Biographer Tom Bleecker discusses Bruce Lee's much publicized back injury.
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- Опубліковано 16 чер 2024
- In several of the first books written about Bruce's life, it was stated that because of the seriousness of Bruce's back injury, doctors told him he would never kick again.
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I was a student of Bruce Lee students for 16 years and I hadn't heard good things about Tom Bleecker's book. However, every video I see him in, His points seem well reasoned and fair minded.
The job of a biographer is simply to present a well-balanced accounting of the person's life they are writing about and most important of all to tell the truth. You might be surprised by some of the names of Bruce Lee's students/instructors who have privately praised "Unsettled Matters" but are reluctant to publicly do so. Over time, this has changed appreciably, however, as much of what I wrote about in my book has turned out to be true.
Cause people who tell the truth or speak real about Lee get slammed by people who idolize him.
IF YOU WERE ONE OF BRUCE LEE'S STUDENT'S THEN ARE YOU SAYING YOU WERE AT THE SEATTLE SCHOOL, LA OR OAKLAND. BECAUSE BRUCE LEE DIDN'T TEACH ANYONE FOR 16 YEARS AT ANY OF HIS 3 SCHOOLS.
@@TomBleecker ваши книги интересно читать.
@@Chronicskillness мы его уважаем ,но хотим знать правду.
3:47 yeah, frozen shoulder is no joke. It hurts sometimes so bad that it feels like your collar bone is being sawed off.
Although I haven't had a frozen shoulder, the pain I witnessed my wife experience had to be horrendous. I think she put it up there with childbirth.
Glad to see you clarifying this matter. In Hollywood movie on Bruce's life it seemed that he was almost paralyzed.
The depiction was pretty bizarre. Almost like Jesus curing the blind man, Bruce heals himself with the power of his kung-fu.
@@TomBleecker 😅
A lot in that movie was highly sensationalized or downright fictions. But as movies go, it was fairly entertaining.
@@pineapplepizza4016 fairly entertaining for something that didn't happen. That's what I don't understand about movies, DRAGON, the Bruce Lee story, Tombstone (a western movie about Wyatt Earp) they'll show parts that never happened, they never make a movie that's 100% truthful.
I've got an L5 s1 disc bulge aggravated sciatica, paralysis & pain in tandem, hoping it'll come good, it's been 4 weeks, bed ridden.
Excellent testament sir!! I appreciate it. “The truth will set you free “
X-rays cannot see enough detail to diagnose a ruptured disc punching a nerve. MRI or cat scan is required, which was probably not available to Bruce.
According to Bruce's medical records, he didn't have an MRI or cat scan. Because his back injury healed up on its own in a few weeks with Jacuzzi and muscle relaxants, I think it can be assumed that he didn't have a ruptured disc.
Very insightful about the probable sources of Bruce Lee's (李小龙) back injuries. It is interesting that the attack on Bruce Lee at an airport as mentioned in this video was kind of covered in one of Bruce Li (何宗道) movies about Bruce Lee. In the movie, the attack was planned by a humiliated Japanese Karate Sensei who had been previously defeated by Bruce Lee in a contest in front of their students.
Tarantino would surely love to make a film with these.
Antony Lau：
During the filming period in Thailand, did Bruce Lee have any experience with Muay Thai players?
□Liu Yong: At the time of filming, I found a lot of martial arts in the local area. Most of these martial arts are Muay Thai.
When Bruce Lee taught them a play, they didn't cooperate very well. Later, after everyone had a little discussion, they could be honest.
Брюс Ли наверное знал тайский бокс ?
It will be a compelling story if the truth about Bruce's life could be made into a film but i am sure his family won't allow it.
No one needs permission to produce a film or documentary about the life of a deceased person.
@@TomBleecker Oh yeah, you are right. Come to think of it, "Once upon a time in holllywood" ridiculed Bruce.
@@9sunskungfu Those who knew Bruce personally didn't see Bruce as being ridiculed in that film. Bruce was well known to have been cocky. One of Bruce's closest friends was Ed Parker, who, in addressing 1,500 people who attended his (Ed Parker's) tribute, stated that Bruce was cocky.
Bruce got suckered kicked in his back while sleeping in the airport...this is all mind blowing! A kick to the back while sleeping will do a lot of damage! It may have well been the start of his back problem. In the movies they always 'glamorize' his back issue with fighting Wong Jack Man.
@@TomBleecker Kenpo Sensei....Good Info!
I learned Jeet June Do for some months from a student of one of Bruce Lee's original Jun Fan Studio students. He told me that his Sifu Jerry Poteet said Bruce was weight lifting one day, and he had a work out where he would lift 120lbs and hold his arms straight out forward and hold for 10 seconds. One of the students challenged Bruce to do 150lbs, and he did it easily. But, when he extended his arms with 150lbs on the bar bell, he felt a huge pop in his back.. he went to set the bar down, and couldn't lift his body back up afterwards. It was an obvious ruptured lower disk leading to a bunch of doctors telling Bruce he would never be able to walk, let alone be able to fight or do martial arts or train. So while he was healing, he wrote the Tao of Jeet June Do from a philosophical standpoint
The scenario you described (although actually hearsay) slightly differs from the initial explanation, although this isn't what Bruce Lee told the doctors who treated him. Which version is true is anyone's guess. Personally, I believe what I read in Bruce's medical records because I don't see why he would have lied to his physicians. Thanks for your post. Cheers
The scenario that you described (although hearsay) differs somewhat from the initial explanation given by Linda Lee of Bruce's injury being the result of doing a "good morning" exercise while lifting weights. Both scenarios are radically different from what Bruce told the physicians who treated him. Given that what Bruce told his doctors is a firsthand accounting, I personally believe what is memorialized in Bruce's medical records.
One of my instructors told me Bruce told him he did it from doing "good mornings," which makes more sense, since that is a back exercise. He said Bruce told him, " I was an Ass" (for hurting himself with this exercise.
@@chrisbera7952 Well, again, this isn't what Bruce told his physicians. If I had an injury, the one person I would be completely honest with would be my doctor.
Bob Bremer said Bruce told him; "I was an ass." And had hurt his back doing good mornings with too much weight.
Have to confess. I hated the film Dragon.
It had potential, but was a let down. The music was wonderful, and I think Jason Scott Lee did a good job with the drama. But the fight scenes were ridiculous and over the top, and far too much fiction made its way in.
@@NH1973 жаль ,что там не снялся Брэндон Ли.
Yip it was garbage, just a bigger budget type Hong Kong Bruce exploitation movie.
Yeah it was painful to see Hollywoodized film.
I found this recently though. Gave me SOME hope for what’s obviously coming next.
ua-cam.com/video/Qd9vUXrWYTE/v-deo.html
I just wish it wasn't _so_ full of fiction.
The Man himself is worthy of a genuine biopic.
I saw Linda talking about his back injury she said while using weights
According to what Bruce told his doctor, his injury wasn't caused when lifting weights. Anyway, I don't think it matters what caused his muscle spasm. It healed up eventually. In one of Bruce's drug letters that he wrote to Bobby Baker, Bruce refers to the injury as relatively minor.
It was during sex. Mystery is over.
@@TomBleecker Бобби Бейкер очень странно исчез после смерти Брюс Ли. Мы не видели его интервью в документальных фильмах.
Just began watching but as the owner of 3 disc herniations a fractured vertebrae and other stuff I can pronounce, ugh. As a Journyman Carpenter a former baseball player, being athletic, what seems to get lost on many is the mental toll it takes on someone . Its horrible. I was almost a statistic of prescription drugs. One thing that saved me was the time I spent in Karate w/Dr. Lauber , his emphasis on abdominal spirit pulled me out . Its 14 years now since I stopped using those for pain. The pain is still there but In alive , coherent and much happier.
You certainly have gone through a whole lot more back problems than Bruce dealt with, both in severity and length of time. As I mentioned in the video, Bruce's back problem essentially amounted to a muscle spasm that cleared up after a few months of muscle relaxants and Jacuzzi. He never had any serious injury to his spine.
@@TomBleecker I see that now. Crazy tho that a human being would go out of their way to kick another human being while they are sleeping. As for the back problems and dealing with pain. It saddens me to see the videos of so many Americans looking like zombies from the drugs. More saddening is how so many react to it , talking about them as if they woke up one morning and said "I think I'll ruin my life and start a drug addiction". Most from what I've seen and I've through, started out with a serious injury and due to most Doctors barely know their patients full names , all these otherwise decent human beings end up with what we see. It's sad bc they are all someone's mom dad brother sister uncle or aunt.. I'm glad I'm not there but do have a lot of empathy for those who still are. It was probably the hardest thing to overcome. The withdrawal from those opiates is insane and is why so many fail and go back to them.. I pray for a healthier America .
Daren
Never knew what a pinched nerve was. Had this 2 years ago which required surgery. I think it was caused by overtraining with kettlebells and taking no days off etc
I had one last an entire year but I was laid up for about 5-6 months. Felt like I lost an entire year of my life. Pinched nerves can really drive you crazy from the pain.
CAT scans were not in regular use until about 1974 or later. MRI's were not used until the 80's. An XRAY would only view the disc spaces and bones of the spine. A disc injury would not be visible unless there was loss of space between the vertebrae of the spine/back. Bruce probably had an acute disc injury. Fluid or pieces if the disc would cause inflammation and pain or what is commonly oversimplified and called a "pinched nerve".
Whatever Bruce had, it wasn't anywhere near what was depicted in the movie DRAGON. By his own admission - citing from what he wrote in one of his letters to Bobby Baker - his back injury was more of a nuisance or inconvenience than anything else.
Exercise should do less when aging because the body can't with stand the pressure.
Wow I’m speechless
hi Tom,
thanks for share this. I've hear a little different version of Bruce Lee's back kicked from my Sifu. Today, after hear you I can confirm that these fact it's true but non published.
my sifu's version told nothing about Bruce Lee is sleeping when was kicked in spine an another "apolitical" detail of the aggressor.
@tombleecker Sir, to correct the leg shortage. Get a Karate Chiropractor and they can help with that. They were able to restraighten my legs to be at the same level. it was due to my spine too. After 3 months, my back pain was gone and I was walking evenly again. No other professional was able to help and I was told the same thing.
Over many years, I've seen some of the best chiropractors, including a top black belt, as well as a well-known orthopedic surgeon. For me, there is no quick fix. At my age (77), I'll live with the occasional backache. Thanks for your comments. Happy holidays.
I would like to hear yor account of Wong Jack Man vs Bruce Lee.
Because I wasn't present, my opinions are based on what I have deemed credible accountings from the half dozen people I spoke with who were present. In my view, the best accounting can be found in the book "Showdown in Oakland" by Rick Wing. Thanks for your post. www.amazon.com/Showdown-Oakland-Story-Behind-Bruce-ebook/dp/B00AR0KE1I/ref=sr_1_1?crid=UZT5J4T2SL1T&keywords=Showdown+in+Oakland&qid=1664259554&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&s=books&sprefix=showdown+in+oakland%2Cstripbooks%2C104&sr=1-1
So if bruce didn't injure his back which caused him great pain a lot and took the cortisone for pain he'd probably still be alive ??? Overused cortisone
Wonder if these Bruce Lee medical records will ever be published
I have no plans to publish them. I'm not sure who else might have copies of all his medical records.
Wow Tom! Are you serious about the airport incident!! How come that's never been brought to light??!!
Don't know, probably not all that important. I do have Amy Sanbo and Lonny Kaneko talking about it on tape in 1992 when I interviewed Amy in Vashon.
@@TomBleecker hard to believe first time iv herd this been following him since 70s . He'd hav to be dead asleep for any cowards to kick him how could kick his back if his laying on his back or sitting backless chair???
@@travels129 I don't know the details, but it's certainly possible to injure someone's back while they're lying down or in the process of standing.
@@TomBleecker I guess this goes back to the almost deification of Bruce Lee where people dont want to believe that hes just human .
I think he had a bad pinched nerve, in 6th grade i remb injuring my back by jumping on a trampoline and dunking a basketball. It lasted all the way through high school at times it was so bad i couldn't run. Just like you explain the stabbing pain same thing. I remb spending 3 to 4 hours right before feeling like i'd pass out in hot saunas at the local swimming pool helping out dramatically, i think that so often in the summer time that it eventually right before college it pretty much healed my back. Bruce couldn't explain his back injury cause he was so active hard to pin point the exact place, so he was prob trolling his doctor he was a pranksta had an awesome sense of humor lol..
Bruce certainly had a back problem for a while. No one is disputing that. What he didn't have was a problem that resulted in his never being able to kick again and was so severe that he was hospitalized and put in traction, as was depicted in the movie DRAGON. According to two sets of full X-rays, Bruce's spine was normal.
@@TomBleecker True i understand that is what i've also read that it wasn't that bad but there is a pic of him in a wheel chair reading a book so maybe for a short period of time might've been really bad but you are correct.
@@redfirekla I have, personally, experienced back pain (sciatica) that was so severe that I was unable to walk without assistance. It cleared up on its own in about a week.
@@TomBleecker Man,there are not many injuries worse than a screaming sciatic nerve.Did yours feel like a hot iron rod all the way down the leg?...Thank God i found a good Chiroprator that got rid of it in a 3-4 sessions.
@@alexscott730 Mine was certainly uncomfortable, and at times painful. I wouldn't, however, refer to it as screaming pain.
Stuart McGill would fix Bruce's back and he would be like a newborn in a year
There was never an injury to Bruce's spine. His back pain was caused by a pulled muscle that straightened out with Jacuzzi and muscle relaxants.
I can't believe he had his sweat glands removed from his arm pits.
The reality was he had little choice if he wanted to pursue an acting career. With the amount of profuse sweating Bruce had under his arms, this would be a major problem for wardrobe and camera. The glands he had removed were excess glands that remedied his profuse sweating.
@@TomBleecker So he chose his career over his health.
@@sterlingray3982 He certainly wouldn't be the first one to do that, and he won't be the last. Many years ago, a poll was taken of Olympic athletes, who were asked this question: "If you would be guaranteed an Olympic Gold Medal if you took anabolic steroids, but taking these drugs would shorten your life by five years, would you still take them." Over 90 percent answered that they would. The same could be applied to the other drugs that Bruce was using.
@@TomBleecker с защемление нерва мы сталкивались , там даже ходить трудно , тем более не мыслимо наносить удары ногами. Травмы такие случаются в спарингах и уличных боях. Не знаем как это возможно при занятиях камасутра , но все возможно.
I honestly think that Bruce Lee died from over physical exertion...none of this happened to him when he was doing dramas and comedies for most his career
The first time Bruce collapsed on May 10th, he was doing voiceovers at Golden Harvest. The second time, he had spent hours in Betty Ting's air-conditioned apartment.
Quite interesting he knew Blake Edwards. Did Bruce like the pink panther films with Peter Sellers? What were his thoughts on the character Kato?
Good question. Bruce never mentioned the Panther movies to me. That said, my sense is that he didn't like the character of Kato.
@@TomBleecker Thanks, I can understand Bruce not being fond of the character of kato. Both he and clouseau are hilarious together though.
I just watched the George Lazenby interview. He says he showed up in Hong Kong Broke. Bruce liked him and told Raymond Chow to give him 10,000$ and sign him on to the Game of Death project. George says Chow cut him a check right there and Bruce helped him open a bank account to cash it and took him shopping etc. So I find nothing odd or out of place that Chow was pushing Bruce and talking scripts or whatever and meeting with him about this specific project with Lazenby, (regardless of the details..'script' 'casting" what does it matter? ) to try and get some return on the Lazenby investment (10,000 was big money in 1972 for a small shop like Golden Harvest). So it makes complete sense to me that Chow is staying close to Bruce making sure he is getting some work done (on this specific project that just cost him 10,000 and Bruce is being side tracked by a dozen different offers and projects) and not spending all his time doing hash and dallying with his mistress('). How do we manage to believe there is something nefarious here? I found it a very weak spot in your book. Which I only read recently. Has there been any more revelations since then to substantiate the odd premise that Chow would not have been meeting with Bruce the night he died?
Nowhere in UM do I suggest that Bruce (with Betty) hadn't planned to join Chow and Lazenby that evening for dinner. The ten thousand that Bruce had Chow give to Lazenby was for an undetermined future project. I watched the video that you referenced. It appears that you accepted what Lazenby said in that video to be a truthful accounting of their meeting. I'm not sure about it. By the way, what was your take on those drug letters that surfaced last year?
@@TomBleecker Thanks for the reply. It was your book actually, that rekindled my interest in Bruce Lee and As I mentioned I just recently read..so I am catching up on things like the drug letters which I also only heard about recently so I have not done my due diligence to from a good opinion yet. As for Lazenby, he seems very candid talking about his failings and being flat broke , which would be tough for anyone, and he is not part of the martial arts/Bruce Lee Club so I would think that he has less of a "dog in the fight" then most people. Did you ever interview him?
@@JohnJohnson-pq4qz I again listened to Lazenby's interview on UA-cam, which was done for the documentary "Death by Misadventure." Whenever an actor of Lazenby's background appears in a film of any kind, they have a "dog in the fight," so to speak, hence why he was dressed to the nines. Generally speaking, I think a good deal of what he said is embellished. A few points: (1) The $10K that he mentions Chow gave him was most likely Hong Kong dollars, not US dollars. As such, the amount in US dollars would have been around US$2,000, (2) according to Lazenby's own words, the film Bruce was talking about in the future wasn't "Game of Death," (3) Bruce calling Lazenby at three in the morning and babbling on an on is most likely due to Bruce's cocaine abuse, (4) Linda wasn't a black belt in karate, and (5) Bruce jumping and making seven chalk marks on a wall is clearly embellishment. Moreover, in my book, what I stressed was that Bruce wasn't meeting with Lazenby at the Miramar Hotel to discuss Lazenby appearing in "Game of Death," not that they weren't meeting for dinner. According to Chow, Lazenby had signed a contract earlier, which was another lie. Here is a fairly comprehensive link regarding the drug letters: ua-cam.com/video/myP9DrKgZ_I/v-deo.html Cheers
@@TomBleecker I also re-watched that Lazenby interview and found two others when he spoke about Bruce's death. These were many years later since he was older and gray. Interesting that the stories he tells are nearly identical, with a little more or a little less details that all fit together. Interesting point about the $10,000 being in Hong Kong dollars, but in both his other interviews, he claims that Chow called him after Bruce's death, and Chow said he owed him a movie for that money, which we know he made, so the larger amount seems more likely I think. I assumed the movie was 'Game of Death" because he says Bruce wanted to make a movie with him (that was what the money was for) and they talked heavily about it for the next few days, so I again assumed it was 'Game" because it was already in the works but I suppose Bruce could well have been spending that much energy on an entirely new project with Lazenby. George said Linda was a "black belt" but did not specify "Karate", and it was in the context of Bruce telling a story of how he could kill Chow in one second (in a fight) but Linda would take a minute because "she was a Black belt". I have no problem believing that either Bruce or George used "black belt' as just short hand that the audience would understand as meaning highly skilled in martial arts. It might seem a little odd for Bruce to use that term (since he was so against belts and all) but he may very well have wanted to use a term that the martial arts layperson would understand. The rest does seem to be a high energy Bruce and or on drugs but I dont sense any real self serving embellishments by Lazenby. Until the end, when in both other interviews, Firstly, he claims he had had both breakfast and lunch with Bruce that day. And that Bruce had been complaining of the headache earlier in the day. Thats a detail I had never heard before...and... it was George , himself that called Bruce's girl friend's place when Bruce did not show up for dinner. If that is all true then Lazenby would have been the guy to nail down exactly where Chow was that day and what he was actually doing.
@@JohnJohnson-pq4qz Given that Bruce was being offered million-dollar film packages with the major Hollywood studios based on the audience screening of ETD, I find it hard to believe that he had any interest in filming GOD. I don't think it matters whether Chow gave Lazenby HKD or USD. The film that was made in 1975 "The Man from Hong Kong" (later "The Devil Flies") was fairly lackluster. Chow sold the rights before the film was even released. Personally, I doubt that Bruce said that Linda was a black belt. The fact is she wasn't trained in any martial art aside from the group lessons she had with Bruce in Seattle before they were married. I think it's a shame that Lazenby didn't testify under oath at the Coroner's Inquest, as did Chow, Betty, Linda, and others.
I saw Bruce's short leg at the beginning of enter the dragon, the Samo hung fight. At the end he puts his feet together. One leg is much shorter than the other! That would have put his pelvis in a bad position, I used to be a deap tissue massage therapist and had some clients with the same problem, they all suffered from severe back pain.
I think I mentioned in the video that I also have one leg shorter than the other. Bruce's shorter leg didn't cause his back problem, which would have surfaced around the time he reached 60 years of age, if at all.
Im just flabbergasted at the nonsense that appears in films and the contrast between reality but i guess thats why its called " showbusiness"
What really happened in the San Francisco challenge of a Chinese Master. So many versions of the event. Do you have any knowledge of how the fight really went?
I've heard all the various accounting. The best one is in Rick Wing's book "Showdown in Oakland," which is available on Amazon. Essentially, their meeting was more of an encounter rather than an all-out, no-holds barred fight. At the end of their encounter, neither Bruce nor Wong Jack Man had so much as a scratch on them, and they both reported to work that night. The following day, when WJM heard that Bruce was telling people that he had won the encounter, WGM took out a full page ad in the Chinese newspaper challenging Bruce to a rematch, which Bruce declined.
@@TomBleecker Ok thanks again for telling like it was! ☺️
@@klepp19 I'm not 100 percent certain because I wasn't present. But having talked with those who were present, and knowing that several of them had a vested interest in embellishing what they saw, I feel that Rick Wing's accounting is the most believable.
@@TomBleecker в фантастика версии интересно превзошел ли Брюс Ли мастерство ИП Мэн ?
@@TomBleecker From what I read on the internet, WGM did not accuse Bruce Lee lying about the fight outcome at all. Intead, he merely said if he would fight Bruce again, it would be in public. It does not sound like a challenge to Bruce, let alone accusing Bruce of lying. However, I could br wrong.
I saw the movie where they show B Lee seriously injured and thought it was based on a real event. But I later found out that wasn't true. Unfortunately, this is how his fans get confused, in various discussions people write that this is why Lee suffered from pain all his life, he took cortisone for it, and this could be the cause of his death. You wouldn't believe how many people believe this. I agree with you that such an approach by filmmakers is irresponsible.
There is a lot of nonsense about B Lee and I often don't know what is true and what to think. I'm glad I came across your channel to reply because you had access to B Lee.
Mr. Bleecker, I would like to ask, is it true that B Lee had his armpit sweat glands removed? If so, I think it's a health gamble and may have contributed to his death.
It is said that Lee was represented by a stuntman in the movies, for example in the movie The Dragon Comes, there is a scene where Lee kicks an opponent and does something like a somersault, turning 360 degrees in the air around his axis. You must have seen this scene. Lee had a stuntman, is that true? I don't know what to believe.
And then I read that B Lee only had one testicle. Is this true information? And how did it happen to him? I assume he had some sort of injury and had to have it removed. This would partially explain his fatigue in the last year of his life.
I'm a B Lee fan so I'd like to know the truth, not some made up nonsense.
I will be very happy for your answers if you know them. Thank you very much and have a nice day.
If you are interested in weeding out much of the disinformation about Bruce's life and death, I suggest reading my book "Unsettled Matters" that was published in 1996 and is available on Amazon. As to your questions: (1) It is true that Bruce had a substantial number of his sweat glands removed from under his arms because he had profuse sweating, which caused problems for him when making films (wardrobe constantly had to dry these areas of his shirts. Partial removal of these sweat glands would have had no adverse effect on his health. The human body has millions of sweat glands throughout the skin. Most people block these glands regularly with antiperspirants (resulting in anti-sweat), (2) I'm not aware of a movie "The Dragon Comes" that Bruce appeared in. You can check the credits of any movie on IMDB.com to see what movies Bruce may have had a stuntman, and (3) when Bruce was young, only one of his testicles descended, which resulted in the undescended testicle having to be surgically removed in 1969. Lastly, it is true that Bruce had a back problem for several months that resulted in Dr. Tanney giving Bruce cortisone injections in his back. X-rays showed no abnormalities of Bruce's spine, and his back ailment was later diagnosed as a muscle spasm that healed with muscle relaxants and Jacuzzi. Although Bruce stopped getting cortisone injections from Tanney, Bruce continued to use cortisone for an assortment of ailments during the last two years of his life (at that time, little was known about the dangers of extended cortisone use), which Dr. Richard Hunter concluded resulted in Bruce's kidney failure that led to Bruce's brain edema. I hope this helps to answer your questions. Cheers
@@TomBleecker Thank you very much! As for your book, I will definitely consider buying it, I was looking at Amazon, they offer 2 versions of this book, 1996 and 2017. What is extra in the 2nd edition compared to the 1st edition? I don't know which version to choose. And one more thing Mr. Bleecker: is there a download of the book for the price of the printed book, in PDF format? The price for delivery to my country will be more than the price of the book itself.
The film I'm writing about - the dragon is coming - was released in the USA under the name Enter for dragon.
Thank you and I wish you good health.
@@petrroby1409 The link that I provided at the end of this message will explain the three versions of UM. With the exception of a minor exclusion in the 2017 printing, it is the same as the 1996 printing. Unfortunately, the PDF you mentioned is a pirated copy offered by a disreputable person or company that has been ripping off authors for many years. I think the name of the film released in the US is "Enter the Dragon." Thanks for your comments. Cheers ua-cam.com/video/31ypiWAbNXA/v-deo.html
No one cause necessary! Once you injure the back even slightly, it can haunt you even in the midst of a mundane task , exacerbating an otherwise mild misalignment and causing debilitating pain. He probably hurt it during sexual acrobatics as well as weight-lifting, possibly yanking his 100 pound dog's leash..
If he had scoliosis, wouldn't that show up in his x-rays? Or maybe they didn't look for such things back then, so they didn't make the diagnosis.
You pose a good question. I have all three radiology reports, and none has any mention of scoliosis. My sense is that the majority of the population has some degree of curvature of the spine. Also, with one leg shorter than the other, I don't think it would be possible to not have a degree of curvature. However, again, you posed a good question.
@@TomBleecker "Shorter" legs, slight scoliosis, lumbar compression, pinched nerves/sciatica, are all very common. But they can be fixed with the right bodywork, not drugs.
Cortisone is just a short term pain reliever since it is an anti-inflammatory...but worsens the problem in the long run since it speeds the destruction of cartilage.
Unfortunately, Bruce was not hip to holistic health back then, and just relied on Big Med injections and pill-popping. And he eventually paid the price for that.
@@blajing Bruce's X-rays indicated a normal spine and did not mention scoliosis or lumbar compression. The injections of cortisone that were given to Bruce by Dr. Herbert Tanney were short-term. Whether it was the cortisone or muscle relaxants or a combination of both that straightened out his back issue has never been established.
@@TomBleecker Well, an X-ray can't even show a herniated disc and I think most MDs just use them to check for fractures and basic skeletal alignment, but probably not much more. So, I would trust a chiropractor's evaluation of an X-ray a lot more. But if he had a pinched nerve, most likely it does mean he had some disc compression to cause that impingement, or maybe a tight piriformis muscle (2 main causes of sciatica)...
Did he ever really fully recover from back pain, though...?
@@blajing Bruce had two full sets of X-rays that were read by professional radiologists, who specialize in reading X-rays. It was determined that Bruce had a pulled muscle, not sciatica. According to his medical records, his back pain did straighten out after muscle relaxants and Jacuzzi.
What about those demonic like entities and bad spirits that was in the bruce lee move, Dragon. and I think they had something to do with Bruce's father and a generational curse. Do you know anything about that?
Yes, I'm well aware of the "Lee family curse." In my view, it's a big nothing burger.
Is this dude serious?
Haters!
Bruce Lee’s legend is 50 years strong after his death and all of a sudden all these people come out of the woodwork that got something to say why are you mad.
The Chinese man was one of the greatest martial artist to ever live.
Yeah y’all want to make Chuck one of the greatest ever,,, he fought point karate, do you know anything about that? OK this is how it worked, whoever shows up is who you fight. that’s how it worked back then. Real fighters like Helio Gracie, Bill Wallace, Joe Lewis, Benny Urquidez to name a few and one of the greatest you never want to talk about let’s go back to point karate, Mike Stone. Oh yeah he was a Samoan so you will never mention his name but we’ll talk Chuck Norris Skipper Mullins, Allen Steen and guys like that, wow but,,, go watch the World Championship fight between Chuck and Allen Steen, I dare you!
Bruce Lee just could not have been as good as he really was, wow.
If a movie took liberties on a scene well it’s a movie it’s called Hollywood for a reason! If a guy wants to put out all his speculation of why the person couldn’t have been as badly hurt as they say they were it’s an opinion. What drives this man’s opinion? What drove Quentin Tarantino to write a script like he did about Bruce Lee? Oh yeah he had created trouble over the project so I’ll write it like you want to mix in a little truth with a lot of lies and of course the lies will spread.
Haters hate because that’s all they can do.
This video has to do with the severity of Bruce Lee's back injury. It has nothing to do with point karate tournaments and the people who fought in them or Quentin Tarantino's movie. As an aside, Bruce Lee's legend is nowhere near, not even remotely, as strong today as it was 50 years ago when he died. The same can be said of Elvis Presley and many other celebrities who once had a huge following. It's a natural process of a fanbase gradually dying off. Your comment about Lee's back injury is vague, at best. You seem to imply that what I stated is my personal opinion, which isn't true. The source of what I stated is Lee's medical records. It's not subjective or an opinion. Lee's medical records are indisputable facts.
@@TomBleecker The Bruce Lee worship is deep.
The back injury actually occurred. There are several versions, among them a treacherous attack or a poorly done weight work. But this hypothesis of having occurred in a sexual relationship is very much in the style of sensationalist journalism. Anyway, the most accepted is that he got injured doing morning exercises. Anyway, much is said about Bruce Lee and sometimes in a very mean way. If he were still alive, I doubt they would have had that much courage, even though he's an 82-year-old man. It is unknown if it is really admiration or envy of what he represented to the martial arts universe, but his memory will never be distorted, no matter how much some covert enemies or supposed friends try. In "Dragon - The Bruce Lee Story" (1993) there's a lot of fantasy and untruths and chronologically incorrect facts and omissions from Bruce Lee's real life, it's a really dubious movie despite being considered a tribute.
The most reliable account of Bruce's back injury came from Bruce, himself, and is to be found in his medical records. I have all of his medical records dating back to his childhood and up to the time of his death. Regarding his back injury, the only firsthand accounting is what Bruce told his doctor, who memorialized Bruce's accounting into Bruce's medical records. What Bruce told his doctor is that he injured his back while having sexual intercourse. I hope you're not calling Bruce a liar. While this clearly troubles you, for reason that is fairly obvious, those are the facts. Bruce was well known to have stood for the truth and demanded it of himself and all those around him. Those who report the truth about his life and his death are, in my view, honoring what Bruce stood for.
@@TomBleecker I'm very sorry. Do not misunderstand me. So would Bruce Lee's own family be liars? His brother, Robert Lee, in an interview reaffirmed the version that he was injured with weight exercises. What does Linda Lee Emery think of this version reported by the doctor and all this documentation that you say you have since Bruce Lee's childhood and that the family itself is unaware of or doesn't have? What bothers me and is obvious to me is the evil disguised as half-truths.
@@Obluesdoeu As a professional biographer, I reported what could be proven as a firsthand account, which is what Bruce told his physician and what is recorded in his medical records. Everything else is hearsay. Regarding Bruce's medical records, many people have these records, as they were offered in evidence at the Hong Kong Inquest hearings and in the pretrial motions of the insurance civil trials. Why do you envision Bruce injuring his back while having sexual intercourse as an "evil half-truth"? Many people injure their backs every year from such a physical endeavor. Why does it trouble you that Bruce could have injured his back this way? As an aside, you posted earlier about "the martial arts universe." What exactly is this? Surely, you don't believe the martial arts exists on other planets.
@@TomBleecker большое доверие к вашим словам , но такой факт не всем понравится. Брюс был за правду , тогда пусть она будет.
I injured my back via sexual intercourse - plain vanilla missionary so nothing sensational. It took months before it was back to normal, and for a while I had an off-center/slanted look to my upper body. I did not go to a doctor since I never liked going to doctors. I healed naturally over time thankfully - although I did do a lot of stretching. Sitting was when the pain was at its worst. Given the pain and the location of the pain, I suspect a doctor would have termed the pain sciatica.
I have wondered if part of the reason why he died so young if it was because he overly excercised
Highly unlikely. There were a whole lot more professional athletes (and military) around that time who were his age and exercised far more and didn't die.
@@TomBleecker hmmm
It's war I think
Lots of speculation here.
The details that I've shared are all contained in his medical records. They're not speculation.
@@TomBleecker Appreciated. But they do not prove the negative. Maybe explain why Bruce or his wife would claim he had a very serious back injury if it was nothing more than a series of pulled muscles or a pinched nerve? You compared his situation at one point to a similar problem you suffered from. That was an example of what I meant when I mentioned the speculation. Thanks for your reply! I enjoy your videos.
@@kotla671 The pinched nerve that I had in my back while washing dishes lasted all of a couple of days and didn't require my visiting any doctors. This is a far cry from allegedly being hospitalized and being told by doctors that I'd never kick again. Anyway, I don't recall Bruce ever saying to anyone that he had a serious back injury. Quite the contrary, in one of his drug letters, he wrote, "Sort of a pinching nerve when pressed (sic) that doesn't really hinder me too much. It bugs me though." The implication of what he wrote was that this pinched nerve (if that's what it was - his doctors thought it was a muscle spasm) only hurt when pressed. Again, this is worlds apart from what was depicted in the movie DRAGON that led viewers to believe Bruce healed with the sheer power of his mind from a lifelong crippling back injury. Thanks for the back and forth. Cheers
@@TomBleecker Thank you for such insight. Any idea where the story may have come from and why? I hope you continue your videos - it sounds like you could share many many more hours of the life of Bruce Lee and if you don’t share them they are lost forever. Thank you again!👊🏽
Also… you look young and healthy compared to other contemporaries of Bruce Lee…. Are you still actively training in martial arts?
Chiropractic would be helpful here
Most likely true, although nothing was out of alignment and his x-rays all show a normal spine.
@@TomBleecker x rays don’t show soft tissue damage unfortunately MRI and C T scan are better technology.
@@dr.geneplotkinchiropractor3469 And far more expensive. Insurance companies would go broke if doctors ordered MRIs and CT scan every time a patient presented with a pulled muscle or muscle spasm, the latter of which Bruce had.
Would go with Osteopathy myself - Chiropractic treatment can be harmful over the long term - ask Alannah Myles, the singer of 'Black Velvet'
Bruce was your friend and once he passed away you took the opportunity and marry his wife Linda like there is not enough females in the world, don’t like it and never will and then on top of that you wrote a book about Bruce and made money of his name
You should be ashamed of yourself old man
You're truly a pathetic individual. Would you say the same thing to Linda - that there weren't enough males in the world that she had to marry one of Bruce's close friends? And would you also trash Linda from choosing one of his friends to cowrite "The Bruce Lee Story" that was the foundational material for the movie DRAGON? As an aside, any author who writes Bruce Lee books will tell you they don't make enough in royalties to pay for coffee. As a Hollywood screenwriter, I earn considerably more money (six figures) per film project. If my top priority were money, I wouldn't have spent the time writing the Bruce Lee trilogy. Give some thought to investing in therapy. You're surely anything but mindful (one "L" by the way).
@@TomBleecker большое вам спасибо за ваши книги о Брюс Ли. Мы их читали с большим интересом. Огромное спасибо за заботу проявленную вами к Линде и Брэндон Ли. Поддержка людей в трудную минуту не лёгкая задача.
It is irresponsible but they do it all the time.. lots of lies.
It was a work out accident!!! 😆
Not according to what Bruce told his physicians, which is documented in his medical records. By the way, why the three exclamation marks?
@@TomBleecker oh right by sex!!!! 😆
Tarantino would surely love to make a film with these.