Member Drunken Monk Posted October 14, 2019 Member Share Posted October 14, 2019 On 10/12/2019 at 11:33 AM, leon00 said: Maybe Ricky had a drug or drinking problem who knows. That's a wild assumption. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member TibetanWhiteCrane Posted October 14, 2019 Member Share Posted October 14, 2019 Rick's FB post on the matter.... at least w should have both sides represented. "Steve Kerridge Ruined my Life!How can one of your closest friends hang you out to dry?Only he knows the answer to that question.I always thought are friendship was 100% solid, we had over the past years created and produced a range of quality items for the Bruce Lee market place.But in the past few months my name has been dis credited as he takes our products to Amazon.cancelling all our pre orders...which is something we have done for the past five years. All the work which we had put in to create bigger and better projects taken away. Projects I had invested time and money into by going to Hong Kong three times to acquire rare negatives for future. publications. The new poster mag "Fist of Fury" will I get a credit in it even though we jointly own some of the photos used ...NO. Mandarin Super star the hard back which came out early..no credit mention for me. And the new book "Intercepting Fist" again a project i am involved in both with time and investment into the photographs now taken away.. Steve new I had run into problems Financially and I reached out for help, I was hoping we could sell off some of the Negatives we had purchased which we jointly own. had Steve done this none of these problems would have occurred. My love and friendship for Steve MEANT had he ran into problems I would have done every thing in my power to help him. Steve turned his back on me even though to my face as early as last week whilst having breakfast together I wanted to find away forward so as not to loose my company. Steve also new I have health problems and some mental health issues caused by the stress but in stead he continues to post in an almost spiteful way that I am some sort of crook!! and yet for those that really know me I have always in the 35 years of business tried to be a good friend and a trusted. AND ALWAYS WEATHER ITS AT AN EVENTS OR DEALING WITH MAIL ORDER . I put this out there today as i finally see my world collapse and weather you want to believe Steve is up to you... i am not here to slag him off!! just to say there are two sides to every story.... this is my side. I would just like to ask those that have made an investment on some of the pre order items to please have a little patience this will give me the opportunity to try and save my company rather than close it down. I would like to thank those that continue to support me and those that don't be lucky 🙂 I wont make another post about this, either I will get through this or I wont. I am sure Steve will continue with his crusade if it makes him happy..... i will try and have some dignity and try to sort out over the next few month people that have placed pre orders. Some one said to me Sometimes god cuts the grass around you so you can see the snakes....Many a true word said ps please take no notice of that con man and vile human Mark Green who has jumped on the band wagon hoping to be Steve's new supplier GOD FORBID Love peace and Bright Blessings Rick". 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted October 14, 2019 Member Share Posted October 14, 2019 I'm not chucking logs on the fire here, just a brief description of my one single dealing with Ricky Baker. My girlfriend tried to get hold of him, so she could order one of the magazine specials as a gift for me last Xmas. He did not reply, despite mutliple message we still never received a response. Poor customer service sure, but if he's supposed to have taken pre-orders to line his own pocket's. Surely Ricky would have been keener to jump on this, and other orders that never got dealt with?. I just assumed there was a big demand for the book's at the time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member fabhui Posted October 15, 2019 Member Share Posted October 15, 2019 The other side of the story from Steve: With regards Rick Bakers damning post about me If I was to say myself and Rick Baker didn't have some good times, I would be lying. I see today he posted a statement claiming how hard-done-by he is because of me. Well, let's get a few facts straight: Everything produced while working with Rick as a distributor (because remember, that's all he was) had been either my solo creation in regards writing, design, concept, and images, or alongside some with David Tadman earlier on, and lately with several books and magazines, Darren Chua. Rick tells how he had a hard time traveling to HK to gather material, well firstly Rick has associates in HK that he spent time with, plus the trip of which I paid a substantial amount towards, had allowed him to go and stock up with material from Bey Logan at Reel east, the trip he calls that was just for 'us' also allowed him to replenish his stocks of Kung Fu movie memorabilia, but I guess he failed to remember that fact. Any material Bruce Lee-wise came from the money I had generated thru my books/mags that Rick distributed, but I guess he also failed to remember that also. For him to say he should have a credit on the work is ridiculous, as he hasn't contributed to it in terms of information, design. As for a few images that he may have acquired, he also fails to realize I provided over 300 images to the guy in HK who produced the BL picture book recently, for which in return he gave me around 40. So where does Rick get that he owns anything? Anything, in fact, that was purchased was done so via money generated by myself by creating these books and magazines, otherwise, Rick wouldn't have gone further than Hounslow, let along Hong Kong. Now comes the part where it all went wrong, and yes, I take the blame for being a dimwit and trusting the guy. Over the past few months, I have been inundated with messages from various people who have paid 'Rick Baker' fr pre-order books/magazines. Well, pre-order is fine, if a release date is visible, but he took money on projects that I have nowhere near completed. Now, if the customer is told that, then no problem, but when the customer gets into months and months of nothing and tries to contact Rick Baker and doesn't get a reply, they immediately contacted me, who had absolutely no knowledge of any monies taken. I contacted Rick Baker and told him he must give money back and asked why I wasn't told. His reply, "I have money problems and didn't know how to tell you"... really Rick, are you serious? Then it transpires he can't pay all the money back because he doesn't have it anymore, because of his financial problems. So where does this leave me, you may well ask? I then find out even the printer wasn't paid in full after Rick Baker told me they had and gave me my share of profits. I was also recently informed he took pre-order money on the BRUCE LEE MANDARIN SUPERSTAR softback ( which has no release date) and charged the guy £150!! for a book that would sell for approx £38. He told the guy it's because he would have the number one copy and signed by the author - me. Well first off, the softbacks wouldn't be numbered, this is reserved only for Limited Edition Hardback books I do, PLUS, I would never charge for a signature...is he for real? And by the way, I have concrete proof of all this from these people, showing me their PayPal invoices paid to Rick Baker, some of which have expired, leaving the poor customer with no chance of getting a refund. I then told Rick, I would get a backer who would pay for costings, and hopefully, after some time, he could recoup and then repay what he has spent of other people's money. He states he has health issues etc, and I truly truly hope he is ok, and that I really mean. I'm not vindictive. But this doesn't get rid of the problem of monies owed, because he mentions that on his post. I truly wish him all he wishes me, as my dad would have said. Rick has blocked me on his facebook, which I find childish, to be frank, so if any of his 'minions' reading this want to screengrab, then I'm cool with that. Bottom line: I have nothing to hide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member rdenn Posted October 15, 2019 Member Share Posted October 15, 2019 what a mess 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member leon00 Posted October 18, 2019 Author Member Share Posted October 18, 2019 November 2019 will see the launch of the Bruce Lee Forever online store. This will give an official platform to all books and magazines and more on Bruce Lee from 'On the Fly Productions Ltd.'I must sadly add that if anyone has paid money to either Eastern Heroes or its owner Rick Baker for any pre-order books/magazines from On The Fly Productions, we suggest you demand an immediate refund. This is due to Eastern Heroes and its owner Rick Baker now being disassociated with any of our products due to his under-handed practices of late, which have come to light. This, as you can imagine, came as a big shock and was without our knowledge and something we simply cannot be associated with for not only our reputation but most importantly the respect and care of our loyal customers.We have also launched our official distribution program for any prospective distributors. For our Japanese customers, all items will be available through 'Shop Imai' and our Hong Kong customers may contact the 'Bruce Lee Club' (HK)Moving forward, the soon-to-be-launched online store will feature all our exciting new products, and also some of our older magazines and books (while stocks last).-Steve Kerridge 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member hardz Posted October 24, 2019 Member Share Posted October 24, 2019 Eastern Heroes Rick Baker vs Steve Kerridge.....They recently had a falling out.... what's it all about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Graeme Of Death Posted October 24, 2019 Member Share Posted October 24, 2019 Hope Ricky doesn't actually write any of these books going by the grammar and spelling in that rant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member sifu iron perm Posted October 24, 2019 Member Share Posted October 24, 2019 oh this is some sad shit for the British kung fu cinema fans.. this is like 1999 again!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member sifu iron perm Posted October 24, 2019 Member Share Posted October 24, 2019 On 10/15/2019 at 11:34 AM, rdenn said: what a mess what's up bro? is the stratford link up still going on this weekend? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Graeme Of Death Posted October 24, 2019 Member Share Posted October 24, 2019 46 minutes ago, sifu iron perm said: oh this is some sad shit for the British kung fu cinema fans.. this is like 1999 again!! What tragedy happened in '99? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member sifu iron perm Posted October 24, 2019 Member Share Posted October 24, 2019 27 minutes ago, Graeme Of Death said: What tragedy happened in '99? Eastern Heroes disintegrated with no refunds on orders etc..but then it reprised a decade or more after.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Graeme Of Death Posted October 24, 2019 Member Share Posted October 24, 2019 10 minutes ago, sifu iron perm said: Eastern Heroes disintegrated with no refunds on orders etc..but then it reprised a decade or more after.. Ah right, wasn't aware of that. I'd only ever heard the name Rick Baker, didn't really know who he was. Looking at his post offering his side of the story, he doesn't really offer any explanation. It's just semi-literate ramblings. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member sifu iron perm Posted October 24, 2019 Member Share Posted October 24, 2019 12 minutes ago, Graeme Of Death said: Ah right, wasn't aware of that. I'd only ever heard the name Rick Baker, didn't really know who he was. Looking at his post offering his side of the story, he doesn't really offer any explanation. It's just semi-literate ramblings. there are a few and one or two in this thread that actually know kung fu ricky, i've been seeing him and coming to his events organised with toby russell since the early and mid 90's.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted October 24, 2019 Member Share Posted October 24, 2019 Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasnt the whole point of these magazines to raise some money for a BL Estate related Charity?. Sure Steve Kerridge said this on the Kung Fu Movie Guide pod-cast interview?. Link- https://play.acast.com/s/kungfumovieguidepodcast/16-kfmg-podcast-steve-kerridge 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member TibetanWhiteCrane Posted October 24, 2019 Member Share Posted October 24, 2019 4 hours ago, Graeme Of Death said: Hope Ricky doesn't actually write any of these books going by the grammar and spelling in that rant. 1 hour ago, Graeme Of Death said: Ah right, wasn't aware of that. I'd only ever heard the name Rick Baker, didn't really know who he was. Looking at his post offering his side of the story, he doesn't really offer any explanation. It's just semi-literate ramblings. Yeah, and making fun of dyslexia is not douchy at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member rdenn Posted October 25, 2019 Member Share Posted October 25, 2019 (edited) On 10/24/2019 at 6:17 PM, sifu iron perm said: what's up bro? is the stratford link up still going on this weekend? rick has cancelled tomorrow, next cafe will be in november Edited October 25, 2019 by rdenn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Graeme Of Death Posted October 25, 2019 Member Share Posted October 25, 2019 18 hours ago, TibetanWhiteCrane said: Yeah, and making fun of dyslexia is not douchy at all. Apologies didn't have his medical history sitting in front of me when posting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member hardz Posted October 25, 2019 Member Share Posted October 25, 2019 Isn't this (trust issue) going to effect Rick, planning an event with Fighting Spirit director Soo Cole for next year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Killer Meteor Posted October 25, 2019 Member Share Posted October 25, 2019 As a dyslexic, I can safely say whoever wrote the blurbs for the Vengeance Video covers was a fellow sufferer - constantly writing "friend" as "freind!" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted October 25, 2019 Administrator Share Posted October 25, 2019 Gentlemen, please be civil with each other (speaking to everyone, no one singled out). I understand that this is a touchy subject, but lets keep our cool. Some people on here have known (or known of) Ricky Baker for decades, and many were first introduced to Hong Kong cinema because of him and Eastern Heroes magazines and videos. So he means a lot to them, and comments about him should be kept to the facts, not just wild conjecture or personal attacks. On the other hand, there are people on here that have experienced some very negative things with him. I know and believe and respect people on both sides of this. We decided that- as unpleasant as it may be- this is a valid subject for this forum and should be allowed to be discussed here, but please do so in a respectful manner. Thanks. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member sifu iron perm Posted October 26, 2019 Member Share Posted October 26, 2019 (edited) something positive.. i was a broke 16 yrs old teenager skipping class and wanted to see Jet Li, the new and bright looking kung fu star blossoming onto our screens..i bought my EH mag from the shop in shaftesbury avenue a week before the so called event (fist of legend, black mask..jet li meet and greet)..i told and requested the staff at EH to hook me up? The working guys respectfully told it was all sold out..so peace out. But lo and behold..Mr Baker came and and threw me a something to come back and get a ticket to join the many hundreds who eventually saw and witnessed this flipping cool event..Prince Charles cinema!! Allah bless Rick Baker!!! Edited October 26, 2019 by sifu iron perm 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted October 26, 2019 Member Share Posted October 26, 2019 Everbody has a good side... 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member CharlieParker Posted October 30, 2019 Member Share Posted October 30, 2019 (edited) The first time I met Rick Baker he was selling films out the boot of his car outside the Scala cinema in London. He was selling tapes from a rental store in Chinatown (TVB) and making a killing by the looks of things What most people didn't realise is that it was far cheaper to just go into the TVB rental store in Chinatown and try to extract the films directly... personally, I always had a soft spot for Video Sino just down the road - they were always a lot more welcoming to foreigners back then than TVB ever were. For all his faults, if you grew up in the UK in the early 1990s with a passion for HK cinema nobody did more for the scene than Rick Baker - and that really is an understatement. I was a loyal devotee of his zine Eastern Heroes and that's where a lot of us got our info from. He had a good run there, with journalists like Mike Leeder (in HK), Toby Russell and Bey Logan contributing excellent articles. Short of learning to read Chinese you really didn't have any other options- this was way before the internet and HK cinema was really hitting its stride. Unfortunately, for those who remember, I think we'd all agree that he was as much a businessman as a fan - he made a lot of money back then and he wasn't cheap. He obviously knew he had a lot of the market in his hands and priced accordingly. Beyond the zine, I never had many other dealings with him in person although I still remember one morning before one of the events watching him and Tony Psychotronic battling away on Streetfighter 2 on the SNES when it was all the rage - I can't remember who won? Rick could blow up half the planet and many of us would still owe him a lot. For all his faults, the good he's done will always far outweigh the bad - by quite a margin. Just tread lightly when it comes to money changing hands. I hope these guys make the peace eventually. Edited October 30, 2019 by CharlieParker 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member CharlieParker Posted October 30, 2019 Member Share Posted October 30, 2019 (edited) On 10/26/2019 at 8:54 PM, sifu iron perm said: something positive.. i was a broke 16 yrs old teenager skipping class and wanted to see Jet Li, the new and bright looking kung fu star blossoming onto our screens..i bought my EH mag from the shop in shaftesbury avenue a week before the so called event (fist of legend, black mask..jet li meet and greet)..i told and requested the staff at EH to hook me up? The working guys respectfully told it was all sold out..so peace out. But lo and behold..Mr Baker came and and threw me a something to come back and get a ticket to join the many hundreds who eventually saw and witnessed this flipping cool event..Prince Charles cinema!! Allah bless Rick Baker!!! Indeed! I had an almost identical experience at the Metro cinema (just off Shaftesbury Avenue!) A pivotal moment in my film fan days - also around 15 or 16 years and skipping school I was with a friend and we spotted this really narrow doorway/entrance with a poster for some cool looking kung-fu film on the window. Out of sheer curiosity we asked what it was all about and this French or Belgian guy (with smile from ear to ear which I still vividly remember) told us to just walk right in without paying after we told him we were skint... Turns out it was a double-bill of 'Shaolin Temple 3' and the then just-released 'Once Upon a Time in China' A truly celestial moment Great times! Edited October 30, 2019 by CharlieParker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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