S4E42: The New Guy with Eric Nakamura

Published: June 19, 2014, 3:42 a.m.

b'

Colin Marshall sits down in Sawtelle (also known as Los Angeles\' "Little Osaka") with Eric Nakamura, founder of Asian-American aesthetic culture and lifestyle brand\\xa0Giant Robot. They discuss the differences between the Sawtelle he grew up in and the Sawtelle he finds himself in today; how and where he got his doses of Japanese pop culture growing up; Los Angeles as a "gateway to Asia" then and now; the days when\\xa0Giant Robot\\xa0began as a photocopied zine, and what zinemaking means in 2014;\\xa0Giant Robot\'s various manifestations, from shops to galleries even to a restaurant; the local titles applied to him including "Mayor of Sawtelle" and "Sawtelle Shogun"; what he learned about other cities like San Francisco and New York from operating Giant Robot branches in them; the first trips to Japan he remembers, and the American cultural exchange he saw going on in them; his "just hanging out" style of travel, sometimes with stray cats; how Los Angeles\' lack of connectedness may have made it a more interesting place; (former Sawtelle resident) Shunji Iwai\'s\\xa0Vampire, Wong Kar-Wai\'s\\xa0My Blueberry Nights, and what happens when Asian directors work in the West; how Asia has come together in films like Pen-Ek Ratanaruang\'s\\xa0Last Life in the Universe;\\xa0what it means that more artists want to depict Los Angeles these days; and his preference of a role as new guy over a role as elder statesman.

'