Member Mike Leeder Posted April 24, 2018 Member Share Posted April 24, 2018 (edited) Just had the opportunity to read an advance copy of Matthew Polly's Bruce Lee: A Life, and its one of the best biographies I've read in a long time, and a very thorough and informative look at the man, the myth and the legend that is Bruce Lee, but from an unbiased point of view. Its not a Bruce Lee Estate publication, so it doesn't try to cover over anything or paint Bruce as a new wave guru while trying to promote tea, whisky or sell cars. It talks about incidents and people (and often to those people) that have often been brushed under the carpet or rarely given a chance to speak, including Betty Ting Pei and does touch upon some things that may be new to some readers, and my be controversial and may divide some readers. I'm not gonna say too much, but would highly recommend it when its released shortly I first became aware of Polly when i chanced upon a copy of his book American Shaolin which chronicles his experiences good and bad as a tall American student of the martial arts studying at the Shaolin Temple in China before many of the changes that have taken place over the last 25 years, I love Iron & Silk, but its a very romanticized take on things, while Polly tells it as it was and sometimes still is...and also enjoyed Polly's Tapped Out which saw him returning to the martial arts and taking up MMA. Had the pleasure of meeting him while he was researching the book in Hong Kong a few years back and really was impressed by his desire to present the truth, he's not trying to upset anyone, but he's not pulling any punches and i think the book will get a very interesting response https://www.amazon.com/Bruce-Lee-Life-Matthew-Polly/dp/1501187627/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520638471&sr=8-1&keywords=bruce+lee+life+matthew+polly Edited April 24, 2018 by Mike Leeder picture 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted April 24, 2018 Member Share Posted April 24, 2018 1 hour ago, Mike Leeder said: Just had the opportunity to read an advance copy of Matthew Polly's Bruce Lee: A Life, and its one of the best biographies I've read in a long time, and a very thorough and informative look at the man, the myth and the legend that is Bruce Lee, but from an unbiased point of view. Its not a Bruce Lee Estate publication, so it doesn't try to cover over anything or paint Bruce as a new wave guru while trying to promote tea, whisky or sell cars. I first read about this book on your Twitter page Mike, sounds like it's worth picking up. Which is something I've not said for a very long time, in regards to BL books/products. Read a lot biographies on the Little Dragon, but many of them are just more of the same. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Fist of the Heavenly Sky Posted April 24, 2018 Member Share Posted April 24, 2018 Just the mere fact the Estate has nothing to do with this book already makes me want to check it out. Cheers for the heads up, Mike! Still, I must ask, what are some interesting tidbits about the book would you be willing to share, without delving in too much? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Mike Leeder Posted April 24, 2018 Author Member Share Posted April 24, 2018 the problem is i would reveal too much, as i said i think of myself as a quite well informed Bruce Lee fan and there's a lot of stuff in here thats new to me, and yes hearing from Betty Ting Pei ref the nature of their relationship is something that i think we've all known but she finally gets to speak about without the crimson letter being thrown at her Its a very good read, and i am sure there will be some interesting responses and discussions about some of the stuff covered in the book, and probably from the Lee Estate just as they had issues with Birth of the Dragon and anything else not approved by them 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted April 24, 2018 Member Share Posted April 24, 2018 2 minutes ago, Mike Leeder said: Its a very good read, and i am sure there will be some interesting responses and discussions about some of the stuff covered in the book, and probably from the Lee Estate just as they had issues with Birth of the Dragon and anything else not approved by them Without going into detials, does he mention Lee's cortinsone use at all?. Often wondered why knowone's bothered to track down the Dr's who were giving this to him. Though the more you think about it, the more you can see why they might not want to be associated with the subject now. Many thought it was hamrless to use at the time, but of course opinions and research have a change views a lot since the 1970's/60's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Fist of the Heavenly Sky Posted April 24, 2018 Member Share Posted April 24, 2018 ^^^^ Seconding what DragonClaws said. It's only a given that the book itself will go on to talk about Bruce Lee's health issues in a lot of detail. Anything new about the Big Boss period? Fanboyism on my part aside, that's when Bruce's back problem started to get real bad, I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted April 24, 2018 Member Share Posted April 24, 2018 (edited) 2 hours ago, Fist of the Heavenly Sky said: Fanboyism on my part aside, that's when Bruce's back problem started to get real bad, I believe. It would have been a problem from the day he started the road to recovery, he simply over come this by his strength of will and strong character, and what the doctor was giving him for pain management. Looks like I've found some of my 2018 summer reading, in the form of this book. Edited April 24, 2018 by DragonClaws Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member andy338 Posted April 24, 2018 Member Share Posted April 24, 2018 I read American Shaolin by Matthew Polly a few years ago and it's a really interesting & entertaining book so I can't wait to get my hands on this. Didn't know about "Tapped Out" so I might have to pick that up too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted April 26, 2018 Member Share Posted April 26, 2018 (edited) Interview with Martial Artist & author Matthew Polly, from back in 2013, when he was still researching this new book. Link- http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1218619/american-who-idolised-bruce-lee-and-trained-shaolin-writing-stars Another of Polly's books. Edited April 26, 2018 by DragonClaws 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted April 28, 2018 Member Share Posted April 28, 2018 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Fist of the Heavenly Sky Posted May 9, 2018 Member Share Posted May 9, 2018 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5701205/amp/Bruce-Lee-womanizer-got-circumcised-American.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Phantom Dreamer Posted May 9, 2018 Member Share Posted May 9, 2018 9 minutes ago, Fist of the Heavenly Sky said: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5701205/amp/Bruce-Lee-womanizer-got-circumcised-American.html 'Those abs - his muscles were so defined, it was as if they were chiseled. Bruce was the most incredible lover I've ever been with. He was just so knowledgeable about a woman's body'. 'Bruce took me to the moon and back. He just turned me inside out.' Yeah, the tone of this book will be far different than anything we have read before, probably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted May 9, 2018 Member Share Posted May 9, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Fist of the Heavenly Sky said: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5701205/amp/Bruce-Lee-womanizer-got-circumcised-American.html The article says Betty Tng Pei was his WOTD co-star, that never happened. I'm not doubting the facts in this book, but I also question them, with a simple mistake between Nora Miao and Betty Ting Pei. As for the affiars, its well known, he also had an affair with the Asian actress Diana Chang-Chung-Wn, who he was hired to be a bodyguard for in the 60's. Certainly gonna be picking this up, reading it as a whole, rather than just the sensational parts the media pick up on. Edited May 9, 2018 by DragonClaws 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Fist of the Heavenly Sky Posted May 9, 2018 Member Share Posted May 9, 2018 15 minutes ago, DragonClaws said: The article says Betty Tng Pei was his WOTD co-star, that never happened. I'm not doubting the facts in this book, but I also question them, with a simple mistake between Nora Miao and Betty Ting Pei. As for the affiars, its well known, he also had an affair with the Asian actress Diana Chang-Chung-Wn, who he was hired to be a bodyguard for in the 60's. Certainly gonna be picking this up, reading it as a whole, rather than just the sensational parts the media pick up on. I think it was just a minor mistake on the article's part. Or did they mean to say that Betty Ting Pei was originally intended to star on the movie instead of Nora? The affairs are an open secret, yes, but I suppose we didn't expect the Little Dragon to be this loose. It certainly doesn't help that Linda apparently did not bat an eye to any of this, and still went out of her way to paint this very unrealistic perfect image of her late husband. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Phantom Dreamer Posted May 9, 2018 Member Share Posted May 9, 2018 6 minutes ago, Fist of the Heavenly Sky said: I think it was just a minor mistake on the article's part. Or did they mean to say that Betty Ting Pei was originally intended to star on the movie instead of Nora? The affairs are an open secret, yes, but I suppose we didn't expect the Little Dragon to be this loose. It certainly doesn't help that Linda apparently did not bat an eye to any of this, and still went out of her way to paint this very unrealistic perfect image of her late husband. The article states that Betty Ting Pei was replaced by another actress (Betty Chung) for the Mei Ling ETD role. Accurate? Who knows? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Phantom Dreamer Posted May 9, 2018 Member Share Posted May 9, 2018 43 minutes ago, DragonClaws said: The article says Betty Tng Pei was his WOTD co-star, that never happened. I'm not doubting the facts in this book, but I also question them, with a simple mistake between Nora Miao and Betty Ting Pei. Betty Ting Pei wasn't in WOTD obviously, but she was a common sight on set. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted May 9, 2018 Member Share Posted May 9, 2018 6 minutes ago, Phantom Dreamer said: Betty Ting Pei wasn't in WOTD obviously, but she was a common sight on set. She must have been a common site at Golden Harvest studios at the time, she was also present for filming of GOD and Fist Of Unicorn. Never been able to make up my mind about her feelings for BL, did she really like him?, or was she apart of a much bigger picture?. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Fist of the Heavenly Sky Posted May 9, 2018 Member Share Posted May 9, 2018 11 minutes ago, DragonClaws said: She must have been a common site at Golden Harvest studios at the time, she was also present for filming of GOD and Fist Of Unicorn. Never been able to make up my mind about her feelings for BL, did she really like him?, or was she apart of a much bigger picture?. Any possibility that Bruce and Betty knew each other long before 1972? I doubt the attraction started simply because of their work in the film industry. I would say that, in her own twisted and unstable way, Betty did truly like him. I don't think there was a wide bigger picture conspiracy to take Bruce out. The Triads would've done it long before the fact if they really cared this much. With that said, I'm more interested in hearing more from Sharon Farrell and whoever else Bruce happened to be attracted with. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Phantom Dreamer Posted May 11, 2018 Member Share Posted May 11, 2018 Angela Mao Ying and Ron Van Clief with Matthew Polly and a copy of Bruce Lee: A Life 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Phantom Dreamer Posted May 11, 2018 Member Share Posted May 11, 2018 "I hope you all enjoy the book. I'm afraid the Daily Mail article makes it seem like a racy tell-all, when it's actually a pretty thoughtful celebration of Bruce's life. But I suppose I should have expected the British tabloids to take everything out context." - Matthew Polly 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Mike Leeder Posted May 12, 2018 Author Member Share Posted May 12, 2018 The Daily Mail making me proud to be a British writer, perhaps not... The book is far more than a "look Bruce had a hot body and was a hit with all the ladies' tell all... Yes, i am sure the Lee Estate will not be happy that it's not necessarily presenting the Bruce Lee image they wish to enforce, but the book looks at all of Bruce Lee's life and times, and shows the man not just the myth 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member thehangman Posted May 12, 2018 Member Share Posted May 12, 2018 look forward to reading it and hearing some new stuff 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Phantom Dreamer Posted May 13, 2018 Member Share Posted May 13, 2018 Bruce Lee contemporary news 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Killer Meteor Posted May 15, 2018 Member Share Posted May 15, 2018 The Daily Mail is a revolting paper 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Phantom Dreamer Posted May 15, 2018 Member Share Posted May 15, 2018 (edited) 20 hours ago, Killer Meteor said: The Daily Mail is a revolting paper It piqued interest though. Edited May 15, 2018 by Phantom Dreamer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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