• last year
WayLing is an art of expression founded by Ruben Joseph aka Lion Heart.
Founded in London Hackney 1976
Transcript
00:00And it's something I could see, I see that you take up and you're doing, which I couldn't be any more proud of.
00:07It's something that I'm so glad that you could carry on.
00:12I just hope you take it further and anybody else come after you, like your son, probably a close member, younger member,
00:22want to take this on, probably after we gone. I just want to keep it going and be one of the greatest.
00:34I remember the day that Radix told me that Chris and Michael, who is Chris' brother, were going to come to my classes to learn.
00:47Now I was shocked at that because I saw Radix as one of the best whaling students of Uncle Reuben.
00:59He was up there, he was up there and Uncle Reuben, one of Uncle Reuben's right hand men, his technique level was out of this world.
01:13He learnt well, Uncle Reuben taught him well and he picked up well.
01:22I was quite shocked that he sent Chris over to me. I even had to phone him and say,
01:30How are you sending Chris to me? I look to you and you know what he told me?
01:40He said, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, you are the one, you've surpassed all of us.
01:47This is what he told me and I was like, what do you mean? I couldn't see it.
01:56He said to me one day, when I look at you I see Reuben, in how you move I see Reuben, in how you teach I see Reuben.
02:15I was lost for words, I was lost for words and then there's another student called Steve, another one of Uncle Reuben's good students.
02:30He was telling me as well, he was telling me as well how great I am.
02:40Telling me how close I am to Uncle Reuben in terms of how I teach and all these things.
02:49My dad, same thing, telling me how I've surpassed him.
02:57There are plenty of people of whom I looked up to and I saw them as being something to inspire to.
03:09But yet they are pointing at me and telling me, no, no, no, no, it's you, it's you, it's you.
03:22Even when I heard Uncle Reuben speak words suggesting that it's me.
03:31When he told me that I have taken it further I thought, what?
03:39He said to me, you have taken this thing further.
03:45My dad told me I have surpassed him, I have taken it further.
03:51These are people that I looked up to.
04:01I'm lost for words, lost for words.
04:09Uncle Reuben weren't no normal guy.
04:13A man who single-handedly destroyed 18 policemen who tried to violate him for simply training in the park.
04:25They tried to grab him up, they tried to put their hands on him and for no reason.
04:33And he ended up having to defend himself.
04:38He single-handedly dealt with 18 policemen.
04:46And this is the man who's telling me that I have taken this thing further.
04:53This is the man who's telling me that I've surpassed him and others are telling me I've surpassed them.
05:06I was lost for words.
05:10I was totally lost for words.
05:14And especially when he gave me the mantle I was like, huh? Huh?
05:23Huh.
05:25I felt like, I felt like the last airbender.
05:32You know the scene where he was told he is the one and he ran away because he didn't think he was ready.
05:39He didn't think he had it in him.
05:42He couldn't see what all the elders saw.
05:48That's where I was until I had to find it within me to see what it is that they all saw.
06:00But I do know that there was one person who didn't rate me.
06:08Who didn't like the fact that I was put in that position and I could tell from when we were practicing the formation for Uncle Ruben's funeral.
06:22Just the whole energy he gave me.
06:27You know.
06:29I'm sure I was feeling it as well.
06:32But you know what? It doesn't matter.
06:35It doesn't matter.
06:36The sword upon the shoulder came from those who mattered.
06:45You know.
06:51But yeah.
06:56The cycles continue.