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Giant Robot Magazine Talk: Eric Nakamura and Martin Wong

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(podcast of the talk at bottom)

Giant Robot Presented Tales of Print March 23rd, 2014.

I doubt there could ever be closure to Giant Robot magazine unless the door gets completely slammed, meaning no shop or gallery. Maybe I’d have to drop dead for that to happen. But then again, there are huge parts of my life, especially in new projects where Giant Robot magazine is a completely unknown part of my past. It’s amazing how many folks don’t know it. Then, there are moments when it’s brought back to life for an instant.

It’s great to speak with Martin about a period totaling 16 years of our lives. How can you do that in a window of two hours? You can’t, but you can fly through ideas with the broadest of strokes. We showed some slides of magazine stories from different topics, including travel, art, cinema, food, and history. Contributors, volunteers, friends, family, and past cover artists came through. It was nice to see their faces. The talk went for a little over an hour and a half and frankly, it went by a little too quick. There’s so much to say, so much minutiae that you can’t remember on the spot, and so little time. It was a long road to issue 68 and although 69 isn’t happening soon, you’ll never know what might happen. It’s one of those, “it can happen, but should it?”

A few questions came up and those were always nice to hear. Gladly, again our friends were the ones asking. It was fun to go over things again and even in this post, it’s hard to sum things up. Maybe it’s best to let them be changing memories, so that it lasts infinitely. Like that final episode of Lost, I wish I could flash sideways and hang out again.

Meanwhile, the 20 Year exhibition at GR2 continues, and the line up of artists might be one of the greatest ever, but part of that, is thanks to the legacy of Giant Robot. Imagine, among the first to join in when I sent out a call to artists? It was literally Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara. Both of whom I haven’t heard from in ages, jumped on right away. The many other artists as well, from way back to the final. It’s an honor and it’s great to keep working with many of them who I still see on a regular basis.

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News ·

Q&A With Actor Hoon Lee

Hoon Lee, being bowled over. Don’t diss “Banshee” star Hoon Lee on Twitter, even if you’re just kidding. Lee had tweeted about an upcoming guest appearance on an episode of “The Black List” and I replied, tongue in cheek, “You’ve been on my black list for years.” I was rewarded with a fan of Lee’s telling me to “Back the fuck up!” After I assured the tweeter that I was only kidding and that I was writing a profile about him, she gushed, “Mr.Lee is an awesome actor! He takes you into the heart of the character.” She added, “and he’s CUTE as hell!” Others had similar thoughts. After watching two seasons of Cinemax’s hit show “Banshee,” it’s easy to see why Lee has so many fans. Apart from his ample acting chops, Lee is the most imposing Asian male presence ever in an American series. The man is as muscular as an action figure and can hold the menacing gaze of a panther. Lee’s cut enough to go shirtless, but for “Banshee” he takes it to another level: He squeezes into tight skirts. Job, Lee’s character (pronounced the biblical way), is a cross-dressing hair stylist and genius computer hacker who snaps lines like, “Suck my tit!” Lee says he lost 30 pounds for his vision of Job. Staying in that shape isn’t always easy because in Charlotte, N.C., where “Banshee” is filmed, “You get hit with a biscuit every five steps.” He’s going to be hit with a lot more biscuits: “Banshee” was recently renewed for a third season. You wouldn’t know it from seeing Job, but IRL Lee laughs easily and often. I caught up with Lee over ramen and pork buns–a reward for completing an intense physical workout session. Giant Robot: How did you prepare to get into Job’s mind for the first time? Is it easier to slip into it now? Hoon Lee: The first time would have been my audition. The scene was a confrontation with “homophobes,” I believe the script called them, in a diner. I keyed in on the things I knew I could swing: a sense of vindication, anger, violent intent. Everything else, the sort of external affects of the character I just sort of took a stab at. The script certainly carried a lot of the character to begin with. The character seemed “full” on the page already. There’s an adjustment period with Job — to settle back in after I’ve been out of the skin for a bit. And so much of what he does and says is quite different from my natural impulse. So I have to make sure I give myself a bit of a soak in the character before cameras roll. I wouldn’t say it’s “easier” but I would say I have more faith that I’ll find him if I put in that little bit of time. GR: Banshee is infused with violence and sex. But after the initial shock wears off, it seems like an artistic...
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Photos ·

Game Night Earth Defense Force Photos

You can’t beat an evening of video games that include robots defending the Earth against bugs. Couple that with pizza and drinks and you have it – a perfect Game Night. We have to thank D3 publishing for everything. Look at those happy faces. Game Night Earth Defense Force
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