DISGRASIAN™

WE NEED GIANT ROBOT!

Hands down, the coolest thing ever to happen to Yellow people’s pop culture is Giant Robot Magazine.


Think of it this way: On this day 16 years ago, there was no glossy print publicasian featuring rising Asian/Asian American artists or filmmakers or writers or toymakers or skaters or bands. There were not yet hilarious Asian YouTube Stars, no awesome slant-eyed bloggers. Asian and Asian American pop culture certainly existed–but most of us couldn’t touch it, taste it or claim it.

Continue reading WE NEED GIANT ROBOT!

Filed under: Blogs, Culture Vultures, Death of Print Media, Donasians, Down Economy, Due Merit, Eric Nakamura, Giant Robot, Giant Robot Needs You, Giving Back, Godfathers, Goodbyes, GR, Martin Wong, Pop Culture, Print Publicasians, Sadness, Save Ourselves, The Art World

AMAZIAN OF THE WEEK! Giant Robot’s 15th Anniversary

Nakamura and Wong, Culture Giants

It’s hard to believe that Eric Nakamura and Martin Wong have been producing Giant Robot–and cultivating the resulting community of dope, well-dressed, good-looking, art/music/pop culture/rad Asian stuff junkies–for 15 years.

It’s no surprise, then, that the benchmark anniversary is being honored (for three whole months) with a second Biennale exhibition at the Japanese American National Museum.

Biennale 2 launched on Saturday, and it is not only one of the most eclectic, impressive, lighthearted art shows you’ll ever see, but a true celebration of Giant Robot’s indelible mark on Asian American media and cool culture in general.

We couldn’t be more in awe of GR’s radness, nor more grateful for their contributions to the yellow planet. And we would like to wish them a very happy 15th birthday.

[Giant Robot - Official]

[JANM: Giant Robot Biennale 2 - 15 Years]

[The Daily Bruin: Giant Robot Magazine Celebrates 15th Anniversary With Exhibition At Japanese American National Museum]

Source

Filed under: Art Shows, Awesomeness, Biennale 2, Culture Vultures, Eric Nakamura, Exhibits, Giant Robot, Gossip Magazines, Japanese American National Museum, Magazines, Martin Wong

Your Baby, Too, Can Look Like Obama’s Kin! [AMAZIAN JR. BABY PHOTO CONTEST]

We couldn’t help but squeal this week when, while cyberstalking casually browsing through AP photos of the Obama and Ng families during vacation time in D.C., we discovered another picture show of little Savita!

How brainy families go on holiday

Imagine our delight when we realized that our Baby of the week spent the holiday rocking one of our favorite tiny clothes designers: Kumquat! (Perhaps you’ve noticed Giant Robot’s love for the baby brand, as well.)

You kinda have to look closely to see past the harness, but she’s definitely wearing the Organic Squirrel Tree collection (also pictured above, right):

Konrad Ng, Savita (in harness), President Obama, squirrels and stripes

So we got to thinking. Shouldn’t every baby deserve to look as cute as the President’s niece? Shouldn’t all children have an equal opportunity to adorn their munchkin legs with hip prints and soft, organic cotton? We sure think so.

That, friends, is why we’ve partnered up with Kumquat to bring you this week’s AMAZIAN JR. BABY PHOTO CONTEST!!! (We’re looking for cute photos of Asian and Asian-mix babies. We know that babies of all ethnicities are cute, but we happen to have an especial desire to collect photos of those munchkins with at least a drop of yellow in ‘em. Please understand!)

Here’s the lowdown.

• Entrants must only submit photos of babies they know personally.
• Entrants must only submit photos they own and have permission to share (Please don’t even bother trolling the web for photos of random cute Asian babies; we’ve already done it and will definitely recognize ‘em!).
• Photos must be of tykes between the ages of 0 and 3.
• Photos must be cute.
• Please limit your submissions to 2 photos per baby, maximum 10 babies.
• Submission cutoff is 11:59pm PST on Friday, October 9.
• The winning photo will be selected by DISGRASIAN and Kumquat, and posted on Monday, October 12.
• Contest winner will receive a $50 Gift Certificate for Kumquat! WOW!
• Note that all babies, not just cute Asian babies, look cuter in Kumquat.

cute3

PLEASE SUBMIT ENTRY PHOTOS TO info@disgrasian.com.

GOOD LUCK!

[Kumquat - Official Site]

Source
Thanks, Cate and Angelyn!

Filed under: Adorable-ness, Asian Babies, Awesome Photos, Contests, Giant Robot, Konrad Ng, Little Dears, President Barack Obama, Savita Ng

Giant Robot Presents: Ping Pong Playa DVD Signing, This Saturday

Angelenos, what better way is there to spend your Saturday (that’s tomorrow, for the calendar-challenged) than join our friends/heroes at Giant Robot for a star-studded DVD signing-op with the minds behind Ping Pong Playa?

Head on out to the west side and give a high-five to the film’s writer/director (Jessica Yu) and a host of the film’s actors (co-writer Jimmy Tsai, Smith Cho, and Roger Fan). Follow it up with boba and Izakaya in the neighborhood… perfect!

“Ping Pong Playa” DVD Signing

Saturday, January 10, 6:00 -8:00
@ GR2
2062 Sawtelle Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
gr2.net
(310) 445-9276

Source Source Source
Thanks, Cate and Eric!

Filed under: Autographs, Boba Tea, DVDs, Giant Robot, Izakaya, Jessica Yu, Jimmy Tsai, Ping Pong Playa, Roger Fan, Sawtelle, Smith Cho, Superfans

AMAZIAN OF THE WEEK! Giant Robot

Name: Giant Robot

Occupation: Asian-American pop culture rag and brainchild of Eric Nakamura and Martin Wong

Known for: being The Little Yellow Zine That Could, showing the world why they should get on the Asian Cool tip, profiling street and pop artists like Barry McGee and Murakami before they were in every major museum collection in the free world, legitimizing skate culture, an empire of publications, shops and one restaurant in Los Angeles.

(True story–Jen met Martin Wong at Comic-Con in 1997. Martin was hawking dopeass t-shirts with an image of Bruce Lee rockin’ a turntable at the edge of the convention center. Jen was, like, “What the hell is Giant Robot and how can I be your intern?” She and Martin exchanged messages on this newfangled thing called e-mail. Martin never got his shit together to let Jen work for Giant Robot for free. The upshot? DISGRASIAN might never have happened if she had gotten that job. So thanks, Martin and Eric, for allowing us to find our own voice.)

Check out L.A.’s Japanese American National Museum’s celebrasian of Giant Robot’s 50th issue and ten artists’ work that GR has curated for the show, which runs through January.

Source
Source

Filed under: Bruce Lee, Celebrasians, Dopeass Stuff, Eric Nakamura, Giant Robot, I'd Still Work for Free for GR, Martin Wong