Interview Part 2. Interview conducted by Cindy Ko.


4) What factors are important to choosing the next location of a new GR store?

If we have time to handle it, that’s the first factor, but otherwise, it just has to make sense financially within the area.

5) Arguably, your largest base is in the Los Angeles area-- do you see it influencing the visibility of Asian American culture in LA? How about the Asian American community overall?

I’m not sure what gets through to people. But I’d like to think since we’ve been around, we’ve helped shape some people’s ideas of what Asian Americans are about. I do know that there was a time, when I was shunned by Asian American groups, clubs, and organizations. It was as if I wasn’t Asian American enough, when in my opinion, I’m hardcore Asian American. With that, I think GR does what it does, and I think it gave a voice to the folks who were ignored, like me.

6) How do you think that face of Asian American culture has changed, since the start of your magazine?

I sort of answered it above. In our world, the outcasts found a niche I guess… and we did it without being part of APEX, and being associated with the many Asian American theater groups, and the many other organizations. We did it ourselves which seems to be fairly unprescendented in Asian American land. At the same time, I’m not shunning these groups, I’m just saying we were cut from a different mold and found a world for that. How we fit I suppose doesn’t really matter, we don’t really think about that.