There's still a writer in there....

“…a level playing field.”

This is what Jeff Chan wished for as an Asian American artist. He felt that if talent were up for comparison, there would be no question that his skills would carry him further. Not that there are definite answers to why or why not these talented artists haven’t excelled beyond their marks, but there are multiple conclusions and opinions. This is the reason behind “That Asian Thing.” This documentary is being made to find out why such talented artists haven’t broken over this invisible hump to be part of the lucrative star of mainstream America.

However, as Chien Yuan from Actually, Records has shared with us – sometimes it can be uncool to be in the mainstream. But the measurement of what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable is just as a mystery to why talent isn’t breaking barriers.

However, (again), as some other previously interviewed artists have mentioned – their talent should know no barriers.

So then what’s right and what’s wrong? This is something “That Asian Thing” is trying to figure out.

As I’ve been starting to write up the narrative overview for “That Asian Thing,” I’ve been getting into little twists like this. Although it can come off as a block in theory development, it’s actually been an exploration in an area that I’m sure many, many Asian American artists have faced before me.



What’s great about this, as I’m a person that welcomes awkward situations because it becomes unforgettable experiences, is that this could either unravel as a beautiful script or a giant typo. I guess we’ll never figure out all the mysteries, huh?

SHOWCASE:

We may have a new venue contender in the midst for this Showcase – Riis Park Auditorium. Now I know what you may be thinking – the park? Are you serious? Well – yes, I am serious because of the fact that you need to take those lemons and stir up those cups to sell at 25 cents a pop! Also the fact that we’re coming down to the wire and we’re down to less than a month. I’m a witness to this new arena and it can be magnificent with a little elbow grease. Once the paper work gets solidified, WATCH OUT! Marketing, ticket selling OVERLOAD! Tell your friends to save the date:

SATURDAY, AUGUST 12th from 7 to 9 pm!!!!

FUTURE:

We have a mix of interviews in the rear view mirror while the big show comes our way. The following is your informational portal:

--Miss Mia Park. We met her through the Tatsu Aoki interview. She’ll be drumming at the re:ROOTED concert (July 27th @ 6:30 pm @ Jay Pritzker Pavillion Millennium Park). She’s also part of Chic-a-go-go on the public access network. She’s probably one of the more veteran artists that we’re about to interview. Should be good times and lots of good insight.

--We’ll be doing a follow-up interview with Dr. Romeo Munoz, with his wife, Soly. If you remember, Dr. Munoz wrote the book Filipino Americans: Journey from Invisibility to Empowerment. He and his wife have been very active within the Asian community – especially to newly arrived immigrants from the Philippine Islands. They have been very generous and supportive since we’ve met them. I’m glad they agreed to do another interview.

Please check out these links of future interviews:

--Quartermile @ http://www.quartermiletheband.com/ who have a show at Wise Fools Pub on July 28th. Be there!

--Alexander Selma of the musical Wicked (Chicago)

--my ol'buddy from my Second City days - Robert Biesenbach --a fellow actor within the Chicago theater community that can give insight on the trials and tribulations of getting gigs - check out his blog to get a feel -- http://robbiesenbach.blogspot.com/

SPECIAL THANKS:

--“That Asian Thing” made a blog spot in the well known “Angry Asian Man” website. Here is a .pdf of the entry (as the site gets updated on a daily basis):

http://www.geocities.com/mrbrown19/angry-asian-plug.pdf

Look for the 2nd to first entry under the 07.13.06 date. ROCKIN!! Thanks Angry Asian Man!

KEEP IT UP:

I'd like to thank the generous people that have donated dinero to "That Asian Thing." The list is growing and I appreciate any little funding that comes this way. You'll get your thank you letters in the mail! And please make it out to "That Asian Thing" Showcase if you're in the Chicago area!!

BE GOOD!!