Lou Reed and Tai chi

[Michael]

Anyone catch Lou Reeds performance on Letterman last week? He had a guy doing tai chi next to him while he "sang"--or rather, recited.

He did it in one place. I am not sure what style he was doing. Anyone know?

[Wushuer]

No clue. I did not see this, first time I even heard of it.
One thing though, I was always told by the Wu family that if you practice tcc to it's optimum you will be able to do it in the space of one phone booth (remember the old ones like superman used to change in? that kind).

[Michael]

Wushuer,

I certainly can see doing it in "one" place. At the end of "The Tai Chi Master" with Jet Li--now called something else they showed a Shaolin version. I have also seen a Tai Chi perfomance by one of the traveling Shaolin troupes. It seemed similiar to those. There were some fast movements in the routine the gentleman did. So I first thought Chen--but other things made me wonder, but transitions change greatly in an area of nine square feet or so.

[Wushuer]

I haven't seen the movie you refer to, can't comment on that.
I have never been able to do the Wu form, or any other form, in the space of an old fashioned phone booth. I have tried, but never made it.
I know people who can and have seen this done quite a few times.
I don't think the transitions "change" much. It's the same movement, same principals, just smaller. A very controlled, small jing form.
Have never even seen shaoling TCC. I understand it's quite different, but other than that I can make no usefull comment about it.
The Yangs used to use fast and slow movements alternately in their forms, but this was smoothed out.


[This message has been edited by Wushuer (edited 04-07-2004).]

[Michael]

Wushuer,

You may have seen it. It is now called "Twin Warriors". It is a hoot! One of my favorite lines of all time comes from that movie "I have found my style, and it is Tai chi!". It is all in the delivery.

My other favorite comes from a scene in Red Sun with Toshiro Mifune(sp?) I am tired today) and Charles Bronson. After Toshiro kills a mosquito with his katana in mid air while sitting.."no mosquito."

enjoy the day, I am off fishing!

[This message has been edited by Michael (edited 04-07-2004).]

[Wushuer]

I do not watch many martial arts movies, to be honest. I used to, a long time ago, but I don't find much in them. Little substance, much special effects.
I prefer to watch the videos of my teachers doing their forms. Si Kung Wu Tai Sin has a video of his broadsword form that is absolutely superb. When I watch that, and many other such videos by other teachers, I see true martial arts at the highest level with the added bonus that I learn different aspects of my art whenever I watch them. Each time I watch Si Kung do his form breakdowns I catch one more thing I never saw before and can correct myself on my form.
Fictional martial arts don't hold any appeal for me anymore.
That's not to say I haven't seen this movie, my brother used to subject me to hours and hours of these kinds of movies when we were younger. So if the movie is more than about fifteen years old I may have seen it.
I wouldn't remember it for any reason among the hundreds I used to watch, they all ran together for me, same plot different martial arts style was how I saw them, but I may have seen it.

Good luck with the fish.
One bit of advice I'll give you for free:
Don't try to do a form in a small rowboat unless you know how to swim.

[Michael]

Wushuer,

We watch them rarely for a laugh and some still make me laugh.... the Vampire killers. Bad movie but whenever I picture in my mind the hopping zombies I smile.

[laopei]

Michael:
I did not see the program. I remember hearing that Lou Reed is a student of Ren Guangy (Chen Style).
Here is a link:
http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=325
Probably it was Master Ren;
Horacio

[Michael]

Thanks Horatio,

As I said it first appeared to be Chen to me. So Reed is a student. Interesting. The man doing the form was very good.

Michael

[This message has been edited by Michael (edited 04-08-2004).]