I'm kind of surprised nobody has asked me about the name of this blog. I got to thinking one day about a line I'd heard on a radio station that said "The Egyptians invented the guitar but it took the Americans to plug it in!" It implies a step-up, an amplificaton of existing technology. And that's how I feel about Kenpo. Ed Parker took something and amp'd it.
I think the Hawaiian Kenpo of Professor Chow had done much of it already and that Mr. Parker, being the musician he was, just picked it up and played it with some of the most exciting riffs to come along in some time. He really plugged it in. In fact, after I did a demo years ago oneof the audience came to me and said it was "electrifying", and that it even made the hair on his arms stand up. I know that feeling, having watched some terrific demos over the years and seeing the rare one that elicited that reaction.
The Japanese word samurai means "to serve". Here we hear the word and it gives us mental images of a warrior. But when we think about what a warrior does, it is that they serve. We use the terms, "in the service", "I served", and "served in the military". (I want to thank those who did and do serve, for what they do for our country.)
I thought the combination of electric and samurai was interesting. And then I found a motorcycle helmet with a samurai motif and wouldn't you know, there was a warrior on the back of it with one eye aglow, much like the robot in The Terminator. Yes, I do ride a bike. I bought the helmet because I ride, not because of the bad drivers here in Sw Florida, although sometimes I wonder if should wear it in the car, like a NASCAR driver.
So there you have it. That's where the Electric Samurai came from. You can make your own decisions about whether we amp'd up the Japanese warrior as well as the guitar.
I think the Hawaiian Kenpo of Professor Chow had done much of it already and that Mr. Parker, being the musician he was, just picked it up and played it with some of the most exciting riffs to come along in some time. He really plugged it in. In fact, after I did a demo years ago oneof the audience came to me and said it was "electrifying", and that it even made the hair on his arms stand up. I know that feeling, having watched some terrific demos over the years and seeing the rare one that elicited that reaction.
The Japanese word samurai means "to serve". Here we hear the word and it gives us mental images of a warrior. But when we think about what a warrior does, it is that they serve. We use the terms, "in the service", "I served", and "served in the military". (I want to thank those who did and do serve, for what they do for our country.)
I thought the combination of electric and samurai was interesting. And then I found a motorcycle helmet with a samurai motif and wouldn't you know, there was a warrior on the back of it with one eye aglow, much like the robot in The Terminator. Yes, I do ride a bike. I bought the helmet because I ride, not because of the bad drivers here in Sw Florida, although sometimes I wonder if should wear it in the car, like a NASCAR driver.
So there you have it. That's where the Electric Samurai came from. You can make your own decisions about whether we amp'd up the Japanese warrior as well as the guitar.
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Lee Wedlake has been teaching Kenpo Karate for over 35 years and has written a variety of Kenpo Books about different kenpo katas and kenpo concepts. Mr. Wedlake has worked directly with Ed Parker and is generous with his knowledge and his time. He is available for Kenpo Seminars and camps.
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