Yin & Young Podcast

Hi All! We recorded this podcast at the start of the lockdown with actor Paul Yen! Paul is a politically aware actor who can be seen on Hulu’s “Little Fires Everywhere” in the role of Scott. Paul was nominated in 2018 (not 2019 as said in the podcast) for LA Drama Critics Circle’s Best Lead Actor for his portrayal of Quang in East West Players’ “Vietgone.”

HIGHLIGHTS:

• 00:51 Dan met Paul through a play that was directed by Dan’s wife.

• 1:46 Graduated from CSULB. Took a long break until a friend convinced him to finish his degree.

• 14:15 Had to rap for the “Vietgone” audition. 17:20 A social media post from the director telling Asian American men to “take space” lit a fire for Paul.

• 20:36 Many older Vietnamese immigrant are registered Republicans (incl. his parents). Been trying to get them to vote more Democrat.

• 28:00 Shares his auditioning process for “Little Fires Everywhere” (says this experience can vary greatly depending on the casting office).

• Role for “Little Fires Everywhere” differs from the Asian model minority stereotype

• 37:58 Watching Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon’s process as executive producers was educational and inspiring.

• 43:30 Solo show “Secret Identity Crisis” (The Hollywood Fringe 2017) takes popular superheroes (Batman, Superman, Spiderman) and reimagines them as Asian-American men.

• 55:39 Shares his voice acting experience on “White Snake.”

• 1:02:20 Sheltering in place with his wife and dog during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 1:15:11 Paul’s political awakening.

• 1:35:48 Believes Asians actors should be able to play other types of Asians (as long there’s no language stipulation).

Language Corner (1:31:08):

• Taiwanese - 莫按呢 - mài anné: don’t be like that

• Japanese - 仕舞った (しまった) - shimatta - darn it! we’re screwed!

• Vietnamese - mày - informal “you.” Used only between people who’re familiar.

Related links:

• Paul Yen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellopaulyen/

• Paul’s website: https://www.paulyen.com/

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Yin & Young EP047 - Filmmaker Valerie Soe - Love Boat, K-Pop & Mental Heath

Hope everyone has been safe and healthy. We recorded this at the start of 2020 before the pandemic with filmmaker/Asian American studies professor Valerie Soe! We talk about her feature documentary, Love Boat: Taiwan, anti-orientalism, deaths in the K-pop community, and the pressures of being in the spotlight.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Valerie: writer/director of Love Boat: Taiwan - https://www.loveboat-taiwan.com/about

• Valerie went on Love Boat during college

• Love Boat, formally known as The Overseas Compatriot Youth Taiwan Study Tour, was set up by the Taiwanese government to get young overseas Chinese and Taiwanese to visit Taiwan for cultural exchange.

• Valerie is Chinese American. Family has been in the U.S. since the 1920s.

• Glad to see more Asian representation in the media recently.

• Discussed the passing of K-pop idols Sulli and Goo Hara and the pressures of modern society (compressed modernity) as mentioned in her blog: https://tinyurl.com/ycsgm6wc

• The scrutiny K-pop stars face are not unique, result of rapid modernization, globalization, neo-capitalism..

• There are no dating clauses in contracts for K-Pop stars.

• Cyberbullying is a major issue, with public figures and celebrities particularly vulnerable to widespread criticism.

Language Corner

• Korean: 사생팬 - sasaengpaen - a Stan. A stalker fan. Literally, “private life” fan.  (in Mandarin: 私生飯 - Sī shēng fàn)

• Mandarin: 地頭蛇 - dì tóu shé - lit. land head snake. The boss of that area. Street king.

If you or someone you know is thinking of harming themselves:

• Call the Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255: suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

• Message/call 7 Cups for someone to listen: https://www.7cups.com/

• Visit the National Institute of Health Suicide Prevention website: https://tinyurl.com/hbxmhmk

Articles on depression and death in K-pop:

• I have reported on 30 Korean celebrity suicides. The blame game never changes: https://tinyurl.com/ycxs6b43

• The Impossible Task of Being the ‘Perfect’ K-Pop Star: https://tinyurl.com/yb97d9vg

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Comments, questions? Email us at [email protected].

In this episode, recorded live March 15, 2020, Dan, James and returning guest Darren discuss life indoors as Los Angeles begins to tighten its quarantine/stay at home regulations. We also discuss some of the anti-asian sentiment that has come grown alongside the virus cases. To reiterate, we're not medical professionals and the views expressed in this video are our own and should not be taken as professional medical advice. If anything, hopefully this gives some insight into life in LA at the time and is entertaining in some way.

Below are some of the links we reference in the video:

Live map of coronavirus: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

Coronavirus Simulator: Why outbreaks like coronavirus spread exponentially, and how to “flatten the curve” - https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/corona-simulator/

Joe Rogan Experience with Michael Osterholm, infectious disease specialist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3URhJx0NSw&t=3602s

LA Chinatown businesses hit hard: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-02/chinatown-businesses-begin-to-feel-sting-of-coronavirus-scare

What Taiwan can teach the world about fighting COVID-19

- https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/what-taiwan-can-teach-world-fighting-coronavirus-n1153826

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K_d0WFKQSo

Why is the outbreak so bad in Italy?: https://time.com/5799586/italy-coronavirus-outbreak/

Patient 31 may have contacted 1,160 with coronavirus in South Korea: https://graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH-SOUTHKOREA-CLUSTERS/0100B5G33SB/index.html

Why new diseases keep appearing in China: https://www.vox.com/videos/2020/3/6/21168006/coronavirus-covid19-china-pandemic

Pangolins the most trafficked animal in the world: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/opinion/coronavirus-china-pangolins.html

My Take On Coronavirus | Russell Brand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlW4jwaxYzQ

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CHEAP FOOD RECS

James - Braised pork over rice (滷肉飯) at Sugar Fix Cafe (https://www.yelp.com/biz/sugar-fix-cafe-los-angeles-2). Chain option: Taco Bell’s Craving’s Boxes and $1 dollar menu.

Darren - Chipotle burritos/bowls (Sofritas/Veggie) and Subway’s Veggie Delight.

Dan - Kang Kang Food Court’s pan fried pork buns (小美的生煎包) - https://www.yelp.com/biz/kang-kang-food-court-alhambra

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LANGUAGE CORNER

Japanese: - 病気 - byōki - sick

Taiwanese: 今仔日 - kin’afjit - today ; 明仔再 - min’afzaix - tomorrow

Cantonese: 點心 - dímsām - dim sum (small Cantonese dishes served generally around brunch) ; 餛飩麵 - wan4 tan1 min6 - wonton noodle soup

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Back with a podcast with Eric Chen, a speech and debate coach and supporter of former presidential candidate Andrew Yang. He has helped organize events and social media promotion in support of Yang before Yang dropped out of the race last month. We recorded in December 2019; please excuse some of the dated info discussed. However, with the recent measures taken to combat the spread of coronavirus, the proposals that Yang championed such as universal basic income (UBI), are essential now more than ever. We discuss that along with the topics below with Eric Chen:

HIGHLIGHTS

• Family made 19 visa attempts to immigrate to the U.S. from Taiwan before they were successful.

• Eric met his dad for the first as child when he was 7.

• Grew up in San Gabriel Valley.

• Was treated as an outsider being a recent immigrant, even in the majority Asian SGV.

• Can't pinpoint when he identified as Asian American.

• Andrew Yang has to thread the relationship with China if he were to win.

• Originally a Bernie supporter, then went to an Andrew Yang rally in LA and liked what he heard.

• Also supported Elizabeth Warren before switching over to Andrew Yang.

• All nominees are starting to copy other candidates’ ideas

• The messaging for Dems is not as good as the GOP

• Andrew should’ve honed down to a few key messages.

• MATH = Make America Think Harder.

• Andrew is for UBI, Medicare for all, lower tuition.

• Andrew’s lack of political experience is an advantage, similar to Trump.

• Established media is dismissive of Andrew because he’s Asian.

• There's less backlash when racism is perpetrated against Asians

LANGUAGE CORNER

Japanese: 希望 - きぼう- kibō - hope

Mandarin: 七情六慾 - Qī qíng liùyù - 7 emotions (joy, anger, despair, fear, love, hate, greed), 6 desires (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, thought). What it means to be human.

Mandarin: 危機 - wēijī - crisis. However, the second character 機 (jī) can be used in the word 機會 (jīhuì) which means “opportunity”.

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Yin & Young…are back! Thank you for your patience (I’ve learned to say that instead of “sorry for the delay”, which I am). For this highly anticipated podcast episode we’re speaking with writer, director Henry B. Chen! Henry was James’s mentor for the Taiwanese American Film Festival Pitch Competition 2019.

HENRY HIGHLIGHTS:

• Henry writes for BET’s Boomerang. He and his writing partner’s main episode is “Housekeeping”.

• Has multiple projects in the works including a remake pitch for "3 Ninjas" with Asian Americans.

• Henry grew up in an Asian-majority community in East Los Angeles and went to a competitive high school with double digit valedictorians.

• Henry and James explain why UCSD Professor J.P Gorin is violently amazing.

• There was a huge culture shock when he first got into the USC film production program where there were few Asians at the time. Initially, the Asian creatives there didn’t seem to care for Henry at the beginning but eventually they became good friends.

• Worked at CAA after undergrad. Had a lot of opportunities to choose to work for different filmmakers and ultimately chose to work with Kathryn Bigelow.

• Learned from Ms. Bigelow: your work should say something.

• James and Henry met through the mentorship program for the Taiwanese American Film Festival Pitch Competition. James and Henry share their experiences and how important creative boundaries are.

• Has a TV project in the works with his writing partner called Salvage which “follows the lives of four unlikely friends trying to open their own food joint in hyper competitive Los Angeles.”

• After not getting much attention for their pitch packet, Henry and Jingyi put their show on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/salvage.theshow/) and got a major offer.

• Henry shares how The Battle of Algiers is devastating, The Matrix inspirational, and why Parasite is a perfect film.

LANGUAGE CORNER

Japanese - 感動 - kandō - to be moved (emotionally)

Chinese - 四目交投 - sì mù jiāo tóu - to lock eyes with someone, lit. “four eyes trading”

Korean - 직업병 - jig-eobbyeong （hanja：職業病）- the disease of your occupation, i.e. traits from your occupation that you carry over into your personal life that can be harmful.

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Video note: above is a looped video of James and Dan practicing Taichi push hands. Edited due to privacy concerns of children entering the frame.

Hi All! Yin & Young are back with an episode sharing the lessons they’ve learned training martial arts and how they’ve applied them to their own lives.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Dan enrolled his kids to a kung fu school.

• Picking a martial arts school for a kid: cost and convenience are major factors.

• Delineation between hard and soft styles: Bruce Lee thought this separation between hard and soft was an illusion.

• Many soft style masters started with hard styles first.

• James studied Shotokan Karate and shares stories about his late teacher, Sensei Lafferty.

• Dan says exposure and affinity to multiple styles is a modern development. Before, people in the old days just learned what was locally/regionally taught and adapted it.

• Body styles might dictate the style best suited for people or how they can be adapted.

• Stories about getting bullied while growing up

• Is the world a cruel place?

• Discussion about the deaths of Zhang Yingying and Xinran Ji, two Chinese international students in the U.S.

• Stephen Kaufman's "Book of Five Rings" and "Art of War" are the interpretations that Dan recommends for both books

• James recites the Shotokan Karate Dojo Kun.

LANGUAGE CORNER

道可道，非常道。名可名，非常名。無名天地之始；有名萬物之母。 - 老子

Dào kě dào, fēicháng dào. Míng kě míng, fēicháng míng. Wúmíng tiāndì zhī shǐ; yǒumíng wànwù zhī mǔ. - Lǎozi

The way that can be told, is not the eternal Way. The name that can be named is not the eternal Name. The Way is nameless but also Named and is the origin of all things. - Laozi (aka Lao Tzu/Lao-Tze)

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Welcome back! It’s been 3 months, but this podcast is still alive! If you’d like to help us out to be more consistent, consider being a patron on our Patreon or offering your skills as an audio editor. Email us at yinyoungpodcast[at]gmail.com.

In Yin & Young episode 41, we chat with Jeff Man about filmmaking, mental health, and being more accepting.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Dating and loneliness.

• Dan consumes podcasts in 2x

• Jeff grew up in DC, which has a diverse population.

• Parents grew up in Hong Kong.

• Spoke Cantonese, Mandarin, and English as a kid. Ended up in ESL in kindergarten and resented it.

• Watching Chinese films helped with his language skills.

• Uncle was a big movie buff.

• Has been in LA for 9 years. When Jeff first moved here, it was a hard transition. “LA is a very lonely city.”

• Jeff’s boss encouraged him to make short films by giving him a $100 monthly budget. You can see all his films here: Jeff Man on Vimeo

  • Midday Crisis is about a depressed man who calls a suicide hotline; based on a personal experience.

  • Jeff’s short documentary “A Family Day”, follows his grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s, for one day.

  • Santa Claus, in which Jeff directs and acts in, two lonely people share a contentious X-mas dinner.

• He loves documentaries as well as the narrative form.

• Discussion gets deep into Invisibilia’s podcast - A Very Offensive Rom-Com

  • White male Asian female coupling

  • Asian male desirability

• Everyone has their own preferences.

• Wishes people had more self-awareness.

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LANGUAGE CORNER

Chinese Internet Slang (fr. James) - 拉黑 (lāhēi) which is short for 拉到黑名單 (lādàohēimíngdān) - put on a blacklist

Mandarin (fr. Jeff) - 男子漢大丈夫流血不流淚 (nánzǐhàn dàzhàngfū liúxuè bù liúlèi) - real men shed blood, not tears [Jeff disagrees]

Japanese (fr. Dan) - 勿体無い (もったいない) - mottainai - wasteful/what a waste

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Links!

Back the Kickstarter for the film here!

More info on the short film “Ahma & Alan” go here: http://www.jamesyshih.com/

Richard Sue’s website (photography, cinematography): http://richardsjsue.com

Gregory Yuan’s website (acting): https://www.gregoryyuan.com/

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Listen to Yin & Young: Website | iTunes | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify | Stitcher

Highlights

* Darren Kwan - originally from the Bay Area, worked at a tech company in Silicon Valley before deciding on a career change to filmmaking.

* James and Darren met at the De Anza College film department. Reconnected with James when he recognized Darren on the street in downtown LA.

* Darren’s latest film is about the cuddling industry.

* Tangent into Robert Kraft getting busted going to a massage parlor that has happy endings.

* James and Darren shot a short film in the tunnels under downtown LA.

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* 25:44 Oscars Talk. Everyone breaks down the issues they had with the Green Book: story pacing, racism, and replay value.

* Discussion on the films that should’ve won Best Picture.

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* 57:13 Moving on to the Best Documentary category, the Oscar nominated film: Minding the Gap:

* Darren expresses his connection to Kiere’s story and lack of connection to Zack’s story.

* Dan was impressed by the narrative structure of the documentary.

* James likes the film but gets heated about how it does not address racism against Asians.

* 01:19:35 - Best Animated Film, Yin and Young both agree on “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse” as a solid winner.

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Language Corner

* Japanese - 参った (まいった maitta）- a) I give up, b) I’m beaten, c) overwhelmed

* Mandarin - 厭世臉 (yan4shi4lian3) - literally “hate world face”. A cool, smile-less, serious look that women have.

* Cantonese - 身體健康 (san1tai2 gin6hong1) - lit. body healthy, wish you good health. Said during Lunar New Year.

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Links:

* Darren Kwan on Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/user32586431

* Oscar Nominations 2019: Full List – https://variety.com/2019/film/news/oscar-nominations-2019-list-1203112405/

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Yin & Young links:

* Main Website: http://www.jamesyshih.com/yin-young-podcast/

* iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/yin-young-podcast-jys/id1185421015?mt=2

* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yinyoungpodcast/

* YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkvtVW6pVPeKFn7H_6ai8lA?

* Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1BF7YXqVAEk9EXVr45gWy4?si=3wrdb9VpSR-p3yQygvLtdw

* Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/yin-young-podcast