Interview with Eric Nakamura of “GIANT ROBOT” Magazine (1998 - a J!-ENT Classic Interview)

From left to right: N8 Shimizu, Martin Wong and Eric Nakamura (1998)

Back in the mid-90’s,  I remember finding this black and white magazine at my local bookstore.  It was called “Giant Robot” and it was so different from anything that I was reading, I have to admit I was really intrigued by the coverage.

As an Asian American who was very involved in college activities especially when it came to Asian American activities and issues, I have to admit that Eric Nakamura and Martin Wong’s (the co-founders and co-editors) “Giant Robot” magazine was important in my life growing up.

Although there were other Asian-American related publications such as “YOLK” and “A. Magazine” available (which are no longer around anymore), “Giant Robot” was different because it covered not only what was happening stateside but abroad.  It had content that I was really into.

From the pop culture, the music, the art and the overall style that I appreciated the magazine for and eventually, it is great to see how much they have grown nearly 15 years later as a magazine, as business owners and individuals.

The duo now owns several shops in California and New York City.  They also own a restaurant and just to think how far these guys have come since they started printing these black and white issues.

Recently, I was at a local Barnes n’ Noble bookstore and had to check out the latest issue of the magazine and like how things were over a decade ago, both guys are still dedicated in covering Asian pop culture and I’m proud of them for what they have accomplished.

So, I figured it’s been  a decade since my first interview back in 1998 with Eric Nakamura of “GIANT ROBOT” magazine that I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading..  And perhaps, I’ll follow up with an interview with both men in the near future.  Enjoy!

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Eric Nakamura is the publisher and co-editor of the Asian American magazine, Giant Robot. Giant Robot separates itself from the other Asian American magazines by covering risky topics such as the Asian underground and also topics that the other Asian American magazines would never cover.

Giant Robot is also known for writing the infamous “Yellow Power” articles that have been distributed to colleges around the country.

Giant Robot is known for covering many topics that interest Asian Americans and non Asians from anime to underground music. These topics are not mainstream and Giant Robot is definitely not a politically correct or a conservative magazine.

GR leans more towards a radical side, covering political topics to entertainment, mainstream or the underground.  And it works as the magazine manages to keep its readers entertained and informed.

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview Eric Nakamura and learn more about him and the unique Giant Robot magazine.

J! (DENNIS): Eric, let’s start out with a few basic questions. Where did you go to college and what was your major?

ERIC: I attended UCLA and majored in East Asian Studies.

J! (DENNIS): Since GR covers many topics, I’m curious to know what your favorite hobby is?

ERIC: I’m happiest when I’m working on the magazine and sitting at my desk. But a bunch of my hobbies are featured in the magazine such as seeing live shows, anime, gardening, collecting old toys and swap meet items.

AC (DENNIS): Who are your current favorite music artists or groups?

ERIC: Versus, Ron D. Core, Simply Jeff and My Bloody Valentine, just to name a few.

J! (DENNIS): What about your favorite movie?

ERIC: “Fame Whore”. It’s a Jon Moritsugu film. It’s excellent. Other movies I like are “Fudoh” and “Junk Food”.

J! (DENNIS): Now let’s start with the deep questions and learn more about you and the magazine. Where were you born and raised? What kind of atmosphere did you grow up in?

ERIC: I was born in LA and raised in West LA. Much of my growing up happened in the “Buddha-head community”. I went to Japanese school, Buddhist Church,  and hung out with many Japanese American kids, although my best friend was a “white” kid around the corner. We got into punk rock, riding BMX bikes, and causing trouble. As junior high came, me and the Buddhaheads drifted apart a little, and then I went to a different high school that was more “white” and affluent. But this has some to do with “Giant Robot”. The co-editor Martin Wong, and N8 Shimizu - the business brains, and I all grew up similarly. We went against the grain and pushed the limits to the extreme.

J! (DENNIS): Let’s talk about your magazine, Giant Robot. Who originally founded Giant Robot and what year was GR formed?

ERIC: Giant Robot was founded in the summer of 1994. I came up with the idea and got Martin involved. N8 Shimizu came later on at about issue 4.

J! (DENNIS): What was the inspiration to create GR and was it a very difficult process? Also, for those who have never heard of Giant Robot, can you describe what kind of magazine it is?

ERIC: The inspiration to create GR came from our heads and hearts. That’s really it. We wanted to make a magazine that we would buy. There wasn’t one out there. Giant Robot is an Asian American/Asian underground pop culture magazine that also encompasses music, art, history and many related topics. It’s a wide range of a magazine.

J! (DENNIS): In the few years that GR has been around, you have worked and befriended many Asian/Asian American celebrities. Who are the most interesting people that you have met and worked with? What was it like with hard to interview major Asian stars like Maggie Cheung and Jet Li?

ERIC: Maggie Cheung is the hardest to interview and she’s a great lady. I really enjoyed hanging out with her. Jet Li was a great one too. He’s a cool guy and deserve all accolades. But then again Chow Yun Fat was the man. He was cool as anyone out there. It’s tough to say, but one of the most interesting was Jenny Shimizu, the Calvin Klein supermodel. She was maybe the most interesting. She gave us an incredible story that no one else can ever get. Not all people appreciate the hard work we do. It’s amazing how shallow some people are. I swear, we put our best work forward each issue.

J! (DENNIS): One of the most interesting articles I have ever read about Asian Americans was in your magazine. It was the “Yellow Power” topic. Can you give a brief synopsis of what the 21-page project was about?

ERIC: The Yellow Power topic is a topic that has NEVER been covered by any publication in full as we did. It’s about the unknown folks who got together with non-Asian civil right groups like the Black Panthers to organize and make things good in their lives. That’s a basic explanation but there’s so much more than that in it. It covers people from the farms to around the country. We wanted to bring school type info and bring it to a bigger front. It worked. Currently, the school systems are starting to teach it using our work, interviews, and so on. Some schools are ordering the magazine for class studies. Some grad students have ripped off our work to use as teaching methods that they have researched themselves. This happened at UCLA. An intern who was taking an Asian American class was being lectured GR material from a grad student without credit of our magazine. After class when confronted, her answer was “Oh, I forgot. REALLY?!” Also at UCLA, pages of our magazine with the corner “Giant Robot p. X” intentionally cut off was photocopied and passed around the campus. It happens, and I think the rip-off part is also a great news story. The article was for the public, not to be ripped off by jealous grad students.

J! (DENNIS): Was it very difficult for the GR staff to put it together?

ERIC: It was tough to do. There are so many angles to cover and it’s a tough topic. No one can say they know everything about it. There are tons of experts. There were some battles to make sure it was tight. The article was a lot of work and almost didn’t happen. It was a risk to put it in our magazine. I don’t know how many think that’s true, but from a publisher’s perspective, it was risky.

J! (DENNIS): Can you give us a synopsis of a typical day for Eric Nakamura?

ERIC: Wake up come to GR office, and work `till 7 p.m., and then do fun parts of the magazine. Editorial daytime isn’t editorial time. It is business. At night, I can have fun with the others composing things that make up the magazine. During the day, I work with N8 regarding what we are doing with the magazine. We have interns that we direct. We are moving forward fast.

J! (DENNIS): Where do you see yourself and Giant Robot in the next 10 years?

ERIC: In ten years, we want Giant Robot to be more widely read, we want to be able to have multimedia projects including television, film, consulting, art, print media and more. But then again in ten years, I could be doing nothing but looking for a job. Our goals are to remain strong, and keep pushing forward into the next century. We are making some longer term plans these days since the magazine is growing larger than we imagined. We want to make things happen while we are alive. We want to move the planet if we can.

J! (DENNIS): A positive aspect that GR has brought Asian Americans in the valley is bringing them closer to their roots. It also keeps them in touch with what’s up around the world and in the country.   What last words would you like to express to the Asian Americans in the Central Valley who are interested in reading Giant Robot magazine and also those who are currently reading the issues?

ERIC: The Central Valley is where my dad’s side is from. It’s a dope area, yes it is. As I mentioned earlier, just because something is from the big city be it LA or SF or NY, doesn’t mean it’s good. There are great things in your own area. There are role models in your area. I know that Giant Robot Magazine could be centralized in the Central Valley and we could write stories only about the Central Valley and its people. There are things to do in your area. I’ll bet your flea markets and swap meets have a billion dollars worth of goodies at them every Sunday. I’ll bet your next- door neighbor would make a great story in our magazine. Maybe you would too.   Contact us! We are always looking for eager people to help us out.