Identity How do you know who you are? How do others perceive you? Does our identity define us, or do we define our identity? In a world where the ability to control and shape your sense of self is ever increasing, the concept of identity has become more flexible and adaptable than ever before. Whether it’s musicians and artists who develop alter egos and personas to use when creating art or performing on stage, those who escape into characters of their own creation in virtual worlds, or utilizing advances in technology to design custom made products tailored to personalized specifications – crafting a unique identity bolsters individuality, and helps one to stand out from the crowd.In this installment of the Scion Magazine we will be identifying what identity is all about, highlighting the spectrum of influences that make up and shape peoples identities.
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staff Scion Project Manager: Jeri Yoshizu, Sciontist Editor-in-Chief: J. Nicely Automotive Editors: Stephen Gisondi Accessory Editor: Korey Tsuno Creative Direction: mBF Art Director: Ryan Di Donato Production Director: Sherry Brody Production Coordinator: Anton Schlesinger Copy Editor: Stefanie Schumacher Automotive Photographers: Dave Folks, Jeff Li Scion Owners Yearbook Portraits: Eric Stoner Lifestyle Contributors: (Words) Justin Briggs, Tim Brodhagen, Jonny Coleman, Sebastian Demian, Chris Isenberg, J. Nicely, Timothy Nicely, Adam Pasulka, Sum Patten, Ben Rekhi, Stefanie Schumacher, Ani Yapundzhyan (Photography) Jonny Coleman, Veronica Meewes, Renata Popenhagen, Justin Reynolds, Eric Stoner, Isabella Vosmikova, Craig Wetherby (Illustration/Collage) Franki Chan, R. Di Donato, Ill Studios Cover Design: Ill Studios
contact For additional information on Scion, e-mail, write, or call. Scion Customer Experience 19001 S. Western Avenue Mail Stop WC12 Torrance, CA. 90501 Phone: 866.70.SCION Fax: 310.381.5932 E-mail: Email us through the contact page located on scion.com Hours: M-F, 6am-5pm PST Online Chat: M-F, 5am-6pm PST To advertise in Scion Magazine, contact OEM Ad Sales: Matt Costa, Beyond Marketing matt.costa@beyondmg.com Lifestyle Ad Sales: Eric Shorter, mBF eshorter@malbonfarms.com Scion is published by malbon Brothers Farms. For more information about mBF, contact info@malbonfarms.com The advertisements within this magazine are non-Scion company advertisements. Scion does not warrant the performance of the products. Modifications using non-genuine Scion parts or accessories may void Scion warranty, negatively impact vehicle performance and safety, and may not be street legal. © 2008 Scion, a marque of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc. All rights reserved. Scion and the Scion logo are trademarks of Toyota Motor Corporation., USA. 00430-mag13-08
contents Traffic ..............................................................05
We examine everything from self-portraits all the way to what a person’s pet says about them. From the secret identities of comic book heroes to cases of mistaken identity, we explore the many facets upon which identity is built.
Test Drive.......................................................24
What does a person’s favorite color say about them? How about your favorite fad from the 1980s, or your choice of Halloween costume? We examine various components that contribute to a person’s identity.
Transmission..............................................30
Singer/songwriter Santogold explains the difference between her on and off stage personas, The London Police discusses making art while hiding behind an assumed persona, and actor Max Perlich explains his approach to getting into character.
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Written by Sum Patten
Mirrors. It feels like we’ve been looking into them forever. Since Man could gaze into lakes to fish, swim or bathe, one thing has remained constant: our reflections. Not only have we seen our own reflections since the beginning of time, but we’ve been able to recognize our reflections. Maybe the only other creatures smart enough to know a reflection are dolphins, orangutans, and Asian elephants. So if you’re training your Chihuahua Fernando to stop barking at himself in the window, forget about it. Where did our fascination with mirrors begin? Why is it seven years of bad luck to break a mirror? Why did Candyman and Bloody Mary have to come through a mirror? From fortune tellers to carnivals, there’s always been an almost magnetic attraction between mankind and that reflective piece of glass. Once we mastered how to make mirrors whenever, the charm of the looking glass only became more powerful. At one point, mirrors used to be a luxury only the rich could afford. This might have just been a reflection of the idea that only the privileged had to worry about appearance, but as mirrors became more accessible, they may have very well helped the human species evolve. Why? Perhaps because when there’s a mirror around, you can’t play dumb. The vital questions of life and the day get asked in the mirror: “Am I who I want to be?”, “What will other people think of this
shirt?”, “Wow, am I really that tired?”, “Am I who I say I am?”, “Why did I get into a fight with that dude?”, and “Should I be working out more?” to name a few. The answers mirrors force us to face aren’t always easy pills to swallow. You can lie all you want to a mirror, but a mirror will never lie to you. Or will it? If you’ve ever been to a carnival or fair, there’s a good chance you’ve seen a House of Mirrors. This is an entire attraction dedicated to mirrors that lie for fun. Brought to America in the 1600s from France, these mirrors stretch you, make you fat, cut inches off your height and distort your face. And people actually pay for these lies, believe it or not. The deceptive power of mirrors also has it’s allure, from the famous final fight in Bruce Lee’s Enter The Dragon, to the oneway mirrors that are on every cop drama you can name, there’s always an element of distrust when it comes to mirrors. Magicians and cameramen alike have created magnificent illusions through the trickery of mirrors. But we just can’t stay away from them. Even if something’s telling you those jeans you’re trying on don’t fit, they just look too good in that mirror to put back on the shelf. And you bought them anyway, didn’t you? But hindsight is 20/20, if you let a mirror tell it. ~ 5
Written By Jonny Coleman - As the artistic and amateur
communities collide more and more, overlapping like an incestuous Venn Diagram, the vanity of expression has been criticized ad nauseum, claiming that “Our generation’s legacy will be one of vanity” and other such self-absorbed statements True, your average man has the social networking and photographic abilities to self-publish about oneself like never before. However, artistic vanity or self-absorption has been a constant throughout recorded history, especially modern history. About the same time the printing press was created, it was no coincidence that self-portraiture in painting became an important genre of work. Artists, art historians, and the general public have always been self aware and interested in the representation of the artist, by the artist. Besides religious or mythical subject matter, or landscape rendering, one of the most popular forms of art has and will always be the self-portrait. In fact, contemporary media makers are probably no less self-obsessed than, say, Vincent Van Gogh. We’re just probably more self-aware. Instead of popularizing the self-portrait, we seem to just be expanding on the classic three branches of self-centric work: 1. The obvious self-portrait, wherein the artist/subject occupies the majority/focus of the composition. 2. The hidden or ‘Where’s Waldo version’, popularized during the Renaissance, where someone like Michelangelo would hide his tiny figure in the corner of an epic Biblical fresco. 3. The metaphorical self-portrait, where an artist could use anything from still life to abstract expressionist paint splatters to express one’s internal or external ‘me-ness’. Instead of being remembered purely as a vain generation, our contribution to the format of self-expression is the widespread popularization of the ‘pseudo self-portrait.’ Whether it’s YouTube’s
Lonely Girl, or James Frey’s bogus memoir A Million Little Piece’s, or the epic shenanigans of J.T. LeRoy, the last few years have been characterized by the falsification of self in seemingly nonfiction narratives. Lonely Girl was played by an actress playing a distraught tween. James Frey exaggerated and spiced up what was largely autobiographical info. J.T. LeRoy was a pseudonym and pseudo-character created by writer Laura Albert. All in all, these artists achieve this verisimilitude through an attention to detail, a cunning knack for achieving contrived realness, and an ability to use amateur as artifice. While much of the contemporary art and media world has focused on the artist acknowledging him/herself, the paradigm shift now taking place finds creators subverting our expectations of video, painting, film, and writing and how the creator presents him/herself outside of the work proper. Laura Albert had someone playing the ‘real’ J.T. LeRoy in public, and she employs real world elements to pass her stories and ‘messages’ across to the public as non-fiction. Filmmaker/artists Four Eyed Monsters (Susan Buice and Erin Crumley) made a film about their relationship, how they met, and starred in the film as ‘themselves.’ They hybridized a non-fiction and certainly more dramatically interesting fictional elements into a film that is also a podcast, which is also a blog, and where you can actually communicate with the authors/subjects. This is the complex, sometimes messy form of hybridized interactive self-portrait, fictional narratives, and non-fictional memoir that many artists are creating. Of course, we’re all vain, but I think we always have been. Straightforward self-portraiture seems to be a timeless genre, and it will probably not disappear, especially in our lifetime. It’s an institution. It’s fundamentally individualized and American. But now, with so many ways to mislead a viewer or reader, artists of the future have more matrixes of deception and deviance to lead us down. It’s not scary so much as it is exciting. Jonny Coleman is the co-founder of Found Gallery in Los Angeles. For information or further questions, email jonny@foundla.com
Nose
Prosthetic noses can help you widen or extend the nose, and are easy to apply. You can find them at professional makeup stores catering to the film industry, and even Halloween shops. You can also apply Derma Wax (a product used by morticians for repairing damaged corpses) directly to your skin to alter nose shape, or to create fake scars or wounds.
Cheeks
You can use something as simple as makeup. A lighter shade will give the illusion of more protrusion, and a darker shade will add depth. Working with light and dark make can change the contour of your cheeks.
Walk/ Posture/Pace
Changing the posture and pace of your stride is very important as it changes your body language, helping to alter an observer’s perception of who you are. Is the character you are disguised as old or young; do they walk with a limp or a bounce in their step? You can even add a cane as an additional distraction.
Whether you are on the lam, planning to conduct surveillance, or just in the mood for a good old fashion identity change, you never know when you might need a good disguise. Pierce Butler has worked as a special investigator for over 20 years, and during this time he has utilized a range of disguises to obscure his true identity, assuming over 25 different “characters” while working on a range of projects for his employers. Butler’s disguises have been so effective they have even managed to
Chin
A goatee can change the chin, or you can add a cleft to it with an eyeliner pencil. You can also bring your shoulders up, and press your chin to your chest to push the skin around the neck up against the bottom of the chin, creating the illusion of a double chin.
Voice
Changing your manner of speech is an advanced technique. The rhythm of your voice, higher or lower octaves, and using accents can all help disguise you.
Props & Wardrobe
Fake mustaches and beards, wigs, glasses, color changing contacts and fake teeth can all be effective for further disguising oneself. Dress according to the identity you are trying to assume. Lifts can be used to raise your height, or wearing baggy pants and bending your knees will make you appear shorter.
fool his own family, once on an assignment he encountered his wife who didn’t even recognize him. He explains the key elements necessary for an effective disguise. According to Butler anyone can easily disguise themselves by altering three basic characteristics of identification – nose, cheeks and chin. Beyond that, more advanced methods can involve fake teeth, embellishing posture, and even changing your manner of speech. Here, Pierce Butler gives us a brief breakdown on utilizing disguises to assume a different identity.
Internationally acclaimed artist and toy designer Pete Fowler has a masterful touch when it comes to creating characters that inhabit a world all their own. Pets and Owners, Fowler’s most recent toys produced by his own company - Playbeast, is a series dedicated to exploring what pets would be like on Monsterism Island, the mythical sanctuary where his creations reside. Fowler graciously gave us a peak into his creative process when he invited us to stop by the London-based headquarters of Playbeast. While we were there, we decided to get his take on what a person’s pet reveals about who they are. Being that your new series of toys is called Pets and Owners, we wanted to get some insight into what a persons pet says about their personality. That whole thing about pets and their owners looking quite similar kind of fascinates me, people choose a pet because of what they like, how they see themselves. I had little pets when I was a kid, like hamsters and stuff like that, and I’ve kind of lived with cats and dogs, I don’t actually have pet, but I just love animals. I thought, what kind of weird pets you could have on Monsterism Island? You could have a huge piece of Ginseng as a pet, and that’s fine. While working on this project, what did you discover about pets and their owners? I thought initially I would do a load of research on this, and in fact I did very little research. I started looking at some really weird sites about pets on the internet, and it really started to weird me out a little bit, because you just realize that there is all these genres and sub-genres, and it gets really strange, people into pugs and pigs and what not. So I thought, I’m just going to step back from the real world and think purely about what pets would be like on Monsterism Island. What were some of the weird sites you discovered? The craziest one which I’ve been a big fan of, but it freaked me out after I found a couple of sites, is the whole thing in Japan about
dressing up cats. If you’ve seen any of that stuff it’s crazy. My favorite one is this cat with a bandana and wig, and it looks like a Japanese girl, but it’s just weird. Then there’s this one with a short-eared tabby cat and it just had a cute little tie and collars on, and just something about it was really disturbing. You can almost imagine the cat being like, “okay honey, I’m off to work.” Something about it just really weirded me out, and that’s when I quit. So if you were going to get a new pet tomorrow, what would you get? I think I would probably have to back to my roots and get a hamster. I love those wheels and balls you can put them in. They always seem to really enjoy that, they always go to sleep after that. Any advice to perspective pet owners? Pet owners, dog owners, don’t let your dog do its business on the floor, and then walk away. I’m not a violent person, but I feel violent when I see that. I just feel they should have their dog taken away from them, there and then, big slap across the face, and an indelible stamp on their hand - “Do Not Sell This Person a Pet. Please Call This Number.” No respect for them selves, or the world. It’s horrible. Log onto scion.com/broadband for more on Pete Fowler. Check out Pete Fowler’s work at www.playbeast.com
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Name: Michael Bolton Occupation: Sales “It’s been a constant thing throughout my entire life as far as I can remember. What’s interesting is he sort of dropped off in popularity in the late 90s, and now people never mention Michael Bolton the singer. Now, 95% of the time, they ask about Michael Bolton, the character from the movie Office Space, which is sort of surprising, but the film has a strong cult following. So, basically, Office Space brought the complexity of sharing a name with a celebrity to a whole new level. The first time I saw Office Space, I had no idea what I was in for. I remember I was sitting in a hotel room and I was watching the movie on pay per view. My mouth went agape, literally; for the first 15 minutes, I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The Michael Bolton character described my story so perfectly, exactly what I have to go through everyday, all the little annoyances. I was totally blown away. It still bugs me out a little bit. What are the odds that I share a name with this singer, and then there is a movie made with a character who is in the exact same situation? Why did they choose Michael Bolton? Out of all the names they could have chosen. It’s very bizarre. I have a sneaking suspicion that I was the basis for the Michael Bolton character in Office Space. I know there are other Michael Boltons (or is it Bolti?) out there, but the character’s rants in the movie, they sound almost verbatim how I used to describe the situation. It’s not about Michael Bolton anymore, it’s not about the singer, it’s not about “When A Man Loves A Woman.” It’s about this character in a movie who is named after Michael Bolton, it’s a meta-celebrity name at this point. In my teenage years, I thought it was really annoying and wanted to change my name, but at this point, I realize it really is a blessing in disguise because no one ever forgets my name. Especially working in sales, when you call someone, they’re not going to forget who you are; it’s instantly ingrained in their memory. It’s a good topic of conversation for breaking the ice. I never even need to bring it up, people will introduce me and say “this guy’s name is Michael Bolton, can you believe that?”
~ 9
NameCH A NGERS Ani Yapundzhyan When Missouri resident Andrew Wilson legally changed his name to “They” in 2004, he said he did it to address the common reference to the word.
norm which bars parents from giving names to their children that can be deemed as “ridiculous or shameful”. By what criteria they measure whether or not a name is shameful is unknown.
“’They do this’, or ‘They’re to be blamed for that’”, he told the Associated Press, “Who is this ‘they’ everyone talks about?”
Similarly, a couple in Sweden was confronted with legal issues after Sweden’s tax agency, which is in charge of the population registry, rejected the name which they chose for their baby, “Metallica.” Swedish officials called the name ‘ugly.’
It was as simple as that. Most people who change their names don’t have reasons as peculiar as They. The most common reasons for legally changing one’s name are when a woman is getting married or divorced. Religion is also one of the most popular reasons for name changes. Christians often adopt a new name upon Baptism, and in Judaism children are often given two names: a secular name for everyday use and a Hebrew name for religious practices. And like millions of Muslims around the world, boxer Cassius Clay would become Muhammad Ali, following the tradition of choosing a new name upon converting to Islam. The United States Federal Court holds that changing one’s name at will, by common law, is one’s constitutional right. The best way to go about this is by court order. Upon a plea that the name change is not for fraudulent purposes such as evading a debt or defamation, and upon statement of a reasonable explanation as to the desire of changing the name, the court will generally require a fee and give you your new name. Once your new name is granted, you must officially register it with the appropriate authorities like the Social Security office, Post Office, DMV, and with your credit card companies.
Thankfully, in America, the parents alone have the right to decide whether or not the name they chose for their child is ugly. In the US, the only reasons the law will block any chosen name change is if it is proven that the name was changed for fraudulent reasons, and if the chosen name is a vulgarity, such as a curse word. Hence, a kid named John Sterling changed his name to Sony Play Station to win a contest. Most people have more serious reasons for legal name changes. Under the Federal Immigration and Nationality Law, when aliens apply for naturalization, they have the option of changing their names at no fee. This is done to encourage and allow aliens to adopt a more “Americanized” name. On the same token, many descendents of aliens choose to change their names back to what it originally was before their parents or grandparents entered this country and had their names butchered by immigration officials.
There are random loopholes in this system. For instance, a person cannot by law change their name to a number, such as 1069 but somebody in 1979 legally changed their name to “Ten Sixty-Nine.”
There is one reason to desire a name change that is so obvious it is overlooked: In a country such as America, where free will is practiced at every whim, our names are the one thing that are assigned to us without our consent. They were given to us at a time when we were incapable of choosing.
The world’s longest name is “Adolph Blaine Charles David Earl Frederick Gerald Hubert Irvin John Kenneth Lloyd Martin Nero Oliver Paul Quincy Randolph Sherman Thomas Uncas Victor William Xerxes Yancy Zeus Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorft Senior,” which is composed of 28 words.
Your name is like the knitted sweater grandma gave you at Christmas time when you were young – whether you liked or hated the snowman and teddy bear, you had to wear the damn thing even though the whole time you wanted someone to take you to the mall and let you choose your own article of clothing.
In Italy, a newborn was named “Friday” by his parents, and was even Baptized as Friday by a priest. However, the court ruled against it, and ordered the child to be called Gregory, citing an administrative
Your name is the one word that could only describe you in one word. It’s only natural to want to choose how you present yourself to the rest of the world.
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1980s Style
What Your Favorite 80s Fashion Says About You Written by Sum Patten
A few well-known styles from everybody’s favorite decade might actually speak to who you are--or who you’re trying to forget you were. Just when you thought you were done being reminded of the 80s and all the cool things about them, here we come with this...
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Yankee Fan FREDDY “SEZ”
Words by Chris Isenberg
Images by Craig Wetherby
A lot of life hasn’t broken Fred Schuman’s way. As a nine year old in the Bronx, a stray bat in a stickball game destroyed his right eye. The injury relegated him to the sidelines in the schoolyard and for World War II when he was declared 4F—unsuited for military service. Freddy’s first marriage was a disaster. He started a jewelry business that went bust, followed by a bicycle business that went bust. He lost contact with his only son. He lost the building that his family owned in the Bronx. As Freddy will be the first to tell you, he didn’t have the best of luck. After a string of failures, at his lowest point he was out on the street. And yet in a highly improbable turn of events, Fred Schuman has become a highly recognizable symbol of the winningest franchise in American sports, the New York Yankees. Since 1988, Freddy has been a fixture at Yankee stadium during home games, inciting fans to cheer using decidedly old school, even weird school tools: hand lettered signs, an old frying pan and a metal spoon. That the Yankees answer to the San Diego chicken would turn out to be a once homeless, one-eyed octogenarian stretches the limits of credulity, but Freddy’s association with the most recent Yankee dynasty (1996 – 2000) has conferred on him certified good luck charm status. Mayor Giuliani famously flew him to Phoenix for Game 7 of the 2001 World Series—a mission that was unsuccessful but only solidified Freddie’s celebrity.
And he wants me to hit the spoon and everything. It was pretty much, “Get lost.” Well fight? I can’t fight. I’m not a fighter. I’m a blind guy. I don’t know karate, black belt and so forth. If I knew that I would probably have taken them on.
We talked to Freddy a week before 2008 opening day as he prepared himself for another season in the Bronx, the last before the Yankees demolish the House That Ruth Built and set up shop in a billion dollar reinterpretation next door.
Soon after you started, you began to get a lot of press attention. What was the moment where you knew that you had become this kind of new character, “Freddy Sez,” and not Fred Schuman? The thing was, I never was successful or anything. Throughout my vocational time, failure, a complete failure. I always lost out in whatever I did. I don’t know why I deserve anything like this. All I can do is I can cheer then because there is an electric charge that happens at the stadium. I feel like a maestro when I am at the foot of the crowd conducting a symphony. The marquee says “Make noise, I will raise us up.” I go before the crowd. I show them the
What was the first reaction to you at the Stadium, when you started going in 1988? In the very beginning, I couldn’t use the language of how they told me to, “Get the f--…Get lost.” They were interested in the ball game. Here is this guy coming up with a sign, with a spoon.
How did you come up with the spoon and the pan? Ah, this you’ll get a kick. When we were children, at 745 East 178th Street, which is one of the places we used to live. We’d go down to Time Square on New Years Eve. We were kids, we didn’t go downtown. But when we did we took momma’s pots and pans, and went in the hallway we woke up everybody in the building. Hitting the pot and pan, fryer, whatever we had to make noise that’s the way we did it in those days up in our neighborhood.
~ 13
pan. I give them the opportunity to hit it and so forth. I feel good. I feel good. Now this is not to say that some people still say, “Hey Freddy, do me a favor. Bring it somewheres else.” Do you have any competition at the Stadium? There is this guy called the Cow Bell Man. He’s a Bronxite. But he says, “We’re friends. We don’t hurt each other.” I would never hurt him, nor would I ever disparage anyone. I’m a good will ambassador. Can you point to one particular game at the Stadium where you feel you influenced the outcome? The 1996 World Series, in the sixth game. It was too quiet in the stadium so I start yelling, “Hey let’s make some noise. Let’s rock the house.” A little kid comes up, I don’t remember his name, and he grabs the spoon. I never saw a child whack the hell out of the frying pan! I’m thinking this kid is going to win the game for us! And don’t you know it, like a miracle, I just can’t tell you how. The Yankees got three runs in that inning. THREE RUNS! If you recall the statistics of the game, we won it 3-2. The kid won the game as far as I am concerned. But I know I did my share to get at least some kind of reaction.
Freddy “SEZ”
Let me ask you about Mayor Giuliani… He’s been so good to me. If he’d have won the opportunity to run for president, I would have voted for him. If he needed me in any particular way I would have gladly done anything to help him out. That’s how much I think of the man now. But what did you think of him putting on the Red Sox hat? OH WOW WOW. Now I had a little chip with him! He did put on Red Socks hat. I was rooting for the Rockies. I‘m going for the little guy. The Rockies were the little guy. I didn’t expect them to win. But I went with them. I told him I said,
“You’re acting like a traitor a little bit.” He said he’s doing it because it was an American League team, American League that was his answer. The Red Sox have really turned their bad energy around in the last few years. Do you think they have a Freddy working for them? Do they have a mascot, do they have anyone working for them?… Matter of fact? I had wrote to the Yankees and asked if I could be called the mascot or the cheerleader. They never approved or gave me the right. In fact, they never got back to me. But you have had the Yankees officially acknowledge you? I did not claim the title of number one Yankee fan. I did not claim it. And I don’t to this particular day brag or say that I’m the number one fan. But I have their letter on Yankee’s stationary in which they wrote back to me and said. “Freddy, you are the number one fan.” On the official paper. I’ll accept it graciously, because I try my best. I can’t guarantee a win or a loss either way. If they win because they played good, fine. If they get in a slump I try my very best not to come up with negative stuff. I gotta try to tell the fans, “Look we’re in a little slump. They’re having a bad stretch, they’ll pull out.” What’s your prediction for this season? There’s no question in my mind we have hitting ability. We can do good on hitting. But pitching…in yesterday’s pitching, the wind was very bad down in Florida and they got Hughes for seven runs! I’m concerned about the pitching. I’m definitely concerned about the pitching. Freddy recently self-published his first book, The First Five Years, a collection of his newsletters, photos, fan mail and humor. You can find out more on his official website www.freddysez.com. Log onto scion.com/broadband for more on Freddy.
~ Face ~ Recognizing somebody by face is probably the easiest way to identify them. Your face is the most defining part of your physical appearance. Believe it or not there’s an actual “facial database,” where your identity can be verified by comparing your features to a stockpile of digital images or still video frames.
~ Iris ~ Lost the keys to your apartment? An iris authenticator might help. This little piece of biometric technology creates a highly detailed, intricate image of your iris, which is even more unique than your fingerprint and far less susceptible to fraud. The mathematical approach to this technology makes it super tight, so the only one getting scanned into your top-secret base is you.
~ Voice Recognition ~ There’s some dude named Roland in a lab somewhere with hundreds of ways to identify you. Roland can look at the way you type and determine how you’ve been handling your money… Roland can run a scan over your eye and pull up a file on you that’s thicker than mud. Roland’s using a science called biometrics to single you out. Okay, well maybe there’s no dude named Roland in a lab, but biometrics is a real thing totally centered around the traits that make you one-of-a-kind. Here are a few of the ways you are truly distinct, and how biometrics can use them to identify you. Oh, and sorry for calling you out, Roland…. ~~~~ ~ Fingerprints ~ A fingerprint is a series of ridges in the skin of your palm. Your hand has a variety of ridges; long and short ridges, ridges that stop repeatedly, ridges that curve and straight ridges. Some ridges go the whole length of your hand without touching another ridge and some ridges that branch off. The possibilities of these “minutiae” are infinite, and so are the personalities that match them.
Everyone has a certain set of acoustic features in their voices that make them completely unique. The shape and size of your throat and mouth, in addition to your speaking style, all combine to make an exceptional blend of characteristics. Put all together, you can call these traits your “voiceprint.”
~ Hand Geometry ~ The width, thickness, length and surface area of your hand is yet another way to authenticate identity. The distance between your knuckles and how high your fingers rise from a surface when they’re at rest all play a part in helping biometric technology identify you. Although it is useful, the human hand still isn’t as unique as fingerprints or voices.
~ Keystroke Dynamics ~ Ever heard of “Dwell time” or “Flight time?” Dwell time is how long a key on the keyboard is down when you press it and Flight time is how much time there is between pressing keys while you type. And all of this can be used to authenticate your identity. Is biometrics really that serious? Yeah. ~ 15
If you’re thinking like Second Skin’s director Juan Carlos Pineros Escoriaza, we’re headed for a time when our online personas will be as important to us as our real world identities. In fact, for millions of obsessive online gamers, the time for ganking noobs in the valley as a level 10 Mage named Vruth-dar is now!
“People take away experiences they have in the game of being good or charitable or funny or confident, and they are able to translate that into being a better person in their real life, which is pretty amazing. You can essentially beta test your personality, and see if you can fix some of the kinks,” says Juan Carlos.
Juan Carlos’ feature length documentary film, Second Skin (www. secondskinfilm.com), explores the complex and sometimes comical world of massive multiplayer online games (MMOs). PC based games like World of Warcraft and Second Life have exploded in popularity, attracting hordes of video game enthusiasts searching for a richer interactive experience. Gamers are finding those experiences in the fantasy worlds of games like Everquest, where the dynamics of real life interaction are part of the gameplay. The role playing game has grown from attracting a loyal Cyberpunk fan-base into a billion dollar, million user online omniverse where real world economies are allowed to develop and it makes sense for users to form long-term, mutually beneficial relationships. It’s about connecting online to enter Ragefire Chasm to slay Taragaman the Hungerer in order to deliver his heart back to Neeru Fireblade in Orgrimmar to appease Thrall. But it’s more than that because gamers are developing life skills and making real friendships along the way.
As the cyber universe continues to expand, opportunities for gamers to log on and develop their own virtual identity are ever increasing. The subscriber-based online gaming segment itself has become a powerhouse industry that has eclipsed the film and music businesses in terms of profitability, and its impact is expected to continue growing. Today, over 200 million gamers play online and their collective clicks represent about 1/4th of the world’s total online traffic. “In a game we gain a certain amount of freedom by being anonymous,” remarks Juan Carlos. “You’ll eventually have a group of friends online who probably know you better than people do in the real world, but the ability to be yourself first and worry later is extremely powerful.” In the future, online and real world identities might become intertwined to the point where people don’t differentiate between the two, but until then, the separation between the two will offer new outlets for expressing one self, and continue generating fascinating questions about what our virtual personalities say about who we really are.
There’s
2
types of
people in this world Compiled by
Justin Briggs
There are two types of people in the world: those who wonder where an adage like this comes from, and those who make adages like this happen. If you’re part of the first group, then hold tight – we’re about to shed some light on the second. It’s difficult to say when people first started making the “two types of people” comparison; etymologists trace it back as far as the 17th Century, but its origins are likely even earlier. To put that in perspective, our researchers have compiled a short history of the phrase; so if you find yourself in need of a massive generalization, rest assured – you’re in good company.
Benjamin Franklin
Founding father once wrote, “All mankind is divided into three groups: those that are immovable, those that are movable and those that move.” Nightclubs have been proving him correct ever since.
18th Century Italian poet and scholar Giacomo Leopardi famously claimed that, “The human race… is split into two camps: the bullies and the bullied. Neither law nor force of any kind, nor advancement in civilization and philosophy, can prevent men now or in the future from belonging to one of these two camps. He who can choose, must choose.” Giacomo also didn’t have a lot of friends. One of the most quotable characters in history,
Oscar
Wilde dropped this wry observation in the late 19th
Century: “There are only two kinds of people who are really fascinating: people who know absolutely everything, and people who know absolutely nothing.” Wilde, of course, knew everything. Some of the most famous versions of this adage have been transformed repeatedly over the years, leaving scholars to argue over whose quote is the original.
Mark Twain
For example, is credited as saying, “There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.”
“The world is divided into two types of people: those who love to talk, and those who hate to listen.” Context is everything. Was he talking about his manager? Reporters? His wife? If only he’d been more clear….
Woody Allen – always good for a little irony – wrote, “There are two types of people in this world, good and bad. The good sleep better, but the bad seem to enjoy the waking hours much more.” It’s unclear which group Woody thinks he’s in. We’ve saved the best for last… But once again, the passage of time has given us limitless variations. The original comes from early film star, New Yorker humorist and
Robert Benchley:
editor of the Harvard Lampoon, “There are two kinds of people in the world, those who believe there are two kinds of people in the world and those who don’t.”
Tom Robbins,
Years later, the novelist behind brilliance like Even Cowgirls Get the Blues and Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, refined the old chestnut: “There are two types of people in the world, those who believe there are only two types of people and those who know better.”
The quote is remarkably similar to a comment associated with
Indira Gandhi:
“My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who do the work, and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was less competition there.”
James Thorpe
was an early American sports icon; paving the way for Jackson, Jordan and Sanders with his versatility – the guy played baseball, basketball and football, as well as competing in the Olympics – he also broke ground for future quotable athletes like Ali. Thorpe once notoriously quipped,
~ 17
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Author and journalist Matt Diehl’s contemporary reportage has tracked the state of America’s pop identity since the early 90s. Matt has built a career out of the fine art of drawing information out of the over inflated egos of some of the world’s most loved and loathed pop culture icons. Matt has interviewed everyone from David Bowie to David LaChappell and believes that pop culture is a prism through which we can study the ways we relate to the world.
How do you capture your interviewee’s identity on paper?
If you can get the essence of their words as they said them on the page, you’re going to reveal the inner soul of that person. I did an interview once when Limp Bizkit was real big in 2000 or 2001 and a lot of magazines would interview Fred Durst and they would basically be like, “This guy is stupid.” I interviewed him and I didn’t editorialize. He was doing things like comparing himself to Martin Luther King, Jr. and I thought it was telling to let him say those kinds of things which a lot of people thought were crazy. People are going to have their own opinion if Fred Durst is like Martin Luther King, Jr. The other thing that you want to look out for in terms of capturing someone is really just be observant. Be observant of their body language. If you’re doing this in someone’s house, what type of art do they have on the wall? Not to sound like US Magazine, but it’s amazing how many celebrities or notable people have
their garbage overflowing, their toilet all filled up, their kids are obnoxious… You have to just look at it and make sure you’re not BS-ing. Just make sure there is no agenda. Not everyone is like that. There are writers that have great agendas that are hilarious. Evil dudes. It’s kind of fun.
What has interviewing people for a living taught you about identity?
I came of age in the punk rock and hip hop eras and to me, those were the most intense fights for cultural identity. Both of those movements were all about identity and who you are in relation to society and integrity. Are you going to sell out? All of this stuff. Pop culture is a crucible for aspects of race, class, economics, technology, cultural identity, gender identity… Every idea of art gets parsed in the pop culture arena but what’s great about pop culture is for the most part it is uncontrolled, so you get the real deal in a weird way. ~ 21
Someone’s relationship to technology is often expressed in pop culture. Do they download illegally? Do they have an iPod? Are they against television? Do they have a blog? I found that the real things that matter in the world play out in a very unfiltered way in pop culture.
of it is to read different interviews and you’ll see people have different techniques. As for me being an artist, I like to think of myself as a writer first and foremost and that covers a lot of ground even transcending interviewing, so I hope there is artistry in everything I do.
I know what’s going on in society a lot sooner than people in the government because I’m just listening to what’s out there.
So what if the interview subject is hostile or the interview is going poorly or somehow you haven’t built a rapport? What do you do?
What has interviewing others taught you about yourself ?
You have to be a selfless person. Your ego isn’t as important as, not to sound like a bad new age pamphlet but, being in the moment. You want to have a real conversation.
You should be as interesting a human being as possible. I think that helps in every discipline whether it’s interviewing or whether you are a corporate titan or whether you work at a gas station. I think I’ve sort of aspired since I’ve been interviewing people to be even more well-rounded. Usually people will tell you something you’ve never thought of and then it will take you to other places. For the most part what a real person has to say is typically more surprising and more unique than anything that I could make up to put in their mouth. And that is the truth about interviewing. Even if you meet somebody that is so intent on being fake, that in itself becomes interesting. Real people are interesting. They’re weird. They’re fun. Being a great interviewer is like stepping outside of yourself. It’s not all about you, you, you.
Do you consider the interview an art form?
Interviewing is definitely an art. The best way to see the artistry
The only thing you can do in that situation is keep talking. I had this interview with the White Stripes and it made international headlines because Jack White talked about how he hates journalists and all journalists took offense worldwide.
Jack White was real prickly at the beginning of the interview but we just kept it going and I think it’s one of the best White Stripes interviews ever and maybe that prickliness created an intimacy that helped the rest of the interview. You kind of just have to roll with it. I’m not offended if someone is a jerk because that’s who they are and my job is to find out who they are and chances are they might know they’re a jerk anyway. It’s not for me to be like, “I’m so offended.” You might interview someone who’s got a real thug persona, a real gangster and they’re like the most intelligent person you’ve ever met in your life. They may never have gone to college. They may not have fulfilled any of society’s expectations. When you get to really talk to people it shows you how limiting societal prejudice really is. Matt Diehl writes for Interview, Stop Smiling, Blackbook, Esquire, Vibe and Rolling Stone to name a few. Matt is the author of Notorious C.O.P. about the infamous “hiphop surveillance” unit of the NYPD and his latest book is, “My So Called Punk – How Neo-Punk Stage-Dived into the Mainstream.”
According to Franki Chan!!!
words: SUM PATTEN
Photo: Justin reynolds
Believe it or not, heroes have to deal with everyday human issues--insecurities, love lives, weaknesses. Things we can all relate to, and this is where they connect with us. This is why comic books are the modern day mythology of America. Human lessons are embedded in each story. Some heroes have to put on masks or transform to conceal a life that’s too weird, complicated or dangerous to reveal to the general public. Secret identities. We all have them, right? The person behind closed doors at home isn’t always the person we walk out into the world as. Franki Chan, party thrower extraordinaire and founder of Los Angeles based record label IHeartComix, is an avid fan of music, comic books and the weird science of secret identities. “IHeartComix is a brand name that we used which includes a record label doing events, shows, website, marketing, but we call it that because I like comic books. There isn’t anything I love in the world more than comics,” he explains.
functions in that fictional world. I think how it translates to the real world, is that it gives the reader the chance to go along for the ride with Peter Parker when he puts on his Spiderman mask. Much like when you put on a Halloween mask, you have a little bit more ambition when you walk out onto the streets. Masks have played a huge role throughout all of humanity with different meanings and how they relate to different religions and philosophy. Comics are just a modern day depiction of that.”
The man has been collecting comics faithfully, every Wednesday, for the past 22 years and the closest he can come to a number on how many he owns is, “it’s gotta be somewhere up in the tens of thousands.”
More and more comics are making it to the big screen, including Alan Moore’s classic graphic novel Watchmen, which is damn near a case study in secret identity and set to drop in theaters this year. Franki unmasks his thoughts on the veil of secret identities (sorry, couldn’t resist that one). “There are various reasons for having a secret identity. Keeping your family and friends safe… trying to maintain some kind of normal life. It’s part of keeping a character relatable, as well. There are various reasons why it
So is there a difference bet ween the DJ/Entrepreneur/Public Personality/Tastemaker we know as Franki Chan and whoever he really is? “Well, I would like to think I have somewhere to relax. When I’m Franki Chan, I have a certain hat I wear, I throw on my glasses and I’m ready for the world. It’s good to know that when I’m done with that I can come home and just be myself. Even though my real name is no big secret.” Chances are though, if you don’t know already, you probably don’t need to know it. And that’s word to Bruce Wayne.
~ 23
Pen Names Written by Stefanie Schumacher
Anonymity, notoriety, a bigger paycheck. These are a few of the reasons why writers assume a pen name. When you get down to the basic constructs of an indentity, a name is more than just a name. It can be a cipher, a myth of its own making, and ultimately its own kind of brand. By creating a pen name, a writer can live out a myth of his or her own making. Freedom! Safe haven! The ultimate of disguises!
1. Stephen King, master of the horror genre, was so prolific at the start of his career that he adopted a pen name in order to publish several books a year. Back in the 70s, the publishing world frowned on authors publishing more than one novel per year. King created the persona of Richard Bachman to circumvent the prevailing rigid protocol of the time and published such memorable novellas as Thinner, The Running Man, Rage, Road Work and The Long Walk. 2. Vampires and sex were Anne Rice’s milieu before she dedicated herself to writing for the rest of her life about the life of Christ. With the success of the Vampire Chronicles, Rice found herself in the enviable position of having to create a pen name for a series of erotic fiction that would keep her brand name of “Anne Rice” distinctly identifiable with blood and eternal damnation. Rice penned incredibly hot erotic fiction under the names A.N.Roquelaure and Anne Rampling. Ironically enough, Anne Rice was born Howard Allen O’Brien, but as a young girl insisted she be called Anne O’Brien until she eventually married Stan Rice and took his name as her own. 3. Charles Dawson was a mathematician with an imagination. Already well published in the field of mathematics, Dawson didn’t want to confuse his readers with his outlandish fiction. So he decided to publish Alice in Wonderland under the name Lewis Carol.
ooks can be deceiving. An innocent man closely resembles a murderer and is wrongly accused. Androids easily pass for human. Identical twins are indistinguishable but beneath the surface lurk vastly different personalities. Is identity defined by what we see? By what we remember? And who defines the truth of identity? These films explore the power of perception as a defining construct of identity. You decide.
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Based on a true story, The Wrong Man follows the harrowing ordeal of Manny Balestrero, a man accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Unfortunately for Manny, he’s a dead ringer for the real criminal and lands in jail where he is unable to prove his innocence.
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
In this film noir police procedural, rookie homicide detective Murakami’s Colt .45 is stolen. Shamefaced and frantic to find his gun, Murakami must track down a killer who is using Murakami’s pistol in a series of murders. A cop’s gun is an extension of his professional identity, and rookie detective Murakami blames himself for the killings as much as he blames the man pulling the trigger.
Directed by David Cronenberg
Identical twin gynecologists, Beverly and Elliot, get into a bit of trouble when they both try to seduce the same woman. The twins
share a psychic connection and suffer each other’s addictions and afflictions equally. A woman’s intuition never lies, and the initially unsuspecting Claire Niveau discerns the subtle differences in the twins’ personalities and blows their cover.
Directed by Ridley Scott
Androids have feelings too. And memories. There is no such thing as a person without a past. And if we are the sum of our experiences, if our sense of self is derived from our memories, well, then, even an android needs a past in order to know who he or she is. The downside is finding out your memories were scavenged from someone else.
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Sometimes it’s better to forget. Except when you’re suffering from short-term memory loss and trying to hunt down your wife’s killer. Leonard, the central character played by Guy Pierce, uses an elaborate system of post it notes and tattoos to keep his memory intact so that he can find and make an accurate identification of the killer. ~ 25
Written by Adam Pasulka Much like astrological signs and standardized test scores, our favorite color says a great deal about who we are. Angry, eccentric, outgoing, sincere, calm, attractive – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Yes, there does exist a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow, and that pot of gold is filled with self-discovery. Provided below are irrefutable explanations about what your preferred hue says about you.
Blue
White
Green
Purple
Many US presidents favored blue. This makes sense, seeing as blue represents confidence, strength, devotion, honor, wisdom and the desire to have a library named after you.
Very few people reference white as their favorite color, though it has mostly positive connotations. Some whites of note include Barry White, Snow White, Whitey Ford, Casper the Friendly Ghost and Michael Keaton.
Green is an environmentally sensitive color, demonstrating a love for nature. Many people are currently making an effort to “go green.” Unfortunately, green also represents greed, the very reason “going green” may be going nowhere. Make up your mind, green.
Purple represents both royalty and mysticism. If purple were a rock band, it would be Styx.
Blue can also symbolize sadness. It’s a natural fit, because, can you imagine Lead Belly singing, “The Cyans”? No.
Purple represents pride and decadence. If purple were a snack cake, it would be Fig Newtons.
Black
Orange
Yellow
Red
Black is a fashionable color to wear because it goes with everything. Contrary to popular belief, pink is not the new black. Neither is red, or blogging for that matter. Black is the new black, black is the old black, and black will always be the only black.
Some say an interest in orange reflects insecurity, anger, and a sense of not belonging. This makes sense considering that orange is the middle child of the color spectrum, situated unhappily between the attention hogging vibrance of yellow and the bigger, stronger boldness of red.
Yellow is an electric color. It represents creativity, imagination, originality and radiance. Most people who like yellow are probably trying to compensate for being boring.
If you like red, chances are you are very ambitious, passionate, optimistic and outgoing. Tune it down a little bit, maybe to a maroon or a pink. You’re making the rest of us look bad.
Yellow represents excitement and happiness, as well as cowardice. It’s kind of the Scooby Doo of the color spectrum.
Red represents power, anger and passion. The color red is said to enrage bulls during a bullfight, but bulls probably become enraged more so because they get stabbed with those frilly spears.
Emcees are comic-book characters on earth, plain and simple. It’s bigger than just putting on an extra name and persona… it’s about stepping to the booth, the stage or any microphone and turning into someone else. Or something else. Perhaps no collective of artists assumed super-personas and made the whole world believe they were real better than the Wu-Tang Clan. And perhaps no one in the Wu-Tang Clan mastered the art of alter-ego better than the one Dennis Coles, known most widely as Ghostface Killah, also known as: Tony Starks, Pretty Toney, Ironman, Captain America, Faceless, The Wally Champ, Pretty Starks, Ghost Deini, Scott Kitner, Dennis the Menace, Undertaker, GFK, Paisley Fontaine, Starkey Love, and Dusthead Dini….and those are just the aliases we could find. Are they more than just pseudonyms?
ENTER THE WU-TANG (36 CHAMBERS) - Here we find the introduction of the Ghostface Killah, a name taken after the main villain in Ninja Checkmate (aka The Mystery of Chessboxing). The Ghostface proceeds to hungrily talk about jacking a fast-rapping rapper with a half-mastered style in a very clear, no nonsense fashion. ONLY BUILT 4 CUBAN LINX - The Tony Starks era begins: denser and more abstract mob rhymes that see the young thug of yesteryear turning into a business minded kingpin. IRONMAN - For Ghostface’s debut solo venture, Ironman,
we start to hear more urgency in the verses and the persona. In this era we hear the strength, the urgency, the madness and the street all combining into one man….the Iron Man.
SUPREME CLIENTELE - On Ghostface’s highly applauded sophomore effort, he transformed into a rhinestone robe, chinchilla coat, sunglasses wearing don/retired boxer. This is a return to the Tony Starks era, only to build on it and pave the way for what was soon to come…. The birth of Pretty Toney. BULLETPROOF WALLETS - A little more Pretty than Toney, this venture into soft R&B themes and flavors saw the Pretty Starks mix up. The audience begins to hear him liken himself to a leader by referring to himself as GFK more
Ghost is one of the rare artists who makes you wonder just where the line is between Dennis Coles and all those personas? Maybe the word “Ghostface” could be taken to mean that his face is changeable and fluid, like his identities. The evolution of Ghostface’s style went from abstractly jagged darts on the Wu-Tang’s seminal release, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) to free-fall stream of consciousness and rapidfire slang on Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, to heartwrenching testimonials on Ironman and The W, to extremely vivid and imaginative storytelling on Fishscale and More Fish. With each step of that evolution, he brought along new aliases and takes on his persona, finely tuning the cauldron of personality that is Ghostface Killah. Let’s take a look at some of the aliases, alteregos and albums of the weirdest abstract space-cadet poet thug in hip-hop history.
on this project. This effort saw a mash-up of his personas that he would continue to build on into the next album.
THE PRETTY TONEY ALBUM - The perfect blend of hardcore, glam-hop, and relentless lyricism was finally mastered and Pretty Toney had fully arrived. We see “Tone” getting more comfortable with vivid and easy to understand story telling, a craft he’d spent albums mastering before, but brought to life with “Run” featuring Jadakiss. FISHSCALE & MORE FISH - Sister albums which see the “Ghost Dini” character begin to take shape as he dips back into the underground and gets more elusive. Less high profile shiny robes and flashy hats, and more leather jackets, scullies and black. The albums take a darker and more soulful turn as Ghost Dini turns inward in his maturity to examine himself and his life more. THE BIG DOE REHAB - The Playboy of Darkness, the Hugh Heffner of Hip-Hop comes full circle as an elder statesman of money and music. And mostly refers to himself by his first moniker, Ghostface Killah, bringing the evolution of personality full circle. Maybe the best part of it all is the underlying sense of humor he’s brought with him to this point, having fun with ridiculous song concepts and skits that stray from the usual darkness and seriousness of his first few projects. ~ 27
TRUE METHOD ACTING
INTERVIEW BY TIMOTHY NICELY • ILLUSTRATIONS BY FRANKI CHAN & THE ZONDERS
Ve Neill is at the top of her game. With 56 films, three Academy Awards, an Emmy, plus eight other wins and 22 nominations for her work, she qualifies to add insights into the psychology behind the alter egos people assume when they dress up in Halloween costumes.
Jim Carrey in Man on the Moon and Val Kilmer in The Doors both used this method of being absorbed in the roles they were playing to full effect. “They didn’t want to be referred to as anything but the characters.”
Makeup artist for numerous films such as Beetle Juice, Edward Scissorhands, Star Trek, Pirates of the Caribbean, Sweeney Todd and several Batman epics, and makeup and special effects creator for actors Johnny Depp, Danny DeVito, Robert Downey Jr., Nicolas Cage, Lily Tomlin, Pierce Brosnan, Jack Nicholson, Michael Caine and dozens of other stars, Neill’s accumulated knowledge and observational skills regarding the mindset behind costumed characters is summed up by her in a few words, “True Method Acting.”
Whether this method is used by professional actors or during Halloween by the public, the approach is to become the character. According to Neill, an individual is able to take on a deeper personality when assuming the guise of a full character costume. Which one would Ve Neill most likely date? “Dracula! I’d take the bites to be with him once, just to see what he’s like.”
WHAT DOES YOUR COSTUME SAY ABOUT YOU?
DRACULA
GHOST
BOOGIE MAN
They want everything they can get for nothing, taking from you without dealing with any feelings. A dark, sexual thing without emotional response.
Like a voyeur. Can’t really interact. Can watch but can’t perform.
A bully.
CLOWN Very sensitive without exposing their own personality.”
Someone who just wants to scare people. Yucky. Not terribly aggressive but kind of in-your-face.
Silent type. To be seen ‘famous’ but not heard. Wants to make a full state-ment without saying anything about it.
COW
BUNNY
Complacent and lazy while hanging around all the time and eating.
PRINCESS
GORILLA
Someone who’s kind of cute and silly. Don’t think there is too much emotional attachment to playing a bunny character.
Gentle, intelligent creatures who are unable to express themselves verbally.
Wants to take care of people.
MUMMY
The ultimate female thing. Wants to be treated well and to be taken care of.
ZOMBIES
NURSE
D. G.
1. 1.
josh lynne lynne josh
2. 2.
erik lavoie lavoie erik
3. 3.
roger gastman gastman roger
4. 4.
andre torres torres andre
E.
B.
(Re Up) “I’m running low... time to get more.” (Vice) “I am a very bad person.”
I.
H.
(Swindle) “What you don’t want dessert?” (Wax Poetics) “I know it’s hard to believe, but I was scoring mad goals back in the day on those string bean legs. It is ‘79, so you know the parted halfro and maroon uniform was in full effect. I’ve got to shout out my parents for hitting me off with some braces a few years later though, my grill was in need of some serious attention.”
5. 5.
john lee lee john
6. 6.
andrew smith smith andrew
7. 7.
todd roberts roberts todd
8. 8.
eric nakamura nakamura eric
9. 9.
mike && stephen stephen malbon malbon mike
F. A.
(Theme Magazine) “To quote Jello Biafra: “Don’t hate the media, become the media.” We are our target culture. We are our target audience. It’s an interesting place to be, because we’re shaping culture, but we’re also educated and entertained by it. But most importantly, we’re changing the way people talk about culture outside of the United States.” (XLR8R) “I’ve always loved cars, and the feeling of sitting behind the wheel came naturally to me. Never fond of the brake pedal, I was always stamping on the accelerator.”
C.
(Daily Swarm) “Spring has always been my favorite season, probably because you could smell the sunny days ahead. Also, later in life it meant music, festivals, parties. In anticipation, I still wait for that first bee of spring in the garden.” (Giant Robot) “I grew up watching Voyage into Space, collecting Shogun Warriors, and wishing I was Johnny Sokko.” (Frank151) “From the farm to the streets, we always keep it best in show…”
~ 29
Answers: 1. I, 2. G, 3. E, 4. H, 5. C, 6. F, 7. D, 8. A, 9. B
You know him from Chappelle’s Show as the cult character Ashy Larry. His signature tagline “I’M RITCH BEEATCH!!” ended each episode and became a coast-to-coast catch phrase phenomenon. And with his face popping up everywhere from HBO’s The Wire to Russell Simmon’s Def Comedy Jam, and his voice reaching millions during his national radio tours, Donnell Rawlings is more than one of the most recognized comedians on the scene today – he is a one man media empire. So how does Donnell come up with his content for the stage and screen? What aspects of his own identity translate to his on-stage personas? And while we’re at it, what makes Ashy Larry so friggin’ Ashy?!
“I never wanted to be a comic. It was just something that happened.” “It was Dave [Chappelle]’s idea to have the character in boxer’s and shoes,” Donnell says. “But every time he’d give me a character, I’d try to find a way to go deeper with it. When I was younger I would shoot dice, I knew I wasn’t supposed to, but I was trying to win some money for my mom. I’d come home and she said ‘What you doin’? Don’t lie to me, the only times your knees is that ashy is when you been shootin’ dice!’ When I told Dave about that, his eyes lit up. I guess he used to get all ashy too.” Despite his humble beginnings, Rawlings admits he never really had major ambitions of getting into the entertainment industry. “I never wanted to be a comic. I never thought ‘I could have a career in that.’ It was just something that happened.” Less modestly put, it was just something that came naturally to him. He landed his first stand-up gig by being the guy that every comic hates--a
heckler. Working at a grocery store by day and going to comedy clubs at night, Donnell couldn’t keep his mouth shut when he saw a bad act. He would heckle – stand up and verbally spar with the comedians – and eventually won the audiences’ respect (though he lost that of all of the comics’). “The club owner didn’t know what to do with me. I was rude as hell, but the crowds loved it.” One club owner challenged him to take his big mouth on stage. “He thought I’d bomb up there, but I flipped it on him. Instead of getting me to shut up, they gave me a regular spot.” As with many great artists – and don’t kid yourself, there is a very precise art to comedy – most of Donnell’s characters and sets are extensions of his own identity. “I want my s#!t to be inspired. I have some idea of what I’m going to do, but I never write it all out ‘cause I don’t want it to feel scripted. I just go up there and let it rip.” ~ 31
Donnell’s life experiences have often found there way into his material. For example, his experiences in the Navy as a military policeman, would emerge later in a legendary Chappelle’s Show sketch. While serving in Korea, he worked for several months on twelve-hour shifts with a Korean cohort. Quickly growing tired of pointing at objects and playing charades to have a conversation, Donnell soon learned the language. This bi-lingual ability would manifest during the Player Haters Ball skit. “On the day of the shoot, I looked at the call sheet and my name wasn’t on it. When I brought it up to Neil [Brennan], he said they’d made a mistake and that I should just come up with something quick. In the half hour before the shoot, I ran around to hair, make-up, and wardrobe, and had them do me up with Geri curls and make me a suit. I had Props make me this platinum bottle of champagne hair moisturizer. When I looked in the mirror, I said, damn I’m
didn’t have a body of work. He thought I was funny from my In Living Color audition and wanted to do a short with me. When we worked together, I could tell this guy was going places. I told him, if you’re ever in the position to throw me a bone… blah blah blah, you know, what people always say to each other in this business. I never really expected anything of it. But when Chappelle’s Show got a greenlight from Comedy Central, he called me up.” The rest is history. Chappelle’s Show went on to become the highest selling DVD of all time for a TV show. Soon after Donnell became a host for the morning radio show on New York’s largest hip hop station Power 106, his voice reaching over a million listeners daily. Landing a recurring role in the last two seasons of HBO’s The Wire, Donnell can also be seen in Neil Brennan’s upcoming feature film debut along side Jeremy Piven.
I have some idea of what I’m going to do, but I never write it all out ‘cause I don’t want it to feel scripted. I just go up there and let it rip. beautiful… I told Neil that was gonna be my name, ‘Beautiful,’ and he flipped out.” Donnell’s improvisation didn’t end with the wardrobe and props. “I had to come up with my own lines too. I sat in the wicker chair, and first thing that came out of my mouth was in Korean. That’s how I hate, I hate in different languages, son!” Beautiful, the Korean insult hurling Player Hater, would become a memorable character and contribute to a hilarious sketch. With all the scripting and preparation that goes into television, that’s how cult classics are made, on the spot. And that’s how creative forces like Donnell Rawlings thrive, by being able to think and act on their feet. Being able to draw on experiences he’d had years earlier in another country. So how did Donnell make the leap from stand up to one of the most popular television shows of all time? “I did an audition for In Living Color back in the day when Neil Brennan was just a Production Assistant there. We never really got a chance to talk or anything, and didn’t for a bunch of years.” In the meantime Neil met and teamed up with Dave Chappelle to make the cult movie classic Half-Baked. Based on the strength of the film’s performance, Neil landed a three-picture writing deal. But he soon found that none of his scripts were getting greenlit into production. “He called up my manager one day and said that he’s a director but
Donnell’s Internet shorts From Ashy to Classy produced with Heavy.com have garnered over 9 million views cumulatively. Just a quick look at any one of his roles or stand-up routines and you can see a big spotlight into who he is. Rawlings has gotten to where he is by channeling his own life experience into his material. His work is a direct reflection of his own identity. “I try to take my own life and fight myself out to be emotionally connected to what I’m doing. If I’m sad, or happy, that affects the set. I might go up there and be the tough guy crying. It’s all very personal.” So with all this success already under his belt, what’s Donnell’s ultimate goal? “I already hit it. It was to create a lifestyle to support myself doing what I love. I make people laugh for a living. What more do I want?” When pressed further, Donnell reveals he wants to be “the most viral comedian out there. With the Internet, you don’t have to wait for networks to accept you. You can control your own destiny. My goal is to be one of the most recognizable faces on the Internet.” As Donnell approaches the 10 million views mark with his online work, he is certainly well on his way. Visit www.bootlegcomedy.com for more details.
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Custom Made In the 1950s, it was all about tract housing and TV dinners. The pervading lifestyle was factory-made and mass-produced for every family in Anytown, USA. The counter-balance to cookie cutter, apple pie generica would eventually come to be identified as the customization movement. Hobbyists and artists have been tweaking whatever comes off the assembly line for decades now or developing entirely new forms for expression altogether. Like the way skateboarding came from surfing and how hip hop was inspired by Jamaican DJs playing on handmade sound systems, the customization movement is all about building upon something else and making it undeniably yours in the process.
The Good Old Days It’s easy to forget that their once was a time when everything was custom made and handcrafted. If you wanted to get new clothes you went to a tailor, and if you needed a new suit of armor you had it made for you by a blacksmith. Topiary – The art of trimming hedges, trees and shrubs into shapes and animals dates back to Rome during the time of Julius Caesar. Centuries later, English nobility would engage in games of one-upmanship, outdoing each other with massive hedge mazes and elaborate Tudor gardens. Gutenberg’s Printing Press – Invented circa 1439 by goldsmith Johann Gutenberg, the printing press would enable the mass dissemination of printed media.
Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution introduced the assembly line, sparking a new era of efficient mass production, but was a step away from customization. TV Diners – The TV dinner came of age in the 1950s about the time the idea of the “nuclear family” developed. The seeds of rebellion that would later sprout Rock and Roll and the Beat Generation were being sown in the suburban lawns of single-family tract homes while the customization movement picked up speed. Mimeograph Machine – The Mimeograph machine was an old school hand cranked or motor driven printing device for small run print jobs. The mimeograph was supplanted by the photocopier in the 1960s but remains a symbol of the DIY spirit for bringing low-budget printing to the masses. Hot Rods / Car Customization – Customizing off-the-line cars for performance or styling reasons has been a craze with American automotive enthusiasts since the 50s.
~ 35
Individuality & Creativity
Emerge from the social movements of the 60s and 70s Hip hop - Hip hop made the leap from the production techniques of the dub masters of Jamaica right to the Bronx with guys like Kool Herc. The then underground hip hop music scene was captured on DJ cassette tapes and traded on the streets like ball cards. The CD-R eventually replaced the cassette tape, and today the tradition lives on as the playlist. Hippies, Punk Rock and the DIY Movement – The DIY movement started with the hippies and was born again in the all ages venues of the punk rock circuit. The trail blazed by bands like Black Flag and Bad Brains left throngs of do-it-yourselfers who took to making zines, clothing, music and propaganda. The Punk model was about self-distribution, self-promotion and self control, or lack there of at live shows. Make Magazine – “Make” is a celebration of DIY culture, and offers plans for building everything from robots to art cars. “Make” launched in 2005 and has since spun off “Craft” magazine which focuses on DIY knitting, jewelry and woodworking projects.
The Age of Super Customization After Stan Davis coined the term Mass Customization in his book Future Perfect, Sang & Jiao defined the term as “Producing goods and service to meet individuals customer¹s needs, with near mass production efficiency.” iPod Customization – ColorWare started in 2000, with the goal of providing aftermarket customization for electronics product. ColorWare’s patented high-gloss, scratch-resistant polymer-based coating allows customers to reproduce the design of their choice on an iPod, or any other item they want to customize. Capable of being applied to plastics or metals, they offer their services to both individuals and other companies looking to get thousands of products custom painted. (www.colorwarepc.com) Neighborhoodies.com – This Brooklyn-based clothing company represents the new paradigm in customization. What started as a oneman operation in 2002 has quickly grown to 50 employees, catering to the demand of individuals who want to customize a hoodie with embroidered messages and screen-printed designs. Neighborhoodies has made the leap from website to brick and mortar, with retail locations in Brooklyn, Boston, and Hollywood.
Still Life – This high-end NYC based hat maker was founded in 2004 by designer Frenel Morris. Still life offers a range of custom made caps from fedoras to luxury baseball caps and straw hats for the summer. Each Still Life hat is made to order, and customers can choose all aspects of their hat, selecting the material, brim and crown styles, all the way down to the details like the color of the ribbon and feathers adorning their chapeau. (www.stilllifenyc.com) Orange 20 Bikes –This L.A. bike shop, off of east Melrose, builds wheels from scratch, and designs custom track bikes for the streets and the velodromes. Orange 20 will build a bike to suit any terrain or skill level and promotes the cause of “Urban Egalitarian Cycling.” (www.orange20bikes.com) Edwin Jeans Japan – Manufacturing since the 60s, Edwin is a classic Japanese clothier that has focused on quality, cut-to-fit jeans. If you hit up their boutique in Shibuya, you can pick from dozens of styles and have your pants hemmed while you wait. (www.edwin.co.jp) 3-D Printing / Rapid Prototyping – This technology for converting a computer 3-D rendering or CAD drawing in to real life models made of plastics and composites offers the closest thing to a replicator that can automatically create an item for you from scratch. Currently the machines are mainly used for rapid prototyping of parts for engineering purposes, architecture models, and industrial design purposes. In the future, it’s possible these machines will be in our homes, and that whenever you feel like it, you will be able to manufacture a new chair, lamp, or some other object at the push of a button. Talk about custom made. (www.ZCorp.com)
~ 37
getting into character with
Max Perlich
Written by Jesse Nicely
“...if I get injured, then I’ll know I went to far.” - M. Perlich
Photos by Isabella Vosmikova
Max Perlich is definitely a character. Having appeared in nearly 100 films to date, he has cultivated a reputation as a quirky player who has worked with some of Hollywood’s biggest talent. However, when you first meet him, you might not even recognize that Max is one of today’s most talented character actors. That’s because his turns on the big screen find him absorbed in a string of memorable roles as a supporting actor. Max doesn’t steal the show; his characters become a cohesive part of the ensemble, making scenes better. Nevertheless, once Max starts mentioning films he has worked on, you find yourself looking at his face, and saying, “oh yeah, I remember you played that guy.” You have definitely seen Max Perlich in the movies.
From there he would appear in other memorable 80s flicks such as Can’t Buy Me Love, and the Christian Slater skateboard movie Gleaming the Cube (later renamed A Brother’s Justice). He even managed to work his way onto the small screen, appearing on the hit shows 21 Jump Street and My Two Dads. All the while, he was running with a veritable who’s who of 80s counter-culture icons, including his next door neighbor, world renowned skater Christian Hosoi, and getting into antics with his buddies the Beastie Boys—some even referred to Max as the fifth Beastie (the fourth being photographer Ricky Powell). He even pops up in the music video for Young MC’s hit “Bust A Move” (he’s the one trying to bust a move on his date at the movies). “We lived next to some people that were actors, always growing up around musicians, you always felt like you were going to be able to use that as either your hobby or profession, just because it was always around. But I never knew anything of what I found, until I worked through it.”
Outgrowing the teen genre, Max landed his breakthrough role in Gus Van Sant’s critically acclaimed Drugstore Cowboy, a movie that follows a crew of drug addicts in the 1970s Pacific Northwest who rob drugstores to support their habits. Playing alongside Matt Dillon, Kelly Lynch, and a young Heather Graham, his fidgeting nervous portrayal of a drug-addict/hustler would draw praise, and help to firmly establish Perlich as a serious character actor. Moving into the 90s Max would find continuous work, appearing in a long list of films including Cliffhanger with Slyvester Stallone, Maverick with Mel Gibson, Harmony Korine’s Gummo, Beautiful Girls, Rush and Ron Howard’s The Missing. Not to mention, TV appearances on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gilmore Girls, Nash Bridges, and a recurring role during a twoyear stint on Homicide: Life on the Street. The new millennium saw Max continuing to elevate in his craft, co-starring with Johnny Depp in the critically acclaimed blockbuster, Blow. A constant observer, Max’s skill as an actor would be nurtured working alongside the industry’s top talent. “You don’t find your purpose until after you’ve already had one. I’d done so many roles, and the things I would receive from these older actors, was just telling me what I needed to know.” On his continuing quest to hone his craft, Max studied cinema from around the world to gain a better understanding of how to portray characters, “…the way they captivate the audience with the protagonist and antagonist is different in Europe. Here, it’s based on objectivity and consumption and materialism; over there it’s based on intellectual value, and the esoteric discovery of their travel. That’s why I follow a character in a Melville film,
©2007 RHI Entertainment and Distribution, LLC.
A punk kid who was a roadie for the Circle Jerks at 14, Perlich grew up running around Hollywood in the 80s. “At that time I just wanted to rage, and slash grind every object I could on my skateboard, watch every movie and listen to the Germs as loud as possible while driving. If you’re skateboarding you just want to be in the wind. As a 14, 15 year old not in school, you can’t be a jerk, turn into a delinquent. You’re not going to be able to get a career. I did know something. I had always wanted to be an actor.” As a 16 year old skateboarding around with a flat top, Max decided to drop out of Fairfax High School, soon after he landed his first part, a small role in the 80s classic Ferris Buehler’s Day Off.
Clearly dedicated to his art, Max Perlich could seemingly go on for days speaking about his range of influences. Sitting in front of a computer, Perlich eagerly starts pulling up a mix of scenes from various films that have inspired him. “Actors that I got off on were like Charles Laughton, I love Peter Lorie’s work. Anything James Cagney did before 1936, especially the Busby Berkley musical Footlight Parade with Dick Powell and Joan Blondell. I admire Mae West and her early stuff in the 30s, such as She Done Him Wrong. I was influenced heavily by jazz--Thelonius Monk, Count Basie, Latin/ Cuban jazz, funk and rare grooves. Music helps me in my acting, more than acting does.” This eclectic mix of influences begins to shed light on how Perlich has adapted to playing so many characters effectively. Dedication and preparation are important. Perlich has been known to spend days preparing for an audition to ensure that he lands the part, noting that extra care is necessary when you take on a character that was a real person. “A lot of the time the stuff will be throughout history, and you really have to kind of be responsible as far as the integrity of the period and individual because they were alive. They were alive, and you can’t just kind of go it’s like this, I’m going to make this choice, it’s not your choice, it’s how it was and it’s either correct or it’s not. It’s not “good”, it don’t matter if it’s good, it was already happening in real life.” This appreciation for realism is also coupled with a practical approach to capturing his characters’ essence. “This person, they’re concentrating on the demeanor and intensity of the information being relayed to the other character. The thing to not do is to become the judge and jury, or the person who carries out the punishment, or the recognition that you have created influence. I think you have to be very respectful of the information that’s going to the audience. I think that people
who are looking for a collaborative environment as performers, or in any job that they’re doing, they will give it a take and not close doors to learning something new, or a different approach to it. And so therefore, I’m looking at things in that way, I don’t dislike something because someone flubs a line, if they have intensity.” While method actors have been known to become fully consumed by their characters, Perlich maintains a pragmatic approach. “The most interesting thing is that you don’t take him on - you shut on, and shut off.” Although admittedly, leaving the role behind can prove difficult as well. The idea that an actor can lose himself in a role isn’t just a Hollywood myth, “sometimes you get home from work, and you can’t unwind. You’re still there. Too much stuff is going on during the day, and you’re exhausted, but you can’t mentally get yourself to a point. I don’t know why you can’t just act. It’s something where you’ve gotten yourself wound up, and you can’t unwind. And you’ve got to get yourself out. No big deal, occupational hazard.” Despite the “occupational hazards,” Max tries not to let the characters he’s played take a toll. “If you concentrated on it. If I was to spend the time and worry about that, then I would be taking away more from the life I’m going to live. I’m trying to do the best I can every time, and reinvent every time I work. I don’t have a gauge for that, if I get injured, then I’ll know I went to far. Like when this happened,” Perlich grimaces as he removes several false teeth from the top of his smile. “That happened on Cliffhanger. When I get injured, that’s the bar right there.” It’s a craft, but at the same time, Max Perlich recognizes it’s a job. Playing characters puts food on the table for him and for his family. Our interview is interrupted when Max receives a phone call that his daughters will be arriving home any minute. Unnecessarily, he apologizes for not having more time. As his two young daughters enter the apartment, Perlich excuses himself, and seamlessly transitions into his most important role of all, that of a loving and doting father.
©2007 RHI Entertainment and Distribution, LLC.
because he’s so closed and internal, that you’ve got to watch his body, they’re not saying it. The plot is no plot, no narrative. The narrative is what’s on our faces and where we’re going, and what we’re touching and what’s going on, and the audience makes it up. That’s what I believe, in the kind of purest sense of it.”
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The London Police was once the name of an Amsterdam collective of three street artists, but now the London Police refers solely to its leader, Chaz. Scion recently tracked down the city-hopping painter to see if he could key us in on identity, aliases, anonymity and his life in his artwork. I was wondering if you’d discuss why street artists in general choose to work under an alias. I can only speak for myself. I always liked the idea of being in a creative group whether artistically or musically. Like music bands and graffiti crews, it’s always more colorful and interesting to have a title. It’s the beginning of the entertainment. Where does the name ‘The London Police’ originate? It’s just a name I came up with based on trips to London with Bob Gibson (formerly of TLP). I like, and still like, the sound of it. Who was originally involved in TLP? I started alone, but on the basis that my best friend Bob would come to Amsterdam one year later and team up. He came and, about 18 months later, we invited a third member, Garrett, into the crew. There were a couple of golden years that followed; we were a tight crew, well organized, but nothing stays the same for long. Things started to change as people had different ideas. Bob decided he had enough at the end of 2003, and then, the following year, working in partnership with Garrett wasn’t working for me. I decided I wanted to work alone, and so, at the end of 2004, we split up. It was a painful break up, and we haven’t spoken since. I still see Bob in Amsterdam. He continues to make art, music, babies and studies architecture. What is TLP’s manifesto? I’m still working on the perfectly worded manifesto that sums up TLP. But to throw a few ideas out there, I would say it’s a way of life. A chance to intertwine traveling and making artwork. It’s entertainment for the masses but always following its own direction. It’s not about being the best or the biggest, but just being. Enjoying. Growing. Basically, just blagging my way through life having an amazing time without trying too hard. Trying to be a positive geezer and not a negative creep.
Do you have any other egos? What do the names reference and why the need? I just like the sound of them. Great words and sounds within them. I never really use them, a bit like middle names. The ‘Reece’ was rhyming slang for me and Bob to say ‘The London Police.’ Big Geezers is more of a crew name for me, Galo, and a whole bunch of our friends we met over the last 10 years. We do shows together sometimes. Describe how your signature character, the Lads, came about. How do they represent you? They popped out to play in a situation of extreme boredom. They gave me company in dark campsite-receptionist times. They are playful, seemingly benevolent creatures. Is that what you’re like or is it just a ruse? I would like to think I’m a seemingly benevolent creature, but it’s objective. I prefer meeting people and getting on, than acting all tough and cold and like a hero. Who are some other collectives you get along with or respect? All the links on my website (www.thelondonpolice.com) are friends. There are loads of others I respect that I don’t really know. What about them do you like? I do like a good character, and half these freaks are definitely that. The rest are just funny or smart or enjoy skinning up all day. Are you very guarded about your ‘real identity’? Not really, but I’m quite keen on the focus being the artwork. Not me. What about your public identity or public work is consistent with you as a person? I just do the London Police and it’s a way of life for me. I don’t really see the difference between work and free time. It’s all the same. I always work, and I never work. I’m just doing my own thing. I let everyone else deal with it.
~ 43
Interview by Tim Brodhagen Photos by Craig Wetherby Unless you’ve been hemmed up in a cryogenic facility for the past year and a half, you are well aware of who Santogold is. You know that she is the latest incarnation of one Santi White, a Philly born and raised music industry castabout with ghostwriting gigs for Res and Lily Allen and a stint as the front woman for the punk band Stiffed on her list of credits. You’ve heard all about Santogold’s fortuitous sonic encounters with the likes of Diplo, Switch and Mark Ronson following her move to Brooklyn after the cathartic loss of her father. And you’ve seen firsthand as Santogold has toured with Bjork and M.I.A while picking up bookings for nearly every major music gathering for the next two years straight. Clearly Santogold is the one you should be watching, but just who is Santogold? And why is her mashed out electro dub hop sound carrying our collective creative redemption on her back? It’s time to let her tell it. Santogold, who is Santogold?
First off, how did you become known as Santogold?
When I was 12 or 13 a friend starting calling me Santogold because there was this infomercial that used to come on really late at night for cheap gold called Santo Gold. I used to wear these big gold earrings that said Santi on them so it was just kind of funny.
Is Santogold an alter-ego of Santi White’s?
As far as whether I’m in character and I’m “on” as Santogold, no. Not at all, actually. I don’t really have an alter ego as far as having
to turn into Santogold. It’s not like that. I’m still my same geeky self onstage and if it’s a good show it just means that I’m having a good time. It can be hard for me actually because I can be really anti social and I can be really private so it takes a lot for me to go out and do the stuff I have to do with Santogold.
But does some transformation take place to take you from shy and geeky offstage to controlling thousands of people with the mic? Something must be happening.
I guess it does, but it’s only through the music that I’m able to do that. I don’t even think about the audience when I step on stage, I just think about the fact that I’m going to sing my songs. The way that I do think about the audience is if they are really full of energy and fun and they are interacting with me. Then I get energy from them but otherwise it’s just me disappearing into the songs.
It’s interesting that you say that you don’t feel that Santogold has a different identity from Santi White. There must be a reason why you are Santogold and not just Santi White?
Well what it is, is this--for that part of someone, the performance part, you’re only showing parts of yourself but it’s still you. When you are doing interviews you aren’t going to tell what you don’t want to get told, but it doesn’t mean that you are creating some false you, you’re just choosing which part of yourself to display. It’s the same with performing, you’re only going to put certain aspects of your personality onstage, know what I mean? ~ 45
So Santi/Santogold is more of a dual identity? What are some of the things that influenced this identity?
I think that both of my parent’s history and what was important in their lives influenced me. Like the fact that my dad was a self made dude from the projects that ended up in Ivy League law school, and my mom was someone who grew up having to pick cotton and be segregated at school, but then went on to become a psychiatrist. They had lots to say about identity when I was a kid and going to an all white school. That’s how they made sure that I was sure of who I was.
So is identity important to you?
Being an individual is important to me. And really thinking for myself and having my own ideas and opinions is super important to me. So is not going along with everyone else or doing everything I’m told.
What do you think Santogold represents to the people that are connecting with Santogold? I think Santogold is exciting to people because it represents a
new wave of creativity. I feel like it means something is on its way. For such a long time we’ve had these horrible things going on. We’ve got this terrible formulaic music with the same producers making the same songs for everybody, and all these TV made stars. I don’t know, it just feels like everything is lacking life. It’s not a depression in the sense of the depression the country went through ages ago, but in a way it is. In a way it’s just such a dreary time where everyone is feeling powerless and afraid to speak up or feeling like there isn’t even a point in speaking up. At this point people have been programmed to move along apathetically and not do anything about it. I think for lots of these reasons, my music or my identity is that of somebody who is speaking up against all of those things. And then sonically it’s sort of magical because it is made up of all these things that are refusing to sit in these prefabricated marketing boxes. My music is exciting because I think it is shaking up things that need to be shaken up. It’s like anti everything else that is going on. Listen to Santogold at www.myspace.com/santogold.
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SCION EVENTS
visit scion.com for more information on past and upcoming events Live Metros Live & Direct Scion continues moving crowds with the Live Metro Tour. So far Live Metros have produced groundbreaking live mash-ups, pairing up legendary MCs such as Redman, De La Soul, Slick Rick, EPMD and Ghostface Killah with respected funk bands such as Connie Price and the Keystones and Orgone. Upcoming Metros promise to continue bringing funky new sounds with Too Short, Nice and Smooth, Black Sheep, and Bun B all slated to perform. scion.com/metro Playlist Contest You Got Played Do you have a black belt in creating the perfect playlist? That’s what Scion’s Playlist Contest aims to find out. DJ’s from Scion Radio 17 will be judging entries—they want to know what you are playing, and they will be looking for the person who can put together that perfect blend of sounds old, new and obscure. The winner of the event will have the chance to host a Radio 17 Playlist party in their hometown, thrown in their honor. The contest starts May 1st and runs until September 1, 2008. scion.com/playlist Broadband Double-You Double-You Double-You Dot Scion’s Broadband website streams a full range of fresh exclusive content 24-7-365. From music, to the arts and fashion, along with coverage of Scion events and interviews with creative innovators from around the world, Scion’s Broadband portal is pushing the limits of on demand web-based entertainment. The Skinny currently features a range of videos, including exclusive interviews with Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo), pioneering street artist Blek Le Rat, and the world’s loudest band, Motorhead. You can also find behind the scenes coverage of Scion events from around the country. scion.com/broadband Installation LA - Space Visual Stimulation Since opening their gallery last summer, Scion’s Installation LA Space has featured new exhibitions every month, put together by guest curators such as the Scrawl Collective and filmmaker Pablo Aravena (director of NEXT), showcasing some of today’s most visually compelling artists. Upcoming guest curators include Vice Magazine, Giant Robot, Thomas Subreville of Paris-based design collective Ill Studio, and Tokyo Non-Sense. scion.com/space Metal Show Heavy Metal Face Rock fans and metal heads have stood witness to some heavy shredding this year thanks to Scion’s Metal Show, a live music series highlighting some of today’s most solid rock and metal acts. Thus far, the Metal Show has already featured performances by Red Chord, Jesu, Earthless, High on Fire, Napalm Death, Enslaved, and even the legendary Motorhead. scion.com/culture
House Party Who’s House??? The Scion House Party is teaming up with musicians and DJs such as Justice, Mr. Oizo, TTC, Hot Chip, LA Riots, Radiocl*t, 120 Days, Midnight Juggernauts, and Franki Chan, guaranteeing that dance floors stay packed with bodies moving to the sounds of the club scene’s most progressive electro dance and house music. Upcoming Scion House Party events are taking place in Los Angeles, Austin and Baltimore, but dates and locations are kept secret until the last minute. In fact, the only way to know about the next House Party is to get on the mailing list. scion.com/houseparty Scion A/V And The Beat Goes On Since officially launching in 2007, Scion A/V, Scion’s in-house music label, has released a string of acclaimed projects that have made music critics and fans alike begin to take note. In 2008, more fire is headed your way with the release of projects by Iheartcomix, LA Riots and The 45 King featuring Wale, Pase Rock and 4th Pyramid. Also receiving much buzz is the Ghostface Killah vs Rhythm Roots All Stars single “Charlie Brown,” which was recently re-released as a series of remixes by respected producers DJ Mehdi, Yuksek, Orgasmic, and Guns n’ Bombs. Upcoming projects include releases from Fool’s Gold Records, Paris-based Kitsune, Modular Records, and remix projects from EPMD and Big Gipp. In the future you can expect to hear more exclusive music released on the Scion A/V label. scion.com/av Route Keeping It Reel 2 Reel If you’re passionate about independent films, then look out for this fall’s Route film series. Making its way around the U.S. in a six-city tour, Route will be screening feature films from some of today’s most progressive independent filmmakers. This year Route will include such buzz worthy films as The Upsetter: The Music and Genius of Lee Scratch Perry, Heavy Metal in Baghdad, Chop Shop, and Quinceañera. Following screenings, viewers have an opportunity to speak directly with filmmakers during a Q&A session, which will be followed by a cocktail reception featuring a local DJ. scion.com/route Vocalist Contest Do-Re-Me Too Are you a diva in the shower? Do you have perfect pitch when sitting in traffic? If so, it’s time to stop hiding your talents and take a shot at winning our Vocalist Contest. Scion is looking for the best electro/house vocalists, and Iheartcomix founder Franki Chan is even lending an ear to help judge the entries. Scion will be selecting from entries submitted online or via mail, with the most talented contestants going on to compete in one of three regional auditions that will be taking place around the country. One grand prizewinner from each competition will get to release their song through Scion A/V. scion.com/vocalist