I read a fascinating article recently on the cover of the “Weekend Journal” section of the Wall Street Journal about the band The Black Eyed Peas. The article was so “spot-on” for our industry that I read it a couple of times and thought about the implications. Before I explain let me step back a second…
I started guitar lessons about the time I started martial arts . I ended up dropping out of guitar to focus on “Tex Kwon Do,” i .e ., Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do with a “Blood and Guts” twist in Tulsa, Oklahoma . However, I always had a fascination with — if not talent for — music and the music business. Long before I learned it was possible to make a living with martial arts (which happened when I move to Washington, D .C . to work for Jhoon Rhee) I thought I’d end up making a career as a concert promoter or perhaps band manager . I promoted a couple of big events while still in high school . Devoured “This Business of Music I & II,” which outlined how to create a career in the music business, and then while in high school and college in Tulsa, I managed a rock band and taught martial arts part-time . Before transferring to Georgetown University and the world of professional martial arts instruction at the Jhoon Rhee Institute.
Little did I know that the arguments that I’d have with the “artists” in the band I managed at the time would replicate themselves later in the martial arts business. You see, the members of the band I managed kept telling me how they didn’t want to be “too commercial.” They’d rebel against anything that seemed like they were recording or playing anything for any reason other than their own personal entertainment. To the “We don’t want to be commercial comments” I’d reply, “Well.
I thought you wanted to make a living doing this? Or maybe you should play something that someone other than you want to listen to . My job with them was to get airplay for their recordings . To book gigs . And to try to sell the songs we had demo’d to other acts. Anything too “artsy” to get airplay or be sellable may have been fun to write and sing but certainly wasn’t very useful for me.
It’s interesting that the music business is made up of artists, the vast majority of whom are both “anti-commercial” and “starving.” In fact a quote I came across from the Beatles reinforces my beliefs about that industry (and, unfortunately much of our own):
“ Somebody said to me, ‘But the Beatles were anti-materialistic.’ That’s a huge myth. John and I literally used to sit down and say, ‘Now, let’s write a swimming pool.’” —Paul Mccartney
Ok, so the most successful group in history had the intent of making lots of money from their art? In fact, just one of McCartney’s songs has been “covered” over 3,000 times (Yesterday), making it the most recorded song in history . The band which broke up in 1970 remains one of the most popular and highest grossing acts, year after year . Their CDs are huge sellers . Their remastered CDs last year on the 40th anniversary of their breakup set sales records, again . Their game “Beatles Rock Band” was a huge seller last year .
Anyway, back to the Wall Street Journal article . The headline is “The Most Corporate Band in America .” In it, Black Eyed Peas leader Will .I .Am discusses his own industry . He calls those who are anti-commercial “Y .P .’s” — for “Yesterday’s People .” According to lead singer Fergie, “You have to take the criticism and sometimes it hurts a lot (about being corporate shills or too commercial) .”
All of this reminds me of the very enlightening conversation that I had in San Antonio, Texas, with Pat Burleson about the early days of martial arts in the United States and my own experiences with Jhoon Rhee and others . Grand Master Burleson talks about how he shared early operations methods that he picked up from Fred Astaire Dance Studio executives (who by the way have over 120 franchise locations currently spread among 28 states and in Canada) with Ed Parker, Jhoon Rhee, Chuck Norris, Bob Wall, Joe Lewis and others . He says he was worried that Jhoon Rhee might not embrace the “commercial ideas” but instead all were enthusiastic about the marketing and sales concepts and moved to implement in their schools . He talks about those early days when he and Jim Harrison competed to see who could have the highest gross (he was first to hit $5,000; Harrison first to hit $10,000!) By the way neither could be termed “sell-out” martial artists . Harrison, Burleson, and Allen Steen along with Jhoon Rhee are the “founders” of the “Blood and Guts” Texas crowd . It’s interesting to look back . Until recently I had pretty much every Black Belt Magazine and many others from the early 1960s through the late 1970s . It’s interesting that the “Case Against Commercialism” raged alongside articles such as “Jhoon Rhee Piped Piper of Tae Kwon Do .” Those who pursued professionalism are in many cases still running schools or are “icons of our industry . Those railing against them are in most cases a distant memory, if they are remembered at all.
I guess our own version of John Lennon driving a Rolls-Royce and sitting down with his partner to write a swimming pool might be Bruce Lee . Certainly, no one looks back on Bruce Lee now as anything but the ultimate icon for progressive martial arts instruction . He’s become the icon of our industry to the world, one of the early high profile proponents of realistic and progressive martial arts . A true martial artist, with thousands of books, ranging from grappling and fencing to boxing . A collector of films on all styles of fighting and an early innovator, he was hated by the mainstream and embraced by only a few innovators . So how’s one to reconcile that Bruce drove a Porsche and a Rolls Royce, and charged as much as $1,000 an hour in his back yard for private lessons? I’ve had Jhoon Rhee in my Porsche Turbo yelling at me, as he did Bruce, “You drive like Bruce Lee .” I’ll take it as a compliment, though probably not as intended.
In the marvelous book Bruce Lee & I, Jhoon Rhee and Bruce Lee share letters back and forth about martial arts business ideas. Bruce was often sending Jhoon Rhee copies of advertisements that Chuck Norris was running or discussing other marketing ideas. According, at least in part, to Jhoon Rhee, he and Bruce parted only in their vision of the economic viability of martial arts schools.
Jhoon Rhee went on to open a large chain of schools teaching professionally, and star in two movies lined up by Bruce Lee.
Bruce Lee pursued acting before his untimely death . Jhoon Rhee was on the phone with Bruce about the time when he wrote the following (which you can see a copy of the hand-written original in any “Planet Hollywood” who bought it from Linda at auction for $30,000):
My Chief Personal Aim In Life, I, Bruce Lee, will be the highestpaid Oriental superstar in the United States. In return I will give the most exciting performances and render the best of quality in the capacity of an actor. Starting in 1970, I will achieve world fame and from then onward till the end of 1980 I will have in my possession the sum of $10,000,000—then I will live the way I please and achieve inner harmony and happiness. —Bruce lee, 1969
How do your reconcile the many artists in our industry who rebel against making money with your own goals and objectives? Strive for professionalism. Strive to become the very best instructor and school administrator that you can possibly be.
As you develop your school as a business always do so with “Enlightened Self Interest .” That can best be summarized by Zig Ziglar’s famous quote: “You can have everything in life that you want if you help enough other people get what they want .” If you run your school to “take the money and run,” it won’t be long before the line of those disgruntled will run you out of business . However, if you continue to elevate your standards of service and expand your influence you can make an excellent living running your school and contribute immeasurably to your community.
