Giant Robot Store and GR2 News – Tagged "tad suzuki" – GiantRobotStore

chhunly hach slater · MW · News · pity corp · tad suzuki · the working man · thy mai · Dec 07, 2012

The Working Man: The Suit, The Site, Chhunly

If you even skim my blog, you know how I feel about Thy Mai (Pity Corp.) and Tad Suzuki (The Working Man). They’re super creative, supportive, and caring friends, who were recently involved in my skate film program that played in Chicago, Honolulu, and San Diego. Recently, they’ve been dedicating their energies toward a friend in need. MW: What is Pity Corp. and The Working Man’s connection to Chhunly Hach Slater? Thy: She is one of my dearest friends in the world. I was 17 when I met Chhun working at Outback Steakhouse in Seattle. I had just moved there. She was so nice, and since we were from neighboring countries, I asked her if she liked pho and if she knew where to get a bowl. It had been months and I missed my comfort food. When she said it was her favorite, too, I asked her to take me because I had no car and I’d treat. She called it kha tieu, though, and she rarely let me pay. Although sad that I was moving, she was totally supportive when I decided to move from Seattle to L.A. and go for it. She knew I loved hair and gave me a ride to the airport. That’s how my SoCal journey started. Tad: And for that TWM is indebted to her kindness. Whenever Thy spoke about Chhunly, I always felt as if she was one of her sisters. She’s family. MW: Chhunly has a connection with the suit seen in “The Working Man” video? Tad: Yeah, it was definitely my transition into suits. It’s the first suit I bought and it was our first wedding that we attended as a couple . Thy: We got Tad’s suit on the fly because we wanted him to look his best at her wedding–especially because I was wearing a beautiful-but-super-tight traditional Cambodian wedding attire. I think they had to safety pin it on me because it was so teeny. She was marrying the love of her life so we wanted to do it up. MW: When and how did you find out about her stroke? What were your first thoughts? Tad: I was meeting Thy at a restaurant for a quick visit. As I was walking up, Thy had tears and told me. Thy: Found out on Saturday, which is a workday for me. Was waiting on some food and saw I had missed a call from Chhun’s cell. I called back and heard the fateful news from her husband Matt. My stomach hurt and my heart fell when I heard his voice. I asked what happened. Chhun suffered a stroke when they were out on a date, collapsed, and was in a coma. The situation kept running through my head but I couldn’t process it. My first thoughts were, “Oh my God! Her girls, they’re so young. They love her so much.” What were they going to do? And what was Matt going to do? I felt bad that I had no magical...

anton glamb · bootie brown · jesse neuhaus · jo koy · mario rubalcaba · Music · MW · News · perfect timing · ray barbee · sampler · skate videos · skateboarding · son of animal style · stevie dread · tad suzuki · the brotherhood: chicago · the working man · traveling sounds · treevisions · wide angle sounds · willy santos · wing ko · Oct 01, 2012

Son of Animal Style skate videos to play in Hawaii and San Diego

Some of you might recall that I assembled a program of skateboard videos that played in Chicago back in April. Named Animal Style after the famous Search for Animal Chin, it was a way for me to put the spotlight on some rad Asian and independent filmmakers who just happened to be my friends. Well, now there are two more chances to catch it, as remixed lineups have been announced in Honolulu and San Diego. The core of arthouse-meets-funhouse pairing of The Working Man and Perfect Timing and Windy City documentary with 20 years of footage The Brotherhood: Chicago has been kept intact, now bolstered by a double-header of skate rock (Traveling Sounds with Ray Barbee and Wide Angle Sounds: Mario Rubalcaba), a skating vs. comedy throwdown in Willy Santos vs. Jo Koy, and a Sampler by Honolulu’s Treevisions crew. The Honolulu screening will also include a bonus feature on local skater/musician Anton Glamb’s First Day of Summer. I’m super excited to not only give my talented friends run for their great work once more, but also to hit the road with many of them. The dates are as follows: October 19, 2012 – Hawaii International Film Festival November 3, 2012 – San Diego Asian American Film Festival Who knows if I’ll ever be invited to do anything like this again, so I hope you click on the links, plan to attend, and get inspired to skate, make movies, or just say hi.

anderson le · eugenia yuan · goh nakamura · joyful reunion · los angeles asian pacific film festival · michael aki · MW · News · Reviews Cinema · shinae yoon · tad nakamura · tad suzuki · the working man · wing ko · May 18, 2012

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival: The Working Man, Goh Nakamura, Closing Night

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival just ended and now I’m wondering what to do. Sounds like a good time to share some pictures. Of course, my focus was on my pals from The Working Man enjoying a moment in the spotlight.

I spotted my good friends Tadashi Suzuki (the star) and Wing Ko (co-director) before the shorts program began, and had a good time hanging out with them, saying hi to friends, and looking forward to their artful skate video’s hometown premiere.

MW · perfect time · pity corp · pryor praczukowski · Reviews Cinema · tad suzuki · tadashi suzuki · the working man · thy mai · wing ko · Mar 13, 2012

The Working Man and Perfect Time’s Tad Suzuki and Thy Mai

Animal Style wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for Tad Suzuki and Thy Mai. It was after I sent their first film short to my friend Tim Hugh, who runs FAAIM’s Asian American Showcase in Chicago, that he suggested I curate an entire skate video program. And now their noir-inspired “The Working Man” and hyper-colored “Perfect Time” will kick off the bill on April 14.

asian skateboarder · Features · international skateboard film festival · MW · News · skateboard · skateboarding · tad suzuki · the working man · thy mai · wing ko · Oct 18, 2011

Tad Suzuki is The Working Man

I’ve had the privilege of meeting and interviewing a lot of top-shelf skaters for the pages of Giant Robot: Don Nguyen, Daewon Song, Kenny Anderson, Eric Koston, Shogo Kubo, Steve Caballero, Willy Santos, Peggy Oki, Richard Mulder, Kien Lieu, Chad Tim Tim, Jamie Reyes, Daniel Castillo, Pat Channita, Jimmy Cao, Lincoln Ueda… (I know there are more and if I forgot you, I’m sorry.) Truthfully, the topic was probably lost on many readers but hopefully the culture wasn’t. Streetwear, street art, and even punk rock–so much of that stems from skateboarding and no one should forget that.