They Call Us Bruce

Jeff and Phil welcome Dr. Michelle Au, who represents District 50 in the Georgia House of Representatives. She talks about her journey from medicine into politics -- from anesthesiologist to the first Asian American elected to the Georgia State Senate in 2020 -- how she's navigated some of the electoral shenanigans of her rapidly changing district, and the power of the Asian American vote in her swing state of Georgia during this extremely important and consequential presidential election.

Jeff and Phil welcome law professor and state senator Dave Min, who is running for Congress in California 47th district. He talks about why he made the decision to step into this critical race, the unique characteristics and shifting demographics of his traditionally conservative district, and some of the blatant (and sadly, unsurprising) anti-Asian racism his campaign has faced. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of running for Congress.

Jeff and Phil welcome George Cheung, Director of More Equitable Democracy and co-host of the podcast The Future of Our Former Democracy, which asks an important question for our anxious times: Why does American democracy suck right now? George argues that there's a major underlying issue: the polarizing winner-take-all electoral system. He talks about what it could look like if the United States dismantled its current electoral system and rebuilt a proportional representation system to save our democracy. BONUS: After the episode, keep listening to hear the first episode of The Future of Our Former Democracy.

Jeff and Phil follow up and welcome back chef Edward Lee -- just two episodes later -- fresh off the finale of the Netflix cooking competition Culinary Class Wars. Spoiler alert! He talks about his grueling journey to the final challenge, including the Endless Cooking Hell, his unexpected new nickname, that incredible dessert dish, and how his cooking throughout the entire show told a personal story about his Korean American identity. Also: Jeff and Phil offer The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of Culinary Class Wars.

Jeff and Phil welcome their old friend, the one and only Daniel Dae Kim, who stars on Broadway in David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face. He talks about the play's brilliant, meta-comic exploration of race, representation and identity, his uniquely ascendant career as an actor, producer and advocate, and the twentieth anniversary of the role that changed everything for him: Jin on Lost. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of being "DDK."

Jeff and Phil welcome award-winning chef, restaurateur and author Edward Lee, who appears as one of the "White Spoon" chefs on Netflix's Korean cooking competition show Culinary Class Wars. He talks about his personal and professional journey as a Korean American chef, how he got recruited to battle it out with 99 other Korean culinary professionals -- including Michelin star chefs, The Bibimbap King, and the chicken mask guy -- and his ideas on the evolution and future of Korean cuisine. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of competing on Culinary Class Wars.

Jeff and Phil welcome back old friend Dino-Ray Ramos to discuss the techno-horror movie AfrAId, starring John Cho. They talk about John Cho's suburban dad thriller era and why it might not be a great idea to surrender every aspect of your family life to artificial intelligence (i.e. it might subscribe you to a meal prep delivery service). Also -- spoiler warning -- The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of AfrAId. 

Jeff and Phil welcome writer and performer Susan Lieu, author of The Manicurist's Daughter, a memoir about her search for answers after her mother dies during plastic surgery. She talks about grief, trauma, body image, her family's strident unwillingness to discuss what happened, and her attempts to find acceptance and purpose elsewhere -- including what turned out to be a cult. A yoga cult. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of writing The Manicurist's Daughter. 

In this special live episode, Jeff and Phil host a post-screening Q&A with Philip Ng, star of the hit Hong Kong action movie Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. He talks about the film's epic throwback to old school action cinema, the fun of playing a wild card villain like King, working alongside legends like Sammo Hung, and who got injured during the filming of Walled In (and why it was kind of Philip's fault). Special thanks to IW Group and Well Go USA.

Jeff and Phil welcome filmmaker Sean Wang and actor Izaac Wang, writer/director and star, respectively, of the indie coming-of-age film Dìdi. They talk about capturing the very specific emotional turbulence of Asian American suburban male adolescence, revisiting nostalgia for the 2000s internet AOL Instant Messenger era, and the agonizing and savage curation of one's MySpace "Top 8." Also, they share The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making Dìdi. 

Jeff and Phil welcome filmmaker Jennifer Phang, director of Descendants: The Rise of Red, the latest installment of Disney's massively popular musical teen fantasy film series. They talk about her indie Asian American cinema roots with films like Half-Life and Advantageous, infusing some K-pop sensibility into a beloved and well-established franchise, and crafting the extreme meme-ability of "Jaladdin." 

Jeff and Phil welcome writer and race scholar OiYan A. Poon, author of Asian American Is Not a Color: Conversations on Race, Affirmative Action and Family. She talks about breaking out of her comfort zone to write a sincere and heartfelt exploration of race relations and affirmative action, the interviews she conducted with Asian Americans who have been actively engaged in policy debates over race-conscious admissions or affirmative action, and the not-so-simple question from her daughter that inspired the title of her book. 

Jeff and Phil welcome educator, socialite and etiquette expert Sara Jane Ho, host of the Netflix series Mind Your Manners and author of Mind Your Manners: How to Be Your Best Self in Any Situation. She talks about her cross-cultural, transnational journey to becoming a global etiquette leader and how context and culture are key to understanding etiquette in any social situation. Also, on the matter of wearing shoes in the house -- if you ask Jeff and Phil, it's definitively disgusting -- Sara Jane settles the debate once and for all.  

Recorded live at NCORE (National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in Higher Education) in Honolulu! Jeff and Phil welcome Katie Gee Salisbury, author of Not Your China Doll, a biography on the life and career of movie star Anna May Wong. They discuss the "golden age" of Hollywood, the enduring popularity of film sleuth Charlie Chan (who was inspired by real-life Honolulu police detective Chang Apana), The Good Earth, the legacy of yellowface and performance/perception of Chinese-ness.

Jeff and Phil welcome back Shin Yu Pai, poet, museologist and host of Ten Thousand Things, an award-winning podcast about modern-day artifacts of Asian American life. She is joined by Jenny Liou, poet, English scholar and former MMA cage fighter -- and one of the subjects of the latest season of Ten Thousand Things. They talk about Jenny's entry into the sport, the cage as a space of limitation and liberation, and the impossible and contradictory expectations of an Asian American female fighter. Also, stay tuned for "Cage," an extra episode of Ten Thousand Things featuring Shin Yu Pai and Jenny Liou. 

BONUS EPISODE! This is Jeff and Phil's full interview with actor Lee Jung-jae, star of Squid Game and the Star Wars series The Acolyte, presented with the unedited Korean audio (and translation by Isue Shin). He talks about joining the Star Wars franchise, making in his English-language acting debut as a Jedi master, and working with the show's young stars. He also gives us The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making The Acolyte, and even dangles a tiny crumb of news about Squid Game season two. Also be sure to listen to our previous episode, which includes some additional commentary about the interview and Jeff and Phil's takes on The Acolyte.

Jeff and Phil welcome Korean actor Lee Jung-jae, star of Squid Game and the new Star Wars series The Acolyte. Speaking through an interpreter, he talks about joining the iconic Star Wars franchise, making in his English-language acting debut as a Jedi master, and working with the show's young stars. He also gives us The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making The Acolyte, and even dangles a tiny crumb of news about Squid Game season two. Special thanks to Isue Shin for interpreting this conversation.

Jeff and Phil welcome Adam King and Sam Hyun, co-founders of the Asian American sneaker brand 1587. They talk about their inspiration for starting a company dedicated to "unapologetically Asian American" footwear, and how they're celebrating our community's oft-forgotten or neglected stories through shoes. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of starting an Asian American sneaker company. (This episode is sponsored by the HBO original limited series The Sympathizer and its official companion podcast.)

In Episode 241, recorded live at Village Well Books & Coffee in Culver City, Jeff and Phil celebrate the book launch of Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire with author Paula Yoo and Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Hyungwon "HK" Kang. They talk about Paula's drive to tell a nuanced and empathetic account of the 1992 Los Angeles uprising, the three families at the center of the unrest -- beyond the headlines and soundbites -- and some of the incredible and heartbreaking untold stories from this incendiary moment for Los Angeles' Black and Korean American communities. (This episode is sponsored by the HBO original limited series The Sympathizer and the official Sympathizer companion podcast.)

In Episode 240, Jeff and Phil welcome writer, stand-up comedian and media studies PhD Grace Jung, author of the book K-Drama School: A Pop Culture Inquiry into Why We Love Korean Television. They discuss the explosion of Korean dramas from bootleg VHS tapes to DramaFever (R.I.P.) to the most popular shows on worldwide streaming services; the wildest K-drama tropes from amnesia to leukemia to kimchi slaps; what makes these shows so irresistibly bingeable, and what can we learn about our societies and ourselves from watching them.