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a
biography of the Plain Brown Rapper
excerpted from "The Law and Martial Arts"
by Carl Brown (JD)
"if you don't like it, sue
me..."
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Carl Brown began his martial arts training in 1956 at the age of
five in the backyard of a friend, whose older brother taught from a
book he purchased at a drug store. In 1963, at age twelve, Brown
began his formal kodokan judo training with teacher Richard Falls at
the YMCA in downtown Louisville. He also studied imua kuon-tao kung
fu (way of the forward fist). He competed in various tournaments during his teenage years. At the YMCA Southern Area Games, a competition between YMCA martial arts clubs from the South, he won second place in the heavy-weight division in 1967 and won first place in the heavyweight division in 1968 and 1969, to become "heavyweight champion of the South." |
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Brown received his black belt from the United States Judo Federation in 1973 and has been teaching judo since then. Brown is also affiliated with the United States Judo Association and United States Judo, Inc. He has taught martial arts in five states, and in 1995 instructed judo and kung fu at the University of Louisville Bushido Judo Club. In 1998, at age 47, he still competes on the tournament circuit in the judo masters division. |
In 1976, Brown received his Juris Doctorate from the Vanderbilt University School of Law, graduating near the top of his class. While in law school, he wrote legislation creating the Tennessee Energy Office and drafted lobbying reform legislation for Kentucky. Brown ceased actively practicing law in April 1986 and has since devoted his efforts to writing. He has written extensively for several national martial arts magazines, including Black Belt, Karate/Kung Fu Illustrated and Martial Arts Training, as well as other non-martial arts magazines.
As set forth in the 1985
Black Belt Magazine Yearbook, Brown developed a form of judo known as
Bushido Judo, a blend of imua kuon-tao kung fu techniques with judo
throws, arm locks, chokes and pins. Further, Brown's study of the world
classic GoRin No Sho (A Book of Five Rings) by Miyamoto Musashi led him to
interesting application in the martial arts field. Musashi's book deals
with strategy and is studied at the Harvard Business School as a key text
on Japanese business techniques.
Brown posited that while Musashi's text dealt with swordsmanship, the
principles could be extended to the type of response to attack. In
self-defense and the defense of others, one must offer a proportionate
response, that is, no more than necessary. Brown
teaches the Water, Earth, Air, Fire and The Void responses to attack. This
is taught by Brown as the "W.E.A.F.V. warrior way" and comports
the conduct of martial artists to the "no excessive force"
requirements of the law, as set forth in this text.
In short, WATER is the defense by judo, jujitsu and aikido. EARTH is defense by absorbing the punishment. AIR is not being there when the blow lands. FIRE is defense by karate, wushu and taekwondo. THE VOID is defense by ninjutsu. In addition to practicing law, Brown served as Jefferson County Commissioner from 1979 to 1983 and was one of only four people who set policy in the metropolitan Louisville area. Brown was one of the youngest persons to ever have the privilege to serve his community in such a vital position.
While Jefferson County Commissioner, Brown served on the Board of Directors of both the Boys Club Council and State YMCA of Kentucky, on the Board of Overseers of the University of Louisville and on NASA's Land Satellite Task Force. Brown was also named "Outstanding Young Kentuckian" and "Outstanding Young American," and served as the youngest state delegation head to the once-a-decade White House Conference on Youth.
He has taught both undergraduate judo and graduate political science courses at the University of Louisville as well as high school debate. Known as "The Plain Brown Rapper," Brown editorializes twice weekly on Louisville radio station WQMF, voted in 1995 the most popular station in the Louisville area.
He also has his own Louisville cable television show, "The Plain Brown Rapper: The Revolution is Now Televised". His guests range from Navy SEALS to Governors and congressmen, cross-dressers to martial arts masters and faith healers.
Brown's columns are published by Louisville's critically
acclaimed Louisville Eccentric Observer, an alternative tabloid that is
Kentucky's largest weekly newspaper. He is
known for his fearless rant against those who in his opinion, misstep.
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