Palisadian Post – I, Giant Robot

PHOTO REMOVED by request of the PHOTOGRAPHER.

Whoa there, that’s a funny pic by Rich Schmitt. David Horvath, the Uglydoll man, wrote me to say, “you have a good head on your shoulders.” This is the article that’s in the Palisadian Post newspaper which I told you about before. I used to take photos for them back in 90 or maybe 91. I forgot now, and it’s sort of a blur. They featured me in the lifestyles section which is an honor. We’ve had articles about Giant Robot in different places including big ones like the New York Times, LA Times, LA Weekly, Orange County Register, and many others, but for some reason being featured in a local paper where I partially grew up is a great honor. I had to look up the Rick Caruso reference, I’ll have to admit, and he’s a developer in LA. If writer Michael Aushenker said, ‘Magic Johnson,’ I would have understood that one easier.

One quote that stands out a bit weird is this one. ’He’s good at English,’ Nakamura says. ‘That fits my shortcomings. He’s less of a business person, but he knows how to write a magazine. And he loves film.’

I suck at English, yes, I’m Mr Verbal 400 on the SAT. Martin’s great at English. “Less of a business person” – part sounds weird, since I do know juggling finances with a baby and house remodeling takes business sense, if you didn’t have any, the baby would be bumming, but maybe “less of a business person at GR” might make a bit more sense to me.

There’s quotes by Lisa Strouss, Adrian Tomine, and Bill Bear Poon! Thanks much.

I also forgot to mention The Rock. Not the actor, but there was this white rock on Temescal Canyon that would be a gathering spot. Sometimes, you’d see 100 kids there at night. And the Jack in the Box part, was totally real, that’s one of the only fast food places in the area. There’s no Burger King, McDonald’s, or anything like that there and it was the only thing open late. They do advertise in GR now, and well, maybe that’s payback for those late nights of meeting up there.

I talked with Michael A. for about 2 hours at a Starbucks in the center of the Palisades. He does it with no tape recorder! How do you do it?! My “stones” are too small to rock articles that way. While we sat, I saw familiar faces around from a decade ago walk by including a Palisades Post staffer who was there when I was working there. It turns out there’s a bunch who are still there. Some for well over 20 years. It’s great that a community paper is run by a community of employees. That’s amazing, and on it’s own a great story. I didn’t go to my reunions, I can’t say high school was this time that I want to remember that bad, but for this instant and this article, it made me reflect on it a lot. There’s still little I miss honestly. My friends from time, where did they all go? I have no idea. But the neighborhood, I miss that more.

Read the article here at the Post.