‘Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless’
The author of a new biography about Bruce Lee, Matthew Polly tells Alexander Bisley why, 45 years after the martial arts and film star’s death at 32, he believes Lee is still the real deal
What do you hope your biography imparts? The Chinese have a saying, “When you drink the water, remember who dug the well.” Bruce Lee was a missionary who sought to bring Asian culture and philosophy to the West through the medium of movies and he succeeded in a huge way. His movies launched the martial arts phenomenon in the West.
What are some of your favourite Bruce Lee qualities?
I admire his loyalty to his friends. He was constantly getting them jobs, cheering them up when they were down. I am absolutely amazed by his ambition and his drive. He wanted to do something that was impossible for an Asian man in the 1960s — become the biggest box office star in the world, bigger than Steve McQueen. None of his friends believed he could do it; they told him it was impossible. And yet he went out and proved them all wrong, because he refused to give up.
How did Enter the Dragon in 1973 inspire you to study at China’s Shaolin Temple for two years?
I saw Enter the Dragon as a skinny, bullied 12-year-old. Then I took up martial arts to find the courage to stand up for myself. Lee inspired me to take a risk and drop out of college to go to the Shaolin Temple in 1993 and become the first American ever accepted as a disciple. At the temple I discovered that my artistic passion was writing, so I took another risk and instead of going to law school, entered publishing. The first book that launched my career, American Shaolin, was about my experiences in China.
The official line has been that Lee died from an allergic reaction to aspirin. Your research indicates he died from heatstroke?
Because he was working so hard, he made his body vulnerable. He lost a bunch of weight and wasn’t sleeping — two risk factors for heatstroke. Lee’s story seems to be that your greatest strength is your greatest weakness. His greatest strength was his drive and ambition but that ultimately made it impossible for him to take a break when his body was weak and vulnerable and that’s what led to his death.
Lee’s only son Brandon’s death was even more tragic, wasn’t it?
Brandon’s death was the hardest thing for me to write about in the book. Bruce Lee’s life, while short, doesn’t feel tragic because he packed so much into it: marriage, kids, stardom. Brandon’s adult life was just about to get started; he was engaged to be married and
The Crow was about to launch him into a mainstream movie career. His early death feels unfair and cruel to me in way that his father’s does not.
Lee was an “anchorbaby”. Can you explain that term?
“Anchorbaby” has become a pejorative term for foreign-born parents who come to America and have their children in America to get citizenship for them. And then their children help their parents and siblings move to America (called “chain-migration”). President Trump talks about that like it is a bad thing, some kind of con-job. But no one argues what amazing people America has got, like Lee, because of birthright citizenship. Lee was an “anchorbaby”. Enter the Dragon was made for a miniscule US$850,000; it went on to earn $350 million during the next 45 years. Not a bad return on investment for one extra passport.
He studied philosophy at the University of Washington and had a library of hundreds of books. Can you talk about a significant philosophical influence on Lee?
His biggest influence was Jiddu Krishnamurti, who taught that there were no universal truths, only individual ones and therefore religion should never be organised. Lee applied that philosophy to the martial arts, arguing against style and for each individual to create their own personalised version of the martial arts. He liked to stay busy and to contemplate the mysteries of the universe. He would often read philosophy books while lifting weights.
Is there a take away for aspiring martial artists?
My favourite Bruce Lee quote is: “Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is specifically your own.”
How do you compare Lee’s wit and swagger to fine rappers?
I’ve always joked that if he had born later he would have become a rapper. He was brash, he was witty, he liked short aphorisms and he liked to brag about himself.
Anything else you hope readers might take away from Bruce Lee?
After my mother read the book, she called me and said, “Tell every interviewer that this is not just a book for men. It’s not only about fighting. It’s a family story about a troubled teenager who grows up to become a loving father. Women will like it too.” I try to always listen to my mother.
Lowdown Bruce Lee, by Matthew Polly (Simon and Schuster, $47)