AsiaPop: Building Giant Robot
By Ben Freund
|
Every month, Asia Pop gives you a tiny taste of what's new (or at least
contemporary) in the world of Asian and Asian-American pop culture. Of course,
there are other, more in-depth forums out there, particularly for major
subcultures like anime and video games. But to be an American on the bleeding
edge of Asian pop culture really requires only one magazine subscription: Giant
Robot.
In 1994, Giant Robot was one of hundreds of small home-made 'zines'
competing for attention in LA. While the driving force of the do-it-yourself ethos
that powered the 'zine' explosion was the revival of punk music, the potential to
make any passion into a publication soon caught on in other corners of the Los
Angeles underground. Like any such private, personal venture, Giant Robot
started small, with a run of 240 copies and no budget. But it did have two major
assets: Eric Nakamura and Martin Wong. Both were editors with professional
experience that became a major asset as their hobby outgrew its humble
beginnings.
In fact, its readership quickly grew more than a hundredfold, while an
online-only store with pop culture finds steadily expanded into five
brick-and-mortar pop art stores and, just a year-and-a-half ago, a restaurant,
gr/eats, with a pan-Asian menu as eclectic as the magazine itself.
An all-inclusive eclecticism is the secret of Giant Robot's success. While many
'fanzines' were focused on one specific, underserved niche, like model robots,
kung-fu film, or underground Asian rock groups, Giant Robot covered a little bit of
everything and threw in more for good measure.
Martin Wong described the content in a recent interview: "By covering a range of
stuff -- and not just music, toys, art, movies, or whatnot -- we not only turn
ourselves onto new things every issue, but we lead readers to check out things
they blow off otherwise. For example, someone who buys GR for movie-related
articles may read something about an artist and get into it. If that reader never
reads art mags, the article could be mind blowing! That's how we feel every
issue."
By talking about everything Asian to an audience that may be personally
knowledgeable about only their particular interests, Giant Robot has become the
common denominator for admirers of the Asian pop aesthetic and a trendsetter
in discovering the next hot crossover artist, performer, or fashion. One of GR's
early coups was being the first publication to interview Jet Li long before he
became a household name. Today, the kitsch that GR chooses for its stores and
the styles it popularizes at its small in-store galleries are watched closely by
national chains like Urban Outfitters looking for affordable, trendy
knick-knacks. In the future? Who can say, but after dipping its toes in the fine
art business four years ago, Giant Robot has become, well, a giant on the
scene, influencing among other things the recent redesign of Minneapolis'
Walker Art Museum. This month, at their Los Angeles Gallery, GR2, the
magazine, is hosting a group show to benefit Kitten Rescue, an LA organization
that fosters shelter cats until homes for them can be found.
Small, local events that directly impact their devoted community is another
important part of the Giant Robot success story. "We want readers to know about
the stuff that inspires us, and hope it inspires them, too," says Wong. "The other
mission is to get as big as we can without sucking!" Hopefully, that's a long way
away.
(Top to bottom) "Uglydolls" are one of
many pop trends that GR has fueled;
Some of GR's recent rising artists include
Evah Fan, Jack Long and Susie
Gahremani; Nakamura, Womg and
co-workers at a GR event.