Thank you so much for the tremendous support on this video - I offer some updates on my recent podcast episode. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-olyS2_YXEqM.html BTW: "M Pills" most likely it's mescaline or MDMA, either way there are too many comments on it to matter at this point. And yes I know psilocybin is not a designer drug. Chill peeps. Also the papers are actual stationary - Bob Baker worker for a paper company and apparently provided Bruce with stationary. Enjoy! The KFG
Is it possible that somebody forged the letters about drugs on the note that the writing is sloppy? That's a bug coincidence that only those letters are sloppy
@@janemueller653 possible but very unlikely. I've read Tao of Jeet Kune Do. His text is legible, but his writing in his illustrations, while easy to read, is just as sloppy. Even the most profound of writers have shitty handwritting so it doesn't surprise me.
@@Kthomasritchie The Lee estate tried their best for 50 years to make him look like a saint. I’m glad we now have more knowledge of how he was more like the rest of us. I know people who use coke and other substances yet function at an extremely high level. You never know.
I respect what he did, his archivements, contributions and how he inspired a whole generation. But at the end of the day, he was just a human being and had his demons like everybody else. Don't judge.
@@moehoward8691 I'm a Bruce Lee fan, but that doesn't mean that I worship him or anyone else and saying that he was mediocre is absurd. Have you ever read books about him regarding his background and training methods? Have you read or watched interviews from his former students like Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Dan Inosanto, etc. and listened to what they had to say about him?
and what did you create? did you create a new philosophy? a new martial art? did you make a movie? or you only know how to eat donuts or a way to inspire new parrots? Bruce Lee was what he was, with strengths and weaknesses like everyone else. unlike you who nobody knows, lolol go back to your cave lol
@@moehoward8691 Admiration and hero worship aren’t the same thing, but I have to admit that some of my peers in the Bruce Lee community definitely are fanatics.
Despite the drug use, Bruce took care of himself and his family and he had his shit together. He was one of the most inspirational Martial artist of all time
@trumpisthemessiah7017 Bruce won fights in the streets of Hong Kong with no rules. These fights were illegal and known as "Beimo" One of his teachers (Wong Sheung Leung) was also a good fighter which gave him the name "king of the talking hands" While other martial artists fought in tournaments & competitions - he fought for real in the rough streets with gangs ;)
But he was a Coke head. This is what this video has to contribute to the legacy of Bruce. I love Bruce & I wanna know it all. He was human. He was creative. He created his own Martial Art!!! He was original,....& he did COKE. BTW thanks to Hollywood pressure, anybody would do COKE. Its Escapism! To be honest, these days, I think its worst. I wouldn't want the gig. He will live Forever!!!
“Don’t focus on the finger or you’ll miss all of the heavenly glory.” I’ve often thought this applied to people too. All of the Martial inspiration you get from Bruce Lee isn’t changed by these letters.
Only thing it changes for me is the thought that this played a role in his demise. We lost out on so much more he could have given the world as a result of a drug habit. Not to mention Brandon and Shannon not having him around growing up. It's all still a huge tragedy.
Yupp, he died pretty young. But he got to be a beloved celebrity before the internet, too. Plus he had kids and banged abroad as well. And presumably/hopefully he had some fun with all those drugs, and the friendships. All in all, a short but extraordinarily impressive ride. Can't be too greedy.
Is there some evidence that drugs played a role in Bruce's demise? Just because he used doesn't mean that killed him. Polly's book made a strong case that Bruce died of a heat stroke.
@@SeisanStncJust so you know that. If you're using that kind of substance heat stroke is probably your number one risk for fatality... It's not a heart attack it's not a stroke... It's straight up overheating... That can manifest itself in many ways, but it wouldn't have happened if your heat was not burning so hot, so those things are not mutually exclusive... For example, somebody I used to know. Would just dip themselves in a cold water bath every hour or two just to Is keep going Because It would feel like you got sleep literally according to them...
@@theduckfromthejoke152 that's interesting and I didn't know that. We should also probably consider, though, the fact that Bruce had the sweat glands removed from his armpits recently prior to his death, which would have impeded his body's ability to cool itself. I am not dismissing your point, but it is interesting that his passing out in the film room and subsequent death weeks or months later only happened after that surgery. One has to wonder why the (possible) heat stroke happened after -- and only after -- that surgery, and not during those prior years of drug use. It could have been a compound effect, but it seems possible that it could have happened without drugs, too. According to multiple sources, Bruce struggled with heat since he was a baby.
He's not a junkie, definitely. Medical Science in the 70s can't help his spine problems. I believe he took all that rather than taking painkiller pills which he knows can harm him more. Rest In Peace Bruce Lee. Gone But Not Forgotten.
"He's not a junkie" thank God your not a person that is has some authority over other human beings, i hope not lol.even after everything is spelt out in blk&white you say otherwise. state of human beings in the youtube and mental health era.. maybe u shulda start sniffing a few lines yourself.He's not a junkie,LOL. **did u even watch the video? fucking clown
This takes nothing away from the man, it only makes him stronger, more human. Achieving what he did by the age of 32 is unprecedented and will never be replicated. RIP my friend
Of course it takes nothing from the man, if anything it adds more to him. I am thinking of taking up cocaine since I found out Bruce taking it, it seems drugs do help lift Consciousness to a higher level if taken in moderation.
@@TheTraveler2222 you have to be trolling. bruce did shrooms and LSD as well as Weed. cocaine is what did him in, as well as in combination of all of that mixed together and hash. don't fuck with coke man.
Back injuries are no joke. It makes the best people struggle to function in everyday life. I can only imagine the amount of pressure BL was under to succeed in his field. Definitely was blessed to have lifelong friends who were able to offer him support and love. I think today we are so much more aware that celebrities are just regular human beings who have the same struggles and challenges that everyday folks have. It in no way diminishes my opinion of him.
I've been a fan since the day I watched a Green Hornet show in 1968...I was four years old...and it is one of the first memories in my life... I lost my father around that time, and I hanged on The Martial Artist as a father figure... I grew up in the streets of Mexico City, getting into troubles, but looking after my health and training because I wanted to be like my surrogate 'father'... Me and my friends watched Bruce Lee's films, and trained to be like him... I survived the streets, and keep myself healthy and away from drugs because of Bruce's inspiration... I still train and watch his movies, finding in The Master a skill level unmatched by anyone anywhere... While shocking, these letters only help to understand his untimely death, and put a human perspective to an otherwise 'superhuman' figure that served as surrogate father and as beacon of light in the life of a fatherless young Mexican boy...
Bruce was a human being. And soooooo many of us d”denied him his humanity” by building him up to be this paragon of virtue this iconic martial arts godlike figure. But it turns out he was human just like the rest of us.
I knew that Bruce Lee ingested cannabis, but this is all new to me. I'm a huge Bruce Lee fan, and this doesn't affect my opinion of him one bit. Everyone makes mistakes and has their faults, and that is just part of being human. People who are famous are no different. I think near the end of his life Bruce was just strung out, and this is how he dealt with his problems.
Plus it was a big Hollywood thing and sex stimulus ect. But if this us true ,hey Bruce Lee was like you said a human and subject to faults. We all knew about the cannabis and hashish and I personally believe Bruce Lee was Unipolar Manic the opposite of Bipolar Manic Depression. A person can be Unipolar Manic or Unipolar Depressed.
@@TheKungFuGenius Bruce Lee had a mental illness called Unipolar Manic and its not uncommon for genius like Bruce, especially when you hear about him being full of energy all the time on the set of The Green Hornet TV shooting. He is a great martial arts and years ahead of him contemporaries with training and understanding ,plus remember Arnold Swatzannegger user that drug also and he said in his book the Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding. And yes his wife wanted that insurance bag. So she wanted him in the ground as soon as possibly after he died so as not to blow the policy's with negative finding of drugs.
The gossip rags in Hong Kong used to spell his name as “Li“ and it drove him absolutely crazy. He always preferred the more Anglicized “LEE“. Also once he became famous he referred to himself as Lee Siu Lung and not by Lee Jun Fan.
It doesn’t change my admiration of him. It only makes him more human. Also, the dangers of extended cocaine use were not known until young people started dropping dead in the 1980s. It may have a major bearing on why he died. Thanks for the podcast. You always deliver balanced and informative Bruce information. I thought I knew a lot about Bruce but I’m a rank amateur compared to you.
Thank you, I totally agree with it not changing much. I wanted to be the first on RU-vid to discuss this at any length, and I wanted to make sure that it was even handed.
@@TheKungFuGenius I’m also glad you jumped on this. The “he was just an actor” and the “he was a demi-god” crowds will be throwing up a bunch of noise very soon. It’s good to have someone from the much smaller “he was an extraordinary and accomplished human being” group defining the argument early.
Don't change my opinion on this Icon , He helped me as a shy kid very introverted. He helped me be strong and started working out and taking classes. His influence on me will forever be with me.
Huge Bruce lee fan! Surprising?? Not all, different time and place. Everybody was at it, plus the circles he ran in. Doesn’t take anything away from him. Does Elvis or the Rolling Stones or sugar ray leonard or Diego Maradona become less of a legend beside of it? No. He was human. Had his flaws like everyone. Up the little dragon. Greetings from Ireland 🇮🇪
Bruce Lee was, and still is, one of my idols. I look up to and admire him. Alot of us in the martial arts community were introduced to this way of life thru his movies. But let's not forget..when all is said and done..Bruce Lee was still just a human being, just like everyone else.
Looking back through history it is incredibly hard to find a successful artist/author of any kind that did not use alcohol or drugs to create their masterpiece(s). On top of that, he was in pain because of the injury and of course under a great deal of stress to stay in the business that he loved, to continue being successful, and to provide for his family. During the last years of his life for sure the weight of being an idol (not just a movie star, but also a martial artist and an inspiration for anyone to do their best in whatever they do) contributed to the situation. I just found out he was close with Polanski and his wife, so after she got famously and brutally killed, he got scared and paranoid for his own life as well as the life of his family. To me, it's obvious he found a way to cope with the use of drugs. Which just makes him more human, not a superhero we grew up with.
Yeah, because eating LSD like there is no tomorrow will help you alot with back pain lmao... he was a junkie, simple as that. You dont use cocaine for pains, it is a bad drug for muscular pains.. guess why?...
....it was the steroids that bounced him to super human status...im so sure he found it not only took his back pain away...but it streamlined his physique to superman!
To quote Rick James, "Cocaine's a hell of a drug." Bruce Lee was the man he chose to be. Not those who were before him. Who he was, is not who we will be. A badass martial artist, a badass actor, and most of all, a badass human. He had flaws, but he still pushed forward.
@@corneilmadison8971 The 1970s were drugs heavy and don't get me started with the 1980s.. Everybody was on drugs back in those decades.. No shame in that.. I'm just glad people seen what harm they do now.. people didn't know back then..
@@kenrickeason nah his daughter had letters of him asking a certain individual for prescription weed etc not cocain though, it wasn't cocain but he was on cannabis i think, she put the letters up for auction
@@corneilmadison8971 I have nothing against Marijuana.. The Native Americans smoked the plant and lived well into their 100s.. like Bruce's letters say *"It's that good stuff"*
Hearing these letters red makes me feel a tremendous sadness for Bruce. He seems so isolated and under stress. It’s clear that his addictions have gotten the best of him as he was becoming more on the drugs he needed and also the sizes of the shipments
The drugs didn´t help him to become the greatest of all time. His own trainingmethods and willingness to suffer to get to the top is responsible for that. The Little Dragon continues to be great and to inspire people.
I don’t think it will, these letters and this video are over a year old and the Lee estate doesn’t seem to have changed course at all. They buried their heads in the sand and largely ignored this whole thing.
@trumpisthemessiah7017 he introduced martial arts to the world, opened the doors for all martial artist to this day from action movie stars to combat sports competitors. He originated the idea of taking elements from all types of martial arts styles that worked for him and combining them into his fitting. That was the whole idea he was trying to teach every martial artist to take in what works for them, discard what doesn’t and then add what is uniquely their own. That then later on evolved to what we know now as MMA. If it weren’t for Bruce Lee, there would be no MMA, there would be no UFC. Is that enough to tell you why he is and always will be remembered as a Legend? Or you still crying about him having no fight record?
@xcaliburmind just look at this troll’s handle and you know everything you need. He forgets that smart phones had awful video quality in the 60’s or that there was ZERO money in point karate in the 60’s and Bruce had a family to feed. “BrO I duN NeVeR SeEn BRuCe LeE FiGHt nOBuddy 🤡 The guy also says Bruce Lee didn’t do anything great but he thinks a multiple time failed business criminal is “the messiah”. No need to feed anonymous delusional cowards
This is indeed a mind bender for us die hard Bruce Lee fans. Part of me thinks these letter should have been burned and never seen the light of day and part of me is relieved with curiosities satisfied about certain aspects of his life and death. We really shouldn’t be surprised, he was, after all, exactly what he wished to be thought of “A Human Being” who was continuously evolving. The revelations of the personal lives of icons is nothing new today. If this was turning into a problem for him, Im sure he would have eventually ended up in a detox clinic or did it himself. When we are young, many of us abuse our bodies with substances, be it cigarettes, alcohol or anything else. Perhaps he saw it as a way to maintain focus and energy levels. Whatever the case might be, he only did harm to himself. Involving the butler seems to be more of a cultural thing that would be accepted. Why now? Baker obviously coveted these letters and made sure that they could be easily discovered by his family. Maybe he could later use them as collateral or for blackmail or some kind of protection? Were the letters first revealed to the Lee family for consideration? I have watched Shannon Lees “Family Reunion” series and it struck me as strange and odd that she had to literally personally reach out to relatives like cousins and uncles whom she hadn’t spoken to for years and sometimes decades. The interviews were unexpectedly a bit awkward and clumsy as if there was a really good reason they had not been in contact for all those years. Were these family members already aware of this problem that Bruce and Linda had? It all makes perfect sense to me. I have always truly suspected Linda Lee of having an agenda and alterior motives for the things she said and did immediately after Bruce Lees death. The initial lie that he had died at home to try and avoid the loss of face and out right scandal of him passing in Betty Ting Peis apartment, the moving of the corpse outside of China, initially the reason being so that his children would be able to visit, but maybe so there could be no exhumation of the body under Chinese authority for further testing. Her calling for speculation and inquiry to stop! Her insistence that we “Focus on how Bruce lived and not how he died”, it all points a great deal back to her trying to protect his image, his legacy, his children and herself. Who could blame her? She certainly had the cooperation of everyone else. There is one thing though, Betty Ting-Pei revealed in an recent interview that ‘The truth” about how Bruce Lee died would one day be revealed. What truth could that possibly be? During that interview she stated he also had a heart condition that was kept very quiet. Its already been revealed that he had suffered a seizure while working on Enter The Dragon. By all accounts, when he went to back to the US to get a complete medical check-up trying to find the cause of the seizure,( which surely didn’t include an illicit drug screen)he was given a clean bill of health and was told at 32, that he had the body of an 18 year old. This was pretty self evident. Another person, Fred Weintraub stated that once he became famous, “Bruce changed in ways that many change after they become successful” he seemed to be referring to the understandable increase in paranoia that fame can bring on to many. Did he also know about the cocaine likely fueling the paranoia? That whole cocaine-paranoia-gun scenario reminds me of Marvin Gaye, who also had a serious cocaine problem and had purchased several firearms for protection. The one that he gave to his father, was eventually used by his father to kill him. I believe that he used cannabis not to just get high but as a very effective pain medication for his chronic back pain. That being said, it seems logical that the “M” substance he might have been referring to could have been Morphine. Maybe not. The cocaine usage is understandable. During the filming of Enter The Dragon, It was reported that Bruce Lee would be the first one on the set in the morning and the last one to leave in the evening and then would re-write and choreograph into the wee hours of the morning while also still training his body. That is an incredible feat to pull off for months without something to stimulate you. Coffee and tea aint gonna get that job done. Cocaine at that time as I remember was a strange and exotic substance that would be fairly expensive and exclusive. It was for the rich, the rich who even knew about it. Its apparent he was using it and would scribble off these notes to Baker when the realization he was running low or running out hit him. Perhaps Linda would step in with her letters when Bruce was unable to or felt some kind of fleeting shame? Only Linda knows. One thing is for sure, this is not anything unusual for the time period. I am a child of the 1960s. As I see more and more of the icons of my childhood have their most intimate and personal life details get exposed to the public, I become more aware that we are all spiritual beings having a human experience on this planet we call Earth. I think that the host of this channel showed a remarkable amount of courage to post this along with some copies of the various letters. I am still processing these revelations and I am sure that more things will start to make sense. One thing that is for certain is that Linda Lee, who is still alive and well, could step forward and either confirm these things or go into silence mode. Either way, she might be up for charges of insurance fraud and perjury, and that is a very unpleasant contemplation. You don’t mess with Lloyds Money. It could get really nasty from here on. I will never lose respect for Bruce Lee. He was an incredible human being who was under tremendous amount of pressure who responded with the most incredible shift in action movies that there has ever been. I sincerely admire his daughter Shannon and what she has done and continues to do with his legacy and name brand and was a huge fan of his son Brandon as well. It would be very interesting if Linda Lee Cadwel would step forward and address this whole issue.
Bruce actually told One of the doctors, Dr Peter Wu, when he was admitted to the hospital the first time when he had fainted, that he was Chewing on Hashish leaf while he was doing some dubbing for Enter The Dragon right before he passed out, so that wasn't any secret. This Habit must have started in the late 60s when he was hanging around his Hollywood Circle and he must have found that it helped him relax and to de-stress from all the hard work he was putting into his Martial Arts and Film making. I do remember reading somewhere that he did comment on how these Subtances did give him a false sense of consciousness/awareness. What's interesting is that the Autopsy report did not state any other substances found in his body except the equagesic and the Hash, which implies to me that these other hard drugs were taken sparingly or they weren't sent as often to HK as these letters would imply.
@@TheKungFuGeniushe didn’t do coke in hong kong and only in la. He never did coke in Hong Kong and the coke didn’t kill him. By the way Bruce’s father was a serious opium addict so he knew about drugs and was around drugs his whole life
To be honest, drugs can be seriously overrated sometimes. I've done some coke, marijuana, hasj and xtc recreationally in the past during experimental phase in my life and it really doesn't impact your life if you don't exaggerate and don't get addicted. One day I just didn't do it anymore and it doesn't change your life at all. I mean alcohol is consumed much more. People who don't do drugs fear it, but it's really not that special. But pity to hear bruce got some addiction, it was probably just that era. Doesn't take anything away from his accomplishments.
Dude this is the opposite of click-bait, holy shit! 20 minutes of interesting but not sensationalized facts, then the handwriting starts to deteriorate, then BAM! Holy crap that's a lot of drugs, normal people don't buy hash oil by the ounce. But I absolutely get it, Bruce was absolutely on the spectrum: I'd guess he was prone to sustained hypomanic episodes which strongly mimic the effects of stimulant use. Excellent content, thanks.
people blame Linda for the superhero image of Bruce but it started before that , in fact it started in '71 when Big Boss came out.....just look at the HK movie poster where Lee is portrayed as a superhero with endless energy , leaping across the screen......it pisses me off however that she lied all these yrs like she treated us as naive fools , its insulting and I wouldve respected the estate a lot more had she been honest about his death
Bruce is still the Man, we all have demons to conqueror. No one leaves this life unscathed. What he accomplished under those circumstances is extraordinary!
In am one of Bruce Lee's greatest fans, I have followed he's life ever since 1973.this has not changed my admiration or respect in any way negatively. All it has for me ,it reminds me that he was a human being. To me me Bruce Lee shaped many of my personal characteristics. It made me us a boy learn many different systems of marital arts. Including Wing Chung. I am not old enough to have experienced the 60s and 70s .But I do know a lot of people who tell me Every one was experimenting at some level during that period. The fact to me is ,he was able to accomplish so much in such a short life . And I know ather Martial artists around the world, will agree with me ,when I say . Bruce is the King of Kung Fu. All my life I have read everything he wrote. And has even save my life. Any one that knows me . Knows what happened to me was no joke. But the warrior that Bruce planted in me lives . This letters show only that some people forget the word personal letters ,means Private. There will allways be some one trying to Cash in, At the expense of athers. But it will not have the effect that some heaters think it will. I stand loyal to Bruce's teachings philosophy and way of life. God bless he's soul. Yury Gomez ☯️.
"Paper" is a term for Acid - LSD, and would make a lot of sense, Coburne and all that gang were very much into exploring the mental aspects of getting high, and I would imagine the low-dose use of LSD would have been very interesting to Bruce to expand his mind. Sad to have lost him so young, always been a hero to me. RIPBL
If you can find an old documentary called Death By Misadventure, check it out. The actual doctor who did the autopsy on Bruce said he didn’t die from any pain medication. They lied so that Linda could collect Bruce’s life insurance.
He’s my childhood hero, I love him to death, unless some new revelation exposed him as Hong Kong’s Jack the Ripper. Now we see BL ‘s frailties, seems like every Superman has their krytonite. It doesn’t change my love for him. He’s still the most talented,respected, revered martial artist known to mankind. It’s been nearly half a century since his passing, and like Mozart- greatness is timeless. What it does teaches us is, even the best has their human frailties. Love always, and miss you Bruce! I’ll be in Seattle in a few days to pay my respects at Lakeview. It has always been on my bucket list.
@@TheKungFuGenius -thanks Alex, guess we’re all a little surprised, or shocked, but reality bites! As for your talents, and knowledge of the martial arts- one word- Sifu!
Never meet your heroes. Drugs are so rampant in the US and easily accessible especially in elite circles whether business, sports, politics, or the arts. RIP Bruce. You inspired so many and became a legend but at the end of the day you were still human. Even from the grave you continue to teach us.
He did a number of sketchy things. Drinking beef blood, electronic muscle stimulation, LSD, cortisone, ate hashish, mushrooms, anabolic steroids, diuretics, drank sake despite Linda saying he didn't touch alcohol, smoked grass and Chinese herbs.
Van damn was huge on Cocaine. It destroyed his career. I appreciate the way you addressed this bombshell. You did a great job making sense of it. You did it with respect and integrity. I agree with you about separating his skills and huge inspiration to the world from his bad personal habits. He’s still the greatest.
It’s clear Bruce Lee dabbled on various concoctions. It wouldn’t be surprising to find out he tried various different things. This only clear addition he had was martial arts.
Even I'm a Bruce Lee fan... Yet, I'm just NOW hearing about these letters coming out! 😳 Does this mean there are legal ramifications for Linda for lying on oath about the life insurance!?! Wondering why did they keep these letters anyways!? I'm sure Linda regrets putting her name on those letters!
Gives new meaning to don’t concentrate on the finger, meaning himself but where the finger is pointing. He is still my primary inspiration in martial arts
Definitely Death by misadventure, shit happens. Substance use among hollywood personalities was and is still pretty common up to this very day. The very big difference was that during the 60s, recreational drug use was not that big of a deal, (from what I heard) and the potential danger it poses. I guess Bruce Lee actually used the drugs for his work, not that I'm justifying drug use, but he was a functional or matured user. I still adore and admire Bruce Lee, and that will never change.
Thank you for doing this episode. As new and sometimes shocking information, like this, continues to pop up about Bruce Lee, it's important to address it honestly. We as fans are curious and want to talk about it and it was great to see the letters here , hear some of the backstory and get your views on it. You always approach things fairly and honestly and that's one of the reasons I love your podcast.
This is for all you jealous people out there no matter what drugs he was on he still was one of the most fit humans on this planet Rest In Peace the Real Goat
I don't know what heavy drugs he was on all I ever heard was that he smoked weed and hash hey I'll bet your p**** don't look like his have a nice day 😁😁😁😁
When I watched the movie Dragon the Bruce Lee story at the age of 14 I stopped hanging out with my trouble making friends and became more straight edge… and it felt good. I used Bruce as a roll model to keep me on the right path in my life. I just wished things like this would not not have been revealed because Bruce may not be the same type of roll model for future generations to come. We all have skeletons but people sometimes need that guy to keep them on the narrow path.
JFK was addicted to prescription speed/dexadrine & prescription painkillers like demerol & dilaudid. Dr Feelgood had most of Hollywood addicted to drugs.
Because I think Hollywood or some director want to destroy Bruce Lee’s reputation because of ENVY! . It all started by the Tarantino movie Once upon a time in Holly weird! Tarantino cannot accept Bruce is a legend n more n more Famous than him n any holly weird actors, because Bruce Lee is Asian Chinese!
@@chilli1115 But the problem is that our role models need to be larger than life and larger than human. Part of the success of Bruce Lee as a role model is that he was never defeated. If he had ever fought and lost people would say "yes of course he's human" but at the same time it would destroy his brand as a legend. This is probably why Bruce Lee himself never fought real matches, he knew that a loss would tarnish his brand.
Bruce Lee, Martial Shaman. Seriously though, blaming it on the butler just proves my suspicion that he was a giant narcissist and got exactly what he deserved
I think people who moralize anonymously in the comments are the biggest narcissists. RU-vid allows them to anonymously pretend to take down someone who accomplished something in their lives. The platform gives them the feeling that their input matters. They think that by having a “moral edge” over someone they never met that they are a superior person, yet must do it anonymously so they have no accountability. And we all know about people who generally moralize about others publicly… They are the ones with the biggest skeletons in their closet.
Still processing this. I'll probably go through more emotions regarding this over the next couple of days. Ultimately, we all have to remember that these figures of history we put on pedestals weren't saints. Instead, they had very human flaws. That doesn't make them less of a person. Rather, it makes them real. Bruce was very forward thinking with martial arts and introduced positive philosophies that have affected so many. And he was a coke addict who was willing to pin his crimes on a butler. That's the reality. The question is which do you emphasize more? Which wins out in the end? I'm leaning towards one answer, but I'm still grappling with the other. I also want to say thank you to Sifu Alex for offering the context regarding Bruce's life. The pressures of persevering and maintaining success, that had to have a massive influence on anyone, let alone someone like Bruce.
Bruce Lee was incredible and what he accomplished in his short life is nothing short of phenomenal and inspirational my dad always watched Bruce Lee and told me how intelligent he was and I always look at Bruce Lee quotes for motivation
Morphine is not considered a drug in the olden days, even the ancient times. Its a powerful pain killer. And this helped Bruce Lee recover very well. So well that he's able to even be more capable then ever before.
These letters are mostly about cocaine, not morphine. M-pills are most likely not a reference to morphine, nor would it be the main revelation of these letters even if it was. I have extremely detailed notes about his doctor visits and the medication that he was taking, I’m not sure whose butt you pulled your “information” out of. He was in a lot of pain in the last three years of his life, and certainly not more capable than before. Don’t confuse his movies with reality.
I grew up in the 80s & 90s with Bruce Lee being a MAJOR influence on my life. I grew up in a very rough city & would fight ANYBODY , especially multiple people or way bigger than me. I practiced Jeet Kune Do & became a semi-pro boxer which gave me balance & I stopped fighting just to fight & learn to give & receive respect. Bruce Lee made me realize sixe doesn't matter... I was about the size exact size & shape of Bruce especially in my teens. Finding out in my 40s that Bruce Lee couldn't fight his way out a wet paper bag was devastating. I've learned to only worship God & never any human beings. I still hold Bruce in a special place in my heart but, he was a fraud. I taught my kids to learn MMA & to never look up to tv or movie stars. The drug use my Bruce Lee makes me like him more 😂
From what I understand- coke was nowhere near as taboo in the early 70s as it was later in the decade or the 80s, when the true nature of its abuse became clear. Probably why he never used coded words for it in the letters and probably why he didn't realise just how damaging these substances are for an athlete
For me It makes things make sense. The legend was that of an extremely health conscious man suddenly dying. A death swirled in mystery. A curse? A vendetta? "There goes my hero watch him as he goes. There goes my hero, he's ordinary. " Bruce was far from ordinary but at the end of the day he was human. An amazing complex human. Just like the rest of us. I still hold him in the same high regard.
The cocaine was probably the reason why in the Enter The Dragon he looked a little pale and tired compared to before. The weed and coke opened up his imagination. Also when Jacky Chan saw Bruce shortly before he died he said Bruce was just walking around alone and then went with him to watch him bowl and when he left he wanted to say something but then just got in the taxi. He knew his life was in threat now combine that with the drugs and it could make your mind worry about not being able to see his family anymore and so forth.
There were a number of things done by celebrities during those eras. Bruce was a philanderer and a drug user who was still in phenomenal physical shape and an excellent publicist who had to deal with gang/triad affiliation, racism amongst other things. I still like his work and innovation.
Like you i'm a life long Bruce fan, since the early 70's. I just visted his Bel Air home last week, as it was my first time visiting California (I live in Philly). Injuring his back, striving to achieve a level of international stardom no asian had ever experience, and dealing with the trappings of stardom. Like Prince, Michael Jackson, Elvis and so many others...it starts as an attempt to easy the pain. Then it becomes a real problem. Bruce Lee was just a normal human being, who trained himself into being a superman...yet he never lost sight of the fact that he was always just a normal human being. Thanks for sharing.
This explains why he looked so strange on Enter the Dragon. It also explains his level of exercise intensity. He exercise WAY too much. Probably fueled by the cocaine. Exercise intensity fueled by cocaine led to him hurting his back. It all makes sense.
Your assessment about why he looked the way he looked in ETD is spot on. However, the timeline on the back injury is off, his back injury predates his use of cocaine.
Why do you take a neutral stance? Why cant you just say what he did about using all these drugs was completely wrong, taking down with it his whole family...
What an amazing movie it would make to have an impressionable student hanging out with him for a day on the early ETD set. Strong, fast, excellent but also tired, stressed, arrogant and egotistical. A savage coke scene that everyone loses their mind over. Reminds me of the twilight zone where the Elvis impersonator goes back in time and meets Elvis. They hate each other so much they fight and Elvis dies.
Thanks for doing the special episode Alex, it was very interesting! I had always believed Bruce didn’t do hard drugs because he was very health conscious but it was the 70s so I’m not too surprised. Nothing could ever take away what an incredibly amazing man he was and his gigantic contribution in promoting Martial Arts and Hong Kong Cinema. It’s a bit silly people need him to be both a badass and a saint.
@@TheKungFuGenius Thank you! I’m very happy you like them, I really enjoy your podcasts and learn lots of new information from them! You probably don’t need the subtitles anyway, your knowledge of Cantonese is good and have done plenty more research into Wing Chun than me.
@@TheKungFuGenius Haha at least you don’t call yourself Dai Sifu Kung Fu Genious! I actually have a question but it’s one of those gossipy ones you don’t like. Do you know anything about the press conference written about in the article by Hsuan Kung Tse that you are able to share? Completely understand if it’s a topic you’d like to steer clear of, it does sound like a potential can of worms.
i have lost the respect i had for bruce,,a father,a husband,a mentor,,,,,,,I was a hippy ,but I could see where i would end up,,,i'm sure Bruce knew too,,,,,he was weak and frail and could have got away from that life,but he chose not to,and for that he has NO mental toughness,
I was a stoner in my teen years. I stopped when I was 19 because I realised it wasn't helping me. I'm 38 this year and have been off weed since. I'm against hard drugs like cocain etc. Finding this out about Bruce is quite like wow,but it doesn't make me look at Bruce any less. It makes me see that we all have flaws and nobody is perfect.
First of all thanks a lot for doing this episode. In my humble opinion it's more as you said towards the end, "You were able to do all of that things and you were on all those drugs?!" As you said, after all it was the 60's and Bruce experimented a lot with a bunch of different things, for me this is just another "branch" of experimenting regarding pain relief and relaxing (CBD was not available at that time, as far as I know, I can imagine, that cannabis oil did probably the same trick).Some passages also show, that he definitely monitored, when to slow down with drug intake, so to me it looks like he knew about developing a habit, which is not beneficial in certain situations and he tried to get that under control. Anyways, all that things shouldn't diminish his achievements at all. Anyways, I am just an admirer who tried to "sneak" into his new movies in cinemas, when I was a kid. You guys now much better, after all your research. Again a huge thank you, Alex, especially for doing this in a very objective way!!! Regards from Bali, hope to see you again here, someday, when the situation gets better.
This makes me see Bruce Lee in a whole new light. He is way more awesome than I could've imagined! He is a human being after all, Rest In Power🐉. . .🤩🐲👊💥💯
I'm not least bit suprised honestly. He was a mega star with all kinds of pressures, stress and physical alments. Bruce knew what was doing for the most part. But when combined with his brutal training and diet, other substances. I can also, see how it effected his health at the end. I personally can understand bruces struggle with substance use, even if it wasn't those exact same ones. So no. It doesnt change how i view him. If anything i can relate to it. He could've easily been on opioids, from his back pain but it didnt appear in the letters. This was also the '70s and it was pretty common at that time also. The man was in pain and clearly struggling at times, he was still only human. No one is perfect, not even legends like bruce lee.
Bruce was an incredibly gifted person and athlete... otherwise, you nailed it. Dude respected "normal," but he was anything but. He was one-of-a-kind in an incredible way (we all are one-of-a-kind, just not in the same prolific way).
Maybe in a way Bruce Lee was lucky to die so young. If he had lived longer, he would be probably remembered only for his drug addiction. A drug addiction which would have ruined his life.
I guess it just goes to show that we’re all human and we all have our issues and skeletons in the closet. We can judge all we want, but in the end, it was his life and I think it would be very difficult to dispute that he did it his way. Still the greatest and most charismatic martial artist I’ve ever seen. It further shows that everything has a price. May he rest in piece and i hope the Lee family doesn’t Cop a huge backlash from this. Excellent video too btw👍🏻
