Bruce Lee RARE Items, Drug Letters Real? Charles Damiano Collection | The Kung Fu Genius Podcast #30 

Yes I realized later it was Napoleon Hill who wrote Think & Grow Rich (not Dale Carnegie). Chill peeps! Also it was my fault for not photographing all the items Charles showed (which is why they don’t show up on screen). I apologize for that! Answer me this in the comments instead: What was your favorite Bruce Lee item in this video? What Bruce Lee item would you like to have? Comment below!

Decades later, Bruce Lee still creates mystic and excitement! Thank you both for this revealing yet candid interview. 🇵🇷✌️

Bruce lee was human, not a God. No matter what people say good or bad, his accomplishments in the short period of time he was alive are priceless. The way we train and the ufc etc. Wouldn't exist today without his ground breaking approach. He's the real deal hands down. Love the show buddy keep up the great work!

I only discovered "The Kung Fu Genius" a few weeks ago and love watching the various interviews. Alex is the type of guy you can hangout with for hours, I like his delivery in asking the questions. Well done Alex Richter, you are doing an amazing job Sir. This was a really enjoyable podcast. Charles is amazing with his education and dedication in collecting since the 70's, there are so many outstanding Bruce Lee items. For me to have an item of Bruce's. I really cannot decide, I guess his nunchaku from Game Of Death, signed by Bruce. I am really happy with 2 items I got via bidding back at Seni 08 in the UK. I have 2 displays that were in the Bruce Lee museum, they were auctioned off to raised money for the Bruce Lee foundation. One is a iconic image of Bruce from the opening fight scene in Enter The Dragon, against Sammo Hung and the other item is Bruce sitting in a chair from his Green Hornet audition back in 1965. They are both proper displays and are 3ft by 3ft. They are one of a kind from this event. I saw Shannon sign both of these in the Bruce Lee Museum before auction. Keep up the good work Alex, peace out Sir :)

I love it. I grew up on Bruce Lee and I was the only girl in my class that would talk about Bruce Lee and other martial arts movies with the boys in my class. Lololol. Yes I have my books,posters, figures all of him in my room. I fell in love with Chinese connection aka fist of fury.😊😊❤❤❤❤

Thank you KFG for having Charles Damiano as a guest! Thank you for a great episode. Charles Damiano's opinion on the bruce lee letters was very important to hear. And i gotta admit, Nobody said it more better than Charles Damiano. No matter what drugs lee took at the time during that crazy era of the early 70s. It doesn't diminish the man's accomplishments. Same goes for Elvis, Monroe, Joplin, Hendricks, Morrison. All legends who died because of drugs but their accomplishments are just massive. I do believe drugs played a part of his death and the mystery picture on how he died is much clearer . Now on to the Game of Death, Sure it is the worst of the Bruce Lee films....but its the best of the Brucexploitation films. I have a soft spot for it in my heart. Y'see, I saw it on the first day at 42st times square with my dad who was a Bruce Lee fan god rest his soul. Yeah sure, Even though the fake Bruce's and the cut outs were in bad taste, the film was still good for a Brucexploitation film. Probably the biggest budget of the all the fake Bruce movies. The key was entertain and that it did. When the real Bruce finally came out at the last 10 minutes of the film the theater went crazy. That i remembered vividly. It was a great time. So Thank you again for Charles Damiano a great guest.....one more thing, a great Holy Grail of Bruce Lee memorabilia would have been the Bruce Lee darts from Way of The dragon. NOW those would be priceless....and thank you KFG

R,I,P. James DeMile

I have the Original UK Cinema Posters for all His films. And I have the Lobby, Full size cardboard cutout, of Bruce with the Iconic Nunchucu Stance. Plus all the KFM Mags. The Original JKD book. The one with the black cover. What a great Interview with Charles, really enjoyed It. Thanks for sharing.

Game of Death ( Robert Clouse Version )is one of the great unintentional comedies of the 1970s

I have to admit. I did question your possession of the letters. Afterall, i did read way back when i was young that they found hashish in his stomach. But I know he's just a flawed man like all of us. He inspired me to become very fit throughout my life. Until this day, i follow some positive aspects of his life. But he's an amazingly talented artist! 👊🏽

This was super with Charles and my life parallels so super and the times 1974 75

I would love to see Dan Inosanto and his daughter come on the show...that would be awesome.

I am a big fan of both channels and love your content my friend, really enjoyed this episode very much I think you did a great job and so nice to have Charles on your show who is THE MAN when it comes to Bruce Lee collecting and a genuinely nice guy. In regards to the drug letters who really cares? It doesn't take away anything that he was able to achieve and the impact that he had and continues to have all these years on. A big thank you guys for such a great show it was really cool to watch and nice to see all the amazing collectibles. Hopefully you can do another one in the near future. All the best 👊

Thoroughly enjoyed this episode. I'm a friend of Charles from Facebook and featured a few times on his RU-vid channel. I've been a fan and collector since 1974. The thing I would like most to have of Bruce's is the nunchaku from my favourite Bruce movie Fist of fury. All the best

The Black Cat Suit & The Yellow Jump Suit seems very similar to 1 another in design.

TV Guide 📺, Wow!! I remember that Publications as the ultimate information on television 📺 entertainment & world 🌎 news!! Right before the Fall season started The Guide revealed new upcoming shows & previews

As much as the drug letters shocked me, I still don’t think Bruce was into the drugs and women nearly as much as David Carradine. That Carradine lived as long as he did is amazing.

If America can forgive US Presidents for owning other people because they were “products of the times they were in”….then I can overlook Bruce doing coke without all the benefit of 40 years of movies, time and education that we have. I would never do coke but I have the benefit of forty years of hearing bad stories of people addicted to coke and people dying from coke. Bruce didn’t have that.

This is my 2nd time watching this show, as a little boy ,I don't remember Way of the Dragon 🐉 being released after Bruce's death. That makes 2 1/2 half films Lee never saw 😔!

THANK'S FOR KEEPING BRUCE LEE'S REPUTATION RESPECTABLE 🐲☯️🐉

Fred Segal, probably on Melrose Ave. was a high end store. Sadly all Fred Segal stores have closed now.

Couple of thoughts on this episode: 1) Listening to Charles is great. You just feel his genuine love and passion for collecting Bruce Lee memorabilia. He's so knowledgeable as well. Recognizing something's authenticity through either a fold or a staple is pretty cool. Him talkin about NYC made me smile too. No, I didn't grow up in the 70s on the Lower East Side or watching movies on Canal St. But Charles seemed to take me there. Made me realize my own memories of my times in those areas are starting to become wistful nostalgia. 2) Thanks for talking about the items in the Heritage Museum. Liked hearing how you found out that Han's claw and the Mook Jung weren't authentic. Wish I snuck a picture like one of your students. And yeah, definitely can confirm how small Bruce's clothing was. Damn, the waist size of those jeans were tiny. 3) Ah yes, the "smiling tiger." Worked for one back in Mainland China. Most of the employees called him a "smiling tiger." And yeah, they can be charming and pleasant until they claw you a couple of months later. In any case, thank you for another excellent episode Sifu Alex!

Great show both of you. Really nice to able to be involved as it went along. Thanks to Kung Fu Genius for getting in the spirit of things by wearing the yellow Game of Death tracksuit. I have one to which I used to wear 35 years ago and 40 lbs lighter. It now hangs as a display item in my gym. I did see the original suit with the footprint on the chest when Norman Borine brought it over to London in 1991. Someone had washed it, so the footprint was faded. Again really enjoyed the show last night.

For me, who once met Mr. Lee back in the early 70's, I have what I have always wanted. I purchased it recently. It is a very realistic Bruce Lee action figure. It is incredibly detailed and comes with chucks and etc. It is almost like looking at a photograph. A mini Bruce Lee. Bruce and I met in NYC with a mutual friend at a business meeting. People were smoking pot and sniffing coke but I never saw Bruce do any of that. When offered, he said he was here on business and didn't like it being shoved in his face and that it was bad for their health. In fact he seemed frustrated and walked out of the meeting. The guy I was with wanted to join in on the investments . I don't know if it was for dojos, for equipment or for movies he had planned on making. Within days after the meeting, one of his movies came out on the big screen and me and a different friend wment to see it. I think it was his first movie. I am not a part of his life so I don't know much about him personally. I just essentially met the fellow, who I didn't know and was told he was Kato in the Green Hornet and he was raising money. The guy I was with was not Chinese but he had connections to investments in the Chinese world and was simply invited to meet with a group of other investors. As to whether Bruce's efforts became worth anything to these guys, I don't know. The reason I was invited was to serve as a bodyguard. I knew nothing of Bruce's real capabilities because I was focused on my own. It was said that some of these investors were unsavory characters and likely to bring their own security or bodyguards. I was very young at the time. I had served in the Marines and this happened in an interlude with the Marines, so it was a way of making cash money. I went back to the Marines and fulfilled my obligations honorably and left. I went on through life with a few memories and that was one of them. Naturally, I followed Bruce by way of information and was quite upset about his untimely death. I always wanted a signed copy of his Tao Of Jeet Kune Do and never could find one. Just a copy of the book would be fine but probably costly unless it can be found in reprinted form, unedited. But yes, the Action Figure for me comemorates a certain period of my life and I treasure it. I have it now in storage, unopened and pristine. Thanks alot for your interview with Mr. Damiano. You have my thumbs up and I have subscribed.

Alan Lamb was a distant relative of my family…

I love the holy stuffs too

You forgot to mention the funeral scene in Game of Death. 💀 ☠️

Love Charles. Great to see him in this fabulous interview talking about Bruce Lee and his influence - brilliant 👍 ☯

I'd like to have that Tiger poster that hung on his wall in his office. To know that it inspired him on the daily is special. And any outfit of his casual wardrobe, clothes that he wore around the house, just to put on a mannequin from head to toe, that would be awesome. I'll leave the holy grails to the die-hards.

Well Bruce's speech of English language shouldn't be that surprising, after all like Jeet Kune Do he was American 🇺🇸

I remember and I was told that the cocaine that was given to Bruce Lee was supposed to be for the pain in his back . Back was really severe.

Just finished watching, what a fantastic episode. My fav item would be the Gung fu member ship cards. The one item I would love to own are the gloves he wore against Samo hung in ETD.

The Bruce Lee cocaine spoon is the one item I would like to collect ! 😪😂😆😅

It was a great idea to bring Charles Damiano to the show. I hope for a second part, to bring more collectibles along with the stories that accompany them. Personally, I would like to have any Bruce Lee T-shirt on the market. To have them all. I would also like a photo with him since I was a child.

I think Bruce fell under the celebrity spell. And,cocaine was the celebrity drug of the day. Yet ,Bruce would've gave up on that I feel. Marijuana, could mean a few things,such chilling out,or simply using it as a pain killer. My buddy here in Scotland takes it exactly for that,for excruciating back pain,and marijuana really helps with that a lot. I mean look at the use of cannabis oil as an every day medication,for use against such things as epilepsy. The stuff really works. That's why pharmacist's are worried about this one simple drug doing more for you than any other drug. After all, domestic drugs are a billion dollar industry. Bruce still is,and always will be,my hero.This is just my humble opinion by the way. Anyway,great podcast Alex and Charles. All the best from Bonnie Scotland.

Alex, your look every time he showed a collectible, priceless. As a child they brought him a puppy as a gift. You were also very brave to wear the tracksuit for so many hours. I also agree with Mr Damiano. The tracksuit would not suit anyone as much as you.

Hi Alex, Another great episode! Although books were not fully addressed, having Bruce Lee's entire personal library (including his notes and journals) would be what I would love to own. I would turn the guest bedroom in my house into a library that I would happily spend hours reading what Bruce Lee thought was important at the time. And, yes -- throw in his original wooden dummy and I am pretty set!

May Johnny Carson interview Bruce Lee in paradise.

I heard “Chief Aim” as “Chi Fame.” 😂

At least Bob wasn't no snitch and took that shit to his grave. That's what a loyal student does. One thing about Bruce followers, they are loyal to a fault.

SUPER FLY the 1972 film and character has and uses a "Coke Spoon" at the end of the film.☯️🐉🌊🐉👣🐅

Great interview!

Fantastic interview from Charles really interesting 👍

Napoleon Hill wrote Think and Grow Rich

The only good brilliant thing about Game of death 1978 is the soundtrack. Just wish Bruce finished his version and had that as the soundtrack. All his movies had an equally brilliant and very very memorable soundtracks..

Really enjoyed seeing Charles on your show..he's got a great channel and s very cool guy

We have the technology now, why don't someone remake Game of Death ?

Great episode wish the microphone wasn’t in the way of some things he was showing but very interesting guest

If you want to know anything about Bruce Lee , ask Dan Inosanto

Kfg oh, I think it was very sweet and righteous for you to put this information out. We've had a lot of great boxers throughout history. And most people only want to have one great martial artist that no one else can follow. And denial is one of those stages. Take a Victor Moore for instance he had several people testify for him and his story with Bruce Lee oh, now we know he embellished on the truth a little bit but he was a world champion and people looked at him and talked about him with disrespect and Bruce Lee never fought with any of the world champions of that day. But it seems like to me now everything's being done to protect his estate, that has made millions and millions over the years. But thanks for putting that information out there great job.

He was born in a rich family.

Excellent Show Alex. New Subscribe 😊Great interview with My Friend Charles. Well Done Buddy Very Professional Great To Hear Some Of Your Story Charles 😊😊😊💚⚡☯️

This was a very sweet episode with so many cool Bruce gems in there

This was brilliant 👍😊

Nice to see Charles and KFG together! Unbelievable to me!!!!

An odd one for me and it would 100% not exist but imagine getting the pendant from The Big Boss… broken or not

Charles is a great guy in real life and a true fan and collector. Great interview.

You look Kung Fu genius Bruce Lee had a very violent temper that's probably what took him out

His sunglasses would be cool.

Very cool episode, love the flow between Alex and Charles, very natural. Great insights regarding the Bob Baker letters, nice to hear thoughts from knowledgeable collectors. Excellent range of memorabilia from Charles, very rare and good to hear some values of items. Thanks guys from Will J (UK)

Think and Grow rich is by Napleon Hill

Hi Alex! Hi Charles!.. Wow great interview guys! Just awesome. Charles you bring all the goodies to display! So cool. Alex you did a great job on editing and interviewing and you are very well versed in the subject matter .., very impressive, I enjoyed it entirely thanks a bunch! I will post this on my twitter and FB.

Charles Damiano is the best Bruce Lee collector and Bruce related interviewer host on the nternet today. Check out his channel

Great episode, KFG. Charles is such a lovely guy who is totally dedicated to keeping the memory of Bruce Lee alive. Himself and Hector make a great pair when showing off their Bruce Lee collections. Really enjoyed this ✌😎

Like that bagsua 😉

Mickkkeyyyyyy! Blessing

Sifu , what U said about Bruce being from a different time & drugs was a recorationial hobby then. Yip Man was kinda like that also with the cigarettes 🚬

Fantastic show...as usual!!

watched Enter the Dragon when it first came out, i remember the whole country (Britain) was in awe, it was in the papers, on the news, then the news of his death, i think ETD took the world by storm, everyone wanted to be a Bruce Lee, and soon all sorts of marshal arts schools were opening up everywhere, we read the books, magazines, news, nobody could understand how such a fit guy could die at such a young age, for years we all thought there was perhaps some hidden truth about his death, Linda's book eventually came out and i think most people accepted how he died was how Linda explained in her book, NOW these letters have appeared....holy crap....if they are authentic Linda has some explaining to do.....has the BL estate made any comment yet ?

Good point about Jimi Hendrix. The Eagles and the Beatles voraciously used drugs but that does not tarnish their music. The idea that an athlete used cocaine does not initially negatively influence athletic performance. Cocaine’s initial affect is on emotions often causing a euphoric state that many associate with confidence. This is why people in high stakes jobs often indulge in it. Personally, the alteration of one’s feelings through psycho-affective chemicals is disappointing especially when I see a person as highly developed in skill as Bruce Lee or Jon Jones. But I can understand the logic of individuals who delude themselves into believing they control the substance instead of the substance controls them. If anyone can’t, just think about the last time you may have experienced feeling star-struck. Then imagine spending weeks talking with people throwing huge sums of money about while you are counting the change in your pocket. The boost in ego/confidence appears to be a plus. Add to that surveys of Olympic level athletes asking if they would risk their lives for minutes of championship glory and the response is overwhelmingly positive. This should mean we ought not be too surprised that Bruce Lee, too, drank from that well. As to the subject of collectibles, the brown and blue uniforms Lee wore in ETD are not available online yet they are the coolest costumes that Lee wore in his movies on par with the yellow track suit.

Good show but too many items were hidden from the camera by his microphone spit shield. :(

Fantastic memorabilia! Wish o could afford one item 😊

Enter the Dragon (1973) was undoubtedly the most successful of all his films in terms of grossing, and all of his films are great in my opinion but my favourite film of his which was the very first time i had ever seen or heard of bruce lee happens to be ''Fist of Fury aka The chinese Connection (1972) i was born in 1980 and had seen it at the age of 5 and ever since then martial arts has been embedded into my DNA. Fist of Fury to me felt to me as if bruce had unleashed the beast in him! ''Pure Rage'' lee style! is how it is felt with me, especially in the last quarter of the film when Chen ''Lee's Character'' comes back to the dojo looks at the clerk and thinking he wasn't worth it, then blasting through the sliding doors of the dojo! Chen: 'i have come here to avenge my teacher... this doesn't concern you, i'll allow you to leave... out.. Out,OUT... SCRAM! Aarghh!!!.

Waiting the remake of Etd

Do you know what ever happened to that Bruce Lee's bike in the Harry Martin interview video ?

this is awesome!

The ETD Catsuit Was Blue Not Black So That's A Bit Iffy.

48:32 Yuen Wah not Yuen Biao.

Enter the Dragon was supposed to be a first of many Enter the Dragon episodes.

Great Episode, it was great to see Charles being interviewed for a change. All the best to both of you.

Nice! My 2 favorites channels in 1. Looking forward to👍

Would love the tracksuit from Longstreet, still have a similar style one even now. Bit 70s but I like it. lol

It is so enjoyable to watch a such diversify collection. This episode could be called The Kungfu Genius connection for having so many guests as interesting as varied one another.

My Favourite Items Are And I Love All Of Them Alex. I Would Love The Autographs WoW. Great Show Alex Keep Them Comeing ☯️☯️ JKD ☯️☯️☯️☯️

If money is not an object, I like to have his dummy

Enjoyed this episode. Some great items Charles brought. I especially liked the credit card. If i can choose one item from Bruce, I'd probably choose his agenda, the one which Shannon showed Bas Rutten when he interviewed her. The ETD gloves are super cool too. Are they still at Inosanto's academy?

For me, this is the ultimate podcast. I really like the chemistry bewteen you two and I hope Mr. Damiano returns for another episode. I love his channel

doesnt bother me at,im a heavy cocaine user myself..what baffles me is how the flip did BL still manage and even increase the quality of his body.jheez..dude was a phenom!

OMG WHERE DID YOU GET THE YELLOW AND BLACK TRACKSUIT FROM?

Im sure if Bruce had lived he would have ended up on a talk show with Muhammad Ali

I listened to this first, so it’s nice to watch it and see the collection. Personally, I would love to have the Game of Death nunchucks and one of his membership cards to his school. Now I have to go over to Charlie’s channel to see more! Hahaha

This makes more sense for me i always wondered why bruce died so early cocaine abuse can lead to heat stroke type symptoms

Oh little annoying the Mike being in way of Charles memorabilia but alas these things happen, I have all the Charles collection books ,great to use as a guide , thanks

Hi, Phil, a lifelong Bruce Lee fan here - at about 1.05, you were speculating about the cocaine and its affect on the blood-brain barrier, but I didn't quite get your drift... did you mean maybe the coke permeated the b-b barrier and caused Bruce's brain edema directly, or somehow caused or allowed the Equagesic tablet(s) to cause the fatal edema, or something else? What do you think about the heat stroke theory?

I would like to have his Mercedes-Benz 350 SL. The teasers "drug letters real?" and "Note to Betty" have me on the edge of my seat. Can't wait!!!

HAHA love the happiness of Sigong while listening to Charles Damiano. Great episode

Great show! As I understand it, Fists of Fury and The Chinese Connection got mixed up when the prints hit the U.S. The Big Boss, like The French Connection, had a drug angle and was therefore supposed to be The Chinese Connection. That would have made sense with Fist of Fury being... well... Fists of Fury. I guess two is better than one, right? 🤣

Can I ask where you got the yellow jumpsuit? Looking to get one this year for Halloween but it’s hard to tell which ones online are decent quality.

Does anyone have a video of Bruce Lee in the Mike Douglas show, where he demonstrated his kicks? I heard that from somebody back in the 1970's.

KFG GREAT SHOW!! Charles is my man!! I follow both your channels !! I still call B.S. on those letters about the cocaine stuff but this was an awesome show!! OBTW, I have my Game of Death track suit on Bro!! I got mine in 1978!!! Mail ordered!! Asian World of Martial Arts!!!👍