Leo Fong: As far as books are concerned, the first Tao of JKD. It's the closest to what he was sharing with us at the club. I remember what he said to me over the years was in that book. My favorite film was Way of the Dragon. Bruce as a human being was obsessed with the martial arts, and he couldn't sit still. I think that film shows the real Bruce. It's also his vision-he wrote, starred and directed it. My fondest memory of Bruce was that we would go to various schools around Oakland. We went to Al Tracy's school, and Al didn't know who he was. Bruce made a comment while watching the class about them doing something wrong, so somebody said for Bruce to show them. Bruce was still wearing his shoes, and everybody was else was in bare feet. So Bruce stomps across and place and goes up to the guy, and told the guy to try the move. First the guy threw the thing and Bruce double palmed him into the wall. Then Bruce told the guy to try it again,this time Bruce had his eyes closed. And he slammed him again. Al was turning all kinds of colors. Finally I introduced Bruce, and we all became friends. In fact, Bruce would go by almost every week and mess around with Al's students. I don't have a particular fond memory.There are too many. This is just one of them.

Temple of the Unknown: What do you think of an ex muscle magazine writer, who now claims that he is the "World Foremost Authority" on Bruce Lee, A "Friend and Historian", and a "Bruce Lee expert".

When Bruce Lee was alive this 'Friend' was 13 years old and never met him.

Has he any justification on these claims?

Leo Fong: One thing I say about John is that he's got all the notes and documents, and he's a Bruce Lee fan. He's probably a friend in spirit only, because he wasn't in the same era.

Temple of the Unknown: The superman/comic book hero/mythical figure which has been projected by Little and company is not the REAL Bruce Lee that you knew. Don't you think this is wrong to project Bruce Lee in this way and in a false image, its obvious its not the Bruce Lee you knew.

Little is moulding Bruce Lee into his own image/fantasy. Would you agree with this?

Leo Fong: I'm not going to say it's wrong if you buy into the thing and you can't tell the difference between illusion and reality. A lot of these 2nd and 3rd generation JKd guys are living in fantasy land. They tell themselves that they're JKD, so they're supermen. The misconception most people have is that they mistake the movie persona with the real Bruce Lee. Simply put, Bruce was a human being who was hooked on martial arts, and wanted the world to see what he knows.

Temple of the Unknown: Had Bruce Lee lived and achieved his definite chief aim, do you think he would have ultimately 'retired' from the film business and used his celebrity to go on to become the cultural icon and teacher he is presented as today and, if so, what do you feel he would have made of the world around us in the 21st century? Building on this, do you think he would have reached the same heights he has in death or merely command the kind of status that film and sports stars of his era enjoy today (i.e. reasonably low-key, polite, retrospective respect).

Leo Fong: Bruce was always innovating, so who knows what JKD would have been like today? As to Bruce himself, I think he would have continued to improve himself physically. At 60 he would have been in peak condition, probably ripped, and his knowledge of philosophy, martial ats and motivation, which is how to develop oneself, as well as selling oneself to the public. In today's world, he would still be ahead of the pack, because he was innovative, and would take advantage of the technology. The computer would probably have been his chief vehicle of communication.

Temple of the Unknown: Do you think Bruce Lee has stood the test of time?

Are his abilities & contributions to martial arts overstated? understated?

What do you think Bruce's lasting legacy will be?

There are some that see Bruce Lee as "super human" while others down play him every chance they get.

Can you off some comments & perspective?

Leo Fong: I'm sure from a fighting standpoint he'd be good as anyone over there. From the standpoint of his legacy, I'd say his ability to conceptualize the fighting arts. I think that would stand the test of time, because a principle is a principle. It doesn't matter how you express it forms or technique-the principle stands. Anyone who is perseptive enough can take it and increase their skill level of their art.

Temple of the Unknown: Did you ever see Bruce lose his temper and what happened when he did?

Leo Fong: Did I ever see him lose his temper? All the time! I'll give you an example. We were at Black Belt magazine, and James Wu came in. He was dressed in this Buddhist/Shaolin Temple image. One thing Bruce hated was phonies and he felt James was one. He called him a phony and challenged him to a fight. Bruce was gonna start punching the walls. Then Jimmy tells him that he can't fight him because he might kill Bruce if he touches him. That made Bruce even madder. Out of respect for Mito, Bruce didn't do anything there. But I drove home with him, and he was angry!

Temple of the Unknown: When was the last time you saw Bruce and how much had he changed (if at all) from when you first met.

Leo Fong: The last time I saw Bruce was in '71 or '72, right when he was going to make "Big Boss". After that Jimmy would give me information. I have the last letter he sent me which said "things are going my way. When it rains it pours". And no, he hadn't changed much. He was still obsessed with the martial arts

Temple of the Unknown: Q1) What was your initial reactions on hearing that Bruce Lee had died?. He was healthy, so you must have been very surprised?.

Q2) The Betty Ting Pei and Bruce Lee relationship was common news in the Hong Press. Were other women apart from Betty attracted to him?

Leo Fong: I remember waking up from a nap and turning on the t.v. in 1973. It was on the news that Bruce had died. I couldn't believe it. I thought it was a joke. How could that be, I asked myself. Bruce was in tip top condition. But I had a chance to talk to a neurologist and he said that it was possible that he could have been walking around with this balloon effect in his head and it could explode any time. It's probably genetic. I wasn't in touch with Bruce when this Betty thing happened, so I don't know anything about that.

This is a short excerpt from a Leo Fong interview for the full interview, check out the excellent interview section on Temple of the Unknown :-
Leo Fong Interview

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