Episode 636 - Professor Willie “The Bam” Johnson
Professor Willie “The Bam” Johnson is a Martial Arts practitioner and instructor at The Bam’s Kung Fu Family Center. He is a Black Belt Magazine Hall of Famer.
You don’t get good if you don’t learn to understand your weakness and all the things that you’re running away from…
Professor Willie “The Bam” Johnson - Episode 636
Most of us have that one thing that completely turned our life around may it be a person or an event. For Professor Willie “The Bam” Johnson, the Bruce Lee movie Fist of Fury was the thing that changed his life forever. Professor Johnson had a tough life growing up and found a lot of similarities in the life he’s living with Bruce Lee’s movies.
Professor Johnson had a great career both in competition and in teaching, earning a couple of national titles here and there as well as having some of the best-selling Martial Arts instructional DVDs. He’s been on Black Belt Magazine as a Hall of Famer as well as other major magazines. In this episode, Professor Willie “The Bam” Johnson talks about his journey as a Martial Artist, civil rights activist, and so much more!
Show Notes
Check out Professor Willie “The Bam” Johnson’s official website at www.williethebamjohnson.com
Show Transcript
You can read the transcript below.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Hello there, welcome. You're listening to whistlekick Martial Arts Radio Episode 636. My guest today is Professor Willie ‘The Bam’ Johnson. I'm Jeremy Lesniak, I'm your host for the show founder who's so kick, lover of martial arts of all kinds. And that's why we do what we do, why we bring you the shows why we have invested so much into whistlekick, because we love you. The traditional martial artists of the world. If you want to see everything we've got going on, please go to whistlekick.com check out the store, check out our other websites, check out all the things that we produce, for free for you, as well as some of the things that we charge for. Because, well, we got to bring in some money, we got to do some of this stuff for a profit, so we can continue to bring you awesome stuff like this show. And don't forget, if you find something in our store that you like, whether it's one of our training programs, or a sweatshirt, or protective equipment, or a uniform or anything like that, use the code PODCAST15. Get yourself 15% off. The show gets its own website, whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. That's where we bring you photos and links and transcripts and videos and all kinds of other good stuff for this episode, for every episode we've ever done. Yep, we don't put any of them behind a paywall. We continue to bring you great interviews and topic shows for free two episodes each and every week. Well, why do we do that because we're looking to connect you, educate you and entertain you, the traditional martial artists of the world with each other, with things that mean something to you.
And if these things that we do mean something to you, please consider supporting our Patreon, patreon.com/whistlekick. For as little as two bucks you can get in behind the scenes. And if you're willing to give a little bit more, we're going to give you more back, check out that website. All the details are there. You may know today's guests by name. He has been active in the martial arts world. For a long time, I can't remember a time I didn't know his name to be honest with you. And on today's episode, we talk about everything from how a movie changed his life, to having fun with martial arts to play to some of the people he looks up to. And the passionate life experiences to connect all these dots. It's an incredible episode I'm very proud of being part of. And I'm thankful that we are able to bring you so here we go. Professor Bam. Welcome to Martial Arts Radio.
Willie Johnson:
Thank you for having me, sir. It's a pleasure.
Jeremy Lesniak:
It's a pleasure to have you. You've done some stuff, you've been around. I bet there are a bunch of people listening right now. “Oh, wow. You're finally talking to?”. You've been on the list for a long time, my friend.
Willie Johnson:
That's that...
Jeremy Lesniak:
We’re glad you made those to happen.
Willie Johnson:
Thank you, God's good, man. I believe everything happens for a reason. That's all.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Absolutely. You know, we've got a lot to cover. There's a lot over your career, the things that you're doing now, are just as big and maybe even bigger, depending on how you want to look at it. I always like to go back. I know, I know. It's kind of cliche, but I think it's the easiest way to get context for everything else we're going to talk about. So, how'd you get started as a martial artist?
Willie Johnson:
Yeah, it's, it's funny, I was just talking to somebody about that. And that was Bruce Lee, it was Chinese Connection. And, you know, I can't talk about the excitement of finding that goal, that dream and that passion and want to be like Bruce Lee without talking about the why behind it. And it was, you know, from some pain that was happening to me as a kid. You know, before I was six, I had encountered some tragic things that happened during those times were just pretty devastating for young kids. But I was always able to redirect painful things. I mean, many people heard that I was molested and things like that happened to me as a little kid before I was six. And I like to say that we came up in a real challenging time. So, I was always able to see the struggles and the things that my parents were going through. So, at a young age, I was always able to hide my pain. What I was feeling, it was just a natural thing. I did and I would not tell nobody what I was going through. I was just holding this stuff in and just you know, just push it along. And for some reason, this one moment, my mom let me go to see a movie theater to see a movie and during that time remember [00:04:49-00:04:51] was big. That was like the 70s. That's when you know commercials was five fingers at death.
You know in Chinese Connection. Back from that time, you can remember how excited he was. You’ve seen these commercials on the TV, and the excitement of seeing lines and lines of people from block to block going into cities movies. And this one time, my parents let me go and see this movie. And it was Chinese connection. Man, when I saw that movie, I didn't see Bruce Lee on that screen, I’ve seen me. Because, you know, as I did know that I didn't want someone else to go through my pain. And that's still a reflection of my life and my wife's life today. Sometimes I put other people's careers ahead of mine. And at a young age, I was always able to do that. So, here was a guy who was a hero. And he was fighting for his people to be more than what people was looking at them as, and he was willing to stand up and fight for justice, and honor and respect and use my martial arts. That was me.
And that's what I've seen. And Bruce Lee changed me and inspired me. And once again, during that time, remember, we came up the movie theater, and you went around the street to find a stick and you cut the stick in half and got a dog chain and cut the dog chain in half and screwed it to the stick and got some electrical tape. And you had a set of Bruce Lee sticks. We call them no chuckles back then. Anybody that was like, that was the joy of martial arts. And that's what happy I was flipping on [00:06:23-00:06:25], you would hang out the karate in the movie theater all day, until the movies, clothes and those things started with Bruce Lee. But then the kung fu movies in the black exploitation and honestly, still in the karate magazines and still in the Mas Oyama karate books that have been coloring the colored pages. Am I making sense here?
Jeremy Lesniak:
You are. You've got a couple years on me, I didn't grow up in that era, it was more than 79. I started training in the 80s. But we've had plenty of guests on the show who came up in that time. And while you know, there are some personal aspects to the story, you're telling that we haven't heard this. I went to the movies, I saw Bruce Lee, it changed my life. That's something we've heard many, many times. Now, most folks coming out of the theater, you know, six years old, seven years old, are probably going to forget a lot of the details, but I'm going to guess you're not one of those people.
Willie Johnson:
No, no. Yeah, go ahead. I'm sorry.
Jeremy Lesniak:
What was it like when you watch that movie? Because you're identifying a single movie. And you know, honestly, it's not the one that most people pick from that era. Most people are talking about Enter the Dragon. You're talking about Chinese connection. I'm going to guess that you remember the difference that made in you from start to finish? What was it...? You know, obviously, you're coming out. I made my first set of Nunchaku, as well, wasn't dog chain it and sticks. It was stick and a random piece of rope. I don't know. It's like, I get that. I totally get that. Right, right. What happened? What happened there? You come out, and obviously, some light bulb went on, and you said something is missing? Something needs to change in my life? What? What did you understand that to be because you're young, you are super young at that point? But somehow you understood it well enough. And I'm guessing went to your parents and something happened?
Willie Johnson:
Well, I didn't go to my practice, because remember, back then nobody really understood the benefit of martial arts, it was just karate movies and kicks and punches. Nobody truly understood that the benefits of martial arts, it was still a mystical Chinese thing. You know, but I think the thing that really registered with that, at that time, it was the end of the civil rights struggle. You know, that was when, we were, Martin Luther King, and everybody was walking in and pushing towards, you know, freedom of expression. I remember doing that time, it was the greatest cultural expression in the urban communities around the world. That was the start of soul music turning into hip hop. I mean, remember, kids were on skateboards, they were on bikes, you know, kids were running up and down the street, you can leave the doors a lot. I mean, if you haven't come up in that time, right now, you would look at the inner city or the violence in the world a day and you were like, man, when are we going to ever have a great moment, but after that struggle, of the civil rights struggle, that we were a part of the most culturally impacted community ever.
People was trying to rebuild; people was trying to express themselves and embrace the struggle. The same struggle of any culture or race of people. You know, that was struggling. So, that's like a universal language of every race. Every culture had to struggle and overcome adversity or obstacles, whatever it may be, and that's what register. That's why Bruce Lee, you know, and then think about martial arts was those type of... It was up to people who were struggling and was oppressed, and he was trying to rise up. And that's what registered to me. It was like, it was art, it was art, man, you know, you end it. That's what people don't understand. That's a side of the urban community, that when the drugs and the crack came, we forget that we can leave our doors unlocked. We forget that kids can sit out on their own or on the sidewalk and, and share frozen cuts and we show respect to the to the elders. And even the guys, I mean, they show us the bits and pieces of it. Even the guys that did bad things that were drug dealers, they said no man stay in school, do what I say, not what I do. You know what I mean? Go back and read and see history that was like, creative expression. So that's what Bruce Lee... It just reinforced that. And then when you think of think of Bruce Lee movies, he was showing everything I'm talking about. He had every multicultural race of character, a culture and in his movies. And he was talking about how he was just so open to different ways and methods was, which was basically the urban environment.
You got along with everybody. I mean, I'm not preaching on about what's going on now. But really what's going on now, it's no different than what we came up. But it was about respect is the one thing that most was registered within me. I mean, even though it was dysfunctional stuff going on. There were still my parents say show respect, my dad says thank you, my dad says don't you disrespect them, you know, they didn't understand much but they did understand something about good human dignity and rights and standing up and being a good role model. You know, they just didn't have the courage. So, they didn't have the knowledge. Because it was getting so much stress on their own, to stick to it and say it, they knew what to say. It's just the battle. I think they had the courage ahead to know how intelligence at that time to choose, I'm going to do with this, rather than trying to find a way to survive and make sure my kids can eat. You know, am I losing? Am I making sense?
Jeremy Lesniak:
No, no, you're making sense. And that's when your passion is coming through loud and clear, which makes it even clearer.
Willie Johnson:
That's what inspired me, man. That's... sorry.
Jeremy Lesniak:
How did you... Don't never apologize. This is your story, my friend. This is your story. You cannot tell it wrong. How did you go from and I love this visual of making your own Nunchaku and, you know, lifting magazines and Kyo Kushin books? How did you go from there? To the next step? I would imagine somewhere in there, there's a step with some formal training. When did that?
Willie Johnson:
I mean, remember, during that time, they had small dojos. And you would go to the dojos, I would stop him because we didn't have money. Sorry. It was because my parents didn't want to pay for the lessons. But once again, we got to remember, kids that have parents and people that bring them in to study a martial art today, they're blessed, because I wouldn't say their parents didn't want to pay for, they didn't understand it, or you see was the violence on the movie screen. We didn't know that mystical benefits of martial arts at that time. We knew it was something hard, but I don't think everybody understood that. So, you know, I would go to the different dojos. I mean, it was Korean dojos. You know, Taekwondo dojos, in the inner cities, which people don't realize, remember, before the price goes came to the suburbs, they were in these inner cities, without the urban communities, there would be no martial arts today, there will be no Bruce Lee today, all that came from the inner city. Remember, nobody was coming to see karate movies outside of the inner city, that was the only place you can house these movies.
So, you had little dojo was on the corner, and I will go to the dojos and sit in the chairs. And I could comprehend what they were doing. Just like that. And I would write it out on a stick, man. And then I will go home, and I will practice. Sometimes they would have a free class. And I would take a free class. And I know the teachers, man, this is that's what's missing in teaching. Because I know those teachers knew that when I came there, and I’ve seen what they did. I came back the next day, and I showed them exactly what they were showing their students. I showed them that I remembered it by sitting on the sidelines, and they would do something else. It gave me something else to go away with. That's love. That's what martial arts is missing. That's when the teachers see that that person over there that might not have what I need them to have financially to come into school. That person has a drive and has an art and has a desire that can help my school or my organization, organization elevate to another level. Sometimes when we put money or hit a passion in person, I mean the person's desire. We don't get the raw, authentic expression. That's why. Aare you following me here?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I am. I'm definitely following you. And I agree. I agree there are plenty of plenty of places where money ruins things, and it's one of the great debates within martial arts is, can martial arts be taught, in a pure sense, oh, with a great deal of integrity. If money is involved, and people get really fired up about it.
Willie Johnson:
And you said a person and those instructors took this little African American kid, did whatever they can do, to give them a skill, and then go home into projects. And remember, during that time, I had these. My project house was like a Bruce Lee Museum. Every magazine and every pitch that I stole a Bruce thing was all plastered on my wall. So, from the ceiling, or from the floor, all the way up to the ceiling all around, I had these pitches of Bruce Lee or Jimmy Wang Yu or whatever I can get. All I mean, there was not a crack missing on my wall that did not have some image to keep me inspired. And then I would make, I mean, people would see me walk through the projects with like a tree stump that I was taken to make my own Wing Chun dummy or sandbag, to make my own sandbag, and top and bottom bag and make my own broad suit with a piece of two by four. I mean, I just had this and I think that's what's missing in kids right now. The one thing we had is that we had the ability to be creative, we did whatever we could do to get to make something that fit our passion, and our desire. And my mom never said anything. Nobody even laughed, but he said, look at that black going down the street, and they would laugh, and it would hurt. Because I know they were saying it to make me feel bad.
And there were other people that were in the community that was doing the exact same thing. And you will be challenging each other and doing it's like that's a whole another culture that people probably man that never existed when I'm telling you, it is how it was. And those little don't. I mean, one teacher that I would say stood out the most was Tony Lin. And Tony Lin was the brother of Willy Lin, who is my instructors, Master Brown’s brother, who brought the system attention pie to America. So, they had a tinge of high school in DC. And I had one in Baltimore. And that was one of the schools that I would go to and I would see him doing the weapons and, that's what I said, he knew what he was doing. He was teaching me on the side. Because as a teacher, I'm going to speak even me as a teacher. I don't teach students I discovered that greatness, their greatness within. I tell people don't say I taught my kids, what I do is watch my kids. And I see a student go through something. I said, that's good, man. Why don't you add this? So, we build on your creativity, that at the end, that's what makes you great. It's not somebody teaching you something, you already got greatness inside of you. So, I want to help you discover that greatness. And when we discover it, let's build upon it. That's how they teach you in China. They took and gave you something that complements your personality.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, I want to stay there for a second, I want to unpack that. Because you're talking about something that we've barely talked about, you know, over six years of this show, this idea of teaching, we think about outside of the martial arts. If I say, a teacher, what are we thinking? We're generally thinking about public school teacher, and what is the most cliche reaction of a student in public school? They try to get through the day as quickly as possible. They have no desire to learn, a teacher can't make you learn, they can present information, right? And that's kind of what I'm hearing you say is that your experience, both as a student and as an instructor, now, you're talking about helping the students discover their greatness, you're presenting information, you're helping them build themselves up to be the martial artists that they want to be or deserve to.
Willie Johnson:
That's right. That's right. And that's what Bruce Lee was. But let's think about this. When we understand the culture, that's what hip hop is, that's what music is, the artists I want to sing, they start singing. Before you know it, do practice the singing, they develop a confidence when you become Aretha Franklin. And now everybody wants to be a part of now she's a legend. But when you take away that freedom of expression from a person, it's about discovering and I always tell my students I get mad at them. When they looking at me for asking me, what are you looking at me? Get lost in yourself, man. Have fun, stop being afraid to like fall down on your own discovery. Fall that way. It's not just you fall over yourself. That we can’t really find the truth within when you hold them back and try to be cautious. Not any truth. That's a lie. Stop lying to yourself. That's what made me who I am. So, all those methods that I've read that Bruce Lee was talking about in Jeet Kune Do. And, and Mas Oyama was talking about, let's say martial arts as a whole because that's what we forget. We talk about mixed martial arts. Everything been mixed since he came to this country. At the beginning, that's all he did in his 60s. That's all he did in the tournament. That's what Billy Blanks and Steve Sanders and talking everybody, Bruce Lee just add fuel to the fire. So, when people even say “Oh, mix martial arts.” What is mix? In hip hop, it’s just mixing music together. Well, mixed martial art today is just what grappling and kickboxing and [00:20:37-00:20:41]. I'm sorry, you got me. You just got me fucked up.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I love it. I love it. Hey, would you rather be boring and dry because I wouldn't. I love the passion, the passion is... Show me a great martial art. I'll show you somebody who's passionate. And not just about martial arts. It's about, martial artists are passionate people. You can't devote yourself to something so deeply and not have it spill over to other aspects of life.
Willie Johnson:
And I think when we talk about stand on, you know, like, what I was saying when you think Mas Oyama, you think of all these people. Bruce Lee got me started but I was inspired by all of them. I was inspired by Sonny Chiba trying to the legacy of Mas Oyama in his movies, are inspired by Jimmy Wang. Trying to show you the diversity and in the struggle and expression of the arts. I was inspired by Jim Kelly. I was inspired by Chuck Norris; I was inspired by everything that dealt with martial arts, was an inspiration for me. And don't let anybody tell you was different from me. And I think that's what you learn, when you creatively just want to find a way to be better. I just never want no kit to go through the board that I went through. And I understood that. And I will still put my life on the line for that this day. I understand that whatever I was going through and people was doing to me, it was wrong. So, I had to grow up early, I had to learn how to fight me and do all this stuff before I was even 13. I mean, I used to write letters to Hong Kong.
Here's what's so crazy back then, you could go to the library and you can get black belt magazines in the library. Or you can go to the library, they would have books on the top movies and American, China and Japan. But what I realized is that inside those books, they also had telephone numbers to Sharp Brothers and Golden Harvest Movie Studios. What do you think I did? I called them. My mom would get the bills. She was like, “What are you doing Bam, Bam? Were you calling Hong Kong? You can't do this.” But you know, what was the goal of the call? The goal was to tell him I want to be a movie stuff. I realized that if I could get in movies, I could change more people. I didn't do this to run a school. I did this to be like Bruce Lee and, all those people that was on the screen, think about it. I can touch more people through a song than I can do in a dojo.
I can touch more people to a movie or TV show, a book than I can do in the dojo. I didn't physically meet Mas Oyama but I met Mas Oyama through all those pages that are turned in that book. That's what art is. That's what we miss. That's what we miss. That's what the ancient ancestors of all civilizations say. To pass it on. Record your current original thoughts. Let it go. Don't question, don't analyze it. Let that truth come out. And then when you read it back, you'll discover that was me. No, it came through you. So, it can be bigger and make a bigger impact on other people. That's what she wants is for me. Sometimes people get caught up and think I'm talking about point MMA and I'm a martial artist, whatever I need to do to impact or touch a person, then I got to do it. That's what I have to do. That's what they did for me. Am I sounded crazy? I'm sorry, man.
Jeremy Lesniak:
If you're crazy, I'm crazy, too. Because this is all making sense. And I am on board. 100%. I want to talk about Mas Oyama. Because it's a name that I think most martial artists nobody's, interestingly enough, not a name that comes up on the show very often, you've mentioned that probably, I lost count, I think it's eight or nine times. So clearly, this is somebody who had an impact on you. When, where, why, how did Mas Oyama, Kyokushin first kind of enter your perspective?
Willie Johnson:
I think when I read his story, and I understood that he you know, if I'm correct. When he came home, you know from the military, he got in the fight. He murdered a man and he felt so bad about murdering a man. Then he went away to find himself. He went away to truly understand how to control his energies, his anger and all the things he felt and do hit the trees and train in the woods. When he came back. The only person he felt were the thing that he began to demonstrate his strength on was a boat. He was Bruce Lee of the Japanese people. He did the same thing that Bruce Lee did for the Japanese people. There would be no MMA or for contact, like we say if it wasn't for Mas Oyama. That wouldn't be though, let's just look at that. I mean, he was, you know, but he was above the art. Look at him. He was knocking out candles. He was talking about measured meditation. He was the complete martial artists, and anybody that you see come from that era. All of his students wrote books, they did what was supposed to do. What happened today? Ain't no [00:25:53-00:25:55] dojo.
The dojo was set up to commercialize and help us be able to make money to be able to make a comfortable living to take care of our families. And that's good. But guess what, if you really want the real training for me, you can't pay for that, no price tag on that. That's you got to earn and that's still the same way my dojo. Yeah, you get the curriculum. But true for me is like Bruce Lee say, all the truth lies outside of the curriculum and the structure of some other man trying to tell you what he can teach you, how to help.... I'm sorry, man.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Don’t worry. Keep going, keep going. I'm loving it.
Willie Johnson:
When people start talking about what my curriculum going, how you going to make somebody great with your curriculum, what you're doing is enslaving them and making them you. That's the problem with the sport, karate and everything. Now everybody doing one thing, because you imitated something for one person, you structured it, that the structure should free you from the structure, not enslave you. That's the problem with martial arts. Now, I don't how could you keep on getting? How can I sell you a program that you sold to just school and you teach it just whatever happened to the discovery of your own art? Oh, my God, what happened was that when your teacher challenged you, and it was time for you to mature up and suck it up, to realize that you got to go to hell. And you got to go through a busted lip or, or a discomfort comfortability. On a physical, mental, emotional level, what's your teacher, rather than trying to grow beyond that, you decided to go out and go get your own master's degree and get your college degree and get your business degree. And now you're a seven-time Grand Master with your own style? How could you give? How could you be a master your own style? When you quit? Before the miracle happen? I'm sorry.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Let's unpack that. Let's unpack that. Because you're stirring the pot. And I love for anybody who knows me knows I love stirring the pot. Because I think that whether on the other side of that conversation, you agree or not, you've thought, and that's always been my goal with this show is that we make people think. So, you've talked about a few things here, you've taken a shot at modern sport, karate, you've taken a shot at people starting their own styles, before it's appropriate. Right, which one you want to go to, for?
Willie Johnson:
Let's go this style. And I'm going to use something really simple. Since you got me on it, let's talk about needs. A kid can come up in the ghetto, or anywhere. And he began to create a message which is rapping. And he began to talk about his struggle. That's his own style, his own flow, all of a sudden, they come up and they find a way to speak their truth to their own style of expression. Nobody controls them, nobody stopped them. And for some reason, they changed the whole culture. They didn't impact it. More people became one of the wealthiest musical genres ever. But it would start from nothing. Is that how much you want to study but somewhere along the way, the gatekeepers are the one to be intellect intellectual people. You got to remember some intellects don't save your life in the industry. Okay, when nobody say intellect with the moment you think about what to do is done. Boom. Bruce Lee showed you that when the guy said to Bruce, tell me I'm going to watch it. So that's how fast I'm looking at it well, what did I do? You just responded to the moment. Art is the style, is the moment you killing Tiesto by your style, you can teach him a system. That's what I tell my students. I'm teaching you a system so you can find your own style. But guess what? No way to system. Because the thing that's really a bunch of expression is the discovery of yourself.
The problem is that most of the old school teachers can't face a kid that's discovering themselves. Because at some point in time, that kid is going to be better than you, that kid's going to challenge you emotionally and mentally, or whatever. And, oh, I dare you. Challenge me in my dojo. You can't do that. But that's why maybe I would have never been accepted into modern day dojos when I was a kid, I was because I am going to challenge you punch me. I'm going to punch you back. That's what I learned on the street. I mean, and we go and keep on rods and you don't get good. If you don't learn to understand your weaknesses, all the things you run away from but guess what, when you got money and you got proceeds, you got titles, you got all this stuff, I guess you could run away from whatever you want to run away from. But the cream always rises to the top. Because the true artist is they find a way to come about and they bring about impact. And they bring about, they try to get kids to find their own way. Once you... I seemed like the only thing other than MMA despite why people love it, you don't know what's going to happen, but it's not how much what used to be when it first came to this country. Nobody in tournament sport, like nobody else. Nobody, all you see is a boat that's going to come. What the hell happens in the wide variety of expressing yourself and let the best expression stand out for that day don't mean you are the greatest, it means for that moment you stood out.
Be afraid of that, because then it affects your bottom line. It affects your money. Look, I was broke, when I was in the hood, and I found wealth, I find in my art, and I'm still going to find wealth. Hey, nothing that nobody could do to me today that can stop me from loving God and serving God and doing what I need to do, until you can understand the hell that I went through to become the man I am right now. And I'll tell you honestly, on expressing that, there was a time when I was on TV. And I was winning tournaments. And I was that person trying to follow the box and follow the infrastructure. Don't say nothing is shut up. But guess what, they still treated me like I was not. They still, yeah, you rewarded me, but you never really recognized me for who I am. Today, I will never not be what they say to senses to their own self be true, I will always be true to myself. And I will make sure that that anybody that I come in contact with, I want them to find a way to express themselves and whenever you find toxic with me, and it's not about the righteous things that are good things that I fought to get away from, leave me the hell alone. Get away from me.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Wow. I don't even know how to tack a question.
Willie Johnson:
I'm sorry. It’s my truth, you know.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I love it. The goal of each of these episodes, when I talk to someone is to unpack and help them tell their story. And you are doing a far better job than most of tearing those filters away. You're just giving us the real raw you. And I appreciate that trust in us and me in our audience to do so. So, thank you.
Willie Johnson:
And you know, the one thing I want to add to that is that I just trust God, because God brought me from hell to live today. And I'm a good man and a good father and a good community leader. So, what's already been dead, so isn't nothing to any human being could do to me that I can't do to myself. That would be far worse than what anybody else could do. So, I guess I'm just trusting God, because look at what way brought me. I just told you I was a little kid in the project calling Hong Kong on my welfare, food stamps. Just imagine I could imagine the look on her face when she opens that bill. And looks at because anybody who's younger today and has you know, and has never had a landline phone doesn't remember a time when you had detailed bills, they would list out the number you call. Yes and of course, if you're calling overseas, that's a long number. That's right, your mom's opening that bill, and she's looking at the total. And she's going what the heck's happening? Who called what? And she's looking down through and seeing these calls with these very long numbers that very clearly are nowhere local. And the charges associated with them. Yeah, I'm probably looking at you. Are you an only child? No, no, no, I had a sister. I mean, but she knew it was neat, because when my sister moved out, it was just me and her. Okay, I have my little dojo. She's looking at that number and looking at you. But you know, and God, I'm sorry.
Jeremy Lesniak:
No, no, keep going.
Willie Johnson:
It's funny when you say that, because, you know, a long recall in Hong Kong, even at that time, I understood it's funny, because I can't really put it all on side, they'd be going all over the place, because it's kind of hard to put all this stuff. And I tried to tell the story the way I think it should be told, but it's kind of hard because I'm like, “Damn, that's right. That's right. That's not a step”. And so, it's like, I even do discovery for me. But, I mean, when I was learning doing this, these travels, I did get involved with instructor at a consenting community center called McKim Community Center. And, you know, because at that time, even at young when I started getting confidence and guys was challenging me and I was winning the challenges. And I'm not talking about like, no death fights. I'm going to say I was like in a Bloodsport underground ghetto battle. It was these kids, big kid, Judo... How we come up in, you know, when I was able to rise to the occasion and work my martial arts and so now kids wanted to learn from me. So, I was this neighborhood. God, it was watching out for the kid like a robin hood, you know, beat up the bullies. And we didn't call them bullies that back then guys. It took your money and I got this thing to start teaching kids and my project department, you know now, I'm like teaching kids in the project department. Still doing my thing. Write letters to like people all over the world along with calling in. And this and now get this, the letters didn't have the spelling, was really all messed up.
But I still tell people today it's not about what you write is about the passion that comes through the letter. Because you will find somebody that will correct that. And I guarantee if you look at most magazines or anything, you'll see some misspelled words and misspelled sentences. So, I kept doing that, and you would not believe it. Before you know it. I was able to convince people like 7/11 and social workers to get behind me because of my passion and sponsoring me to go to these karate tournaments. Are you following me?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah. Do you remember the first one?
Willie Johnson:
[00:36:05-00:36:07]
Jeremy Lesniak:
The first tournament?
Willie Johnson:
Oh, the first tournament that I went to was the all-American championships [00:36:12-00:36:13] and at the Madison Square Garden, see, because I knew what the tournaments were because of karate illustrated at the ratings. Back then, if you do all of these things are training and trying to get out there. Trying to get away from the struggle when the things that I was going through. But now as I'm getting older, I'm looking at these magazines now my struggle is not just about me, now, it's just me and my mom, my dad's not there, nobody's there. My mom is on welfare. I'm seeing how people treat her. My mom got to her and [00:36:41-00:36:44] and her people treated like a piece of dirt. So... Oh boy. They went from me trying to discover me and I had to grow up and take care of my mind. So, to get in a movie, to get to change my economic status, was to be able to get my mama to projects and get my mom, you know, a nice house and all these things. And back then remember you saying all the people that was in movies, they were winning karate, Tony. So, they were on the front cover of Karate illustrated magazine, or the front cover Black Belt Karate magazine, or whatever those magazines were. So, my path was following those same people. Cynthia Rothrock. You know, Chuck Norris, Mike Stone, you know, all those people I did exactly. When I meet some people that day, I tell them that they changed my life. I don't think they believe me.
When I tell Ron Van Clief that he motivated me when I wanted to quit. I don't think they truly believe me, because I guess people say I'm some type of great martial artist. I'm just a person, man. And I don't want to live up to none of that. But I am, I have been inspired by all of them. So, no one needs things that I had to like to do when I was doing and I knew where to find the tournament's that SME chose at that time was one of the biggest tournaments in the country. So, what did I do? I was able to convince someone to sponsor me. And I said, if you could just give me enough money to get on a bus, just to get on a bus enough for the entry fee. So, I can go to a court tournament to try to become famous and wealthy for my mom. I would appreciate your help. And they came through and I got on a Greyhound bus. My mind didn't know where I was at. I was like 17 years old. Nobody knew where I was at. And I got on that bus. And I went to New York City man. And I got off and that's when New York downtown was like, it was vicious. He was like the warriors. Do you ever see that movie? The warriors were games and all this crazy stuff. And I get off that thing. I was so afraid. But I knew I had to make this commitment. I had to go to that tournament. So, I get a cab. And I didn't realize that Madison Square Garden was right down the street from port authorities.
A kid and he drive me a router block, you know and take me to master square got and I went in. I didn't know nothing. Nobody. Nobody. My family never did this. So, I didn't have a blueprint. And I went into that tournament. I paid that entry fee and I sent all those people that's when tournament was huge. And they go to New York, you have to be good. You just don't go to need anybody know back then. You're especially cold doing kung fu forms. I was doing broad. So, what did I add to it myself? And I go in Madison Square Garden. And I still remember who it was. It was [00:39:26-00:39:27] went to New York Primus, weapons competitors. And I tied up with a Gi in a weapons division in New York City. And I want one but I was so afraid of missing the bus. Because I know what I was doing. I ran out after one and I suppose been on TV mitten romantically. But I couldn't stay because I didn't want to miss the bus. I didn't want to get stuck in New York. And I went back and when my mom seen that trophy. I think at that moment, every phone call I've made, made me the happiest person in the world. And I continue to travel or stay on buses for three days, five days to go to Grand Rapids, Michigan to go to Diamond nationals to get a place and bring those trophies back. I'm going to be happy. You got so much to a point where she would say “Bam, Bam, no trophy, I would hide the trophies beeper”. Sorry.
Jeremy Lesniak:
It's clear that this means that means a lot to you.
Willie Johnson:
I'm sorry. Every time I do these things, stuff come up that I just never dealt with. And it's like, new discoveries in you know, but I would play tricks with it. That would tell “no trophy man” it went to see; we go sit on his own chair. She seems like “damn, Bam, bam, no trophy?” “Surprise! Here's a trophy.” And she would just be so happy man. She would just sit-down stack it up in a live room and we sit there days and just look. I guess maybe for my mom dad. Oh, that I made a happy hour as you got a chance to see today every phone call and every struggle and every conflict that she made the life I live today and my wife led church to my kids’ church and everybody church is truly because that was a life that I want for my mom that she just died before she could see. [00:41:46-00:41:47] I'm sorry.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Powerful. Did she get to see you compete?
Willie Johnson:
No, no, she never saw me. She just seen the trophies and see me making because I used to make my karate uniforms too. I used to sew my own Wushu uniforms, I did everything. Everything that I did the day I made myself as a little kid. That's why I say don't rob a kid of a creativity. That's why I don't teach my kids. I let them play. A friend of mine named Jerry [00:42:18-00:42:19] He said something that I think people probably will still one time, sometimes we can be so strict and try to tell kids to stop, to go over there, we were doing an event. And the kids were getting on our nerves because we were trying to have a conversation. I say everybody “stop, sit down”. And Jerry said, “Whoa, I got it, Bam”. I said “what is that, Jerry?” He said, “kids, stop everyone”. And we just broke our ass laughing. And we said that's exactly what we do in the world. We make children stop having fun. The reason why I'm who I am is because during that era, I was able to have fun. I was able to discover creative things that I still live and has become a way of life for me today. I start with us playing with martial arts. Is that the joy when you practice the play with it?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yeah, it's a word that's come up more and more on this show. And the more I hear it from different people in different contexts, the more I think it really is the right verb. We play martial arts. That's how we learn. That's right. It's how every kid learns through play. It's how every small animal learns, is through play. And if for some reason we get to some age, and we decide that's not the way to learn, the way to learn is to pay someone a bunch of money to have them throw words and pictures at your face and hope some of them get in there and stick when what are you supposed to do with that information? Once you get it, you're supposed to go test it out, whether it's science or martial arts or anything else. So ultimately, you still have to go play with it.
Willie Johnson:
Yeah, but you plan with somebody else's interpretation. Not your right. That's the problem. Hopefully, I've been on topic [00:44:13-00:44:15]
Jeremy Lesniak:
Can be off topic because the subject is you. Yeah, I want to talk about music. You've brought up music a couple times. And anybody who knows me well knows that I also grew up with hip hop, was the genre that spoke to me the most. And anybody who's listening who really knows, especially through the 80s and 90s, hip hop, there was a very, very strong crossover with martial arts, specifically, Kung Fu flicks. You know, these lesser-known Shaw Brothers movies. In fact, anybody out there is heard of the Wu-Tang clan. That was the thing that their first album was just covered with samples from those movies. And I remember, you know, I was training at the time and listening to that album going, “oh, these guys like martial arts too”, you know, and it really spoke to me talk about music for you, it sounds like there's quite a bit of synergy between the way you view and train and play martial arts, along with music.
Willie Johnson:
So, I mean, my history is before the Wu-Tang, I'm talking more. We have block parties. And you know, I'm saying that all that was happening right there in front of me, that's when you had a block party. And, you know, you have people out there playing, you know, on the streets and kids coming up and listen my dad playing James Brown, you know, in the house, I'm not understanding it or plan, you know, the soundtrack, the Superfly, Shaft and all those movies. I mean, from all those movies and you heard all these soulful sounds, and you heard that I mean, come on the 70s was the greatest time of soft rock man, you know, Peter Frampton and Kissin. Oh, come on, don't get me started. But, you know, sort of martial arts and music were an equal part of the urban environment. That's why hip hop, remember, come on, let's think about it. Breakdancing comes from martial arts, forget the Wu-Tang, let's think about them dumb wheelbarrows and things they don't and that's why they call, you know, Grandmaster Flash, they took it from the martial arts. I'm talking about Jimmy Wang Yu and all right, talking about like when it started, I'm talking about before the 36 chambers and all that stuff. I'm talking about five things at depth and Chinese Connection and all those things when those things had an impact. And they inspired these people to start expressing their music. And that's how hip hop came about.
I know what it was for. I mean, come on. But remember, my dad always went around. My dad is like 89 years old. So, you always been around people that was like humming and flowing and doing all that stuff. So, I came up around that's a part of my makeup, always trained to music. And then something that I do, because I'm trying to sell anybody anything, we always train to music in the background. And I think you know, even for me, when I see hip hop, when I see what hip hop did, you know, it's just like martial arts. When they came up with a hip hop and hip hop, oh, man, every kid in the neighborhood was singing that. Dude, don't get me started when they came up with this like a dope sometimes. It makes me wonder why I keep from going under that right there. Change the whole generation, the kids. Because finally, when we and I got to put some history in here that to help you to help people understand. I'll fight for the culture that people forgot about. We were kids that are 70s. And because of so much creative expression and things that was happening in the movie industry and Hollywood, come on us remember what movies saved Hollywood during that time. They were black exploitation movies that saved Hollywood during that time. So, you got all these things happening. But then all of a sudden, when people were able to be safe, respectful, and loving and caring and all this stuff that I represent a day because what I represent the day were character don't come from the martial arts.
Because what my parents taught me, my dad and I might do bad things, but they always maintained that I show respect. And even in the projects, you know, even those guys who was on the street, they always the problem that we have on the street where violence is because people don't show respect anymore. That's that once that code is gone, but that code goes to where I'm going in the 80s for some reason when crack hit those communities that were destroyed everything that I'm talking about right now. Maybe, I might be going too deep for people so that's what hip hop. Hip hop boil from something that was dance, fun, excitement, have a good time block party. Come on, look at all those rappers back then they were talking about celebration, they were talking about happiness. And you know, even Big Daddy Kane and one of his songs is saying one time and, in some way, say I'll take you there. He says when you know in in the neighborhood where the houses can leave their doors unlocked. It was like that at one time. But when something is put into a community that destroys everybody's psychic, a drug that was once considered a high-end drug only for the wealthy, and now was given to people with chemicals. That's taking the best the people who had no control, and now you see zombies. Now, one thing I will say about prison, there's some books that he wrote about that element because that's all it was time. [00:49:39-00:49:41] came and said, “No, everybody, let me tell you about what's going on out communities. Let me tell you about the zombies that are walking around”. That's what happened.
I know and when I speak, I'm speaking beyond. I'm not even speaking about when everything that I say. I'm not speaking about how I can kill somebody or hurt somebody. [00:50:00-00:50:03]. I am not worried about who got the best style to kill. I didn't say people shot, died, killed whatever in my community, but I'm talking about is that I do know that guys that at one time want to kill each other. When they found a way to respect each other, they were able to keep on function and get along without bringing about more pain and destruction in our community. And what I got to do is make sure I speak and tell people I understand what you're going through. I was there. I was a kid. But I made it out, do all of that through being a part of the chain do all of it. It was the music. When music beat. when the hip hop music became more powerful. Then the rock and everything that was on the airways, especially when conscious hip hop came about like that in the 70s. A man that saved a lot of our lives, man. Don't even talk about that. It went from Black Belt magazine to all of that those things saved my life. And if anybody think about it, anybody that knows when I was competing, and I was one of the first people doing flips and competition, just go back and do history because I was taking the street gymnastics to the competition. But then I started bringing music. And everybody knows what I was doing.
I said now because I don't compete anymore. For every time people cheated me, I will probably start with alert from Snoop Dogg and go into a Wi Fi book. So, what I was doing, I was telling, you forget you, and a rap lyric that was clean. I went I still ended up singing. But I was taking think about those intros from them, throwing them at rap songs and stuff, he was telling you a story. I will start my music because I knew as a competitor. If I play hip hop now, they might be playing all the time. But when I was doing it, I can say they call the black means that's what judges said are being compared with that black means. So, I was taking and mixing them there. Snoop Dogg, that ghetto boys. I was even taken Luke Skywalker in them and I knew how to blurt out the stuff before they were bluffing it out and mix it with Hawaii Five-0 or any of the drag. So, I can't like get my messages like we're just doing on the street. I said to get you, I don't care about you. And then I'll let you rock to your wife; because that's what you identify with. And then at the end of it, I said Sega. So, I got my message across when you thought you were cheating me or hurt me. I was just expressing myself; I got a chance to build myself up. And I'll be going a little bit too deep in it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
No, you're not. You're not. This is awesome. The way you're talking about music and the way you're talking about martial arts, you know, there's a lot of commonalities, a lot of commonalities through this the 60s, the 70s, the 80s. And it's reminding me that a lot of the criticism I hear of martial arts today, you could actually make a lot of music today, especially modern, hip hop. What do you think about the modern era for each deep? Do you even do pay attention to what people are doing as martial artists today? Do you pay attention to what hip hop is doing today? And what do you think about?
Willie Johnson:
Yeah, I do because I can't abandon a responsibility. One thing that Billy Blanks told me, and I need to do this story. Yeah. Billy Blanks was probably one of the most technical martial art has ever seen on the planet. And when I was a little kid, the youngest kid amongst these great people, I used to be sitting around and seeing Billy and seeing George Chung. I was amongst my just that little kid on the bus. All the ladies called me that she said they used to call the Busboy because I was the only person that would catch a bus all those days. And I really watch and won’t blink and I would be so in my head because I was so quiet. You know, was just so technical and so serious. And I was never fortunate to get on the teams and none of that stuff. And, you know, but I remember this one moment, I guess. It was after something that came out. It was an A&E documentary that show a part of my life. And my son, and I was on what's the slideshow when what's the oblique blade? And we will all lay, watching Wesley Snipes show for the first Blade. And Billy Blanks grab me say, “Hey, can I talk to you? “This the first time I'm telling you all these years, Billy Blanks ever spoke to me. And he took me in a room. And he sat down. And he brought me to tears. He told me what my mission was and how important what I'm doing is to continue to be the person that I am. And go on and set example for so many other people. This is Billy Blank's, like a Chinese movie.
But Wesley is looking for me. I mean, it's run for like, almost two hours. They had to come and pull me out. And before I left Billy Blanks, he gave me a book, which is his personal Bible, and said whenever you last read this about where I'm going with this is that he was a man once again, that was sharing his art. He was being true to helping me try to be able to find myself and become the best person that I can possibly be. This is so you had those type of people that really care. When George Chung, you know, I mean, I can tell you stories about every great martial artist. Stewart Quan and all of these people. But I think what happened today I stay around because it's my duty to not run like other people run and leave some aspect of the martial arts messed up like it is. It's my duty and my own way to fix and bring the solutions. I'm just going to say but me and my wife and whoever I come in contact with. It's our duty to try to fix it. I can't run away from it. If it blesses me, I can't just get up and leave. And that's what billion many people told me I got to carry on, I got to carry on what I have found to be the truth for me to find my own way to tell my story. So, when I look at the Sport, Karate, yeah, still follow it. I think it's too robotic, I think they became. But once again, when you put money overtop of art and sport, you get what you get. Now, everybody put money over here, you come on, I've been employed.
If anybody question what I'm saying, everybody got remember two things. I was with the business industry. When it first started, I was a student of Nick [00:56:16-00:56:18], and some started all this stuff. I was one of the persons that my clients, century clients, all of them. So, I just talking off the top of my head, I ran a dojo at 17 when people came in the door and say, “where's the teacher?” I said, “I'm going to do this as a black man” go and teach you, “where's the Chinese teacher?” You know, so when you begin to, and a lot of these people is talking and doing all this stuff, you wouldn't know where when I was there. When I talk about Wu Shu, I went to China and got certified in mainland China, you know, at the Beijing physical culture Institute in 1985. So, I am not just talking off the top of my head. So, when I look at what I see now, what I see is that you put dollar bills and statistics ahead of the people who made your contract amount more important than the people and you got robots. How is a robot going to be able to defend themselves by themselves when trouble really comes their way? You got you teach your robots. So, the art can evolve like you did when it was at the end. His riches back then, because everybody's doing the same thing. Everybody's doing the same Kata. Rather than going outside the box evolve, you're going inside the box and try if you like somebody else has that heart. As the dojo you try to do the same thing. You're trying to do the same thing, the next person. So, your package is just I'm not against nobody.
But what I realize is that if it wasn't for Bruce Lee and George Chung and everybody have that, or even black belt, everything that made me tap into my art, and who I was if it wasn't for those things, I don't know how would it became the person I am today. Even hip-hop. When I went to jail, the thing that helped me get out of that trouble was listened to poor righteous teachers, Kool Moe Dee, you know, gangster, and all those people that let your conscience be free. Come on, you might think that your kid isn't learning something. Come on even modern-day rap music. I listen to The Baby. And some of those rappers there's some songs. I'm going to tell you one right now. Kendrick Lamar. But the new J Cole. Oh my god.
Jeremy Lesniak:
We have the exact same taste. We really do. We really do. We could probably do a whole follow up episode, bouncing songs back and forth. Picking out the people, the modern rappers that I actually really enjoy.
Willie Johnson:
Did you enjoy J Cole?
Jeremy Lesniak:
I don't think so. Oh, you got it.
Willie Johnson:
Come on, man.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I’ll check it out.
Willie Johnson:
Yeah. Oh my god, you talk about conscious. You talk about through the cracks and saying some stuff that just shocked the system. But you know what then happened to Airways, but what they want you to buy, they put you what they want. They go into your membrane over and over just like moving billboards, like all that stuff. And you end up buying stuff that isn't the best real hip hop is still underground, okay with nobody. Right?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yes. Can we say the same thing about martial arts?
Willie Johnson:
That's right. That's why I still love to go to Baltimore and talk to the people on the street. Take my students to the line and let you go on up. Because if you can learn how to function under that sort of chaos, and that kid that might not have technique but got hearts burning desire to take your head off and you can stay calm, then guess what? I know you're going to be good. Other bids, you might say I'm against everything that people take. The Bam was a rebel now. Did you hear the podcast? Hey, I'm just me. So...
Jeremy Lesniak:
As you should be. You've talked about TV and movies and I know you've got one coming up. Soon, right? That's about you.
Willie Johnson:
Oh, yeah. Documentary?
Jeremy Lesniak:
Yes. Tell us about that.
Willie Johnson:
Well, yeah, I have The Bam's documentary that was put together by Robert Parham, one of the most sought out to independent action film directors right now. I'm Shane Shawn, the editor, and so on the beat maker. So, everything's in house and my wife and my team, but it really just, it talks about kind of like what we're talking about now, but it goes real deep. I think a lot of people when, you know, when you heard some of the other parts of my life, and you realize what I had to go through, in the city in Baltimore, and you know, I did everything that can happen to a person and in a city. I did do it. And it happened to me, and I survived it. And I think, and I’ve seen the highest levels. That's why when people talk about money, it's like, if I really want to get rich out, I kept on going to bad stuff, but understand the bad stuff. There are consequences called jails, institutions and death. And I've been to jail. I've been institutionalized. So, the next thing for me is death. So, I had to decide on you know, how do I want to die? Do I want to die serving God? And you know, being a good person, I do. I want to die out there trying to take somebody else's life. And the document, you had to show aside that. I know some and I'm trying to make a point here is like, sometimes you hear people speak and they talk to people, and they be cursing and yelling, screaming, I don't know. And some people can get away with it. But I understand that, who I am, I can't get away with that and be what I come from. But I need people to see how I truly feel.
And this documentary. I just went off for a couple of months. I need to say it how I feel. I mean, the bandits you hear now let the survivor know streets. I can call you names, not going to say things to that I'll make you cry. You know, I will be on the telephone even doing illegal activities. And we've spoken cold skills that is that is there a wizard? Those a lot? Were that people? I don't think so when people not be trying to explain to people that I know how to turn around. I know, I'm a blessing from God, you know, this document? Yeah, I told him, I said, “No, this, I probably would never do it again”. But I need one where I can just, that's got to be me. And I still was hindered. Because it's kind of hard, it's kind of hard to go back to that that creditor that I was. I mean, I was a bad person. And that bad person was a reflection of my dad being a bad person. And you know, when the only way I could be that bad person that I had to, you know, in order to do something that I didn't want to do was to be involved in those illegal activities. I had to put things in my system and live a certain way in order to be amongst them. And I was the best at what I did. And I just needed to, and this documentary for any kid is out there. You notice and you'll understand, I need to understand that. Yeah, I understand. My first friend, my one of my best friends got shot nine times in front of the building by another best friend. And then that best friend when he finally got caught for what he was doing, he went to jail for like, plus 50 years, and I sit in a courtroom seeing them do that. And these guys know nothing about Karate, but I guarantee you, I would bet my money on me if I bet my money on a martial artist. I hadn't seen guys ready yet to be searched to go up and up in a project building.
And in this documentary, this is how powerful God is. People won't get a chance to see the actual projects that all these bad things happen and are no longer standing. How would I know back then, that I will be filming this to be shown as something this day, this is when I was a kid? So even people she's like, “Oh my god, destiny”. And if you understand what it was like prison, and then even in the documents, I get a chance to show little kids flipping like I slip in the in the back alleys of the projects. This is real, these states, this is all real stuff. You get a chance to meet my dad and see how gritty he is to realize that he doesn't care nothing about. Nope, he didn't been to jail and been a way to hell and back. I need people to see that. So, when I'm telling people I'm trying to, it's like sometimes when I'm teaching people and I say try this. And when I'm teaching a student or teacher, someone and they begin to question me saying try this, I get mad. I'm like, just get away, man, just go somewhere else. You know why? Because you try to test what I'm saying based upon reality. Truth is based upon a moment to survive the moment you got to be in tune to the moon. Maybe if I make it to the other side, I can analyze blank at no time to analyze rhythm. Come on. I used to be and so it talks to my shows. When I was homeless and everything and I'm like, “Look, when I was homeless. I didn't know what I was doing”. But I made it when I became a single dad before I became a dad of five kids.
I didn't know what the hell I had to do when I was home. When I was living in an abandoned building. Well, I had to get cutting my son coming home from jail with $20. I didn't know what the hell I was doing. But look at me now. But I knew what not to do. So, when I'm teaching you begin to question it. Analyze, get away from me. See because on the street notice about a hustling game or whatever. When a guy said “take this package over there” “Bring me a premium” “I cut, you cut, go do it”. You find out what show this guy or anybody on the street that you afraid or that you think, because then you are d*ck. And that's the same thing in life and what I needed in his documentary, I need people to understand The Bam that you're seeing in the A&E, that isn't me. The Bam that you saw on the WAC masters? That isn't me. I wasn't ready. I wasn't confident enough to be the man I am right now. But when I saw how, and I tried to tell it when I saw how everything that I'm doing, and how many people say, “well, man, show me what you're doing is working”. Well, I guess they have so many kids and Hollywood's living the same dream and I'm living in every type of movie that you can imagine. And then FBI and all this stuff.
Why am I the person got to be like, you know, criticize or why do I have to prove to you what I'm teaching you? Or why do I have to prove to you that I'm worthy of your respect, without an already produced that to my kids and my students isn't a true reflection of greatness is what you can do for another person? And I went back to the communities that I destroyed, how they got proclamations and rebuild it and I still go back. As a matter of fact, the movie premiere is right in the same movie that is around the corner from the first dojo that I opened. No, that's what I need people to see. And it's beyond like the scripts and because only my system, my wife and my family and people in the city. Even guys are used to sell drugs and be like, “you come in back to the city”. Thank you. I'm teaching kids now. That's what that documentary is. So, it's so truthful. It was at the film festival in Vegas. And they were like, man, people were in tears, man. This is real. And that's what I'm doing. I'm sorry.
Jeremy Lesniak:
When can we see it?
Willie Johnson:
It'll be released by Maverick entertainment. On all streaming channels, streaming systems. August the 17th.
Jeremy Lesniak:
Oh, that's before this is going to come out. So, it'll be out. So, we'll do our best to get links collected and everything on the show notes page. Make it easy for people.
Willie Johnson:
Yeah, yeah. So, we got that out that coming out. And then we got another movie coming out that stars my two little sons called One Out of 100. So, have you ended up getting now is just once again, think about? Remember the kid that one day, and I said is for anybody that's listening. Remember the six-year-old kid that said he wants to be in Hollywood make movies? Yeah, I did all this myself for my kids. So, at the end of all of this of this talk, I think the most powerful thing is, don't let nothing stop you from your goal. When you have something that you know can make an impact where people and I can't like beat us without Master Brown and also [01:08:02-01:08:03] and Garcia Davis and Kenneth Park and all my teachers and most importantly, my wife and my sisters. But because they all held true, and he kept one telling me. Well, my sister said “no, don't be like Bruce Lee. I need you to strive to be like Bambam. Be better than Bruce Lee. Do it your way”. And I'm not making a statement saying I'm better than Bruce Lee. But I know one thing I probably have did more to understand the connection of my culture and my expression of martial arts than any other black martial artist that I know of. So that's the truth that I represent. I need you to understand my approach because without teachers is my expression of what took me from six-year-old to where I'm at right now. And 57 years old. I am supposed to be, I suppose when I was 19, they miss a trip. Was that good, man? [01:08:56-01:08:58]
Jeremy Lesniak:
This is great. This is one of my favorite episodes and very long time. If people want to find you, website, social media email and stuff like that we can share.
Willie Johnson:
pointmma.com Yep, that's it. Firstly, call my number. You know, people say why are you so old school. You call if you really going through something. And you really want to talk to somebody. I'm bigger than that. 30145539. That's right. I know I'm just a man and my duty are to help anybody so but if you call us and ask for some autographs up, I'm hanging up on, you have a struggle. That's different. I love it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I love it. This this almost feels anticlimactic. But the way we end our episodes is you know I asked the guest to give some final words. You know, whatever that means to them. You know, so what? How do you want to leave it for the audience?
Willie Johnson:
I think is just what I am protecting next generation. Be a living example for the next generation and maybe some kids don't have to be alone. Like I was to find my dreams. And don't shield them from creativity. Let them enjoy themselves, just support them and be that safety net form. So, all about the next generation into the old masters, give it to a chap man stop holding on to it. Stop trying to block this, give it to him, then you'll live longer than what you can imagine if you pass it on. With no hidden motives, no hidden agenda, none whatsoever. That's it.
Jeremy Lesniak:
I think one of the things I enjoyed about this episode most was the complete openness. You've likely heard me talk in past episodes about how much I appreciate guests being open. Well, today's episode is as good an example of being open, and the power that that can bring as anything we've ever brought you. I hope that you took something from today's episode, and if nothing else, you'll recognize that being who you are being true to yourself is as powerful as anything that you can do. Professor, thanks for coming on. Thanks for doing what you do, continuing to do what you do. And trusting us with such a powerful story. Head on over to whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. Check out all the stuff we've got going on for you there, sign up for the newsletter so you can stay up on what we're doing. And consider supporting us whether that's through Patreon, or picking up one of the things that we make.
Where you want the free options, just tell people what we're doing. Help us grow in the martial arts community. And don't forget, you know, we've got this great strength and conditioning program that you can do at home and doesn't require any equipment. And I will personally stake my reputation on the fact that if you follow it, you will become a better martial artist. Why? Because I designed it. And well, I know what I'm doing. If you have guest suggestions, let us know email me Jeremy@whistlekick.com. Make sure you're following us everywhere on social media. We're @whistlekick. And don't forget that code Podcast15, gives you 15% off at whistlekick.com. I'm done for now. Until next time, train hard, smile and have a great day.