Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
There's a Method church that's mostly frequented by Japanese Americans just a few blocks away. I heard some amplified music and decided to check it out. I walk in and it's not terribly busy. It seems like families and friends of the congregation milled around, purchasing food, and being social. I heard towards the far end, and lo and behold, It's Bobby Kim. The first thing he said is, “no one ever sees me like this.” Holding the tongs, he's roasting hot dogs and onions and being that regular guy. That's what it's all about in the end. You can kick ass or not, but if you have to make the time to roast a hot dog. I didn't realize, I was a fan boy wearing his shirt. That's Sara Ogasawara. She's an artist living in Japan who went to school at UCI but never read GR.
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Return of the Quack. Matt Furie X Chevy Ray Johnson X Giant Robot X Scion and Attractmo.de, artxgames and Nullsleep for the music, collaborated to make this production. The real deal is in Giant Robot 67. It's a disc and
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Giant Robot 67 has a lot of great articles, but perhaps my favorite one is Roger Snider (above) and Wing Ko's piece on Japanese truckers and their tricked-out semis. It began when my friend Wing forwarded a link to pictures of the vehicles taken by his Frisbee golf buddy. I'm not sure if Wing shared them just because he thought they were cool or if he envisioned an article, but it quickly became the latter. Of course, I put Wing in charge of it. The article became a six-page orgy of truck photos, starting with the full-bleed, two-page spread pictured above. Gorgeous trucks, amazing scenery, proud owners. When we received copies, I made arrangements to have lunch with Wing and finally meet Roger. Both of them seemed stoked on how it turned out, and Roger was particularly glad we used the image below (as well as many others). He said that unlike at the previous year's meeting of Japanese truckers, the sun, clouds, and everything aligned for an absolutely otherworldly shot. Yes, there are female fans of trucking in Japan, too. Over lunch at gr/eats, Roger shared his takes and impressions on not only truckers in Japan but all over the world. He brought one of his portfolios on American big rigs, and it was bound in painted steel. Amazing, and so is the imagery. Roger says that with tightening restrictions regarding fuel efficiency and emissions, a golden age of trucking is coming to a close. Lucky for us, he is around to capture some of its finest specimens. Below, Roger with a stack of GR67s to share with his Japanese trucker friends and a new GR trucker cap, which he is uniquely qualified to wear. Check out ultrarigsoftheworld.com, where you can not only see more of his work but also order made-to-order photo books. Totally awesome!
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Can't have it all. On one hand, I got to see my favorite band in L.A. playing on my side of town before midnight. On the other, the stage was so dim that it was impossible for me to take decent pics–not the GF1's fault but my own lack of photography fundamentals. But there are far worse problems to have, as I could put down the camera and absorb the hard-working, hard-rocking band's astonishing musicianship on their older songs and pay attention to the ripping new ones. I'm not sure if it was just the rawer P.A. (compared to places like the Viper Room) but the group's tone of rock seems to have shifted from the glam and gutter of the '80s to a slightly more grunge sound that recalls the tighter songs of Soundgarden. Awesome. Lead shredder Mayuko says that she's been out of her mind writing new songs lately so I hope the band follows up on their totally bitchin' debut with an EP or something. The Binges are so strong onstage that they could easily burn and self-distribute some new tracks straight off the mixing board to give us fans something to buy while waiting for another full-length effort… Check out their live Amoeba set here. (For some reason I can embed images tonight. Trust me, they totally shred…) And extra thanks to bass master Tsuzumi for setting me up with a spot on the list!
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Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.
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