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"I'm like a stepping razor, don't watch
my size I'm dangerous." |
Peter's love of kung fu was more publicised and well known than that of Bob's however. Costume was an integral part of Peter's stage act and so because of this Peter would just as often be seen wearing a ninja outfit as he would tracksuit or Japanese kimono's. Peter's stage actions were heavily surrounded by his love of kung fu, integrating roundhouse kicks, chops and punches into his stage movements, making for some stunning visuals. Peter was an imposing figure standing more than 6 feet, tall and gangly and seemingly all legs. Peter's roundhouse kicks reached unparalleled heights of more than 7 feet high. Chops and blocks were also coreographed into his acts too, all used in perfect time with the rhythm, as if it was the rhythm pulling at him, making him kick, punch and block the evils of babylon on stage. Bob would also incorporate kung fu routines in his stage performance too, one such occassion can be seen during Jammin at the November 13, 1979 concert at the Uptown Theater in Chicago. Bob shadowing boxing, ducking and jiving in time with the rhythm. Peter had a great love for Bruce Lee and the resemblances between the two are uncanny. Lee was all steely sinew, cocky, with a threatening stare and not afraid to point a finger--a Clark Kent who didn't need to change outfits. He was the redeemer. Sound familiar? Those exact same words could be used to describe Peter. Many would describe Peter as cock with an equally menacing stare. Peter know doubt had a great deal of respect for Bruce and one wonders if maybe Peter saw a little of himself in Lee. Peter's martial arts interest made him an even more dangerous individual, not someone you would want to anger, though Peter never used his martial arts skills to injure, purely for fitness and defence. In one interview Peter claimed that martial arts didn't originate from China or Japan, but in fact they come from Africa. Peter was a black belt in karate. He claimed that he needed to be an expert in martial arts to protect himself and that it was a part of the african culture. "To have a woman in some parts of Africa, you must be able to kill a lion with your hands. If you can't do that, you are not a man". Bruce Lee died at age 32 under a cloud of controversy, in his mistress's home, of a brain edema, which an autopsy said was caused by a strange reaction to a prescription painkiller called Equagesic. At that point, he had starred in only three released movies, one of which was unwatchably bad, the other two of which were watchably bad Both Tosh and Lee had a cockiness that passed for charisma. Whilst Lee was physically jumping in the air and simultaneously kicking two bad guys into unconsciousness, all while punching out two others, Peter was doing the same, only to Babylon. He was fighting down the evils of babylon. When one takes a look at the skills required to be a successful martial artist, one can say why Peter had such a great interest and passion.
Peter was never short of confidence, sometimes this confidence could come across as arrogance or cockiness. Meanwhile, Peter would never do the same thing twice, always unpredictable, a mystical spirit who would always move out of the way of adversity before getting hit. Though Peter took more than his fair share of beatings by babylon he survived. Holding his head high and defending himself, with blocks and chops, all important skills involved with martial arts. Defence is the best form of attack. Other skills involved in mastering martial arts include:
Little learning is dangerous, this is why Peter was constantly learning new things in every day to day life, creating and inventing new words and increasing his learning capacity. Peter was a fitness fanatic, keeping himself in great shape and eating the correct foods. Abiding by the philosphy of your body is your temple, all this gave Peter great strength, agility and balance. An example of Peter's agility and balance is shown when riding his unicycle, this required enormous agility and balance. When babylon advanced Peter was ready to intercept, out-thinking babylon, when faced by more than half a dozen cops with batons being weilded at his skull he laid down and played dead, outsmarting the Police who had thought they had finally silenced Peter once and for all. During Peter's concert in Toronto 1979 he demonstrated many of the disciplines involved with kung fu, including some devastating round house kicks, his legs towering over his band members heads. During Peter's hellfire and brimstone performance at the One Love Peace Concert Peter went "dressed for battle" wearing a black karate suit. His powerful set saw him openly light up a spliff onstage and denounce the Jamaican heads of state. A kung fu fighter taking the opportunity that had presented itself, knowing Bob was to appear later that evening Peter wanted to make his mark, whilst Bob was unifying Manley and Seaga, Peter was denouncing them and humiliating them, after all Peter claimed peace can only be obtained in the cemetary. Fists of Fury, The Chinese Connection and Return of the Dragon established Bruce Lee as an international movie star. Tosh was an avid viewer of these three films, and amongst his most watched movies. Lee's role in Enter The Dragon made him into a legend. However, Lee's untimely and premature death meant that he was not able to reap his rewards and go on to worldwide fame. The same can be said about Peter, in 1987 Peter had just released No Nuclear War, just two months after it's release Peter was murdered in his house. That same year his No Nuclear War album won the grammy in the debut category for Best Reggae Album. Like Lee, Peter was not alive to reap his rewards. Peter truly was a stepping razor, with actions that could back up his
words. |
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Peter
had a great love for martial arts, in particular kung fu. Peter and
Bob both shared a great interest and like for Bruce Lee too. Both were
ardent lovers of sports and would spend their free time going through
a kung fu work out routine.