Here, Yi

Is the 7-foot forward from China ready for showtime? Yi Jianlian takes the court with the Bucks tonight against a decent Orlando team... I'm glad (1) the rookie has some serious moves and good hops, and (2) he doesn't have buck teeth. Check out the scoop from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and NBA.com.

I want candy (remix)

It's Lucia's first Halloween and she's dressed as a kappa! These Japanese creatures like to eat cucumbers, play tricks on people, and fart. The vegetables are probably too crunchy to eat without a full set of teeth, but the other two are definite possibilities for the 9-month-old.


Here's Lucia's pal Kiki wearing a chick outfit. No, she's not bummed. She just has a very serious expression. Check out the socks!


My niece Saoirse dressed up as a blue M&M. Maybe that's just "blue M"? I believe that's her buddy Leia in the dragon outfit. Not pictured here are her parents, who also have handmade M&M's costumes. (Saoirse's hat is hand-knit, too!)


Perhaps inspired by Thurston Moore's art/rock genius, Eishi and Eric decided to be the living Beatles this Halloween. When Eishi goes to West Hollywood to party for real tonight, he should take off his "hello my name is" JANM sticker.


But seriously, someone dressed as a Chinese swordsman sat next to me on the bus this morning. I think my being actually Chinese made him uncomfortable because he sat on the edge of his seat leaning on his plastic sword (stopping short of stroking his fake Fu Manchu).


I wanted to say, "Dude, nice Halloween costume. Can I take a picture of of me with you?" (That would have been a killer picture for the blog.) But striking up a conversation with someone on the bus is a bad idea. You don't know how long you'll be sitting next to each other, and you'll have to fake friendliness next time you're on the bus with the person. So I let it go. Eventually, he moved to the front seat and everything was cool again.

Recommended playlist for today:
Dream Syndicate - Halloween
The Misfits - Vampira
TSOL - Silent Scream
The Cramps - I Was a Teenage Werewolf
45 Grave - Party Time
The Damned - Anything
The Specials - Ghost Town

DM10

This is a momentous time. Not only has Giant Robot reached 50, but Drunken Master just hit 10. I bought the latest copy at Meltdown today. The DM himself, Kiyoshi, was our ad guy for 25 issues. Somehow, he cranked out this zine and two little girls at the same time. Talk about a multitasker.

As in every issue, Kiyoshi mixes up comics, music, and tomfoolery. In the latter department, the cauliflower ear gallery is quite good. You'll see some of your favorite fighters (Sakuraba, Coutoure) and some less famous ones, too.


Of particular interest to GR readers will be the "director's cut" of his Fight Back! article from GR48. Not-so-sharp eyes should be able to spot the differences. Did we screw it up? You be the judge.


The main event, though, is the comic. Kiyoshi has many talents, but I like his comics most. This installment makes a lot of headway into the plot about a MMA fighter developing his skills and coming to grips with his family issues. Don't hold off for a collected graphic novel, because that won't come out for a while.


I think the best part of the publication is that it's a true zine. Yes, you find out about the band Ninja Academy, new toys by Gargamel, and other neat stuff, but mostly you take away a glimpse into Kiyoshi himself. An indie-comics zine doesn't seem like a vehicle for fighting, rock 'n' roll, and good times at the bar, but Kiyoshi blends it all seamlessly.

$4 for 60 b&w pages with 4-color cover at a cool comic-book store near you or online at myspace.com/dmzine.

Joe #1

Getting up at 6:15 a.m. to be on Joe Escalante's morning show on Indie 103.1 at 8:00 was tough but worth it. I always had the impression that the station was some tiny hovel like KPFK (maybe due to Jonesy's gas attacks) but it's in a huge corporate compound. Joe's studio is actually quite cozy, though, and he, newsperson Liz, and traffic guy Jose are actually all in the same room.

I'm not going to detail everything that was said in that one segment because (1) I don't recall what I was spieling and (2) maybe it will be on a podcast or something. But some of the topics we touched on include GR50, gr/eats, multitasking, Murakami, Beard Papa, uncool Asian popular culture, lame PR people, donuts and Chinese food, Garbage Grove, and Dustin Nguyen getting his eye gouged. I will add that Joe doesn't need time to prep or baby guests before they go on the air. He scribbles down some rough ideas, arranges them in a way that works, and freestyles it from there. He pulls it off because he's a smart guy and witty guy. And he knows GR pretty well, too.

Sadly, Joe won't make it to Saturday's GR Biennale at JANM since he'll be in Mexico playing with Sweet & Tender Hooligans. But there are plans for lunch in Culver City in the works.

Thanks, Joe!

On my radio

On the morning of Monday, October 29, Eric and I will be on Joe Escalante's Last of the Famous International Morning Shows. In addition to hosting the morning show on Indie 103.1, he hosts the Barely Legal radio program, is a founding member of The Vandals, plays with Sweet and Tender Hooligans, owns Kung Fu Records, fights bulls, and reads Giant Robot. Damn!

It's cool that Joe invited us to go on the air and talk about our 50th issue, the upcoming Biennale at JANM, and whatever else we want. I listen to his show almost every morning and just hope I don't ruin the experience by saying something stupid.



If you're neither in L.A. nor behind the Orange Curtain, you can listen to the station live on indie1031.com. We're on at 8:00 a.m., so don't sleep on it--literally.

The truck

Shrimp trucks on the North Shore, taco trucks in L.A., and ice-cream trucks around the world--they're all great, but there's nothing like when the big Yellow truck arrives at the office with our shipment of new mags.

HIFF pts. 6-7

Perhaps it was an omen when we walked out of the Korean restaurant on Tuesday night in the rain. Everything had gone pretty smoothly for Wendy and me until then. The next day, we would be stranded at the airport due to flawed scheduling.

But there are worse places stuck than Honolulu, and we were lucky to have relatives there who would provide us with transportation and lodging. Not only that, Anderson hooked us up with tickets to see the international premiere of KT Kwak's blockbuster, A Love.

We arrived at the historic Hawaii Theater in Chinatown at 5:30 to find a huge line of mostly middle-aged women. Some had arrived for the 7:00 screening at 11:00.


Caught up with the excitement, we decided to put dinner on hold and join the mob. Wendy held our place while I combed the neighborhood for snacks. Lo and behold, I found a cracked seed shop with baggies of dried, preserved, and li hing soaked goodies hanging in the window. To me, the sight was more beautiful than stained glass. Commenting on the commotion nearby, he proprietor asked if a Korean drama was showing. Yup.




The festival's comp tickets arrived just prior to the doors opening, and had to I squeeze my way to the lobby to meet my dealer. There, I had a good view of the hardest-core fans with flowers, glossies, Sharpies, and T-shirts adorned with soap star Ju Jin Mo's likeness. They were awesome.




Inside, the ladies were buzzing but kept at bay by rent-a-cops. The organist may have played a part at soothing them as well.




Onstage, Kwak and Mo received awards to the delight of the screaming fans (mostly for the latter). The two spoke briefly and gave a shaka before the movie started. It packed a lot of action, drama, and melodrama into the 90 minutes, and I'll give more details, etc., in GR51.

Missing our flight allowed Wendy and me to attend the screening but it also caused us to skip a meal. We were starving, so my uncle and aunt took me to Gina's, a plate-lunch style Korean takeaway in Kahala. It's open pretty late and definitely worth checking out. We didn't even order the meat dishes and were still stuffed.






Eventually the trip had to end. Yes, on a bitter note, but not the type you'd expect.




We return to Hawaii in December...

HIFF pt. 5

Film from all over the world, food like nowhere else, friends of all kinds, and family, too. Oh yeah, there's some pretty nice scenery out here.

HIFF pt. 4

Eric already covered the food aspects of yesterday, so I'll give you the chaser--paparazzi pics from Hawaii!


Here's Barry McGee getting recognized by Japanese fans at Leonard's Bakery. Just kidding. It's his Hawaiian doppelganger Jeff using an iPhone to give tourists directions to a restaurant. (FYI, the malasada flavor of the month is mango.)


Jeff flags down skate legend/surfer bro Bo Ikeda on the North Shore. The waves were not pumping at all but the food was still great. Next to some shrimp trucks, I went to a "Food for Thought" truck run by surfers that offered pretty good veggie chili fries.


Not a bathing shoot shot through bushes with telephoto lens. Eric investigates the tide pools. I think this spot was called Shark's Cove. We didn't see any of predators, but there might have been some cougars around.


Later on, we saw a bunch of friends at a HIFF party following the Hawaii premiere of The Heavenly Kings and preceeding the screening of Finishing The Game. Phat (above) was in LMF and now he has new releases coming out with 24 Herbs and Hardpack! Not only that, he and 24 herbs partner and fellow Lazy Muthafucka Kit (below) were camera dudes for The Heavenly Kings. I suggested they make Dan shoot a 24 Herbs movie for them in return, but they don't think he can handle the steadicam.


Josie Ho had to return to Hong Kong to get back to work, but her main man Conroy Chan (of Alive and 24 Herbs infamy) stayed in Hawaii with the guys to protect the house. A good husband makes sacrifices like that.


Roger's fans. Director Justin had to split, so it was up to Roger Fan and Dustin Nguyen to represent Finishing The Game.


It's funny how people travel and then hang out with friends from their hometown. But Dustin Nguyen is always on the road, so we have to catch him whenever we can. It's nice to see that his eye recovered after shooting The Rebel, which shows on Thursday.


Uh oh. I hope the HK press doesn't see this one. Where the heck was Lisa?


Some more random chicks.


Today, we catch three movies including the following: Vicki Zhao playing a taxi triver (The Longest Night in Shanghai), life under Taliban rule (Zolykha's Secret), and everyone's favorite font (Helvetica). Other ones to check out: Justin Lin's Finishing The Game with Roger Fan, and Dustin Nguyen and The Drummer with Josie Ho.

HIFF pt. 3

Another day in Hawaii that started and ended with food... There may be some crossover with what Eric posts, so forgive me.

My cousin Jessica said that Liliha bakery's cocoa puffs are better than Beard Papa. Whoa. We went and they are pretty amazing. Chocolate cream in a puff with a butterscotch sort of topping. Whoa.



Then it was on to vegetarian dimsum at Legend with family and GR board folks. Sort of an unofficial GR tradition now... I feel weird to foist the veggie meal on everyone else, but it is awesome--something we need in L.A.


After the Aloha Stadium swap meet (Eric took a lot of pics and has a lot to say about it), we stopped by Wailoa Shave Ice. It's still the most powdery and best I've ever had, although we're trying another type today.


The housing tract is shaped somewhat like Korea. Tour buses from you-know-where stop there to take pics. Not far from there is a curved road that Magnum P.I. used to speed around.


Early dinner at Auntie Lucille and Uncle Art's patio. We've been eating the best shave ice, cocoa puffs, and everything, but this meal was simply great.


After seeing the excellent film from Japan, Love & Honor, we bumped into Jason, who designed this year's festival program with his girlfriend Theresa. He's a cool guy and a hardcore GR reader.


LMF/24 Herbs vs. Josie Ho at a house party!


Mr. HIFF Anderson Le bros down with 24 Herbs/Alive Conroy Chan in the other room. There's a big Alive/Finishing the Game party at the W tonight, so maybe we'll see you there. No invite needed!

Today we travel the island... it'll be hard not to think of Lance as we do that. Actually, it'll be really easy, which is good.

Lance Hahn

I got a phone call from Adam Pfahler today. He told me that his old bandmate/our mutual friend Lance Hahn had died, and that he was calling everyone he could think of, to tell them the news right away so they wouldn't find out later through some Web post or something. I guess this is one of those Web posts.

Before I was a friend of Lance, I was a fan of Lance. I saw his band Cringer open for Citizen Fish only once, but I had all of the band's vinyl. I saw his next band J Church a few times (once with Monsula and again with the Delta 5) before I met him. Immediately, the band joined The Clash as my co-favorite band. Catchy yet smart, political but fun, and completely DIY--the perfect soundtrack to my everyday toiling.

I think it was aftter a show at The Coop at UCLA when he introduced himself to me. He was a fan of Giant Robot, compliemented me on my Hello Kitty article from our second issue, and even used some GR art for a T-shirt. As a result, I felt less like an obsessed fan than a peer.

J Church began to stay at my house when the band would play L.A., and he and I became pretty good friends. He could write a killer song about anyone from Jean Beaudrilliard to Eric Dolphy, but he could also obsess over Wong Kar-Wai movies, old robot toys, vegetarian Chinese food, and just about everything else that matters.

When Wendy and I were planning our wedding last year, I asked Lance if J Church could play our Chinese banquet. Unfortunately they planned to be in L.A. a week too late, but that was a perfect J Church moment, since (1) they always had tour snafus, (2) Adam's band proved to be perfect, and (3) I got to spend more time hanging out with Lance since I wasn't so busy with the business of getting hitched.

Right after that tour, Lance had some serious health problems. Being in and out of the hospital for various ailments kept him off the road and away from L.A., but I had talked to his girlfriend Liberty a bit last month and had a few long conversations with Lance as well. He was feeling good and confident about regaining his health and writing new songs. Last week, he suddenly entered a coma during dialysis.

In a Cringer song, he song: "I used to sing about death before, but I don't sing that song no more / There are some things in life like watching West Side Story / There are some things in life like eating at Pancho Villa's."

When Adam called, I wasn't eating a burrito in the Mission, his old neighborhood in San Francisco, but having shave ice at Waiola in his hometown of Honolulu, and that was pretty close. Even so, it's horrible not to miss a good friend like Lance. It's even more terrible for the world to lose such a talent, and truly incomprehensible what Liberty must be suffering.

Think of Liberty, think of Lance, and be grateful for people you care about. Listen to J Church, too.

Shoes off

When in Rome... In the Aloha Spirit, we line up our shoes by the door at our room at the Sheraton Waikiki. Hm, what have we here?


Better take pics of the babies before they get scuffed up. This shoe was made by adidas in conjunction with EA for the Skate video game, a new colorway of the Gazelle Skate model. You have to find a code for the right to buy it online.


The top is suede, and seems too nice to scuff up on grip tape and curbs. But it's tough, like all of adidas's skate stuff. I especially like the slim fit, padded collar (which keeps the heel down really well), and grippy sole.


The only part that might not be for everyone is the sole. Can you handle the see-through nature? For the portrait of Busenitz that you'll show off during your airwalks, it's key. That's the limited-edition part. If you can't find it, no big deal. Sometimes you're better off with no shoes anyway.


Above: Our second morning in Waikiki, around 8 a.m. Next stops: Veggie dimsum at Legend, swap meet at Aloha Stadium, lots of food, and back to the Film Fest. Is today the day to splurge on mochi crunch with my popcorn?

HIFF pt. 2

At last year's film festival, shuttles ran from the hotels on Waikiki to the film festival at the Dole Cannery. This year, no. Hm. What to do? If you can afford 20 bucks per trip, taxis are one way. For 2 bucks, there's the bus. The cheapest way: The Hilo Hattie's free shuttle, which goes from various hotels to the super store every 20 minutes. The destination is a 5 minute walk from the theaters, and all you have to do is tip the driver and check out the macadamia nuts, coffees, candles, and luau gear.


Not only that, but you can see the world's largest aloha shirt (as seen in the Guiness Book)!

Today's films were Frozen and Blood Brothers, movies from India and Hong Kong that we'll probably never get to see on the big screen again. (Reviews to come in the next Giant Robot.) Dan introduced the latter, and was chased into the lobby by some female fans. Lisa told us about the confrontation over dinner


Earlier, we revisited Ramen Nakamura, which amazingly offers a Hakata-style dish. That's where his mom's family is from.


Tomorrow, we roam the island before catching the Japanese samurai flick, Love and Honor.

HIFF pt. 1

Thanks to the time zones, we got up early this morning and hit Waikiki beach before it became a zoo. No waves big enough to body surf on, but look at that sky!

We might check out an Indian movie this afternoon at the HIFF before the screening of Dan Wu's movie with Chang Chen, Blood Brothers. (Dan interviewed Chang about that in GR50.)

I heard there was some serious sausage cooking at the ALIVE house last night. There's a posse of like 12 dudes there. Wendy and I opted to relax after the flight. In honor of Eric, who was screwed with a late flight and slow shuttle, we ate at this place called Ramen Nakamura. Slurp one for the man.

This year, the festival is more centralized at the Dole plant. That means no hospitality here in Waikiki or free shuttles. We're on our own for breakfast.

Bummer, no UH football in town this weekend.

Anyone want to meet us for veggie dimsum in Chinatown tomorrow morning? Respond to this post or send me an email! I'll probably get back to you late tonight...

Book reviews

This handsome book came out in September, but I just received it. It showcases Glen E. Friedman's photos of Fugazi. Of course, the shots are full of energy, grain, and style. I've seen the DIY band from D.C. many times, but this book was a new experience for me because the bulk of the shots were taken in their hometown or D.C., and not L.A. The 112 pages include a real page-turner of an essay by Ian Svenonius. If you're a fan of punk rock, photography, or both, Keep Your Eyes Open should be on your bookshelf.


I picked up this up at Jackpot Records in Portland. It was only 5 bucks, has tons of local artists, includes a 7" single, buttons, and other stuff, and benefits The Genocide Intervention Network as well. Mostly, it's illustrations of people with beards, and I wish there were information on stuff to do or history about the region, but it's still well worth the price. You'll probably want to use colored pencils instead of crayons.

Giant Robot 50 has landed

We received a few boxes via FedEx from Canada today. Yep, Transcon sent advance copies of Giant Robot 50. I brought some boxes to Sawtelle to stock the shops. Katie immediately checked the Launch page to see if she was in the photo.


Chris came on board more recently. He used to be a DJ at KXLU, so you know that (1) he must have a killer vinyl collection and (2) he knows how to beg for money on the air. Below is Sasha, who was checking stock when I arrived. She's pretty amped on the Souther Salazar show at GR2, and I think she'll dig this issue, too.


That's Mike at the Web store getting to know the product before putting it online. Quality is job one around here.


No copies at GRSF or GRNY quite yet, but it's about time to start planning a trip to the Upper Haight or East Village.

Cute panda cookies and more

Trips are usually centered around meals. The tour with Damon & Naomi with Boris and Kurihara was not. Getting to soundcheck on time wiped out most chances for a decent lunch-time excursion, and I had to set up the merch table before the doors opened and then stay there--which often meant no dinner, either. True, I tried some new foods like In-N-Out fries (animal style), a messy hippie burrito (the tortilla was more like a shawl than a straightjacket), a microwaved veggie-burger (adorned with local olive spread), and 50 Cent-flavored Vitamin Water (Kanye was sold out), but there was nothing worthy of food journalism (or even blogging).

So when I got back to L.A., going to Wendy's parents' house for dinner was a treat. A scoop of rice, some greens and squash from the backyard, and bean thread followed by watermelon and apple pears. Yeah!

But back to junk food, there was a box of cookies shaped like pandas that one of her cousins brought from China. I don't know how long it had been on the dining table, but with me gone it remained sealed for way too long.


Wendy's dad ate the first one. It's kind of like a combination of those Danish butter cookies and a really subtle chocolate cookie that you might eat with tea. Not bad, but they look more like koalas than pandas. Sadly, I prefer Circus Animal Cookies.

Let's revisit that first image. See the Chinese newspaper? Whenever I'm at the Lau house, I always flip through the pages to see if there are embarrassing paparazzi photos of Dan and Lisa. Not this time, but there was an article on crafters!


Whoa! If a nation of billions takes up crafting, who know what will happen next?

The next post will be more focused, I promise.

Get out of the van

After a week on the road, I'm back in the GR office. Selling merch for Damon & Naomi with Boris (above) and Kurihara was amazing, but I have an awesome job and an awesome wife and am more than happy to be back to the grind.


Following Bellingham, the second show was in Seattle at this Chinky place run by gweilos called Chop Suey. Go figure! On the stage is D&N doing soundcheck with Helena's cello peeping out of the left, saxman Bhob on the right, and Kurihara blending in with his amp in the shadows (he prefers to hide on the stage's periphery). In front are Boris guitarist Wata and her three-year-old girl! Drummer dad Atsuo must be resting up with guitarist Takeshi for their high-energy rock moves.


My friend Nick took a break from making new music with Death Cab to dig the show, put me up, show me some funny videos on YouTube, and grab some breakfast.


We didn't know there was a jam named after the disgraced/entrapped ex-Washington D.C. mayor!


On the left is Enju, who runs Inoxia records and manages Boris. Yes, she's a badass and I was glad to make her acquaintance and help her out. On the right is a Portland local who got all dolled-up to rock out and practice Japanese!


I met Naomi's cousin Ben, who's an inventor. Not only has he made bicycle-powered TV sets, but he is the creator of the Yang Fang, a saw that can be used to cut snow and make igloos. A very interesting and nice guy. Also, you can't see them in this pic, but I had special tour packs of GR33 (Naomi's travel journal and photos), GR40 (Boris interview), and GR48 (Kurihara interview) on sale for 10 bucks on the merch table.


I was also reacquainted with my Danny Sasaki, who played with show opener Jackie O Motherfucker. He spends his winters as a snowboard instructor, and one of these days I'm going to hit the slopes with him and maybe his ex-bandmates in Enemymine, too. If I recall correctly, they were part of the Lib-Tech crew.


I've known Jeff since we were students at UCLA. He, our friend Brad, and I were English majors who skateboarded to class. Eventually, we became friends and would play dominoes together after the lecture. Following the show and before he and his wife Rebecca took me home to crash at their home, I introduced them to Kurihara, who played guitar for both D&N's and Boris's sets. The tour was pretty much a showcase for the humble axeman's sonic sobbing and shredding. I think Jeff said something like, "Gibson SG, just like Tony Iommi!" which humbled Kurihara.


Wow, lots of people in Portland. Here's Derek and Leah from the UNKL brand of vinyl figures checking out the D&N merch. (Hey, Bwana, Scrappers, Martin, and everyone else, where were you? Aaron, I totally forgot to call you. I blew it and I'm sorry.)


At the show, I had met Stephen, an employee of Jackpot Records who was a huge fan of Damon & Naomi. He suggested we stop by the store, and it doesn't take much to convince Damon to go record shopping. We stopped to shop for music at least two other times. In the bag are the great Summer Records anthology from Light in the Attic, the deluxe version of The Harder They Come soundtrack, Graham Parsons, and The Monks. (They gave the latter CD to me in an effort to further my musical education--not deducted from my 20-dollar per diem.) We had new music to listen to for off-day drive from Beard Country to California.

Contrary to popular belief, I hardly visit the New York or San Francisco shops. Damon and Naomi wanted to visit GRSF, so I made my second visit to its new location and helped fold some T-shirts while they shopped. The store was packed, and the Deth P. Sun art was excellent and almost sold out. (Too bad I missed Francois, but I stayed with Myleen.) Afterwards, we dropped into Amoeba where Damon sought out performances of David Tudor's Rain Forest and I got to see Om play a few songs following up on Boris's instrumental set... Sorry, I couldn't get close enough to take pics.


Boris's set at the Independent in San Francisco was very different than the other shows on the tour. The bass part of Takeshi's guitar was broken, and he was bummed to the point of giving his amp a big kick. A long noisy interlude proved to set the tone for the the most droning, dirty, angry, and perhaps the most beautiful sound of the week. Everything was figured out for the encore, which harkened back to the Rainbow/Pink-leaning tone of the tour.

For the longest time, I thought that S.F. was the Giant Robot town. I've been wrong all along. L.A. is the true heart of GR. Here's one new friend who read about the show on this very blog then came up to say hi! There were others, too, and having Eric, Wendy, Pryor, and others around is never a bad thing. Other GR contributors included Ken (below) and Naomi herself (also below).

From the first show on, fans lined up before the doors opened to buy rare vinyl, band T-shirts, Kurihara guitar picks, and a limited-edition poster. The poster, which was screened by Burlesque (an art/business venture involving our friend Wessucksdie), was totally sold out and probably on Ebay. When Naomi mentioned that she wanted to give me one of copies that was set aside for the band, I was stoked but not content. I went one step further and asked if both bands would sign it for me. She spared me the embarrassment of running around with a Sharpie and did it for me! Fanboys, eat your hearts out:


Not a bad souvenir for me. For everyone else, there will be a lengthy travel/music story in GR51.

(If you're in the Southwest, South, or East Coast, you can still check them out!)

Guitar 0

This might be old news, but Metallica shreds!

San Fran

Tonight's show at the Independent was really different. Damon & Naomi had an oboe player join their set, adding another layer of dreaminess. Then Takeshi's bass was busted, so Boris played an angrier, fuzzier, darker set to accommodate it... I saw some transplanted L.A. friends Joe (GR proofreader alumnus and world traveler) and Mike (who works at Revolver now). Ah, I remember when I used to see friends at shows.

Before the show, D, N, sax player Bhob and I walked down to Haight to say hi to two of the newer members of the GRSF crew. Unfortunately, none of them could make it to the show.... Damon, Naomi, and I moved along to Amoeba and were too late to see Boris's in-store but caught a few songs from OM.

Now I'm at GRSF Myleen's house. Her air mattress doesn't work but the sofa is looking pretty good. Tomorrow, it's back home to L.A. Out of the minivan and back to reality.

Weed, California

Now I'm at the Hi-Lo Hotel, where cello player is having her first piece of pie in America despite having lived in this country for seven years. WTF? It's cool, though, because I can poach her laptop.

Today has been spent traveling, and now we're in Bigfoot and UFO country. I've got the camera ready in case of a sighting.

Tomorrow, S.F.!

Ashes to ashes

Tonight the D&N/Boris tour hit Portland. Great show, but it was a drag that people can still smoke cigs at shows here (pun intended). I swear, in the bar area maybe 80 percent of the crowd was lit up. Not only did I inhale a ton of carcinogens and have smoke permeate my clothes, hair, skin, luggage, and all the merch, but someone ashed in my Coke can when I wasn't looking so I swallowed someone's butt. Fucking disgusting.

On a brighter note, I ran into my friend Danny Sasaki, who stayed at my house when he was touring with Kicking Giant and then Enemy Mine, as well as the kind folks from UNKL toys. Also, when my college pal Jeff and his wife Rebecca whisked me away from the show so I could crash at their house, we stopped by for some Voodoo Donuts. (Earlier, I tipped off Boris's drummer Atsu, who is vegan, to get one there, too!)

You drive me ape (you big gorilla)

I'm in a Seattle hotel waiting for the band to check out. Last night's show was pretty rocking. Fueled by sushi, Atsu stage-dived. Takeshi made up Damon & Naomi's set (which was riveting). Wata held her baby's ears during sound check. As always Kurihara did double duty at the show and sound check. This whole tour is really a showcase for him.

Last night I spent the night at Nick's place. It was the first time to be there, but I felt at home. Familar stuff: Eishi Takaoka heads, Japanese die-cast toys, Guns 'n' Roses pinball machine... A GR brother from another mother, for sure. He showed me a link to the best candy bar ad ever, too...

Bellingham

Crap, I brought the wrong camera cord. That means no pics. But after 4 hours on plane and 2 1/2 hours on bus, I joined the Boris/Damon & Naomi with Kurihara tour in Bellingham. Doing the merch table is a lot like doing the table at Comic-Con. You don't get to see the big show, but you meet a lot of people. D&N are more mellow than ever, and the new songs sound great. Boris will rock you up one wall and down the other.

Some quick thoughts:

• Not that many people were there tonight. I guess that's Wednesday in a small-ish town. But it seemed like a lot of Vancouverites made the trip.
• Since getting on the plane, I had only eaten peanuts. Naomi saved me with a falafel. It wasn't taken out of my per diem, either!
• I saw a Chinese buffet called Lychee Inn but resisted.
• It was weird taking a bus with almost no minorities on it!
  

More tomorrow when I have a faster wi-fi and hopefully a camera cable to borrow.

Crash

This is the Boris that's on tour with Damon & Naomi and Kurihara.

Giant Robot 50 is at the printer, corrected pages and all. That means I can start worrying about tomorrow's trip to Washington to join the Roaring Silence tour. I've secured places to crash in Seattle and Portland (thanks, Nick and Jeff, respectively) but I could use friends with extra beds, sofas, or even clean floorspace in Bellingham, WA and San Francisco. I can probably swing the latter, but anyone got leads for the former? I'm polite and clean, and parents and pets typically like me.

10 - Bellingham, WA - The Nightlight
11 - Seattle, WA - Chop Suey
12 - Portland, OR - Dante's
14 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
15 - Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex

Shoot me an email if you're interested in putting me up!

Here's another Boris--totally unrelated but rock 'n' roll all the same.

Wince the night away

Eric, Pryor, Wendy, and I had dinner in Los Feliz then walked up to the Greek Theatre to see the Shins concert last night--kind of a celebration for finishing GR50.

Every now and then it's nice to gather away from the office or an art show to do something totally non-GR related. Actually, Eric has reviewed their CDs for the mag and we pretty much talked GR stuff all night so it wasn't that different, but at least we didn't have a deadline looming over our heads.

Back to the concert. The Shins have a real delicate and timeless pop element to their sound that they pull off perfectly in concert--great for an autumn night under the stars. Contrary to popular belief, you can definitely go wrong with a Pink Floyd cover; the band from Albuquerque did not.

Happiest place on earth

We went to Disneyland this weekend. Yeah, yeah, I know. It's not punk rock, it's for tourists, and it's corporate sponsorship gone amok, but I grew up in OC and have fun there. Like my brother said, it's like enjoying Christmas even though you know Santa is fake.


The big deal was the Nightmare Before Christmas makeover of the Haunted Mansion, which was pretty cool. There's a Tim Burton/Danny Elfman type score, and Jack Skelton and friends are all over the place.


Here's the hallway after the stretching room and before the doom buggies. You can tell they changed the changing paintings on the right. Pretty impressive. You can't tell in this photo, but all they did to the busts whose eyes follow was add some spiderwebs saying "ho ho ho" and "noel," as if written by Charlotte herself.


This mural is where you load the doom buggies.


There were just a few 3-D additions. I think there were two or three of these dudes.


Wait, rewind to the first pic. The Haunted Mansion wasn't the only thing different; it turns out that we chose to visit on Gay Day!


Honestly, every day can be Gay Day in L.A. but on Saturday there was a larger-than-usual concentration at the Happiest Place on Earth, mostly wearing red.


The gathering was totally unofficial, but people had rainbow-colored mouse pins, T-shirts, etc. I hear the latter were 20 bucks at the hotel. I had some red stripes on my shoes, which I figure showed that I'm on board with rainbow pride. It was nice to see the dads, frat dudes, and jocks show their support by wearing things like red D-backs jerseys and red No Fear t-shirts--even if they didn't mean to!


There were some other Halloween-themed things, but the Haunted Mansion was really the biggest deal.


The daytime parade was pretty lame, but look at this Gepetto/Master of Puppets float! Those are human dancers in costume. Creepy! (BTW, the parade was not gay just for the special day; the dancers have traditionally supported the non-breeding lifestyle.)


I was a jungle cruise guy during the summer of '87-'88. Since then, the park has given guns to apes, added piranhas, and allowed women to pretend to drive the boats. "Witty and experienced"? Hm, I dunno...

Road to ruin

A couple months ago, my friend Naomi asked if I'd want to help sell merch at her show in L.A. Of course. Not much later, she asked, "What about S.F?"

I've made a lot of good friends by having bands stay at my house in the past, and have always wanted to try it myself. Cometbus is a factor,too. But lack of musical talent (and no effort) has gotten in the way. Here was a chance to do it before I get too old.

For the West Coast part of their tour, I'm going to be hawking T-shirts, CDs, and whatever else for Damon & Namoi and Boris with Kurihara playing guitar for both sets. All three points of the triangle have been featured in separate articles in our magazine, so this might be as close to a Giant Robot tour as you're ever going to see. And I'll get to be part of it for a week.

I start on Tuesday, and nothing is confirmed as far as where we're staying, when we're driving, or anything. I was simply told to bring earplugs (and maybe some GR stuff) and am ready to go with the flow.

Maybe I'll see some of you at one of the shows? Bellingham, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles. It would be cool if some of you came out to say hi.

Lust, Caution ladies

Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution is a brilliant drama that’s equally gorgeous and heartbreaking. The attention to style and detail on the set of ’40s Shanghai is incredible, and a true thing of beauty. On the other side, the depiction of cruelty by humans and fate is as brutal–it not more so. In Japan-occupied China, everything is epic; everything is tragic.

So meeting Tang Wei in a simple knit dress with her hair down is a bit of a shock. She comes off like a regular person, upbeat and unfazed by a long day at a fancy hotel spent facing the press and probably answering the same questions over and over again.

“To me, it is so good. Every reporter asks me questions and makes me think. Even if they’re the same questions, a different emotion or different face will make me think of different things,” Tang says.

In case you don’t know, she plays a student who is first recruited to be a stage actress and then recruited to help assassinate a Chinese agent who works for the Japanese, played by Tony Leung. The job entails seducing him, and their relationship proves to be intense and tricky on psychological, emotional, and physical levels. Their relationship manifests in very graphic Kama Sutra-inspired positions, which are already gaining infamy among less-than-liberated audience members.


“Even though I’m part of the movie, I can’t understand a lot of things,” the actress admits in textbook English. “Questions can help me to slowly get out of the character.”

Tang sums up her character as brave. Forced into uncomfortable situations, she discovers her strengths and limits. But in her estimation, to play such a role doesn’t require a brave actress.

“She never thinks of herself as a brave woman. She does what she wants to do. And I am just like a normal person in the audience.”

The first-time film actress is guilty of ridiculously high standards or incredible humility—perhaps both, as a result of finding her role at 27. She is no young thing plucked into stardom by Lee, but a seasoned theatre actress trying something new and succeeding wildly. Like her character, she discovers that was indeed born to play roles.

And then there’s Joan Chen, the next person whom I’m scheduled to meet. She’s dressed for photos and has a totally different demeanor. “Finding herself” is not on her to-do list on press day because she’s already been located and centered. Our time flows more like a conversation than an interview.


Chen was picked out of high school at 14 to attend a training program for Shanghai Film Studios and gone on to act in films of all budgets and genres on either side of the camera. She tells me that she is proud of some of her movies and not proud of others. Lust, Caution belongs to the former category.

“It forces the mainstream Western culture to accept a different version of Chinese-ness,” she says. “It’s not like flying amongst bamboo, punches, and kicks. It has such depth and such complexity. They didn’t usually embrace that part of Chinese-ness.”

Chen and the director have known each other for a while, and signed on to the project before even knowing what it entailed.

“We used to know each other a little better in our younger days,” she recalls. “After he left NYU and before he did Pushing Hands, he was writing the script for The Wedding Banquet and was tailoring it for me. I missed that one, and when we saw each other in Shanghai, I was like, ‘Great! If you think I’m right for it, I’ll do it.’ Then I read the novella and thought, ‘Hm. How do I do this?’”


Playing Tony Leung’s husband was not a big role but it was complex, requiring extraordinary amounts of class and subtlety. Her extraordinarily nuanced performance is both daunting and mysterious, and it actually paid dividends in two concrete ways: (1) She became quite good at mahjong, and (2) it is a movie that she enjoys watching.

“Usually, I cannot enjoy watching a movie I’m in. This time is different because I’m in a very small role,” she says. “When I first saw it in San Francisco, I didn’t know if the sex scenes were going to be in it. I thought, Whoa!”

Would she have been interested in some scenes like that? “Of course. I could pull them off, but it would be a different film. Ang kept looking at me and said, ‘You know, I should have Leehong’s character seduce Mrs. Yee!’”

Perhaps that will be a sequel. Until then, there’s Lust, Caution, putting the spotlight on Tang Wei and Joan Chen--two actresses in different stages of their careers playing two characters with different relationship to Tony Leung--perfectly cast and perfectly executing a compelling study of acting, reality, and identity.

Super models

When Wendy and I got married, it was understood that my house would have to be debachelorized. I'd have to clean it up and get rid of a lot of my belongings. It's been a year and neither of those have happened yet--I swear they will--but we have taken steps toward adding onto it.

We've been working with our architect and contractor for a few months now, and last night we showed up at the former's house with Mexican food from Las Glorias Del Buen Comer and open minds for whatever would come next.


It was cool to see the CAD version of our home and then concepts on PowerPoint, but this time we got to see 3-D models! It almost makes me want to throw away all my old T-shirts, toys, books, movies, and music to start fresh. Almost.

Otaku struggle: to score the cool goods

Two books for you movie freaks to obsess over. This U.S. hardcover has the original novella, screenplay, and essays pertaining to Ang Lee's latest flick, Lust, Caution. If you have what it takes, this includes everything you need to make your own version, like that Raiders of the Lost Ark remake by teenagers.


And here's the deluxe Blood Brothers publication featuring the photography of Wing Shya. Everything he does is amazing, and this one has crisp black and white that really separates his work from that of Christopher Doyle, whom he has been associated with in the past. Good luck finding this import, and even better luck getting everyone to sign it for you!

Nothing but the truth

I went to the Kodak Theatre last night, not to see an awards show or a concert but the world premiere of Nothing But The Truth.


Nike SB pretty much took over the entire corner of Hollywood and Highland for the screening. There were skylights acting as beacons for cars in all directions and then props plopped on the street to slow them down.


To get in, you needed to RSVP and be on a list. They checked IDs before handing out wristbands and tickets...


The red carpet wasn't red. It had a Michael Leon print all over it. On either side were pedestals with Nike SBs under glass along with plates showing the model names and drop dates. Some of the shoes were pretty worn-out looking.


Inside, I saw a lot of guys who have been in GR: Daniel Shimizu, Eric Koston, Jeff Ho, Don Nguyen, Mark Mothersbaugh. Coming off our deadline, I didn't have the energy to re-introduce myself. I did say hi to our homie Johnny, who came all the way from San Jose to dig the scene and was checking out the movie artifacts on display.


Free popcorn and soda! It's difficult to give highlights because the skating is amazing from top to bottom, but the free-flowing lines of Chet Childress and Daniel Shimizu skating like an animal certainly stand out. As for the framing device, it entails the SB team going to a shack and making a movie. Themes include girls, vomit, reconstructive surgery, and Phil Knight.


On the way out, we saw our pal Wing with a lady friend (nice shirt). No stranger to skate videos, some of his later pieces included the Daewon vs. Rodney series and the much-missed ON Video.


There was an after-party at the Highlands, where we Chet Childress, Wee-man, and tons of other skater folks were hanging out.


It wasn't a total sausage party. There were actually some girls there. (Sorry about that flash, Jason.)


On the way out, we ran into the man of the hour, Kevin, who I've known for a long time. From running into him at shows and the Vans outlet to No-Life Records to Stance magazine to him launching, growing, and overseeing the Nike SB brand. I'm proud of him.


Nothing But The Truth will now tour the country. The DVD drops at Nike SB shops on October 27 and other shops on November 23.

Gold farts

That's what I wanted to name our new issue, but no one else would go for it. Gold, because it's number 50. Farts, just because. Next time you see a curmudgeon wearing an "old fart" cap, think of what might have been.

We're soooo close to finishing GR50. I have to go over the hi-res PDFs one more time and then I'll burn a DVD and deliver the files to FedEx. Maybe the limited-edition Game Fuel from Mountain Dew (above) will make up for me skipping lunch? It's a little fruitier tasting than the regular stuff. Maybe even energy-drinkish. Not bad.

After the mag goes out, I have a couple cool things on deck. First, there's Lust, Caution press day. I'm stoked about this because Ang Lee's latest work is truly incredible. Usually I'm tight-lipped about editorial stuff, but I promised the PR folks that I'd post something before the movie rolls out on Friday. You'd get the scoop in a couple days anyway.

And tonight our friend Kevin is hosting a movie premiere at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Yup, the same place that hosts the Academy Awards is also where the world premiere of the new Nike SB movie, Nothing But The Truth, will take place. See you there.

These two items should more than compensate for my last few days of weak blogging...