Leave it to my brothers and sisters in China to give birth to a baby with three Arms. With over a billion and fair communication, we find out about stories like this. Imagine, India has nearly a billion and we hear almost nothing of Siamese twins, world's tallest, shorters, oldest, etc...


Back to the baby, which arm would you pick? I'd go with the one that's closer to his body. The way it's bent seems like it'll be more useful. The other arm seems bent weird to the point that it'll be more in the way than useful. My finger that's broken is permanently curved, but it's better curved than stuck straight. I wish this baby and his family some luck, it's going to be a tough road ahead, but things can actually be worse.

15 Sacrifice. Home or Away? (This will be the last one. I'm tired of this. Aren't you?)

One thing about sacrifice for your project isn't the fact that you're so busy, you won't get to do the fun stuff. That's a given. You won't get to see movies, bands, eat dinner, eat desserts, and generally fuck around. No, it's established that there's no time for that. But something else might happen. You won't take good care of yourself and your own "shit."

Here's an example. Right now, the plumbing at my house is fucked. The pipeline that takes all water to the city sewage system is broken. The broken section of pipe is actually located under my neighbor's driveway. Way back in the 30s, my house lot was huge and the surrounding area was farmland. So when the plots were chopped up many years later, it wasn't done carefully. So now, I have to ask my neighbor if it's ok for us to jack hammer her concrete driveway and get that pipe fixed. It'll be two days of broken concrete and one day of smelling sewage and many thousands of my dollars.

It's not the money which in the end, is going to be a lot, but it's the time to get this done. Last week, at gr/eats we had a disaster. Overnight, the water heater broke. We walked in, and there was water coming out. Luckily restaurants have drains built in the ground (you need this to get an "A" rating), so the water had somewhere to go.

So dilemma... fix the house or fix the business. Guess which won? All you have to know is that I still can't take a shit at my house right now, and no female can take a piss unless they want to drip dry. However, gr/eats has a new water heater and that means clean dishes, cleaner hands, and happy food for our customers. Sometimes, the sacrifice is worth doing.

Part 14 of this mess.

14. "World domination"

This sounds ridiculous in this context, but I've heard some people say this phrase, so I'll down step it an infinite amount just so it makes some sense. (at least to me)

People have said you're "taking over the world." It's of course overstated, but in the end, it may actually make some sense in the right context.

This is the new GRSF. We moved to 618 Shrader. Right next door.

Back in the day, junior high, high school, and even in my Japanese school, then to UCLA, I felt like an outsider. I'm Asian American and a regular dude, but for some reason, I didn't fit into either categories. I felt like I was friends with the outcasts. I have no idea why while walking down Bruin walk, which is the central main drag on the UCLA campus Asian American groups would pass out flyers to Asian American kids. I could clearly see them, passing them to a guy, then a girl, then when I walked up, no flyer. The hand holding the paper went back in. This happened a lot. Did I have a sign on me saying, No? Was it because I didn't wear the right clothes or had the sidewall haircut? When I did get a flyer, I remember the person asking, "who did I know?" I told them some random names, my parents, my dog, nothing worked. What he wanted to hear were "popular" kids names. The guys who ran the frats, the lowered car clubs, or threw the big parties. I didn't know them.

I took some of that energy when Giant Robot got started and eventually that was the many reasons why we got started. Overtime, we found that there was a lot of folks with these same experiences. So in effect, it's nice to think that we were able to create an outlet for people "like us." The main lesson I can cite here is that although World Domination is a Hitlerian word, it's what happened with GR in a microcosm. The World ends up being the world we created. Domination, not sure how that works, but I suppose it can mean, we're good at the niche world we're in.

There was no audience for GR, so we created one, there were no stores like GR so we made that too, and so forth. Now, years later, there's more than one magazine with similar interests, there's more than one store that's something like ours, and so forth. Although taking credit feels selfish, although I'm sure many would try and take it anyway, it's fun to see what we created expanding, even when it's not ours. This includes artists who grow thanks to some of our help, writers who get bigger gigs (is that possible?), and people who are making better for themselves thanks to an article we wrote or even an article written about us.

Lastly wanted to throw up some quick Eishi show shots here in SF. If you're in the bay, come on down.

Also don't sleep on this Happy Together Box set. Remember the lamp of the waterfall that lit up the room? You can get your own and pretend you're Tony Leung. This set comes with the lamp and boxers along with remastered movie, remixed CD, posters, postcards, and it's limited to 2046 pieces for $118. Shipping is a bitch but oh well.


In other news Michelin Man found dead! RIP. What was he doing on a boat?! Boats don't use tires!

Part 13 publishing series.

Networking. I know some of you might cringe at this word. I know I do. Some people are born with it. They can make friends with a sasquatch and then do some projects together. I unfortunately don't have this gift. I don't make friends easily, I don't drink, I don't go to many parties, bars, or too many places for that matter. So where does that leave me with networking? Maybe the fella who commented negatively on the Mike Patton photo is right. I don't fit in, I am better with "comics, toys, and fat people!" The good thing about the rise of kids who grew up with these things, (fat people?! - how does that fit in?) is that there might be more of us. We communicate in different ways.

Back in the day, I remember writing a letter to Boylan's soda. I was thinking, why not, I really like the drinks, so I just dropped a letter in the mail saying how good they are. About a month later, a package comes in the mail and it's a four pack of soda, a t shirt, and a letter from the president of the company. I was impressed. Now, years later, we opened gr/eats, and guess what? We carry Boylan's soda. I suppose you can network over the mail or internet. Perhaps that can work too.

The only tip I can give is that in publishing, and in many other world of business, being a good networker only helps. It may get you better distribution, media coverage, advertisements, and even articles. The sky's the limit when you have the gift of being a crowd pleaser. You may want to work with whoever you meet, but remember, you have to be able to offer them something as well. It seems a lot of people don't understand that and only want to take. If you're good at this, tell me what it does for you. I see people who network well, and it seems to help them a lot.

Giant Robot has always an uphill battle. At the same time, since I'm not out "networking", I am spending time trying to make GR better. That's important since no matter what connections you make, you'll still need to back up your words with some proof of a good product or project.

Just in! This is the new Giant Robot San Francisco space.

Eishi show in SF. I'm going to SF to install it tomorrow. The new location should look cool. Sorry, maybe no tip tonight!

Here's a few NY images, the first is the explosion shelving in the new Giant Robot NY space, which were designed by the same folks who did the first store in NY.

I like this one for some reason. I think it's because there's so much going on. Brent holds some glass, Souther works on his art, Caroline on a ladder, Saelee sitting...

While installing art, a Joey Ramones parade came through. The front was a marching band, and in the middle was Joey!

This is Mike Patton from Fantomas, but most of you may remember him from Faith No More. I hung out with him and cousin Dan the other day in NY. Mike's a cool guy. Catch him and Dan and friends on Conan O. on the 26th.

Part 12 whilest in the publishing series.

12. Fun.

This is a light one.

Make sure you and your staff have fun making your project. Without that, forget it. You'll burn out. Work with a smile if you can. Imagine that the job of publishing is tough, but you're working on an indie project that's cool, and you like it, so doesn't that make working fun? Imagine, at a job you're spending 40 hours a week which you end up internet surfing about half of that. But publishing can take 80 hours of solid work. So basically you might spend quadruple the amount of time, but the equation is:

Good work (fun) x 4 = big awesome times. It's fun, and now it's a multiple of fun.

Shit job = shit time, all the time. I hate to say it, but a lot of people are trapped in this, and I hope that their dreams can happen.

Here's a few things that's happened during some back issues of the magazine. I can't remember the date, I can't remember the exact issue number, but I can remember the fun things we did during that time. Before it broke, we played a ton of Rod Hockey (you can get these in Canada easily, but less in the US), Ipod Rockin (connected the ipod to speakers and rocking it out), NBA playoffs (that's going on now, and we're at least two maybe three seasons into having the NBA package with Direct TV), Superbowl Guacamole (the tree comes to life every so often!) and there's more. The latest is Martin's preparing for his wedding while juggling text and images and so on (less fun for me, but I'll remember it). Some of the best times of GR is during the deadlines, when we're working a lot, but it's the fun stuff that I'll remember more.

Poketo question: Are there rules of engagment and standards for owners and investors? Are there general contracts, percentages, etc for those involved? Are there resources for people looking for investors, consultants, etc?

Not sure about this since I do think there's different levels. Ideally, borrow from family since interest and time may be more lenient. Don't borrow from friends, unless 1) you intend to rip them off 2) you don't care about them.

Resources. I'm sure there's a borrowing money for dummies book. I'd stay away from a consultant. You need it when you're treading into waters that you don't know, and half the time, either will the consultant. So basically, you're paying for crappy guesses that you should have done yourself. Half the time, consultants haven't done a thing to prove they should consult. They are just talking game and charging money. I'd also stay away from investors unless you're ready to take that risk of being on the hook for the rest of your company's existence. But if you do it right, it can work for you. I'd have a good attorney work with you.

poketo question:
I agree with the grow as you go mentality... I feel most diy'ers feel this way, its the artists in us. Although, it's important to feel like you are heading somewhere, but, that somewhere is unknowable, and all of this travelling is a learning experience, as life is. That not knowing is a scary and good at once. There is so much to know, learn from different people because everyone has their own ideas, experience, and expertise. Who have you drawn inspiration from, who inspired you to write your first zine and open that first store? Who or what was the spark!

The spark has to be from yourself. Ultimately, when you have all of the help, people will flake out and you'll be the one holding the ball. I'm inspired by Cometbus, but a lot of inspiration came from people telling me that I couldn't do it and seeing our progress at the same time.

Part 11 at the publishing series. NWA Express yourself. Getting tired of this yet? What's the point of making a magazine? For a mag like GR, it's to get what you want out there. We started as a zine, and I'd like to think that we retain some of that rawness at least in spirit or concept.

Some mags start by being decent. They're putting in what they want, and how they want it, but soon, it seems like a popularity contest. Questions like, "What content needs to be in there to get more ads?" is all about the money. You're now in a mode to make the magazine to appease advertisers and not yourself. Ultimately, your readers will know you're full of shit. The new readers you get who aren't smart enough to know the difference, are great since they spend their money on you, but that wasn't your audience to begin with. At this point, you're in the magazine business to sell it one day soon.

A comments like, "Oh they're good? Let's write about it" is another kiss of death. The comment is something that happens when you don't care about what you're writing about, and you're more concerned with being popular and being part of a trend, rather than publishing what you want to write about.

One of the reasons why GR started was because there wasn't anything out there which fit my interests. Writing gigs weren't coming my way, so a magazine had to be created. Luckily, an audience developed over time, and we're still able to do what we want. Some Asian American magazines came and went, and their problem was that they didn't say anything, and they tried to express words for everyone. If you're trying to make something unique, then it's best to stay with your tastes, since ultimately, that's what will make your product special.

Going the MOMA and seeing paintings that you've seen before is sort of like visiting an old friend. I've heard Souther say that once when he came over to my house and saw one of his works on my wall. Now I know what he's talking about, except maybe in his case, they're not friends, but his children!

Part 10 within the publishing series.

10. Business Mind.

This part is age old. But do some math before you go balls deep on a project, even if it's not your money. You'll end up figuring out ways to save. The typical thing I see, is that folks work hard on an idea, they do the graphics, (let's say it's a magazine) and they write, get friends to help to put it together. This is all great stuff, but in the end, who's going pay for this job? Again, are the ads just going to show up? The most unfun part is to figure out where is the funding coming from. If you don't, then that project that's sitting nicely on your mac will stay there, and that's sort of a slap in the face to all who helped you. Do the math first.

A) If you're alone on it, you have to know that in the worst case, it's going to come from you. And in most cases, you should assume that. I would even have a big chunk of the funding first before you dive into designing, writing, and all that fun stuff, since if you have the funding, there's a more realistic eye on the prize. GR started with $200 since it was a zine. The funds went to photocopies. The collating and stapling of the 64 page zine was done by hand by everyone I knew. This is called starting raw. Very few could start this raw and get to where we're at. It was intentional... which brings us back to part 8... thinking ahead. We didn't.

B) Stay out of debt. Credit cards aren't really available in Japan for a reason. It's to keep the people out of debt. This is debateable since great projects have been funded by credit cards only to be paid back with the enormous success later. But these are the stories that you hear about. What about the 99% of the credit card projects that fail? You don't hear about them, because the person is either filing for bankruptcy or is working their ass off to pay for it all. No debt for GR, thankfully.

C) Be careful of borrowing money. You might have a partner who has some money but can't really do the work. This is dangerous. Imagine one year later, and you're growing, but the person who loaned you $1000 (let's say) will expect an exponential payback. Can you afford that, and how much should it be? If you get large, even a 10 times return isn't enough, and that person will own a chunk of your company. Good or bad? It can be either, but that's something to consider. There'll be people who think or feel that they have a part of what you've done. In some ways, they do of course if they helped...

D) KAWS put it simple when he said something to the effect of: Basically it's logic. You put in money, and you get more back, you put that back in and you get more back. It's just simple nuts and bolts business. Things have to financially make sense.

E) Save. You can cut corners. If you're a DIY person, then you might already know how to save, but if you aren't, then think twice before you but the most expensive tools to make something that doesn't require them. Of course luxury is a need for some, so you might not help yourself, but consider it. Also save your money. If you're launching something, you're going to have to be disciplined.

Apple store in 5th and 58th. Think inside the box. 24 hours, this Apple store is sort of like the triangular Louvre, but square. This shot of me and Anne was taken by a Macbook!

9.5 The Breaks. Since I mentioned taking a break, I suppose there's two things you can do.

1) Do something that takes your mind off of your work, hence a break. This is what most people do when they get away from their work. Get away, and come back fresh. This is probably the most common thing one hears about breaks. For me, it doesn't always work out. If it's a pressing deadline of some sort, breaks just freak me out. I want to get back to the job so I can try and hammer it out, then I'll take a break later.

2) This is the other thing you can do, or "just happens". While you're out, it's possible that whatever you're up to can help you get your "thing(s)" done. For me, shit just comes to me. I went to MoMA yesterday, and while walking around aimlessly looking at random pieces of art, I came across one piece that looked something like a t-shirt I was trying to make but couldn't get right. Looking at the painting gave me an idea on how to possibly "fix" the design. I was only at MoMA for a couple of hours, and I left with an idea that was worth more than the $20 price of admission. One can't really look at it this way, since I think you'll always be behind in terms of money, but this time, aside from seeing great art, I think I solved a design "issue". Inspiration can come from anywhere, it's how you channel it that makes a difference. I'm now excited to get to that design which basically means, I'm wanting to get to back to my work. We'll see if this t-shirt comes to fruition, but at least it's not just a boat on a hill for another chance.

I'm not sure if this is something you can practice, but either way, walking away from your project and coming back can help you if you're stuck. Speaking of stuck, I've heard of people talk about writer's block. Know much about that? Thankfully, I've never encountered it. I'm not sure if a break will help you get over that, since it's already sort of a break when you're blocked. Maybe the idea is just to plow into it before it turns into a phobia like Charles Barkley's golf swing.

*in case you don't know what I'm talking about. Retired NBAer, Charles Barkley was once a decent golfer, but for some reason he developed a weird hitch in his swing that won't go away. It's a phobia of some sort and it's the most hideous golf swing you can imagine.

BTW... Yesterday was Souther's opening here in NYC, the new space is cool, and different compared to the rest of GR, it's seems like an example of growing organically. GR shops have art exhibitions that are coupled with retail. But GRNY2 has an art section that stands alone in the front with the retail in the back. It's definitely more of a risk, but it's better for the artist.

This is just a .5! I'll resume tomorrow if I can! My wireless is spotty here in NYC. If I could, I'd blog with a blackberry, but one problem... no blackberry.

Part 9 at the publishing series.

9. Take a break. Leaving the job even for a few hours can change everything. For me, I'm leaving this blog until tomorrow. But we'll see, in a few hours I may add more.

Part 8 of the publishing series.

8. Thinking ahead - thanks for the idea...

Poketo asked this question:

With all of the things on your plate... mag, store, restaurant, and chilling out... daily stuff seems to consume. how do you make time and what is your approach to 'thinking ahead', taking GR where its been and where its going? Now, it's late nite talk show time :)

For Giant Robot, thinking ahead isn't exactly part of the program. There are two ways to go about growing just about anything. It's force feeding it, and pushing growth, which is sort of like steroids via marketing and getting whatever you're doing out there in a hurry. It's the notion of forcing a square into a circle. The second way, is to go organic, which is good and bad. In GR's case, we grow as we go. There's no five year plan, marketing plan, or growth plan. Nothing is written down and nothing is deliberate. However, we do care about where we're going, but we don't exactly plan it.

Souther Salazar is having a show at GR NYC, where I'm at right now. If you know Souther, you can pretty much guess that he doesn't plan too far ahead. It works for him.

The last entry was about diversifying. We did that without planning it. As we saw needs, we tried to fill them. The needs weren't public needs, but they were our own needs. The first store opened in 2001 because our webstore was overgrowing it's space. We needed a place to put our goods, and a store was a logical way to deal with that. The second store happened when our first store got overpacked, and the art exhibitions we wanted to have required more space. We opened GR2 in 2003. The restaurant was a little different. I ate at the udon shop which was the previous occupant of the gr/eats space. One day I ate there, and they told me they were closing down. The next day, we decided to try our hand at opening a restaurant, and that was an idea until I ate udon that one day.

Thinking ahead for GR isn't a big concern. It may be something important for others, since without a plan, you won't be able to borrow or get investment. Who's going to believe that you'll spend their money without blowing it? For us, these kinds of plans aren't our style. Right now, we're happy with the direction things are moving, and we're letting time, the changes outside of us, and our own needs dictate a little of our direction. The only plan I have now is to keep on going, and that's actually a long term plan.

Part 7 in the publishing series.

7. Be a Pimp and Diversify.

For small mags, I think you gotta do this. At any given time, there are thousands of magazines running in the US. This includes industry only magazines. For example, there might be titles like: Sugar Beet magazine (not the one about whacking the stalk), Bowhunter (a mag about shooting down animals with a bow - this one is real and it's subscription only, so you never see it), and stuff like AAA's Sunset magazine which you get free as a member. With so many magazines out there, and let's say "you" being a small entity, how can you survive?

The answer is, not everyone can. As many magazines that come up, that many have to close down. If you're a newsstand magazine, then there's only so much space you can occupy on a person's newsstand shelf for the month, and a step after that, there's only so much space on one's bookshelf or coffee table at home. Someone's gonna fall.

Hustle and Flow, the movie actually serves as a decent example. Terence Howard was a pimp with a car and only one ho. They'd sit in the car until a "john" rolled up looking for the menu of, $20 in the frontseat, $40 in the backseat. But even Terence knew that he needed to diversify. How did he do it? I'm sure he would have loved being like SF's real super pimp, Fillmore Slim with a stable of 10 ladies. But instead, he got into the rap game. So now he has his ho, who doubled as a agent/manager, found some friends, and cut some songs onto a CD with no money! He also went to prison which ups his street value, while his song gets played on the radio. So now, he's a pimp (revenue stream #1), and has a song on the radio which sells his single. (NEW revenue stream #2). It's an example of diversity.

Giant Robot started making t-shirts in 1995 or 1996. We'd do iron-ons. Then we sold stuff like stiletto knives from Mexico, books, and toys. We did mail order, then it became webstore, then real store, then stores. (This is a long story that I'll get to this another time) If you know GR, then you know that there's a lot going on.

I wouldn't dare say we're like a pimp, but I think the idea is to be diverse. It's the same reason why you're supposed to invest across the board and not just in one company. It's why there's a Dow Jones Industrials list, so one can see that there's a benchmark average of growth (or not), and it's a list of many companies across the board. It's also why retail stores sell more than one item. You most likely won't get enough money to make it in publishing. So step two has to be, hedge your bets elsewhere to make yourselves "wider." This is all easier said than done. Not every magazine will lend itself to a shirt title, retail store, or a restaurant, so it can be an uphill battle if you're copying our model. But there are other things you can do for sure. You just have to be creative and find the need that your magazine creates.

This is probably the most important "tip" for a small magazine. Honestly, do you really think that making a magazine and getting ads is going to be easy? Is getting a distribution company going to solve your problems? Is printing going to become free? No to all. You're competing against tons of titles, and one of those is ours.




Poketo asked this question:

With all of the things on your plate... mag, store, restaurant, and chilling out... daily stuff seems to consume. how do you make time and what is your approach to 'thinking ahead', taking GR where its been and where its going? Now, it's late nite talk show time :)

-I'll try and get to this one tomorrow! Thank you for the comments. I'm sure there's a handful of you reading, and it's nice to hear that what I write may actually inspire, help, or just entertain. I'll be in NY starting tomorrow. Come to Souther's show in nyc, or go to see BWANA in LA!

Part 6!

6. Hold it! Have balance. After reading my last two entries which would surely drive most people crazy, now I suggest to do something completely opposite. Be into what you do, but don't forget what's outside. A lot of publishing and DIY-anything is about sacrifice. People don't tell you that part, but it's true. You're going to miss parties, shows, and your favorite TV show, and that's part of the territory, but learning how to balance work and the non work is one of the toughest things to learn. Admittedly, I haven't quite figured it all out yet.

This is me picking off some snacks at Saelee Oh's opening in NYC. Not an exciting photo, but look at the Red Vines font!

You know that feeling, when you go out of town for a week, and you come back and it feels like you missed out on a lot of stuff? Maybe it happens less with internet and cell phones, but that weird feeling can happen when you're trapped inside working on your project. Although the hard work is usually fun, it's a good idea to pull your noggin out of your work, use the flim flams and join in on other things in the world.

Another issue with being an editor is that even though the hard work you put in is valuable, not being part of the world will eventually make you useless to your own publication. Ideally, a long term editor or publisher or store owner should improve with time and not end up being a fossil.

In GR world, we're sort of fortunate, since the publication has always been based on whatever we're into. That means, we don't need to be up on the latest Asian American "rock star" who's the invisible bassist of a top 40 band, the cute actress who's in a film for a blink of a moment, or identity finding comedy / theater group. I think we can do the hermit issue if we wanted, and I'd put my money down that it would turn out interesting.

Part 5 of this publishing series...

5. Multitasking Economizer. If you're publishing, you have to be able to do this and be this (#5). I often hear, "I don't know how you do all this." I have no idea either, since I'm just doing it.

This is my dad cleaning a pool. He's pretty good at economizing since he worked in construction. That's a big deal in that line of work.

I've played some tennis when I was a little kid all the way through high school. I've played poorly, but somedays I played greatly. There was a day when I beat two players, both who went on to play NCAA division one tennis. They were really great. I was in the "zone". Sometimes, doing GR stuff is sort of like that. There's so much to do, and so little time, that if you're not on top of things, the day can crumble quickly. Each block of a few minutes count, and from when I get up at let's say 8am all the way though 6 or maybe 8 pm, I'm completely booked solid and doing things. I *don't even take a meal in that time, and I don't even notice! Luckily, it's not like this everyday. But I still forget to eat.*

I keep adding more stuff to do. Maybe it's about multi-tasking. Maybe it's having great help. Maybe it's just about getting better at doing what I'm doing and economizing my time. This is something you can't just pick up and start doing. You're either wired for it, or you're not. And if you're not, then publishing will be that much harder.

On the other hand, there's days that just don't amount to anything. Those are the worst. What's the point of even working on those days? That's just part of the job, and I couldn't do it any other way.

Here's an example, if I watch a TV show, I've got a laptop on my lap and what might I be doing? Designing a t-shirt for GR, ordering products for the stores in the three cities, working on art show related anything, writing an article (notice how far down this is?), and so on. Maybe it's because TV isn't that great, but this is why I have a 12" Powerbook (I've also had two 12" ibooks) and not a 15 or 17" one. How would I take it anywhere to do other things besides what people think I'm doing? The only problem is the show gets sacrificed a little, since I'm missing the tiny details and so on, but that's less important, and I don't sacrifice the work on my laptop.

Only recently have I started using the Address book and ical on a mac. With these, I'm able to mainting my appointments better, and have people's info literally at my finger tips. This helps a lot.

*Side story: I once had an intern who was about 12 or 13. It was a special day for him, where he helps me do whatever I need. We worked the whole day and I remember him eating a candy bar, then another. I realize that by 4pm, I didn't eat, and I was making him do the same thing. I realized it too late, and I apologized, and he told me, "don't worry, I won't tell my mom." It's fine for me, but for others, no, it doesn't really work.

This is part four of the publishing GR series.

4. Tenacity.

One of the problems in the history of Asian American publications, and many smaller publications like ours is the frequency. Many mags came out and looked great and even lasted for a few years, throwing lavish parties, promoting themselves like they were important, but then they folded. When they folded, where did the subscription money go? The many who gave up their bucks for a years worth of mags got ripped off.

This is Sun Min Kim and David Horvath. Together they do Uglydolls. Want to know about tenacity, read their interview in the upcoming GR42. I kid you not, they're a great example. (is this a passive aggressive move of tenacity?)

Back in the day, I remember people telling us, "should I really subscribe? Are you going to stay in business?" Comments like this are the worst, since it means people are used to getting ripped off and are hesitant to support a smaller project, like ours. In the world of Asian American related magazines, it's been a story of people getting fucked out of their subscriptions. So why should anyone support us?

The easy way is to talk game. Be full of shit, and boast and lie about how well you're doing. Who cares, since in the end, it's only your reputation at stake. But when you go into hiatus, then what? Are you going to feel like an asshole? Are you going to happy counting your money? All this is bad. In the end, I'd like to think we earned our subscribers. We haven't spent a lot of time trying to talk people into subscribing, and we don't have subscription fundraisers although we should. Our best ally is tenacity. We put that subscription card in the mag, and that's all we really do. The key is repetition. Although a lot support us, there's a lot who don't, but while they're hating, we're making another issue. At this point, I hope people believe in us a little. We've been publishing for 12 years, and we're only getting better.

Publishing GR. Some insights.

3. Leeway. Give yourself some because, you'll be late anyway.



This photo is a preview to GR42. I took this shot of Martin tagging candy while we were near the end of deadline. Wendy peers with a smile in the background.


Making a publication, especially when you're on your own deadline takes discipline. There was a time when I think it took months of hands on work to make an issue, but not anymore. So much goes into publishing, and no matter what you do, and no matter how much you plan, when you say an issue is going to be done Jan 1, you'll end up starting too late to make the deadline. If you say it's Jan 7th, you'll start one week later instead of just starting earlier. That said, in the 42 issues of GR, I think we've actually made the true deadline just a few times. A day late, maybe 5-10 times, a few days late, 20 times, a week late, maybe 5-10 times, two weeks late, it's happened way back when. Is there a point to being exactly on time for us? A week late isn't great now that we're bi-monthly, but a few days is fine.

Print shops want the work, and if you're late, they'd be idiots to penalize you. If that happens, move to a new shop! When we're running late, I put in a request for them to move faster. Shave a few days off please! If I don't call that request in too often, they seem to actually do it. Would we sacrifice quality for being on time? No fucking way. My opinion, is if being a few days late will make a much better publication, then go ahead and be a few days late. Ultimately, you have to live with what you make, and I wouldn't want a bad issue next to my name.

I don't have experience with a daily or a weekly publication. I assume those need to be exactly on time. I suppose if we were in a cookie cutter mode to do a publication like that, it would be no problem at all.

I did say I would write one publishing tip a day. This is the third day and the third tip. Made the deadline again.

2. Big mistakes. Be ready for this to happen.

Recently, we spelled Kilgallen wrong on the front cover. We could have left it that way, but in the end, that would have been a downer.



I'd have a hard time sleeping, knowing that we could have fixed it but didn't. The result was spending a ton of money to take the magazine back to the shop to print it. Imagine, the cover was on the mag, the pages were printed, and it was done. The job went back to the print shop. Copies did get out, but knowing that we fixed what we could was worth the high costs. A lot of people in the industry told that no publisher would do this, the cost was too high, and it wouldn't be worth it. But that's where we differ. I'd like to think it means something to do the right thing, and the chance to fix a Big Mistake doesn't come often, so we took it.



Too bad there's no insurance for this like for cars and homes, etc. Something crappy will happen, and you're going to need to be ready for this. It'll take time, money, and effort to fix whatever it is that goes wrong.

Here he is, the record holder for the 100 meter dash. Justin Gatlin. He's nearly in Barry McGee pose.



I always thought Ben Johnson's 9.79 was fast because he was roided out. Now, dudes are breaking that record without drugs. So what does all this mean? Humans will hit 73 homers without steroids? Or steroids don't matter? Either way, the fastest man in the world gets credits from me.

Giant Robot 42 is at the print shop. It actually amazes how much better we are at making a magazine. I'm going to start a series of tips on publishing a magazine. I'm not sure if you can apply this to other facets of whatever you do, but with an open mind, maybe it will. I'll try to write one a day if I can, and I'll give you some examples too. These won't be in any order, since any tip is a good one as long as you use it.



1. Small mistakes. People feel giddy when they find one in the mag. They see a misspellled word and jump for joy. They show their friends, they read it 10 times aloud, and it becomes a conversation piece, but people forget them quickly, or do they? Wayne Lo, a friend in prison has a lot of time. With each issue comes a letter. He points out the good parts in the mag, maybe some stuff he doesn't agree with, but always makes a huge stink about a mispelling, a wrong jump page number, or a mislabeled photo. He'll always say something like, I should get a job there, you need new copy editors, etc.

It's a compliment that he cares enough to write about every mistake he finds. I look forward to his letters and his $24 a year for his subscription. Just because you killed people doesn't mean you get the magazine for free, but you do have the right to crack back at us for anything.

We seldom get letters pointing out a small mistake these days except from Wayne. It's not one of those situations where we blow it off with a laugh, we do try and prevent them from happening, but we do get over it. If you find one, feel free to email me at eric@giantrobot.com

Imagine, GR is 1 magazine. There might be 20 articles / features / sections. There's probably 40,000-50,000 words in GR. A mistake will get through and those are for Wayne to find.

Whoa I stand corrected, that was Martin's review!

I write music reviews. Once in a while they get quoted in an article. That's usually an honor, but I guess I sort of destroyed this one. Read about the analog girl.

Webcam at giantrobot.com is working. Both gr1 and gr2 are back up. Today Jack and Wilson handle GR1, and Serina is at GR2. Pictured is Mike from the webstore prowling.

Deadline and pie. We're on deadline right now and today we were thinking about pie month at Marie Callender's. One month, the GR crew racked up 20 pies in one month. You return the tin, and you get a discount, so the incentive was there to get more pie out of the deal. We ate slices and slices of every kind of pie. From fruit to pseudo fruit to pecan and rhubarb.



I remember Martin saying, "this was the best pie month, ever." What were the previous ones like? Either way, we always remember that magical pie month which was now a few years ago. Deadline and pie, sounds kind of funny, doesn't it? Most people get their reward after they finish something. That's what dessert's all about. But one of the best parts about being here at GR, dessert can come first, second, and even twentieth.

Souther is having a show in our second New York space. There's something sentimental about Souther's show titles. We Were Young, and It Was Summer, sounds like something out of a novel or a movie. Souther taps into a distant memory bank in everyone. Have a fleeting relationship during the freedom of summer in years past?



His art does the same thing. In a sophistication of schooled technique mixed with an honest hand which creates a narrative art world that's sentimental.

12 years, 41 issues, the only one started as real zine, 1 sentence in the NY Times. Priceless!

GRSF has Myleen as the manager. Myleen is from LA, via SF, but from LA. Does that make sense? On the right, that's Heather. My short visit in SF was to help oversee a little bit of the new space next door. If you walk in, say "Hi Myleen," she's the friendliest around. It's going to be good.




A few posts back, I mentioned the crummy breakfast place, the Squat and Gobble! That's exactly what I did, I gobbled then went home and squated, for a while. Pork Store on the other hand, they give it up better. Those brown things are veggie sausage patties. The biscuits have veggie gravy. Small "+" for Haight now that I had something decent.

SF gets better and better, I think it has to do with weather, nice folks, and the easy mode of transportation. Haight is still weird (Although Kent from FTC is always cool), but it was nice to jump on a flight home, drop off my shit, and make it to the softball game.

Cousin Jason. Tonight's softball game was another stunner. GR wins 18-13 in a big time hitting display. Although the other team also filled with Asians were powerful and exciting, they were overmatched. Cousin Jay got a hit, but while running pulled a calf muscle.



His calf is bigger than most people's thighs. It looks like a massive turkey drumstick. While the team was in the middle of one of the rallies, hobbling Jason came up to bat. He could barely walk. He hits a bloop and gets a hit, and struggled to get to first base! That's big time heart. Good defense, strong offense, and the shootout ended in GR's favor. The foes eventually broke down and couldn't match the heat.

gr/eats promotion is over. It actually ended on monday, but look at this photo! That's Mayan Chicken and it's tasty! There's a cool short story about this. I asked Chef Nelson about dishes that he really likes from his home country, El Salvador, and the next day he busted this out. It's a dish made on special occasions only, but we serve it daily. There's some interesting ingredients in it, and many think there's some chocolate (like mole) but wrong region, wrong tribe! If you ask him, maybe Nelson will tell you!



This dish tasted so good, it had to go on the menu. The chicken is almost cooked like stew and it slides off the bone.

This impressive photo was taken by SX-70
and it's on the lounge. It makes me hungry looking at it.

I should be making a GRSF store appearance tomorrow wed. Haight street. Where do you eat there? SF is supposedly a culinary town, right?



A couple of weeks ago, I was hungry and desperate for something good. When in doubt, breakfast usually works 24-7. SF, especially Haight street, is a decent breakfast area. Although it's just potatoes, toast, and eggs, for a greasy morning breakfast, Haight street's (notice how I don't differentiate? - it's all the same usually. One taste one area) probably better on average than what you'd get in LA, it's a safe bet. Last time I went, I ate the crappiest Tofu scramble. The one in the picture looks great, but the one I got looked grey and it was a little sour. The potatoes were fine, the toast was as you'd expect, but how do you fuck that one up? This spot near the end of the Upper Haight area leading to the middle Haight did just that. Why did I pick that place? I swear it said there was wireless, which there wasn't. I told some locals about it, and the first thing they ask, "Was it the Pork Store?" "Was it ___?" For some reason, no one knew where the heck I ate, and that was a bad sign. So I picked the only shitty breakfast place in the area. They had the colorful handwritten chalkboard sign and everything, but chalk doesn't cook the food.

So that said, I'll be in SF. Maybe I'll eat a huge meal before I get on the plane so I won't have to eat again. Everyone told me Haight street food isn't good, but I'm still convinced something has to be alright in the area. There's Citrus Club, Pizza place, Cha cha cha... not sure... But the nice thing about being in the Upper Haight is that Cole Valley is really close by. Maybe I'll explore there.

I was going to give you another sentimental story about Japanese school or an update letter from Wayne Lo, but then I saw this video from the Clipper's game.

Chris Kaman gets his nuts tugged.



In case you don't want to see this link, a pro basketball player grabs the nuts of another in a playoff game. I watched this game, saw the shove, but didn't know what was going down (under), but thanks to video websites, I'm now disturbed that it happened in a basketball game. I bet pine shiner Reggie Evans won't even get suspended. Smoke pot, get two technicals, say the wrong thing, and you're busted, grab a dude's nuts in a game, it's fine. Men's sports. It's filled with so much testosterone and weird views of justice, it's bizarre.