Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Editing Giant Robot mag was great. It gave me an excuse to fan out over all of my obsessions–music, art, film, and everything else–but be a journalist and not a stalker. And over 16 years of publication, I made a ton of friends who do interesting things. I’ve kept in touch with many of them. When my wife and I discovered the music program had been defunded at our kindergartener daughter’s school and that parents were being called upon to help out, we thought crud. There’s no way the mostly immigrant families in inner-city Chinatown can come up with $50,000 to pay for this year’s music program, which is being taught on an I.O.U., as well as next year’s fee so it can be paid on time. Then we remembered who some of our friends are. Chinatown has an unmatched music culture (punk rock) and ongoing thriving art scene (post punk). And although those folks don’t mix with the residents much, they would surely help out if they were given an opportunity. Hence, Save Music in Chinatown, an ongoing concert series at art galleries and other spots in the neighborhood to raise money for music education at Castelar Elementary School. With guidance from my old friend Wendy Yao from Chinatown’s coolest shop, Ooga Booga, and my newer friend Eric Kim, who helps run the excellent Human Resources art installation space, the first benefit show will take place on Sunday, December 8. The 2:00 matinee will feature co-headliners that reflect Chinatown’s punk heritage and its arty present. Bob Forrest plays with Thelonious Monster and The Bicycle Thief, who include members of storied bands like The Weirdos, Circle Jerks, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. I fully expect him to talk about the bad old days at the Hong Kong Cafe between songs. Chinatown regulars Lucky Dragons are as experimental as they are participatory, and are perfect for an afternoon gig that is not intended for kids but is open to them. Rounding out the bill is LA Fog, a post punk jazz quartet that might as well be the house band at Human Resources. In addition to the contributions from the Ooga Booga shop, the Human Resources gallery, and the bands, I have other friends who have been donating items for raffle. The quickly growing list includes signed items from artists (Shizu Saldamando, Stella Lai, Susie Ghahremani), musicians (Best Coast, Mike Vallely), and Hong Kong filmmaker Daniel Wu, as well as Dodger tickets, a Donut Friend gift certificate, and a Wanmock courtesy of Architecture for Dogs. More cool stuff is in the works. It’s a real gift to be able to parlay my publishing background into something tangible that might help the kids and community in the neighborhood where my grandparents and my wife’s parents have spent a lot of time. And now that’s where our daughter is attending L.A’s second oldest public school. For more information about the show and the cause, check out the event’s pages on Facebook and Eventbrite....
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Editing Giant Robot mag was great. It gave me an excuse to fan out over all of my obsessions–music, art, film, and everything else–but be a journalist and not a stalker. And over 16 years of publication, I made a ton of friends who do interesting things. I’ve kept in touch with many of them. When my wife and I discovered the music program had been defunded at our kindergartener daughter’s school and that parents were being called upon to help out, we thought crud. There’s no way the mostly immigrant families in inner-city Chinatown can come up with $50,000 to pay for this year’s music program, which is being taught on an I.O.U., as well as next year’s fee so it can be paid on time. Then we remembered who some of our friends are. Chinatown has an unmatched music culture (punk rock) and ongoing thriving art scene (post punk). And although those folks don’t mix with the residents much, they would surely help out if they were given an opportunity. Hence, Save Music in Chinatown, an ongoing concert series at art galleries and other spots in the neighborhood to raise money for music education at Castelar Elementary School. With guidance from my old friend Wendy Yao from Chinatown’s coolest shop, Ooga Booga, and my newer friend Eric Kim, who helps run the excellent Human Resources art installation space, the first benefit show will take place on Sunday, December 8. The 2:00 matinee will feature co-headliners that reflect Chinatown’s punk heritage and its arty present. Bob Forrest plays with Thelonious Monster and The Bicycle Thief, who include members of storied bands like The Weirdos, Circle Jerks, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. I fully expect him to talk about the bad old days at the Hong Kong Cafe between songs. Chinatown regulars Lucky Dragons are as experimental as they are participatory, and are perfect for an afternoon gig that is not intended for kids but is open to them. Rounding out the bill is LA Fog, a post punk jazz quartet that might as well be the house band at Human Resources. In addition to the contributions from the Ooga Booga shop, the Human Resources gallery, and the bands, I have other friends who have been donating items for raffle. The quickly growing list includes signed items from artists (Shizu Saldamando, Stella Lai, Susie Ghahremani), musicians (Best Coast, Mike Vallely), and Hong Kong filmmaker Daniel Wu, as well as Dodger tickets, a Donut Friend gift certificate, and a Wanmock courtesy of Architecture for Dogs. More cool stuff is in the works. It’s a real gift to be able to parlay my publishing background into something tangible that might help the kids and community in the neighborhood where my grandparents and my wife’s parents have spent a lot of time. And now that’s where our daughter is attending L.A’s second oldest public school. For more information about the show and the cause, check out the event’s pages on Facebook and Eventbrite....
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Designer Con in Pasadena is a convention filled with creators. Years ago, “D-Con” was strictly a designer vinyl toy show. Imagine a gathering of friends who were mostly selling figures to friends and fans, but today, “D-Con” is an inclusive gathering of artists. New designers are mixed with some of the figure customizing legends and together, the parceled out convention floor is organized and smothered with designers of different disciplines. Imagine: Spanky Stokes, Luke Chueh, DrilOne, Leecifer, J*Ryu, Jeremiah Ketner, Andrew Bell, Gary Hamm, Sucklord, Martin Hsu, Jerome Lu, Mari Inukai, Yoskay Yamamoto, Supahcute, and more packed in a huge hall. It can’t get much better. The Giant Robot booth featured products, mixed with art and custom figures. Like a Comic-Con, it was a serious endeavor. The more thought we put in, the more we get out of it. It wasn’t easy, but being close to home, it made everything easier. As a vendor, the loading in and loading out was easy and supportive. Not a single bit of BS to contend with. Everything happens at your pace. On Saturday, a line formed outside before 8am. I recognized a few who were there to get limited editions. By 10am, some of our coolest custom figures were gone, and the convention was underway. The day trickled by and people came through. Our friends and acquaintances were everywhere. On sunday, it was more of a family day. A huge percentage of folks who visited us said they heard about it the day before and were curious. It was a more relaxed atmosphere although by the early afternoon, a decent crowd formed. I spoke for a few minutes with Ben Goretsky who’s literally the creator and “voice” of D-Con and I thanked him for a job well done. Where will you get a few thousand people, filtered perfectly with an interest in what you’re doing? It’s only at D-Con. Ben will implement some tweaks to improve things for next year and I’ll be proud of him again. That’s Jack Muramatsu and Ben Goretsky
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Designer Con in Pasadena is a convention filled with creators. Years ago, “D-Con” was strictly a designer vinyl toy show. Imagine a gathering of friends who were mostly selling figures to friends and fans, but today, “D-Con” is an inclusive gathering of artists. New designers are mixed with some of the figure customizing legends and together, the parceled out convention floor is organized and smothered with designers of different disciplines. Imagine: Spanky Stokes, Luke Chueh, DrilOne, Leecifer, J*Ryu, Jeremiah Ketner, Andrew Bell, Gary Hamm, Sucklord, Martin Hsu, Jerome Lu, Mari Inukai, Yoskay Yamamoto, Supahcute, and more packed in a huge hall. It can’t get much better. The Giant Robot booth featured products, mixed with art and custom figures. Like a Comic-Con, it was a serious endeavor. The more thought we put in, the more we get out of it. It wasn’t easy, but being close to home, it made everything easier. As a vendor, the loading in and loading out was easy and supportive. Not a single bit of BS to contend with. Everything happens at your pace. On Saturday, a line formed outside before 8am. I recognized a few who were there to get limited editions. By 10am, some of our coolest custom figures were gone, and the convention was underway. The day trickled by and people came through. Our friends and acquaintances were everywhere. On sunday, it was more of a family day. A huge percentage of folks who visited us said they heard about it the day before and were curious. It was a more relaxed atmosphere although by the early afternoon, a decent crowd formed. I spoke for a few minutes with Ben Goretsky who’s literally the creator and “voice” of D-Con and I thanked him for a job well done. Where will you get a few thousand people, filtered perfectly with an interest in what you’re doing? It’s only at D-Con. Ben will implement some tweaks to improve things for next year and I’ll be proud of him again. That’s Jack Muramatsu and Ben Goretsky
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