Show Notes Episode 438: What If Everyone WAS Kung Fu Fighting?

This week Host Dave Bledsoe loudly proclaims he knows “Drunk Fu” as the bouncers haul him toward the exit. (Drunk Fu is mostly just screaming and crying while struggling weakly against stronger men). On the show this week talk about that time in the 1970’s when everyone was doing karate kicks on the disco floor and hurting each other: we are talking the Kung Fu Craze of the 1970’s

Along the way we learn exactly what kind of nerd Dave was as a kid. (The kind who eschewed physical exercise for reading books.) Then we dive right into the short, short version of martial arts, martial arts movies and how martial arts movies became a thing Americans watched, and eventually danced to. (The Seventies were fucking weird man!) We head to Asia for a quick tour of Asian cinema and learn (very) little about the good Asian films in favor of the ones with dudes in rubber lizard suits and dudes punching the shit out of each other. (You want a movie podcast, listen to Karina Longworth!)  We meet Bruce Lee and sadly, say goodbye to him almost instantly.  Then we discuss the actual topic of the show: how a Jamaican man and an Indian man both living in Britain made a song about Kung Fu. (Is it a LITTLE racist? Yeah, sadly.) We discuss how the song swept America and the things it made white Americans do on the disco floor that injured one another. (Not just by cutting themselves with their coke chopping razors.)

Our Sponsor this week is Paddy’s School of Boston Martial Arts who want to know, what the fuck are YOU looking at? We open with Ed Gruberman and close with Fernan doing an acoustic version that is somehow LESS racist than the original song. 

Show Theme: Hypnostate Prelude to Common SenseThe Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHell_PodcastThe Show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthehellpodcast/The Show on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxP5ywpZ-O7qu_MFkLXQUQwww.whatthehellpodcast.comGive us your money on Patreon  https://www.patreon.com/WhatthehellpodcastThe Show Line: 347 687 9601Closing Music: https://youtu.be/APD1ffPpWAw?si=NQOMd74F82dVYSdeWe are a proud member of the Seltzer Kings Podcast Network! http://seltzerkings.com/

 Citations Needed:

The Life and Times of the Kung Fu Filmhttps://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/kung-fu-film-life-and-times/

Film: '5 Fingers of Death':The Casthttps://www.nytimes.com/1973/03/22/archives/film-5-fingers-of-deaththe-cast.html

The exact moment kung fu blew up in Americahttps://www.polygon.com/22660909/kung-fu-movies-1970s

The Kung Fu Craze of the Seventies Part Twohttps://mercurie.blogspot.com/2008/06/kung-fu-craze-of-seventies-part-two.html

Kung Fu Fighting: Carl Douglas' Chop-Socky Disco Hithttps://groovyhistory.com/kung-fu-fighting-carl-douglas-chop-socky-disco-hit

How The 'Kung Fu Fighting' Melody Came To Represent Asiahttps://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/08/28/338622840/how-the-kung-fu-fighting-melody-came-to-represent-asia

Soul Train Dancer - Carl Douglas (Kung-Fu fighting)https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xjjdz3

Racist? My song's just a blend of East and West, says Kung Fu Fighting composerhttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1381305/Kung-Fu-Fighting-composer-Carl-Douglas-defends-racist-pub-singer-Simon-Ledger.htmlLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices