CAN & DID🤛 Fight Back 🤜!! It wasn't a knock on OUR Bruce! Story of What If The Manson's Went To The Wrong House??
Tarantino is not the fan he purports to be. He told someone I know that he thought Bruce Le was better than Bruce Lee. What a bunch of nonsense.
@@TheKungFuGenius GET..... OUT 😱!! Which Bruce Le R We referring to 🤔?? The Bruceexplotion type who thought he's more Bruce Lee than Bruce Lee himself???!! Star of Bruce...King of Kung-fu? Bruce vs Ninja..Bruce's revenge! Clones of Bruce Lee with Dragon Lee!! ( what to get a laugh off 😂? Watch that film!! The Egos busting threw the sheems in that 1 ) If Tarantino was meaning THAT GUY!! , he really doesn't WANT A clue 🤔 & is lost in movie magic ✨!
whos the mafia cat that wanted Bruce dead?
Ha ha ha ha no
@@TheKungFuGenius Damn u wont say it or type it =(
to google it is
love the videos though!
Lee went to work for another production company, and chow wasnt happy about that so had him killed!!
Not quite… but that’s the common rumor.
@@TheKungFuGenius “we” don’t really know who else might have come into the room?
Alternate take - Raymond Chow, fed up with his quarrels with Bruce, may not have rushed to get him aid during this second collapse.
@@TheKungFuGenius Thats a fact already known, and is definetly a part of the answer!
Did Matt Polly see the recent letters of Bruce Lee's drug use and I wonder what he thinks of this now... Heat stroke doesn't fit the narrative now.
He did and I talked to him about it. You can read his tweets from last year when these letters came out.